l e m e . l i b r a r y . u t o r o n t o . c a

s t c 1 8 9 7 1

v e r . 1 . 0  ( 2 0 1 9 )




¶ That the vnlearned myght the
better vnderstande these, I
haue compendeouslye noted
the histories, & names not
familier to oure eng­
lysh phrase.




Venus.
VEnus, wyfe to Vulcane, fayned of
the Poets to be the Godesse of
loue.  And by another name is
called Aphrodite.



Mercurie
MErcurye, the sonne of Iupiter and
Maia, one of the daughters of
Atlas.  Whom the Poets called
god of eloquence, and is called Hermes,
otherwise the messenger of Iupiter.



Pæbus.
PHæebus, Apollo. And is taken for the
Sonne.



Narcissus
NArcissus, sonne of Liriope, a chylde
of passyng bewtye, whych did so
much delyght in hys owne shape, as
the Poets fayned, that he died for loue
of his owne shadowe, and was turned
into a flowre.






Phrigian.
PHrigian. One of the Lande of Phri­
gia.



Cupide.
CVpide, sonne of Bacchus and Venus,
and is fayned of the Poets, to be 
the God of loue.  And is called
blynde: because luste blindeth iudge­
mentes of men.



Eccho.
ECcho. A Nymphe, whiche loued
Narcissus. And the sounde that
commeth from the valleys and
hollowe places, & doth sounde againe
syx or seuen words, in some places, by
reason of the reuerberation of the aire.
(as some saye.)



Ioue.
IOue, sonne of Saturne and Ops. King
of Creta, and was fayned cheefe of
the Gods.



Iuno.
IVno. Syster & wyfe of Ioue or Iupiter.



Medea.
MEdea, daughter of Oeta, kynge of
Choleus, which loued Iason.  Who,
when he had sworne neuer to
forsake her.  She did help him to kill the
Serpente, and wyn the golden fleece.
And so when she did pryuely go away
with Iason, she kyled her yonge brother




Absirtus, and did plucke him in peces,
to stay her father which pursued after
her: & when she had lyued many yeres
in Grece, with Iason, and had children by
hym.  At last Iason forsoke her, and ma­
ryed Glauca, doughter of kynge Creon.
Medea so refused, slew the sones which
she had by Iason, & settynge hys Palace
on fyre: she burned Glauca, and her fa­
ther therin.



Hipsiphil.
HIpsiphile, doughter of Thoas, kyng
of Lemnus, whyche loued Iason ex­
cedinglye, & bare hym two chyl­
dren at a burden.



Iason.
IAson, sonne of Aeson, whom Pelias
hys Vnkell being kyng of Thessalye,
dyd sende wyth manye other valy­
ente Gentlemen, to fetche the Golden
Fleece.  Whych (the aduenters therof
achyeued,) by the helpe of Medea, he
wan, and brought it away.



Demophon
DEmophon, sonne of Theseus & Phædra.
Which returninge from the ba­
tayle of Troy, was by tempeste
broughte into Thracia, wheare Phillis




doughter of Licurgus, then Queene, re­
ceyued hym, and after maryed hym,
whyche from thence wente to Athens,
promysynge her to returne shortlye.
Which when he performed not, Phillis
not able to susteine the ragyng fyttes
of so feruent loue.  Honge her selfe on
an Almonde tree.

And so the Poets fained that she was
turned into an Almonde tree.



Dido
DIdo, doughter of Belus, kynge of
Tirus.  And wyfe of Sicheus: whom
when Pigmalion the kinge, & bro­
ther to Dido had slaine for his richesse.
Dido sayled into Africa with hys trea­
sure, and theare buylded the famous
Cytie of Carthage.  And afterwarde in
loue with Aeneas, when he had depar­
ted from her, to seke the lande of Italye:
(according to Cassandra her prophesie.)
she brake her necke for sorow, falling
into the fire, &c.  Or according to Virgill
slew her selfe with Aeneas his swerde.



Aeneas
AEneas. A noble man of Troy, sonne
 of Anchises and Venus.  Which es­
capynge with his father, wyfe,
and other hys countrey men.  After




great trauaile, and many chaunces
aryued in Italy, wheare after great
batayle he slewe kyng Turnus, and
maryed Lauinia, daughter to kyng
Latinus.  And so became king of Italy.



Helena.
HElena. Begotten of Iupiter, in
the lykenes of a Swanne, on
Læda, wyfe of Tindarus, kynge
of Laconia.  And was for her passyng
bewtie twyse stollen.  Fyrst by These­
us, being but a gerle: & the seconde
time being wife to Menelaus, by Paris.
For whom the Grecians warred ten
yeares space with the Troyans.  And
so Troy beyng burned, receyued her
agayne.



Paris.
PAris. Sonne of Priam kyng of
Troy, by hys wyfe Hecuba, with
whom when shee was greate
with chylde, shee dreamed that shee
had broughte foorthe a fyrebrande,
whych shulde burne Troye: whear­
fore the kynge afrayde, commaunded
that the chylde shulde be kylled as
soone as hee was borne.  Hys mo­
ther Hecuba, moued wyth motherly




pytie, did pryuelye sende hym to a
Shepard to be brought vp.  And when
he waxed a yonge man, Iuno, Pallas,
and Venus, Goddesses, stryuynge in
beutye for a golden Apple, wheron
was written: be it geuen to the fay­
rest They were sent by Iupiter, to
the iudgemente of Paris.  To whom
when Iuno had promysed rule and
kyngdome, Pallas wysedome, and
Venus pleasure, and the fayrest wo­
man in the worlde.  He gaue the ap­
ple to Venus.  And so after came in
fauour with his father, and sayling
to Sparta, he brought fayre Helen a­
way wyth hym. And so the batayle
of Troy began.



Sapho.
SApho. A woman of the Ile Lesbos,
lerned in Poetrye, beinge for­
saken of a yonge man, called
Phaon, whom she loued: she caste her
selfe from the hyll Leucates, into the
Sea & so peryshed by loue of hym.



Phaon.
PHaon When he had caryed Ve­
nus ouer a Fery: she gaue hym
to  be the fairest, and best shaped
man alyue.






Biblis.
BIblis. daughter of Miletus, which
inflamed with detestable loue
of her brother Caunus, when he
forsoke hys countrey to auoyde that
myscheyfe: she folowed hym tyl she
dyed for fayntnes.



Scylla.
SCylla. Daughter of  Nisus, kynge 
of Megaris.  Whyche for the loue
of Minos then besegyng the Cy­
tie of Megaris, she brought to hym a
purple heare, which she cut of from
her fathers heade.  And that heare
being on hys heade, he could not be
ouercome, and by lyke destenye: with
the heare, he loste hys kyngdome.
And Minos dyspysed her for her mis­
cheuous dede.  And tyenge her with
a corde to the ende of hys shyp: he
hanged her in the water.



Minos.
MInos. begotten by Iupiter in the
likenes of a white Bull, on
the fayre Europa, daughter to
Agenor kyng of Phænicia. And for his
iustyce is fayned of the Poets to be
a Iudge in Hell.






Adonis.
ADonis. A yonge man of passing
bewtye, whom Cinaras kynge
of Phænicia, made dronke by
polycy of hys doughter, & a Nurce,
begat on his owne doughter Mirrha.
whom Venusloued.



Hippoli­
tus.
Hippolitus. Sonne of Theseus, duke
of Athens, by Hippolite.  Whom
when hys stepmother Phaedra
could not winne to her lust, she ac­
cused him to Theseus, as thoughe hee
woulde haue oppressed her by force.
Theseus then trustynge hys wyfe to
much, desyred hys father Aegeus, a
God of the Sea, that he wolde kyll
hys sonne.  Wherfore, when Hippo­
litus dyd ryde in a Charyot by the
Sea syde, Aegeus sente out certaine
monsters of the Sea, called Phoces,
wherwith his horses afraide, brake
the Charyot, and rente hym in pe­
ces.  But at the requeste of Diana,
Goddesse of Chastytie (louyng her
chast knight Hippolitus,) Aesculapius,
the fyrste that inuented Physyke:
restored hym to lyfe agayne.






Menela­
us.
MEnelaus. Sonne of Atreus, bro­
ther to Agamemnon, and kyng
of the Cytie of Sparta.



Vulcane.
VVlcane. Sonne of Iupiter & Iuno,
whyche being borne ill fauo­
red, and liked not Iuno: he was
cast into the Ile Lemnus, wheare be­
ing noryshed wyth Apes, he became
lame of one foote therby.  And he is
fayned to be the god of fyre, and the
Smyth to make thunder boltes for
Iupiter Whych askyng to marrye
Minerua, Iupiters doughter, and God­
esse of wysdome: he was denyed.
Wherfore Virgill wryteth
The gods wolde not vouchsafe, that hee
shulde at theyr table syt.
And to her bed, the Goddesse shee
wolde neuer hym admyt.
But afterwarde, thys gay Squyer
maried to Venus, when he had taken
her a bed wyth lustye Mars, the god
of batayle.  He had framed such fine
chaynes to bynde them, that they
could not get a sunder: tyll be had
brought all the Gods to laugh at the
game.
Nec deus
hunc men­
sa, Dea
nec digna­
ta cubili
est.






Pasiphae
PAsiphae. Wife of Minos kynge
of Creta, whych loued a stowte
Captayne called Taurus, and
conceyued by him the cruel and de­
formed Minotaurus, whom for his fierce­
nes, and ill shape, the Poets fayned
to haue bene halfe a man, and halfe
a bull: & therfore was enclosed in a
Laberinthe, (made by the conynge De­
dalus,) and theare fed wyth fleshe of
men.



Hero.
HEro. A mayden of synguler
bewtye, of the Cytye Sestos, in
Hellespont.



Leander.
LEander. A yonge gentleman of
the Cyty Abidos, whych a great
Ryuer dyd deuyde from Sestos,
wheare he was wonte to swym by
nyghte, to hys louer Hero, and so at
laste was drowned.



Piramus.
PIramus. A yonge gentleman of
Babylon whyche loued Thisbe.



Thisbe.
THisbe. A mayde of synguler
bewtye, whyche when shee




loued Piramus excedyngly: And they
were kept a sunder by their parents,
yet one night they escaped out, and
had agreed before, to haue met vn­
der a tree without the towne: Thisbe
commynge thyther fyrste, seinge
a Lyon dyd flye into the wood,
her cayle beynge fallen of, the Ly­
on rente it in peces.  Piramus com­
mynge after, fyndynge the cloth
rente, thoughte that Thisbe had bene
deuoured of some beast, and so slew
hym selfe.  Whyche when Thisbe
returnynge agayne dyd see: shee
kylled her selfe wyth the same
swerde.



Orestes.
ORestes. Sonne of kynge Aga­
memnon.  Whyche slew hys mo­
ther Clitemnestra, because that
shee for loue of Aegisthus, had slayne
hys father.  And he maryed Hermi­
one. And after being mad, (hys most
faythful frend Pylades kepyng him)
he came into the country of Taurica:
Where, accordyng to the custome,
he shulde haue bene slayne, and sa­




cryfysed.  But being knowen of hys
syster Iphigenia, hee slewe the kynge
Thoas, and escaped with hys syster.
And after had hys wyttes perfecte
agayne.



Hermio­
ne.
HErmione.  Daughter of Menelaus,
and that Helen: so renowned
for her bewtye.  Whych being
a gerle was marryed to Orestes.  And
when kyng Pirrhus, sonne of the va­
lyante Achilles, had marryed her af­
terward. Hermione by letters requy­
red him humbly, to claime his right
and delyuer her.  And so Orestes slew
Pirrhus, & receyued Hermione
agayne.



Hiacin­
thus.
HIacinthus. A yong man, of pas­
synge bewtye.



Mars.
MArs. God of warre, and sonne
of Iupiter and Iuno.



Theseus.
THeseus. Sonne of Aegeus kynge
of Athens, & of Aethra, dough­
ter to Pytheus, kyng of the Cy­
tye Trœzen.  A puyssante knyghte,
whych dyd many greate feates and




aduentures: As Hercules dyd.  Being
but a yonge man, he foughte wyth
Hercules against the Amazones, war­
full women.  He slew Creon, kynge of
Thebes, which suffered not men slaine
in warre to be buryed.  He slew Mi­
notaurus, and deliuered hys countrey,
from the trybute of fourtene noble
chyldren, euery nyne yeres, sent to
Creta to be slayne, for that the Cyty­
zens of Athens had slaine Androgeus,
sonne of Minos kynge of Creta.  Hee
slewe a monstrous Bull whych had
spoyled the country Attica.  He slew
Seyron; and Procustes, robbers.  And af­
terwarde wyth his faythfull freind
Pirithous he wente to Hell to fetche
Proserpina, whom Pluto had stollen,
from her mother Ceres, Goddesse of
corne, and Queene of Sicilye.

But Pirithous beynge slayne by the
three headed Hounde Cerberus, Por­
ter of Hell: Theseus was kept in pri­
son theare, tyll he was delyuered
by myghty Hercules.



Ariadne
ARiadne. Doughter to Minos, king
of Creta, whyche by a botom of




thred, taught Theseus to come out of
the Laberinthe, after he had kylled
her brother Minotaurus.  She forsoke
her countrey and folowed hym,
whom he lefte in the Ile of Naxus.
So Bacchus the God of wyne, tooke
her to wyfe.  And Venus gaue her a
crowne, wheron Bacchus set nyne
starres, & fyred it in the skye.  And
so the starre is called the Gnossian
crowne.



Phædra.
PHædra. Doughter of kynge
Minos, and Pasiphae, wyth her
syster Ariadne dyd flye her
countrey, with Theseus: and
became hys wyfe, after he had for­
saken Ariadne.



Adelasie
ADelasie. Doughter and onelye
chylde of the Emperour Otho
the thyrde, so excedynglye she was
enamoured of the most valiant Ale­
ran, sonne of a Duke of Saxony that
she procured hym pryuelye to con­
uey her awaye, whych by the helpe
of an old lady her nurce, he brought
to passe  And afterwarde beinge




robed of suche money as they
had prouyded, they lyued long in a
woode, and made coles for theyr ly­
uynge, and bare hym seuen sonnes
theare, and afterwarde by the va­
lyante feates of her eldest sonne,
they were knowen to the Empe­
roure, and so had hys fauoure a­
gayne, and enioyed the Empyre af­
ter hym.



Iuliet.
IVliet. A noble mayden of the Cy­
tye Verona in Italye, whyche loued
Romeus, eldest sonne of the Lorde
Montesche, and beinge pryuely ma­
ryed togyther: he at last poysoned
hym selfe for loue of her. she for so­
rowe of hys deathe, slewe her selfe
in the same Tombe, wyth hys dag­
ger.



Tiresias.
TIresias. An olde Prophet of
the Cytie Thebes, in Bœtia, a
countrey in Attica.  And is 
nowe called Vandalia.






Diana.
DIana. Daughter of Iupiter and
Latona, and syster of Apollo, & 
is called goddesse of hunting,
and Chastytie. & is the Moone also.



Nymphes
NYmphes, were maydens which fo­
lowed Diana, and worshyppyng
her, did lyue solytarye, in woodes,
by ryuers sides, and other pleasant
places: to auoyde companye.  And
cheifly vsed huntyng: to subdue the
tedyousnes of tyme.



Acteon.
ACteon. Sonne of Aristæus, by
Antonoe daughter of Cadmus,
buylder of the Cytye Thebes,
whych after he had bene a hunting,
came by chaunce to a secret wel or
spryng, where he saw Diana naked,
wasshyng of her selfe.  Wherat shee
takyng displeasure, turned him in­
to a Harte, and so, as he wold haue
returned home, he was rente in pe­
ces of his owne houndes.  Ouid Epist.
Acteon once vnwyttyng, did
Diana naked see:
Wherfore vnto his Houndes, shee made
Him then a praye to bee.




¶All whych was fained, for that he
had spente hys substaunce, and
vndone him selfe by huntynge, and
keppyng of houndes.
Inscius
Acteon vi­
dit sine
vest Dia­
nan, Atque
suis cani­
bus. &c.



Gysmond
GYsmonde. Onelye daughter of
Tancrede, kyng of Salerne: which
loued a seruaunte of her fathers: &
beinge taken in adultery together,
in a Caue in the grounde the kinge
caused her louer Guistarde to be han­
ged therfore, and sent his harte vn­
to her whych imbracynge it, layd it
on her breste, agaynste her owne
hart, and dranke a cuppe of poyson
immedyatly, wherof dyenge: shee
desyred that they mgghte be buryed
together.




FINIS.