confulting the Augur, the King Chewing that he had little faith in his skill) demanded of him, whether by the rules of his skill, what he had conceived in his minde might be done to whom when A&ius had answered it might be done, he bid him take a Whetstone which he had in his hand, and cut it in two with a Razor; which accordingly the Augur did. Livy. And therefore we must conceive it was very sharp. Here the Adage was crofs'd, Eve pis à'xórly, i.e. novacula in cotem. Vid. Erafm. Chiliad.

It is not meer Zeal to Learning, or devotion to the Mufes, that wifer Princes Patronize the Arts, &c. but a defire to have their names æterniz'd by the memory of their writings.] There is a great Scholar, who took the boldness to tell a Prince fo much. Eft enim bonorum principum cum viris eruditis tacita quædam naturalifq; focietas, ut alteri ab alteris illuftrentur, ae dum Sibi mutud Suffragantur, & gloria principibus, & doctis authoritas concilietur. Politian. Ep. Ludovic.

Sfort.

Se&. 4.

Sfort. qua extat, ltb.11. Ep. ep. 1. And to this Opinion aftipulates a Countryman of our own, whofe words are thefe: Ignotius effet Lucilius, nifi eum Epiftola Seneca illuftrarent. Laudibus Cæfareis plus Virgilius & Varus Lucanufq; adjecerunt, quam immenfum illud erarium quo urbem & orbem Spoliavit. Nemo prudentiam Ithaci aut Pelide vires agnofceret, nifi eas Homerus divino publicaffet ingenio: unde nihil mihi videtur confultius viro ad gloriam properanti fidelium favore Scriptorum. Joan. Sarisb. Polycrat.1.8.c.14. And that Princes are as much beholding to the Poets pens as their own Swords, Horace tells Cenforinus with great confidence. Od.8.1.4. Non incifa notis, &c.

St. Paul that calls the Cretians Pag.140. Igars, doth it but indirectly, and upon quotation of one of their own Poets. That is, Epimenides; the place is, Tit. I. v. 12. where Paul ufeth this verfe, taken out of Epimenides.

Κρήτες αεί ψεύσαι, κακα εία, γαςέρες αργαλ

For

It is as bloody a thought in one way, as Nero's was in another. by a word we wound a thousand.] I fuppofe he alludes to that paffage in Sueton, in the life of Nero, where he relates that a certain perfon upon a time, spoke in his hearing thefe words,

Εμὲ θανόν] γαία μιχ έτω πυρί,

i. e. When I am dead let Earth be mingled with Fire. Whereupon the Emperour uttered thefe words, 'Eμx (vzC, i. e. Tea whilft I live: there by one word, he exprefs'd a cruel thought, which I think is the thing he meant this is more cruel then the wifh of Caligula, that the people of Rome had but one Neck, that he might destroy them all at a blow.

Pag.147.

I cannot believe the story of the Sea. 6. Italian, &c.] It is reported that a certain Italian having met with one that had highly provoked him, put a Ponyard to his breaft, and unlefs he would blafpheme God, told him he would kill him; which the other doing to fave his life, the Italian prefently kill'd him, to the intent

he

he might be damned,having no time of Repentance.

I have no fins that want a Name.] The Author in cap.ult.lib.ult.Pfeu dodox.fpeaking of the Act of carnality exercised by the Egyptian Pollinctors with the dead carcaffes, faith we want a name for this, wherein neither Petronius nor Martial can relieve us; therefore I conceive the Author here means a venereal fin.

This was the Temper of that Leacher that carnal'd with a Statua.] The Latine Annotator upon this hath these words: Roma refertur de Hifpano quodam. But certainly the Author means the Statue of Vemus Gnidia made by Praxiteles, of which a certain young man became fo enamoured, that Pliny relates, Ferunt amore captum cum delitniffet noctu fimulachro cobasisse,ejusqz cupiditatis effe indicem maculum. Lucian alfo has the ftory in his Dialog. [Amores.]

And the conftitution of Nero in his Spintrian recreations.] The Author doth not mean the laft Nero,

but

but Tiberius the Emperour, whose name was Nero too;of whom Sueton. Seceffu verò Capreenfi etiam fellariam excogitavit fedem arcanarum libidinum, in quam undique conquifiti puellarum & exoletorum greges monAtrofiq; concubitus repertores, quos Spintrias appellabat, triplici ferie connexi invicem incest arent fe coram ipfo, ut adfpectu deficientes libidines excitaret. Suet. in Tib.43.

I have seen a Grammariam toure and plume himself over a single line in Horace, and fhew more pride,&c.] Movent mihi ftomachum Grammatifte quidam,qui cum duas tenuerint vocabulorum origines ita fe oftentant, ita venditant, ita circumferunt jactabundi, ut præ ipfis pro nihilo habendos Philofophos arbitren tur. Picus Mirand. in Ep.ad Hermol Barb. que exftat lib. nono Epift. Politian.

Garfio quifq; duas poftquam fcit jungere partes,

Sic Stat, fic loquitur, velut omnes

noverit artes.

Se&t. 8.

Pag. 151!