of Ovid in Image and Text
George Sandys, Ovid's Metamorphosis (1632)
An Online Edition
Daniel Kinney, Director
Special Thanks to Alison Caviness, Zack Long, Keicy Tolbert, and the Many Resident Experts of U.Va.'s E-Text Staff
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Ovid Illustrated: The Renaissance Reception of Ovid in Image and Text George Sandys, Ovid's Metamorphosis (1632) An Online Edition Daniel Kinney, Director Special Thanks to Alison Caviness, Zack Long, Keicy Tolbert, and the Many Resident Experts of U.Va.'s E-Text Staff |
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VPON THE THIRD BOOK OF OVIDS METAMORPHOSIS. Cadmus is sent by Agenor in search of his sister Europa;  either to bring her back, or neuer to returne: in that
one act an affectionate father, and a cruell. Agenor by interpretation is a valiant man: and Cadmus his sonne confirmes this
assertion;
Cadmus, after so many difficulties, aduanced to a flourishing kingdome (Honour is to be courted with sweat and blood, and not with perfumes and garlands) now seemeth happy in his exile: hauing besides Harmione to wife; whose nuptialls were honoured by the presence of the Gods, & their bountifull endowments. So beloued of them is the harmony
of exterior and interior beauty espoused to Virtue. Shee is said to be the daughter of Mars and Venus; in that musick not
onely recreates the minde with a sweet obliuion of former misfortunes, but also inflames it with courage, and desire of
instant encounters especially the Dorick and Orthian; the latter when Alexander at any time heard, as a man transported
with fury, hee would fly to his weapons. Cadmus had but one sonne by Harmione called Polidorus, though here our Poet
intimate many, and foure daughters; Ino, Semele, Agaue, Autonoë. Athamas by Ino had Melicerta and Learchus; Ioue by
Semele, Bacchus; Echion by Agaue, Pentheus; and Aristaeus Actaeon by Autonoë: Whose succeeding stories are the
arguments of as many Tragedies. To these ensuing miseries, yet ô fortunate Cadmus, adde thine owne exile in thy old age:
and then confesse with our Author, or rather with Solon from whom he hath borrowed it;
that made a breach into his felicities. Diana bathes her selfe in the
Valley of Gargaphia; attended by six Nymphs whose names sute well with that seruice. Crocale signifieth pibble stones in
the fountaine which serue as a strainer to clarifie the water: Nyphe one that washeth; Hyale glasse, in regard of the
cleerenesse of the spring; Rhanis sprinkling; Phecas a drop of dew; and Phiale a filling of water into lauers, as is here in
the verse expressed. Actaeon by chance came hether and beheld her naked; whom the blushing and angry Goddesse
transformes into the shape of a long-liu'd Hart: so called in that the longest liuer of all that hath life, whereof Ausonius:
Iuno for Europa's sake detesting the whole race, reioyceth in the death of Actaeon. None more iealous then she,
nor more reuengefull in her iealousie: in so much as she could not forbeare that Dedalian Statue which angry Iupiter
threatned to marry: but vpon their reconcilement caused it to be cast into the fire. Wherefore Numa made a law, that no
harlot should enter her temple, or touch her altars. For no Goddesse was more iniured with the continuall adulteries of
Iupiter: late he rauished Europa, and now had got her neece Semele with child. She frets and scoulds (a quality euer
attributed vnto her; perhaps in regard of the turbulent agitations of the aire which is Iuno) and meditates on reuenge: which
the better to effect, converts her selfe into the shape of her nurse; old Beroe of Epidaure. No treachery is so speeding as that
which maskes vnder the visard of friendship.
whereof
Virgill more fully.
But to returne to the sence of the story: Cadmus according to Sabinus imports as much as Orientall, in that he came from the East: bringing with him both letters and learning. Semele, his daughter signifies an Image: and like enough he introduced some new superstition; whereupon, in that delightfull and well accepted, it was fained that Iupiter was in loue with Semele. Ino, another of his daughters, signifies Fortune: either a name imposed vpon some new statue and ceremony; or to declare that Empire depends not vpon humane counsell, but on secret and fatall causes, whose euents are so called. And probable it is, in that vines were first planted in the East, that Cadmus instructed the Graecians in that knowledge: wherefore Bacchus, because wine was held to be the gift of God, was said to be the sonne of Iupiter and Semele; which is the diuine worship. As for Semele, perhaps her aspiring to the diuine honours of Iuno, whom S. Augustine supposeth to be Ashtoreth the Goddesse of the Sidonians, as Baal or Bell Iupiter, who was Belus Grandfather to Agenor; and some fatall accident vpon her pride by lightning, might giue a ground to this fable. And why might not she affect a deity as well as her great Grandmother? But as Bacchus physically is taken for a vine; so is Semele for the Earth; and therefore called her son. Iupiter his father, in that wine hath in it a naturall heat; nor ripens but in countries that are hot, or moderately warme. He is said to be taken from the ashes of his mother, in that ashes exceedingly inrich the soyle, and make it bring forth Grapes in abundance: to be sewed in Ioues thigh; because the vine delighteth in heat, nor will fructifie, or liue without it, and lastly to be borne twice; once out of the earth, and then from the thigh of the tredder; since it is not wine before the grapes be trodden, for so they anciently prest them. The Nymphs are here said to haue nurst him: because the vine, the moystest of all plants, is best nourished by moysture: and morally to informe vs, that the malignity of wine should be allayed with water. So of old they qualified the fury of Bacchus with the sober Nymphs; as now the more temperate doe in hot Countries. Reconciled Iupiter & Iuno now higthen their delights with full boles of Nectar. The drinke of the Gods, importing
a priuation of death; and therefore powred out by Hebe, the Goddesse of eternall youth. In their cups they talk wantonly.
Iupiter would haue the pleasure of women to exceede, and Iuno of men. Tiresias is made their iudge, who had tryed both
sexes: his sentence is for Iupiter, how men had three ounces of the vigour of loue, but that women had nine. Iuno depriues
him of his sight, which Iupiter supplies with the gift of prophesy. This Tiresias was the sonne of Vdaeus, one of the fiue
Captaines which suruiued that vnnaturall warre; and assisted Cadmus in the building of his Citty. Women, if we giue credit
to histories either ancient or moderne, (whereof wee shall treat in the transformation of Iphis) haue often beene changed
into men; but neuer man into woman. We therefore must fly to the allegory; not seldome among the Grecians as strange, as
their fables stupendious. They allude Tiresias to the alternat seasons of the yeare: the spring called Masculine, because the
growth of things are then inclosed in the solid bud; when euery creature (expressed by these ingendring Serpents) are
prompt vnto Venus: but separated by his rod, the approaching feruor, he is turned into a Woman; that is, into flourishing
Summer, defigured by his name: which season is said to be Feminine, for that then the trees doe display their leaues, and
produce their conceptions. The Autumne is a second time of generation, proceeding from the temperate quality of the aire;
when he recouers his former sexe by againe deuiding the serpents; that is, by the approach of Winter, which depriues the
Earth of her beauty, shuts vp her wombe, and in that barren in it selfe is said to be Masculine. Iust was the iudgement of
Tiresias between Iupiter and Iuno, that is, the two elements of fire and aire: for the aire conferrs thrice as much as the fire
to the generation of vegetables: which marries, as it were, the corne to the gleab, produces the blade, and swells it in the
eare; whereas heat adds little to the materialls, though the maine in actiuity, both producing the forme and causing maturity.
He is said to haue beene bereft of his sight by Iuno, in regard of the darke and clowded aire of the Winter: when Iupiter by
conceal'd heat infusing a conception of a future growth, is said to inspire him with the spirit of prophesy. But Lucian
reports that the Grecians fained Tiresias to haue beene sometimes a man, and sometimes a woman; because he first diuided
the wandring starres into Male and Female, in regard of their diuers operations.The first that made his Prophesies famous was the fate of Narcissus. His mother Liriope
inquiring whether he should liue vntill he were old; Tiresias replied: If he know not himselfe. As strange as obscure; and
seeming contradictory to that Oracle of Apollo: To know a mans selfe is the chiefest knowledge. The lacke hereof hath
ruined many: but hauing it must needs ruine our beautifull Narcissus: who only is in loue with his owne perfections; though
not without store of despairing riualls. Among whom the babling Nymph Eccho: who for being formerly Iupiters Property
was depriued by Iuno of speech; more then to reiterate the last word which she heard: and now despised by the froward
boy, pines away with loue, vntill at length she consumes to an vnsubstantiall voice. Well therefore was vaineglory fained to
affect selfe-loue; who reiected, converts into a sound; that is, into nothing. Now Eccho signifies a resounding which is only
the repercussion of the voice, like the rebound of a ball, returning directly from whence it came: and that it reports not the
whole sentence, is through the debility of the reuerberation. Yet in the garden of the Tuillereis in Paris, by an artificiall
deuice vnder ground invented for musick, I haue heard an Eccho repeate a verse, not lowdly vttered, without failing in one
sillable. Eccho is here said to conceale her selfe in woods and mountaines: but chiefly in winding vallies, rocky caues, and
ruinous buildings. In many places three or foure answere one another: Lambinus writes, that at Charoune in the Ile of
France he heard seauen distinctly; and that there are not fewer then thirty to be heard at Pauia. The image of the voice so
often rendred, is as that of the face reflected from one glasse to another; melting by degrees, and euery reflection more
weake and shady then the former. Ausonius makes Eccho thus speake to the Painter that would haue drawne her;
that she had her principall Temple at Rhamnus, a citty of Achaia; with her statue (so highly celebrated
by Varro) of Parian marble, ten cubits high, and all of one stone: brought thither by the insolent Persians to set vp for a
trophy of the victory which they promised to themselues against the Athenians, but contrary in the euent: and therefore
converted by Phidias, that excellent statuary, into the Image of this Goddesse of reuenge, or Retribution, as her name
importeth. Whereof Ausonius out of a Greeke Author
Narcissus, pursued by the wrath of Nemesis, falls miserably in loue with his owne shaddow, and dyes in doting on it. Nor are his eyes auerted by death:
Some tract of History I find in Pausanias. There is, saith hee, a place neere Thespia which is called Danacus: in this is the fountaine of Narcissus; wherein, they say, he beheld his owne likenesse, & not conceauing that it was his shaddow, or how himselfe was beloued by himselfe, pined away and dyed by the brinke of the fountaine. But how absurd is it to belieue, that any should be so distracted or besotted with affection, as not to distinguish a shadow from a substance? Yet something like this is recorded, not vulgarly knowne. Narcissus had a sister borne at the same birth, so exceeding like as hardly distinguishable; alike also their haire in colour and trim, and alike their habites; who accustomed to hunt and exercise together, with her her brother fell violently in loue: and she dying, repaired oft to this fountaine, much satisfying his affection in gazing therein, as not beholding his owne shaddow, but the image of his dead sister. Others write that he threw himselfe into the water out of impatiency to liue without her. Of the miraculous likenesse of twins all ages haue afforded examples. I haue heard a Gentleman yet liuing say, how his mother knew not his brother from him but by the treading of their shooes; that both, when schollers, were likely whipt for the offence of one; and that being bound Apprentises to two Marchants in London, they would ordinarily write in one an others roome, vndiscouered by their Masters or any of the family. But now to the morall. Narcissus, a youth; that is, the soule of a rash and ignorant man; beholds not his owne face, nor considers of his proper essence or virtue, but pursues his shadow in the fountaine, and striues to imbrace it; that is, admireth bodily beauty, fraile and like the fluent water; which is no other then the shadow of the soule: for the mind doth not truly affect the body, but its owne similitude in a bodily forme. Such Narcissus, who ignorantly affecting one thing, pursues another; nor can euer satisfie his longings. Therefore he resolues into teares and perisheth: that is, the soule so alienated from it selfe, and doting on the body, is tortured with miserable perturbations; and dyes, as it were, infected with that poyson: so that now it rather appeareth a mortall body then an immortall soule. This fable likewise presents the condition of those, who adorned by the bounty of nature, or inriched by the industry of others, without merit, or honour of their owne acquisition, are transported with selfeloue, and perish, as it were, with that madnesse. Who likely sequester themselues from publique converse and ciuill affaires, as subiect to neglects and disgraces, which might too much trouble and deiect them: admitting but of a few to accompany their solitarinesse; those being such as only applaud and admire them, assenting to what they say, like as many Ecchos. Thus depraued, puft vp with vncessant flattery, and strangly intoxicated with selfe admiration; at length they contract such a wounderfull sloth, as stupifies their sences, and depriues them of all their vigour and alacrity. Narcissus is therefore converted to a flower of his name, which signifies stupid: flourishing onely in the Spring, like these who are hopefull in the first of youth, but after fall from expectance & opinion: the flower, as they, altogether vnprofitable, being sacred to Pluto and the Eumenides; for what bore of it selfe no fruite, but past and was forgotten, like the way of a ship in the sea, was consecrated of old to the infernall Deities. But a fearfull example we haue of the danger of selfe-loue in the fall of the Angells; who intermitting the beatificall vision, by reflecting vpon themselues, and admiration of their owne excellency, forgot their dependance vpon their creator. Our Narcissus, now a flowre, instructs vs, that wee should not flourish too soone, or be wise too timely, nor ouer-loue, or admire our selues: which although hatefull in all ages, in youth is intollerable. And therefore Nemesis is introduced to reuenge such pride and insolency; and to make his vices his owne destruction. This wounderfull destiny giues wings to the fame of Tiresias: yet flouted, and vpbraided with the losse of his
eyes by violent Pentheus, of whose destruction he prophesies. This was the sonne of Echion and Agaue the daughter of
Cadmus; who now growne old, had resigned vnto him the kingdome of Thebes. A mortall enimy to the introduced Rites,
and adoration of Bacchus; which fill Cythaeron with the shouts and clamours of franticke women, now a celebrating his
Orges: so called, either in that those rites were celebrated on the tops of mountaines, or because his followers were wrapt
with a kinde of fury. Three there were of that name, the Lybian, the Aegyptian, and the here mentioned Theban: who
emulating the glory of the former, led an army into the East; and left behind him many trophies of victoryes: hauing
multitudes of women in his traine, as the former had Amazons. It is a tradition, saith the Athenian in Plato, that being
disturbed in his senses by Iuno; in reuenge, he invented wine to infuriate the Bacchae. Yet for this, and other behouefull
inventions, hee was honoured by men with Temples and Altars: in himselfe made vp of all contrarieties; valiant and
effeminate, industrious and riotous, a seducer to vice, and an example of vertue: so variously good and bad are the effects
of wine according to the vse or abuse thereof. And because the actions and inventions of the former grew now obscured by
antiquity, their fame and vertues were ascribed to the latter Bacchus: especially by Orpheus in honour of the family of
Cadmus, by whom he had beene highly aduanced. But heare we the Thebans sing of their Bacchus; since it giues no small
light to what hath and is to be said hereafter.
But now to be serious. Noah was he who immediatly after the flood first planted a vineyard, and shewed the vse of wine vnto men. Therefore some write that of Noachus he was called Boachus, and after Bacchus, by the Ethnicks; either by contraction, or ignorance of the Etymologie. The ignorance likewise of the truth hath begotten so many fables and allegories; he being neither the Lybian, Aegyptian, nor Theban Bacchus, but the ancient Nysaean; who flourished long before Iupiter Hammon, or the Cretan Iupiter, the supposed fathers of the other. Posterity diuers waies celebrated this bounty of Noah; and therefore called him by sundry names, as Bacchus, Vinifer, and Oenotrius; whereof Italy was after named Oenotria, of the excellent wines which that soyle produced. Now Pentheus striues to exasperate the Thebans against Bacchus. Hee puts them in minde of their originall, their ancient religion, and what a shame to submit to an effeminate boy, supported by franticke women and drunkards: shewing how easily resisted by the example of Acrisius. This Acrisius was king of Argos, the sonne of Abas, and father of Danae; who in that hee would not admit of his Rites, is said to haue chased him out of his kingdome. Pentheus sends his guard to apprehend him: they wounded, returne with one of his Priests, who tels the miracles of the ship
sticking fast in the midst of the deepe, and periur'd sailers converted into Dolphins. Yet the first is parallel'd by history;
effected, according to Pliny, by a little fish; and therefore called by the Romans Remora: which since so incredible, I will
relate it in the words of the Author. This fish frequenteth the rocks; and is supposed by Aristotle to haue many feet, in
regard of the multitude of her finnes. Although the windes blow violently, and the tempests raue; yet commands shee their
fury, and so curbs their power, that the shippe continues immouable; which neither cables nor anchors, though neuer so
strong and massy, could detaine: and that only by cleauing thereunto, without her owne labour. But our Armado's are
fortified with Castles; from whence they fight on the sea, as from the walls of a Bulwark. O humane vanity; when euen those
ships, whose beakes are so armed with brasse and iron to pierce through the sides of such as they encounter, should bee
forced to obey the arrest of a little fish not halfe afoot long! At the battaile of Actium one detained, as they report, the
Admirall, which carried Antonius, hasting to order his nauy and incourage his souldiers, vntill he was constrained to ship
himselfe in another: vpon which aduantage the Caesarians fell on with the greater violence. And in our memory Caligula
was so checkt in his returne from Astura to Antium. Nor long continued their admiration, hauing forthwith discouered the
cause: for certaine perceauing his Gally, which had fiue men to euery pare, to be only detained of all the rest of the nauy,
leapt presently into the sea; and searching about the keele of the vessell, found this little fish fast cleauing to the rudder.
This showne to the Emperor, with indignation he beheld what could stop his course, and resist those oares which were
stretcht by the strength of foure hundred sea-men: renuing his wonder to see it loose that virtue within, which it had when
it cleau'd to the out-side of the vessell. Those who then, and after, beheld it, resembled the same to a Snaile, but not a little
greater. The like power hee attributes to the Purple fish, annexing this story out of Titianus: Periander dispatching a
mandate for Gnidos, to castrate all their boyes which were nobly descended, the shippe was so long mored in the midst of
the sea by this shell-fish, vntill another arriued (the Prince repenting him of his crueltie) with a countermand. Wherefore the
Gnidians to perpetuate the memory thereof, did consecrate that fish to their Venus. But these strange effects, which
perhaps depend on no naturall causes, may rather proceed from the power of the Divell. I haue heard of sea-faring men, and
some of that Citty, how a Quarter-master in a Bristol ship, then trading in the Straights, going downe into the Hold, saw a
sort of women, his knowne neighbours, making merry together, and taking their cups liberally: who hauing espied him, &
threatning that he should repent their discouery, vanished suddenly out of sight; who thereupon was lame euer after. The
ship hauing made her voyage; now homeward bound, and neare her harbour, stuck fast in the deepe Sea (as this of the
Tyrrhenians) before a fresh gaile, to their no small amazement: nor for all they could doe, together with the helpe that came
from the shoare, could they get her loose, vntill one (as Cymothoe the Troian ships) shou'd her off with his shoulder
(perhaps one of those whom they vulgarly call Wise-men, who doe good a bad way, and vndue the inchantments of others).
At their ariuall the Quarter-master accused these women: who were araigned, and conuicted by their owne confessions; for
which fiue and twenty were executed. But to proceed with the fable. These Tyrrhenians for their pyracies and power at Sea,
and for that they had transported diuers colonies to sundry parts of the world, were surnamed Dolphins: whereupon this
fable was by the Greekes deuised; and withall to deterre from rapine and periury, which seldome escapes the diuine
vengeance. The fantasticall resemblances of Lynxes, Tygres, and Panthers, are the terrors of conscience, which driue the
guilty to dispaire and ruins. They also are said to haue been turned into Dolphins, because those fishes seeme naturally to
affect the societie of men; following of shippes, and sporting about them, as they sayle along: nay many, if wee may giue
credit to credible Authors, haue beene carried on their backes to drie land; and therefore the ancient presented safety by a
bridled Dolphin. So giue they warning of insuing tempests and aduise the mariners, as it were, to stand to their tacklings
and take in their sailes. All which concurres with our Porpus, out of doubt the true Dolphin: wherein I am not only
confirmed by the authority of Scaliger. For those that are called Dolphins by our East and West Indian Sea-men
(who likely giue knowne names to things which they know not) are fishes, whereof I haue seene many, which glitter in the
water with all variety of admirable colours; and are hardly so bigge as our Salmon-trouts: too little by farre to beare those
burthens wherewith almost all ancient authors doe charge them: besides none of these were euer seene in the Mediterranian
sea, the scene of those stories. The credulity of the old worlds superstition, was no lesse prodigious then their fables: for an
instance, this fable we now treat of is yet to be seene in beautifull figures of mosaique painting (an antique kind of worke,
composed of litle square peeces of marble: guilded and coloured according to the place that they are to assume in the figure
or ground: which set together, as imbossed, present an vnexpressable statelinesse) in S. Agnes Church at Rome, which was
formerly the Temple of Bacchus.God, in detestation of Atheisme, doth reward the deuout, though in a false religion, with temporall blessings, as here Acaetes aduanced from a poore fisherman to the pontificall dignity: who now cast in prison and reserued for torments, the shackles fall from his leggs, and the doores vnlockt themselues to afford a way to his safety. This the more incenseth our violent Pentheus. There is no creature so immane and rabid, but anger addes to his naturall fiercenesse. Other
affections haue their apparent symptoms, but that of anger is eminent, whose fire inflams the looks and sparkles in the
eyeballs: proceeding from the sending forth of the spirits in a reuengefull appetite: Good counsell converts into bad when
vnseasonably giuen; so the disswasions of Cadmus and Athamas exasperate his fury: who to chastice his kinsman, perhaps
as much out of enuy as zeale, ascendeth Cithaeron. A mountaine of Baeotia, not farre from Thebes, which tooke that name
from Orpheus his harpe, called alwaies sacred; in that there he first instituted the Orges of the Theban Bacchus; transferred
by him out of Aegypt from the Aegyptian. For Cham and his accursed race, first inhabiting those parts, there planted
Idolatry: which the Poets brought into Greece, who trauailed thither to inrich their knowledge. For almost all arts and
sciences had from them their originall: who had besides more impressions of antiquity then any other nation; as appeareth
by their Dinasteis, stretching beyond the generall deluge: who affirme that their first Kings liued twelue hundred yeares,
and the latter but three hundred; comming neere the ages of man both before and after. But what Tradition deliuers
obscurely and lamely, is in the scripture entire and perspicuous. Agaue fulfills the prophecy of Tiresias in the slaughter of
her son: who distracted with the fury of Bacchus, together with her sisters, supposing him a Bore, transfix him with their
iaulings, torne forthwith in peeces, for all his teares and submission, by the rest of the Bacchae. There is nothing more
plausible to the vulgar then the innouation of gouerment and religion. To this they here throng in multitudes. Wise Princes
should rather endeauour to pacifie, then violently oppose a popular fury: which like a torrent beares all before it; but let
alone exhausteth it selfe, and is easily suppressed. Reformation is therefore to be wrought by degrees, and occasion
attended: least through their too forward Zeale they reiect the counsill of the expert, and incounter too strong an opposition,
to the ruine of themselues and their cause; whereof our Pentheus affords a miserable example. The blind rage of
Superstition extinguisheth all naturall affection. Agaue murders her son, and the aunts their nephew: nor haue the latter
ages beene vnacquainted with such horrors.On the other side Pentheus expresseth the image of an implacable Tyrant; hating religion, and suppressing it in others: nor to be diuerted by counsell or miracles; till his death approues that tyrants are no where safe; no not among their owne kindred.
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