then by some resemblance of vertue they had to do good, and to benefite many.  So as to the God of the Christians, such diuine praise might be verified:  to th’other gods none, but figuratiuely or in misticall sense as hath bene said.  In which sort the ancient Poets did in deede giue them great honors & praises, and made to them sacrifices, & offred them oblations of sundry sortes, euen as the people were taught and perswaded by such placations and worships to receaue any helpe, comfort or benefite to them selues, their wiues, children, possessions or goods.  For if that opinion were not, who would acknowledge any God? the verie Etimologie of the name with vs of the North partes of the world declaring plainely the nature of the attribute, which is all one as if we sayd good, [bonus] or a giuer of good things.  Therfore the Gentiles prayed for peace to the goddesse Pallas:  for warre (such as thriued by it) to the god Mars:  for honor and empire to the god Iupiter:  for riches & wealth to Pluto:  for eloquence and gayne to Mercurie:  for safe nauigation to Neptune:  for faire weather and prosperous windes to Eolus:  for skill in musick and leechcraft to Apollo:  for free life & chastitie to Diana:  for bewtie and good grace, as also for issue & prosperitie in loue to Venus:  for plenty of crop and corne to Ceres:  for seasonable vintage to Bacchus:  and for other things to others.  So many things as they could imagine good and desirable, and to so many gods as they supposed to be authors thereof, in so much as Fortune_ was made a goddesse, & the feuer quartaine had her aulters, such blindnes & ignorance raigned in the harts of men at that time, and whereof it first proceeded and grew, besides th’opinion hath bene giuen, appeareth more at large in our bookes of Ierotekni, the matter being of another consideration then to be treated of in this worke.  And these hymnes to the gods was the first forme of Poesie and the highest & the stateliest, & they were song by the Poets as priests, and by the people or whole congregation as we sing in our Churchs the Psalmes of Dauid, but they did it commonly in some shadie groues of tall tymber trees:  In which places they reared aulters of greene turfe, and bestrewed them all ouer with flowers, and vpon them offred their oblations and made their bloudy sacrifices, (for no kinde of gift can be dearer then life) of such quick cattaille, as euery god was in their conceit most delighted in, or in some other respect most fit for the misterie:  temples or churches or other chappels then these they had none at those dayes.

  CHAP.  XIII.

In what forme of Poesie vice and the common abuses of mans life was reprehended.