48 THE WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 



tion and procreation, and Cupid her son doth apply 

 this desire to some individual nature ; so that the 

 general disposition comes from Venus, the more 

 exact sympathy from Cupid : the one derived from 

 causes more near, the other from beginnings more 

 remote and fatal, and as it were from the elder 

 Cupid, of whom every exquisite sympathy doth 

 depend. 



DIOMEDES, OR ZEAL, 



Diomedes nourishing with great fame and glory 

 in the Trojan wars, and in high favour with Pallas, 

 was by her instigated, being indeed forwarder than 

 he should have been, not to forbear Venus a jot, if 

 he encountered with her in fight; which very boldly 

 he performed^ wounding her in the right arm. This 

 presumptuous fact he carried clear for a while, and 

 being honoured and renowned for his many heroic 

 deeds, at last returned into his own country, where 

 finding himself hard bestead with domestic troubles, 

 fled into Italy, betaking himself to the protection of 

 foreigners, where in the beginning he was fortunate, 

 and royally entertained by King Daunus with sump 

 tuous gifts, raising many statues in honour of him 

 throughout his dominions. But upon the very first 

 calamity that happened unto this nation, whereunto 

 he was fled for succour, King Daunus enters into a 

 conceit with himself that he had entertained a wicked 

 guest into his family, and a man odious to the god 

 dess, and an impugner of their divinity, that had 

 dared, with his sword, to assault and wound that 



