_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._