v. 89. Four.] The four evangelists.
v. 96. Ezekiel.] Chap. 1. 4.
v. 101. John.] Rev. c. iv. 8.
v. 104. Gryphon.] Under the Gryphon, an imaginary creature, the forepart of which is an eagle, and the hinder a lion, is shadowed forth the union of the divine and human nature in Jesus Christ. The car is the church.
v. 115. Tellus’ prayer.] Ovid, Met. 1. ii. v. 279.
v. 116. Three nymphs.] The three evangelical virtues: the first Charity, the next Hope, and the third Faith. Faith may be produced by charity, or charity by faith, but the inducements to hope must arise either from one or other of these.
v. 125. A band quaternion.] The four moral or cardinal virtues, of whom Prudence directs the others.
v. 129. Two old men.] Saint Luke, characterized as the writer of the Arts of the Apostles and Saint Paul.
v. 133. Of the great Coan.] Hippocrates, “whom nature made for the benefit of her favourite creature, man.”
v. 138. Four others.] “The commentators,” says Venturi; “suppose these four to be the four evangelists, but I should rather take them to be four principal doctors of the church.” Yet both Landino and Vellutello expressly call them the authors of the epistles, James, Peter, John and Jude.