[38] Creüsa was the Daughter of Creon King of Corinth, and second Wife to Jason; to whom Medea, enraged with Jason, who had forsaken her, sent a Casket in which Wild-Fire was inclosed, and by which she was burnt as soon [as] it was opened. This Medea afterwards, on account of the same Anger with Jason, tore to pieces her two Sons which she had bore to him.
[39] This Phoenix having incensed his Father, by lying with a Woman who was beloved by the latter, fled to the Protection of Peleus the Father of Achilles, and was by bim [sic] Preceptor of that young Hero.
[40] Hippolytus being beloved by his Stepmother Phaedra, and refusing to gratify her Desires, was by her falsely accused to his Father Theseus; upon which account he was obliged to fly, and the Chariot Horses being frighted by Sea-Calves, dashed the Chariot to-pieces, and him also.
[41] Phineus King of Arcadia, having repudiated his Wife Cleopatra, married Harpalice; by whose Instigation he put out the Eyes of his Sons: for which he was afterwards punished by Divine Vengeance with the Loss of his own.
[42] The Romans paid a Religious Regard to their Birth-Day, as appears from many Passages in their Poets. At this time they used to receive Presents from their Relations and Acquaintance. We have here given the Sense of the Original, only varying the Customs (Kalendae Martii.) Ovid advises the Lover to abstain from visiting his Mistress in the Kalends of March. At which time the Matronalia were celebrated to Juno Lucina, and the Husbands used to pray to that Goddess to protect the Chastity of their Wives. Horace likewise Lib. III. Ode 8. hints that this was not the proper Season for Batchelors to give a Loose to their Gaieties. (Sive erit ornatus Circus, &c.) A third Caution Ovid gives, is not to visit on those Days when the Wealth of the Roman Conquests were exposed to the Circus, in admiring which, as Mycellus observes, the Girls were too much taken up, to attend to the Desires of their Lovers. To say the truth, some Custom seems to be alluded to here, which is not sufficiently preserved from the Ruins of Antiquity.
[43] Then the Pleiades are at hand. Then the Goat is merged in the Sea, viz. in the Month of October and November.
[44] The Original points at the Day in which the Romans were overthrown by the Gauls on the Banks of the River Allia. This was the 15th of the Kalends of August. A. U. C. 363, and it was marked as a black Day in their Kalendar. As this Nation is too happy to produce any such Day, we have been obliged to give it a different Turn in our Paraphrase.
[45] Cydippe was a beautiful virgin of the island of Delos. She was celebrating the Rites of Diana when she was seen by Acontius, who falling in love with her, and not daring openly to declare his Passion, contrived to drop an Apple at her Feet, in which were inclosed these two Lines:
I swear to you by the mystical Rites of Diana,
That I will attend you as a Companion, and become your Bride.
Cydippe took up the Apple and read the Lines; by repeating which words they became her own; and she was ignorantly betrothed to her Lover: For it was a Law, that whatever any persons said in Diana's Temple, they were obliged to perform.