The ixth Chapitre.
MANY BELEUE THAT Europa was the doughter of a certayne man called Phenysis, but the more parte weene that she was the doughter of Agenor, Kynge of Phenysis, and of so meruelouse beautie that or he were waare, Jupiter was taken in loue with hyr. And so the myghty man, lyinge on wayte to ketche hyr, dyd so muche by a bawde of hys that he made hyr descende downe frome a high hyll, where she was, vnto the bounkes syde of Phenycum, lyke a wanton mayden with hyr flok of beastes that she kept of hyre fathers, and so taken, and shortly putt into a shyppe, the sygne wherof was a whyte bull, was conueyde into Crete. Maydens to stray a broode to wantonly and to gyue lyghte eares to suche as speeke fayre to theym, I do little commende it, as by dyuers that I haue knowne, that it hathe hapnede to, by suche wyldnes to haue runne into greate diffamy and sclaundre, whiche, all thoughe after they vsede theymselffes chastely, yet coulde they neuer clerely put the sclaundre away. Of thys is sprongne the fable that is sayde, that Marcury compellyd hyr to cum to the see banckes, and Jupiter, conuertynge hymself into a bull, to haue taken this Europa. And so, as it foloweth, from thens she wentt into Egypte, but aboute what tyme that she was rauysshede, the auctours differ, in that the moste auncyent say that it was in that seasone that Argis reigned. Sum agayne say, when Ogysius reignede, and sum at the last write that when Pandio was gouernowr ouer the Athenyens.
But how so euer it was, they agree that by Jupiter she was rauysshede, and after to haue bene maryede to Asterus, Kynge of Crete, and to haue had by hym Mynos, Radamantus and Sapadon, albe it that many say she had those children by Jupiter, affirmynge that Asterus and Jupiter were all oone name. Whiche altercasion, because it touchyth other then me, it sufficyth that the more parte wolde holde that, to doo hyr the more honour, she was Jupiters wyfe and the children were by hym gotten, and for because that she was a womane venerable, to hyr prayse to haue namede the thyrde parte of the worlde after hyr name Europa for euer. Whiche name, with a generall consent of the hoole worlde, for hyr noblenes not onely is admytted, but further, Pictogaras, the illustriouse and famouse philosopher, to hyr honour and remembraunce made an ymage of coper for euermore to endure.