Question

o his sweet lute Apollo sang the motions of the spheres,

The wondrous orders of the stars whose course divides the years,

And all the mysteries above;

But none of this could Midas move:

Which purchased him his ass’s ears.

How does this verse from Thomas Campion’s "Fourth Book of Airs” reflect the history of the Renaissance?

It criticizes the church.
It celebrates a monarch.
It refers to Greek mythology.
It promotes reason.

Answer 1

It refers to Greek mythology.

Explanation: The lines invoke Apollo and King Midas — figures from classical (Greek/Roman) myth — and the “motions of the spheres” (a Pythagorean/Platonic idea). That reflects the Renaissance revival of classical antiquity and humanist interest in ancient myths and cosmology. It’s not primarily a church critique or a praise of a real monarch, nor is it chiefly an argument for reason (if anything, it points out Midas’s foolishness).