Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Loue in a Dreame
had beene chaunged into a stone, hir hart still panting and hir sweete
lipps readie to open, as if she would not be so vsed.
From hir head hir loose tresses laye wauing vppon the suppressed
couering, fowlded and plited and as it were scorning the haires of the
inglomatede cloth, hir thighes of a conueniente bignes and hir fleshie
knees somwhat bending vpp, and retract towardes hir.
Showing hir streight toes as it were incereating hir fingers to handle
and streine them, the rest of hir bodie aunswerable to the perfections
of these seuerall proportions.
And behind hir the shadowing of the leaffye _Memerill_ or _Arbut_ full
of soft small Apples and fruite, and prettye byrdes as yf they had beene
chirping and singing of hir a sleep.
At hir feet stood a satire in prurient lust vppon his gotishe feet, his
mouth and his nose ioyning together like a gote with a beard growinge on
either sides of his chin, with two peakes and shorte in the middeste
like Goates hayre, and in like manner about his flankes and his eares,
grewe hayre, with a visage adulterated betwixt a mans and a Goates,
in so rare a sort as if the excellent woorkman in his caruinge had had
presented vnto him by nature the Idea and shape of a _Satire_.
The same _Satire_, had forciblie with his lefte hand bent an arme of the
_Arbut_ tree ouer the sleepie nimphe, as if he would make hir a
fauorable shadowe therewith, and with the other hand howldinge vpp a
curtaine by one of the sides that was fastened to the body of the tree.
Betwixt the comare _Meimerill_ or _Arbut_, and the _Satire_, were two
little _Satires_, the one howlding a bottell in his hands and the other
with two snakes fowlding about his armes.
The excellencie, dilicatnes and perfection of this figment and
woorkmanshippe cannot be suffientlie expressed.
This also helping to adorne the sweetnes thereof that is the whitnes of
the stone, as if it had been pure iuorie.
I wondered also at the woorking of the clothe coueringe as yf it had
been wouen: and at the bowes, braunches, and leaues, and at the little
birdes, as if they had been singing and hopping vpp and downe vpon their
pretie feet in euerie ioynt single and pounce made perfect, and so the
S_atire_ like wise. Vnder this rare and woonderfull carued woork betwixt
the gulatures and vnduls in the plaine smothe was grauen in _Atthic_
characters this poesye +PANTA TO KADI+.
The thirst which I had gotten the daie before was so increased, that I
was prouoked now to slacken the same, or rather inticed with the faire
beautie of the instrument, the coolenes whereof was such, as betwixt my
lippes me thought it stirred and trembled.
And rounde about this pleasant place, and by the pipplyng channels, grew
_Vaticinium_, _Lilly conuallie_, and the flowring _Lysimachia_ or willow
hearbe, the sorrowfull Reedes, Myntes, water Parsley, Baume,
_Hydrolapathos_, or water Sorrell, and other approued hearbes, and fine
floures, a little Channel comming by a sluce from the Bridge, entering
in and vnlading it selfe, was the cause of a goodly faire Poole, broad
and large, in a verie good order, trimmed about and beautified with a
fence of sweete Roses and Gessamine. And from thence running ouer it,
dispersed it selfe, nourishyng and visiting the nexte adioyning fieldes
and grounde, abounding in all sortes of hearbes, floures, fruites, and
trees.
There grewe also great store of _Cynarie_ grateful to _Venus_, wylde
_Tansie_, _Colocassia_, with leaues like a shielde, and garden hearbes.
And from thence beholding the plaine fieldes, it was woonderfull to see
the greennes thereof, powdered with such varietie of sundrie sorted
colours, and diuers fashioned floures, as yealow Crowfoote, or golden
Knop, Oxeye, _Satrion_ Dogges stone, the lesser Centorie, Mellilot,
Saxifrage, Cowslops, Ladies fingers, wilde Cheruile, or shepheardes
Needle, _Nauens_ Gentil, Sinquifolie Eyebright, Strawberies, with
floures and fruites, wilde Columbindes Agnus Castus, Millfoyle, Yarrow,
wherewith _Achilles_ did heale _Telephus_, and the rust of the same
speares head that hurt him. Withe the white Muscarioli, bee floures and
Panenentes in so beautifull and pleasant manner, that they did greatly
comfort mee (hauing lost my selfe) but euen with the looking vppon them.
And heere and there in a measurable and wel disposed distaunce and space
betweene. In a conuenient order and sweete disposed sort by a iust line,
grew the greene and sweete smelling Orenges, Lymons, Citrons,
Pomegranettes, their water boughes bendyng downe within one pace of the
ground, couered with leaues of a glassie greene colour, of a great
height and turning downe againe their toppes, laden with the aboundance
of their floure and fruites, breathing forth a most sweet and delectable
odoriferous smell. Wherwithall my appaled heart did not verie lightly
reuiue himselfe (it might bee in a pestilent ayre and contagious and
deadly sauour.)
For which cause I stood amazed and in great doubt what to thinke or doo,
and the rather because in that place I had seene such a marueilous
fountaine, the varietie of hearbes, the colours of floures, the placing
orderly of the trees, the faire and commodious disposition of the seat,
the sweet chirpings and quiet singing of Birds, and the temperate and
healthful ayre. And which I could verie well haue been contented
withall, and the worst of them might wel haue contented me, if I had
found any inhabitant there. And somewhat I was grieued that I could no
longer abide in such a place where so many delightful sightes did
present themselues vnto mee. Neither was I aduised to my better safetie
and content which way to turne me.
Standing thus in such a suspence of minde, calling to remembraunce the
daunger that I had lastlye escaped, and the present place that I was
newlye entered into, and thinking vppon hieragliphes that I did see in
the left side of the bridge, I was in doubt, to hasten my selfe towards
any vnaduised aduers accident, And that such a monument and warning
woorthie of golden letters, should not be set in vaine to them that
passed by, which was _Semper festina tarde_. Behold of a sodaine behinde
me, I heard a rusling noyse, like the winde or beating of a Dragons
winges. Alas I knew not what it should bee. And sodeinly ispasurated and
turning my selfe about, I might perceiue vpon one side of me many
silique trees of _Aegypt_, with their ripe long coddes hanging and
beating one against an other with the winde, had felled downe
themselues, which when I perceiued, I was soone quieted, and beganne to
make sport at my owne folly.
I had not continued long thus, but I heard a singing company of gallant
damoselles comming towardes mee (by their voyces of young and tender
yeares) and faire (as I thought) solacing and sporting themselues among
the flowering hearbes and fresh coole shadow, free from the suspect of
any mans sight, and making in their Gate a great applause among the
pleasant flowers. The incredible sweetnesse of hir musicall and
consonant voyce, conueighed in the roriferous ayre, and spredding it
selfe abroade with the aunswerable sounde and delectable report of a
warbeling harpe (for the tryall of which noueltie, I couched downe vnder
the lowe bowghes of the next adioining bushes, and saw them come
towardes mee with gratious gestures) hir Maydenlie head attyred and
bound vp in fillets of glystering gould, and instrophiated redimited,
garnished ouer and beset with floured mirtle, and vpon hir snowye
foreheade, branched out hir trembling curled lockes, and about hir
fayrest showlders, flew her long tresses after a nymphish fashion
artyfitiallye handeled.
They were apparrelled in carpanticall habites of fine sylke of sondrye
coulers, and weauinges of three sorts, one shorter, and distinct from
the other. The nethermost of purple, the next of greene silke, & goulde
or tissew, and the vppermost of curled white sendall, gyrded about their
smale wastes with girdles of goulde vnder the lower partes of their
round breasts. Their sleeues of the same curled Sendall, often doubled,
which bettered and graced the subiect couler. And tyed about their
wrists with ribands of silke, tagged with Gouldsmithes woorke. And some
of them with Pantophles vpon their shooes, the vpper part of the
Pantophle of gould and purple silke, leafe worke, shewing thorough
betwixt the voyde spaces of the leaues, the fine proportion of their
prittie illaquiated and contayned feete. Their shooes comming straightly
vnder their anckles, with two lappes meeting vpon their insteps, and
closed fast eyther with Buttons or claspes of gowld after a fine manner.
Aboue the hemmes of theyr nether garments, there compassed about insteed
of gardes and imbrodered woorke of hearts, which now and then blowne vp
with the gentle ayre, made a discouerie of their fine legges.
And assoone as they were aware of mee, they left of their song and
stayed theyr nimphish gates, being amazed with the insighte, and of my
comming into this place, maruelling together, and whisperinglye
enquiring of me, one of another, for I seemed vnto them a rare and
vnusuall thing, because I was an aliant and stranger, and by chaunce
come in to so famous and renowmed a countrie. Thus they staide still,
sometimes looking downe vpon me, & again muttering one to an other, I
stood still like an image. Oh wo was me, for I felt all my ioynts quake
like the leaues of an Aspe, in a bitter winde. And I was affraide of the
presaging poesie that I had read, otherwise aduising me, whereof I now
thought to late to experience the effect thereof, and looking for no
other euent, I remained as doubtfull of the deuine vision, therewith as
much deceyued as _Semele_ with the fayned shape of the _Epidaurean
Beroe_. Alas I trembled and shooke like the fearefull hinde calues at
the sight of the tawnie Lyons roring out for hunger.
Contending and striuing with my selfe, whether it were better for me
submissiuely to kneele downe, or els to turne me about and flye from
them (for they seemed to mee by their behauiour, to courteous young
women, and besides their humanitie of a deuine beningnitie) or to
remaine still vnmoueable. At length I determined to make tryall, and put
my selfe forwarde to whatsoeuer would follow, being very well assured,
that by no means I should finde any inhumanitie or cruell dealing by any
of them, and especially, because that innocencie carryeth alwayes his
protection with him. And thus somewhat comforting my fearefull minde,
and yet restrained with shamefastnesse, knowing that I was vnwoorthily
come into this shadowie place, and solicious company of deuine and
delicate nimphes, my guiltie and troubled minde, telling mee that it was
rashly and ouer-bouldly doone, and that they were it might be,
prohibited places, and a forbidden countrie for a straining to frequent.
And thinking thus and thus with my selfe: one amongst the rest of a more
boulde and audatious spirite, very hardly spake vnto me, saying. Ho who
art thou? at hir speeche I was halfe afraide, and of my selfe ashamed,
both ignorant what to say, or howe to aunswer: my voyce and spirit being
interdicted, I stoode stone still like a dead image. But the fayre
Damsels and beautifull Nimphes well aduised, that in me was a reall and
humaine personage and shape, but distempered and afrayde, they drew all
of them more neerer vnto me, saying.
Thou young man, whatsoeuer thou art, and from whencesoeuer thou art
come: Let not our present aspects any whit dismay thee, or occasion thy
discouragement nor be no whit afrayde, for here thou shalt not finde any
cruell customes, or cause of discontent, but free from displeasures, and
therefore be not afrayde to discouer thy selfe, and tell vs what thou
art.