Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Loue in a Dreame
catching of one of them, like an eager and hotte Falcon comming downe
out of the ayre, vpon a couie of Partriges. I was with such a violent
desire prickt forwarde, which I felt more and more to increase in a
sault burning. And the more I was to that venerious desire by the
violent offers of so oportune and sweete obiects. A foode for suche a
pernitious plague, and vnexperienced burning.
Then one of these flamigerous Nymphes named _Aphea_, said vnto mee, How
is it _Poliphilus_? Euen now I did see you verye merry, what hath
altered your disposition? I answered. Pardon mee that I binde and vexe
my selfe more then a willow Garland. Giue mee leaue to destroy my selfe
in a lasciuious fire. And thereat they burst out all in a laughter and
said, Ah ha, and if your desired _Polia_, if shee were here, what would
you do, how? Alas my desire, euen by the deitie which you serue, I
beseech you put not Flaxe and Rosin to the fire, whiche burneth mee out
of all measure. Put no Pitch to the fire in my heart, make me not to
forget my selfe I beseech you.
At this my lamentable and sorrowing answere, they were prouoked to such
a loude laughter, wherin they did exceed so much, that neither they nor
my selfe with the wearines thereof could goe any further, but were
constrained to rest our selues for want of breath, vpon the odoriferous
floures & coole grasse, by meanes whereof, I became somewhat oportunely
to bee eased, my heate aswaging and relenting by little and little.
And as they thus contentedly rested themselues a while, vnder the coole
vmbrage of the leafie Trees, I beganne to bee bolde with them saying.
O you women, that are burners and destroyers, doo you vse mee thus? See
what an offered occasion I haue, which wil holde mee excused, to breake
foorth and doo violence vnto you. And thereupon somewhat boldly moouing
my selfe and fayning as if I would haue done that which by no meanes I
durst, but then with a newe pastyme and laughter they called one for an
others helpe, leauing heere and there their golden Pantoffles and
Vailes, to bee carried about with the winde, and their vesselles
neclected in the grasse, they ranne all awaye, and I after them, that I
might well perceiue that they had neither crampes nor stringhawldes or
leaden heeles, and thus continuing our pastimes a pretie space, being
somewhat pleased that I had made them to runne. I returned backe to
gather vp their Pantophles and such things as they had scattered behind
them. And comming neare to a fresh coole Riuer, they began to cease off
from laughter, and to take pittie vppon mee, and _Geussia_ behinde all
the rest, bowed her selfe downe to the water, beautifully adorned with
the bendyng Bull Rushe, water Spyke, swimmyng Vitrix, and aboundaunce of
water Symples, shee dyd plucke vp the _Heraclea_ Nympha, of some called
water Lillye or _Nenuphar_, and the roote of Aron or wake Robyn, of,
some, _Pes vituli_ or _Serpentaria Minor_.
And _Amella_ or Bawme Gentill, all whiche grew very neare togither and
not farre distant, whiche shee fauourably offered vnto mee saying, of
these whiche I haue made choyse of take, and for my freedome taste.
For whiche cause I refused the _Nenuphar_, and reiected the Dracuncle
for his heate, and accepted of the _Amella_, whiche shee had cleane
washed, by meanes whereof, within a verye short space, I founde my
venerious Lubric and incensing spurre of desire to leaue of, and my
intemperate luste was cleane gone.
And when my vnlawfull desires[A] of the fleshe were brideled, the
pleasant Nymphes came againe to mee, and as wee walked on, wee came into
a frequented place, and wonderfully fruitfull.
[Sidenote A: Vnlawfull concupiscence blindeth a man, and driueth his
sences from him.]
And there in a fine order and appointed distance was a waye set on
either sides with Cyprus Trees, with their corner clefted Apples, and as
thicke with leaues as their nature will suffer them, the leauell grounde
beeyng couered all ouer, with greene Vinca Peruima, or Lawreoll and
Chamme, _Daphne_, and full of his asurine flowers. Which adorned way of
a meete and conuenient breadth, did lead directly on into a greene
Closure, from the beginning of whiche walke, iust betwixt the Cyprus
Trees, to the entrance and opening of the aforesaide enclosure, was some
foure furlonges. Vnto which enclosure when wee came, I founde it
equilaterall, with three fences like a streight wall, as high as the
Cyprus Trees vpon either sides of the waye, that wee had passed along
in: which was altogither of Cytrons, Orenges and Lymonds, bushing with
their leaues one within an other, and artifitially knitte and twisted
togither, and the thicknes mee thought of sixe foote: with a Gate in the
middest of the same Trees, so wel composed as is either possible to bee
thought or done. And aboue in conuenient places were made windowes, by
meanes whereof, the bowghes in those places were to be seene bare, but
for their greene leaues which yeelded a most sweet and pleasant verdure.
Betwixt the curious twistings of the braunches and their greene leaues,
the white flowers did aboundantly shewe themselues a singular Ornament,
breathing foorth a most delectable and sweete odour. And to please the
eye, the faire fruite was in no place wanting, where it should yeelde
content. And afterwardes I might perceiue, that in the interstitious
thicknes, the bowghes (not without a wonderful woorke) were so
artificially twisted and growne togither, that you might assend vp by
them, and not bee seene in them, nor yet the way where you went vp.
At length comming into this greene and delightful grounde to the eye,
and in a mans vnderstanding woorthie of estimation, I perceiued that it
was a great enclosure in the fore front of a marueilous Pallaice of a
noble simmetriated architecturie which of this frondiferous conclausure,
was the fourth part in longitude sixtie paces. And this was the
_Hyp[ae]thri_ to walke in, for open ayre.
In the middest of this great base Court, I did behold a goodly Fountaine
of cleare water, spinnyng from the verie toppe as it were to the
foundation, whiche stoode vpon a smoothe pauement through little
streight Pypes, falling into a hollowed vessel, whiche was of most pure
Amethist, whose Diameter conteined three paces, the thicknes agreeing
therewithall, leauyng the twelfth part for the thicknesse of the brimme,
rounde about the same were carued water monsters, after the best sort
that euer any auncient inuentor or woorkeman for the hardnes of the
stone could deuise to woorke, it might bee the woorke of _D[ae]dalus_,
for the wonderful excellencie thereof. _Pausania_, if he had seene this,
would haue taken small pleasure to boast of the standing cup which he
made to _Hipparis_.
Which same was founded vpon a steale or final Pillar of Iasper of diuers
colours, beautifully adulterating one with an other being cut in the
middest and closed vp with the cleare Calcidonie, of the colour of the
troubled Sea water, and brought into marueilous woorke, beeing lifted vp
with guttured hollowe vessels, one aboue an other, with a reserued
seperation, by artificiall and woonderful ioyntes. It stood streight vp,
fastened in the center of a Plynth, made of greene Ophite which was
rounde, and somewhat lifted vp aboue, about compassing Porphyr, some
fiue inches, whiche was curiously wrought with diuers lyneaments.
Rounde about the steale whiche helde vp the vessell, foure Harpies of
Golde did stand, with their clawes and tallented feete vpon the smoothe
Table of the Ophite.
Their hinder partes towardes the steale, one iust opposite against an
other, with their winges displaied and spredde abroad, they rested vnder
the vessell with their feminine countenances, and hauing haire vpon
their heades, from the same, it spredde downe to their showlders, their
heades vnder, and not touching the vessell: with their tayles like
Eeles, and turning rounde. And vpon their nauels, an Antique leafe
worke. These were verie necessarie for the strengthening of the Pype
within the steale and smal Pillar.
Within the middest of the wombe and bellye, or nauel of the vessel, vpon
the Subiect steale, there was proportionately raised vp of the same
vessel of _Amathyst_, a substance like a Challice, inward, or the
inwarde moulde for a Bell, so high as the vessel was deepe the middle
thereof, leuell with the brimme of the vessell.
Vppon the which was made an artificious foote set vnder the
three graces naked of fine Gold, of a common stature, one ioyning to an
other.
From the teates of their breastes the ascending water did spin out lyke
siluer twist. And euerie one of them in their right hand did holde a
copie full of all kinde of fruites, whiche did extend in length vp aboue
their heades, and at the opening, all three of them ioyned rounde into
one, with diuers leaues and fruites hangyng ouer the brimmes or lippes
of the wrythen Copies.
Betwixt the fruite and the leaues, there came vp sixe small Pypes, out
of the whiche the water did spring vp through a small hole.
And the cunning Artificer, because that hee would not trouble one Cubit
with the tuch of another. With a signe of shamefastnes, the Images with
their left handes did hide that part which modestie would not haue
seene, but accounteth woorthie to bee couered.
Vppon the brimme of the hollow vessell, whose compasse was a foote
moreouer about, then the subiacent of it, with their heades lifted vp
vpon their Vipers feete, with a conuenient and decent intercalation,
there were placed sixe little scaly Dragons, of pure shining Golde, with
such a deuise, that the water comming from the teates of the Ladies, did
fall directly vppon the euacuated and open crowne of the head of the
Dragons, afore spoken of, with their winges spredde abroad, and as if
they had been byting, they did cast vp and vomit the same water whiche
fell beyonde the roundnes of the Ophict, into a receptorie of Porphyr,
and rounde, whiche were both more higher then the flatnesse of the
pauement before spoken of: where there was a little Channell going
rounde about betwyxt the Ophit and the Porphyrite, in breadth one foote
and a halfe, and in depth two foote.
Whiche Porphyrite was three foote from the playne ouermost parte to the
Pauement, with an excellent vndiculation. The reste of the partes of the
Dragonnes, for the moderate deepenesse of the vessell did grow on,
vntill all met together, transforming the extreame partes of their
tailes into an antique foliature making a beautifull illygament with the
arule or foote set vnder the three images without any deforming
hinderance to the hollownesse of the precious vessell. And what with the
greene assayling of the compassing Orange trees, and the bright
reflections of the shining matter, and the pure water, there was such a
gratious couler, in that singular and most pretious vessell, as if the
Rainbowe and the clowdes had made theyr habitation there.
Then in the corpulent bearing out of the belly of the vessell, betwixt
one, and the other Dragons, in an equall distance, and of a most
excellent melting or casting, there stood out _L_yons heads of an
exquisite exaction, and driuing, casting foorth by a little pype, the
water that distilled from the six fistulets, placed in the copie aboue.
Which water, did so forciblie spring vpward, that in the turning downe
it fell among the Dragons in the large vessell, where by reason
of the high fall, and fashion of the vessel, it
made a pleasant tinckling noyse.
All which rare worke, by so sharpe and fine a wit composed, as this
insolent and precious vessell was, the foure perfect harpies, the
woonderfull and curious azule, wherevpon the three Images of pure gould