Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Loue in a Dreame
_Indians_, _Tigris_ or _Euphrates_ to the _Armenians_, or _Xeylus_ to
the _Aethiopian_ nation, or to the _Egyptians_ his innundation, inbybing
theyr burnt and rosted mould, or yet the riuer _Po_ to the _Ligurians_.
Euen then also it fell so out, that I had no sooner taken water into the
palme of my hand, offering the same to my open mouth, ready to receiue
it: I heard a doricall songe, wherewith I was as greatly delighted,
as if I had heard the Thracian _Thamiras_, which thorough my eares
presented it selfe to my vnquiet heart, with so sweete and delectable a
deliuerie, with a voyce not terrestriall, with so great a harmonie and
incredible a fayning shrilnesse, and vnusuall proportion, as is possible
to bee imagined by no tounge sufficiently to be commended. The sweetnes
whereof so greatly delighted me, as thereby I was rauished of my
remembrance, and my vnderstanding so taken from me, as I let fall my
desired water thorough the loosned ioynts of my feeble hands.
And then euen as a birde, which through the sweetnes of the call
forgetteth to remember the Fowlers deceit, so I letting slip that which
nature stood in need of, hastened my selfe back with all speed, towarde
that attractiue melodie, which the more I coasted, the further it seemed
still from me, sometime heere, sometimes there, and still as I shifted
places, so the same also chaunged with a delectable voyce and heauenly
consent. Thus vainly running vp and downe, I knew not after what, I grew
more wearie, faint, and drye, and so feeble, that my legges could but
with great paine, vphould my distempered body. And my grieued spirits
vnabled long to support the same, what with the feare that I had bin in,
what with extreame thirst, what with long and wilesome trauell, and what
with doubting the worst that might insue. Thus hote, faint, and drye:
I knew not what to do but euen to procure rest for my weary members.
I marueled first at this straunge accedent, and was amazed at this
inhumane harmonye, but most of all in that I was in a straunge contry,
and vninhabited, being onelye fertill and beawtyfull to behould, besydes
that I greatly sorrowed for the losse of the fayer ryuer which I had so
greatly labored to finde out, and now so lightly and carelesly to haue
lost the benefit thereof. In this sort I was houlden in an intrycate
minde of doubts, at length ouercome withall kinde of greefes, my whole
bodye trembling and languishinge vnder a broade and mightye Oke full of
Acornes, standing in the middest of a spatious and large green meade,
extending forth his thicke and leauie armes to make a coole shadowe,
vnder whose bodye breathing I rested my selfe vppon the deawye hearbes,
and lying vppon my left syde I drewe my breath in the freshe ayre more
shortly betwixt my drye and wrinckled lips, then the weary running
heart, pinched in the haunche and struck in the brest, not able any
longer to beare vp his weighty head, or sustaine his body vpon his
bowing knees, but dying prostrates himselfe. And lying thus in such an
agonie, I thought vpon the strifes of weake fortune, and the
inchauntments of the malicious _Cyrces_, as if I had by hir charmes and
quadranguled plaints, been bereaued of my sences. In these such so great
& exceeding doubts: O _hi me_ where might I there among so many dyuerse
and sundry sorts of hearbes, finde the _Mercurial Moli_[A] with his
blacke roote, for my helpe and remedie. Againe me thought that it was
not so with me. What then? euen a hard appoyntment to delay my desired
death. And thus remayning in these pernitious thoughts, my strength
debylitated: I looked for no other helpe, but to drawe and receiue fresh
ayre into that brest, which panted with a small remainder of vytall
warmnesse, taking into my hands halfe aliue, as my last refuge, the
moyst and bedewed leaues, preserued in the coole shadow of the greene
Oke: putting the same to my pale and drye lippes, with a greedy desire
in licking of them to satisfie my distempred mouth with theyr moisture,
wishing for such a wel as _Hypsipyle_[a] shewed the Grecians: Fearing
least that vnawares as I had russled in the wood I were bitten with the
serpent _Dipsa_[b] my thirst was so vnsupportable. Then renuing my oulde
cogitations: as _I_ lay vnder this mightie Oke: I was oppressed with
emynent sleepe ouer all my members: where againe I dreamed in this
sorte.
[Sidenote A: Moly an herb greatly commended of Homer, and thought to
be souereigne against inchauntments of moderne authors altogether
vnknowne.]
[Sidenote a: Hypsipile was daughter to Thaos king of Lemnos, who
alone when all women of that Iland had slaine their husbands &
kinsmen, saued hir father: she also shewed the Grecians the
fountaine Langia in the wood of Nemea in Achaia where Hercules slue
a lion.]
[Sidenote b: Dipsa a kind of snakes that Lucan mentioneth, whose
byting procureth extreame drynes or thirste.]
_Poliphilus sheweth, that he thought he did sleep againe, and in his
dreame thas he was in a Vallie, inuironed with mountaines and hilles,
the end whereof was shut vp in a maruellous sort, with a mightie
pyramides worthie of admiration: vpon the top whereof was a high
obeliske, which with great pleasure hee beheld, and diligently
discribeth_.
Gotten foorth of this fearefull and thick wood, and forgetting the
forementioned places by this sweete sleepe, occasioned by my wearie
members nowe layde along: mee thought that I was in a new more
delectable place, far excelling the former, which consisted not of
fertles mountaines and craggie winding rockes, contayning wide caues,
but being a delicate valley, in the which did rise a small mounting of
no great height, sprinkled heare and there with young Okes, Ashes, Palme
trees broadleaued, _Aesculies_,[a] Holme, Chestnut, Sugerchist, Poplars,
wilde Oliue, and Oppies disposed some hyer then other, according to the
mounting or fall of the place, in the plaine whereof was an other kinde
of thicket of medicinable simples like little young trees, as the
flowering _Genista_[b] enuironed with diuers green hearbs, Tetrifolie,
Sheere grasse, hunnisuckle, the musked Angelica, Crowfoot Elapium and
Rugwoort, with other profitable and vnknowne hearbes and flowers heare
and there diuerslie disposed. A little beyond in the same valley, I
founde a sandie or grauelly plaine, yet bespotted with greene tuffes, in
which place grew a faire Palme tree with his leaues like the Culter of a
plowe, and abounding with sweet and pleasant fruite, some set high, some
lowe, some in a meane, some in the very top, an elect and chosen signe
of victorie. Neither in this place was there any habitation or creature
whatsoeuer. Thus walking solitarily betwixt the trees, growing distantly
one from another, I perswaded my selfe, that to this no earthly
situation was comparable: in which thought I soddainely espied vpon my
left hand, an hungrie and carniuorous Woolfe, gaping vpon me with open
mouthe.
[Sidenote a: Aesculus is a tree bearing both greater fruite and
broder leaues then the Oke.]
[Sidenote b: Gemista beareth a cod and yellowe flower, vines are
bound therewith. Elaphium is like to Angelica, but not in smell, the
hart thereon rubbeth his head when it is veluet.]
At the sight whereof immediatly, my hayre stood right vp, and I would
haue cryed out, but could not: and presently the Woolfe ranne away:
wherevpon returning to my selfe, and casting my eyes towards the wooddie
mountaines, which seemed to ioyne themselues together, beeing looked
vnto a farre off, I sawe the forme of a tower of an incredible heygth,
with a spyre vnperfectlie appearing, all being of very auncient forme
and workemanship.
And drawing neare vnto this building, I beheld the gratious mountaines
before a farre of seeming small, by comming neerer and neerer, by little
and little, to lift vp themselues more and more, at the first seeming to
mee that they had ioyned together with the building which was an
inclosure or end of the valley betwixt mountaine and mountaine: which
thing I thought worthy the noting, and without further delay I addressed
my selfe more neerer therevnto. And by how much the more I approximated
the same, by so much the more the excellencie of the woorke shewed it
selfe, increasing my desire to behould the same. For there appeared no
longer a substance of vnknowne forme, but a rare Obelisk vpon a vast
frame and stonie foundation, the heigth whereof without comparison did
exceed the toppes of the sidelying mountaynes, although I thought that
they had beene the renowmed _Olympus_[a], the famous _Caucasus_[b], and
not inferior to _Cyllenus_[c].
[Sidenote a: Olimpus a hil in Greece between Macedonie and Thesalie,
so high, that of the Poets it is sometime taken for heauen.]
[Sidenote b: Caucasus a mightie hill in Asia which parteth India
from Scythia.]
[Sidenote c: Cillenus a hill of Arcadia, where Iupiter begat
Mercurie vpon Maia.]
To this sollitarie place thus desiredlye comming, with vnspeakeable
delight, at pleasure I behelde the straunge manner of the arte, the
hugenesse of the frame, and the woonderfull excellencie of the
woorkmanship. Maruelling and considering the compasse and largenesse of
this broken and decayed obiect, made of the pure glistering marble of
_Paros_[d]. The squared stones ioyned togither without anye cement, and
the pointed quadrangulate corner stones streightlye fitted and smoothlye
pullished, the edges whereof were of an exquisite vermellion coulour, as
is possible to bee deuised: and so iust set, as betwixt the ioynts, euen
the enemie to the woorke (if euer there were anye) could not deuise to
hide the point of the smallest spanish needle vsed of the best
workewomen. And there in this so noble a piece of worke, I found a
proportioned substance to euery shape and likenesse that can be thought
vpon and called to remembrance, partly decayed, and some still whole
remaining, with pillers small vpon great, with their excellent heads of
an exact and most perfect closing, crowned battelments, embost caruings,
bearing forth like embroderie, arched beames, mightie mettaline images,
ouerthrowne and broken in sunder, the trunke of their exact and perfect
members, appearing hollow of brasse. Skyffes, small boates and vessels
of _Numidian_ stone and _Porphyr_, and diuers couloured marble. Great
lauers condites, and other infinite fragments of notable woorkmanship,
far different and inferiour from that they were, in their perfection,
but now brought back as it were to their first vnshapelines, being
fallen and cast downe, some heere, some there, vpon the earth from the
which they were taken. Among the broken and decayed places, wherof great
sundrie wall weeds and hearbes, especially the vnshaking Anagyre, the
Lentise of both kindes, beares foote, dogges head, Gladen greene,
spotted Iuie, Centarie, and diuers suchlike. And in the myldered places
of broken walles grew Howslike, and the hanging Cymbalaria bryers, and
pricking brambles, among the which crept Swifts and Lyzarts which I sawe
crawling among the ouergrowne stones, which at the first sight in this
silent and solitarie place, made me to be warily afraid of them. On
euery side there lay fallen downe smoothe round pieces of serpent
spotted Marble, purple and red diuerse couloured. Fragments of strange
histories, _Panglyphic_ and _Hemygliphic_[E] compendiously caracterized,
shewing the excellencie thereof, vndoubtedly accusing our age, that the
perfection of such an art is forgotten.
[Sidenote d: Paros is one of the 35. Isles called Cyclades and
Sporades, in the sea Aegeum which deuideth Europ from Asia.]
[Sidenote E: Panglyphic be wholy carued from the head to the foote