Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Loue in a Dreame
neuertheles I could not so bridle and suppresse my amorous inflamed
sighes, or so closely couer them, but that they would needs expresse my
inward desire.
By means whereof she was changed from contagious loue, and striking with
hir stolen regards (enuying the same) she turned it vpon me, so as I
perceiued an incensing fire pruriently diffusing it selfe through my
inward parts and hollow veines: and during the contemplate beholding of
hir most rare and excellent beautie, a mellifluous delight and sweete
solace constrained me thereunto. Thus disordinately beaten with the
importune spur of vnsatiable desire, I found my selfe to be set vpon
with the mother of loue, inuironed round about with hir flamigerous
sonne, and inuaded with so faire a shape, that I was with these and
others so excellent circumstances brought into such an agonie of minde
and sicknes of bodie, and in such sort infeebled, that the least haire
of hir head was a band forcible ynough to hold me fast, and euery rowled
tramell a chaine and shackle to fetter me, being fed with the sweetnes
of hir beautie, and hooked with the pleasant baits of hir amorous
delights, that I was not able with whatsoeuer cunning deuise to resist
the inuading heates and prouoking desires still comming vpon me, that I
determined rather to die than longer to endure the same, or in this
solitarie place to offer hir any dishonor.
Then againe I was determined with humble requests and submissiue
intreaties to say thus:
Alas most delighted _Polia_, at this present to die by thee is a thing
that I desire, and my death if it were effected by these thy small,
slender and faire hands, the ende thereof should be more tolerable,
sweete and glorious vnto me, bicause my hart is compassed about with
such tormenting flames, still more and more cruelly increasing, and
burning the same without pitie or intermission, so as by meanes thereof
I am bereft of all rest.
And heerewithall intending to put in execution another determinate
purpose, behold my hart was tormented with more sharpe flames, that me
thought I was all of a light fire. Ah wo is me what wert thou aduised to
do _Poliphilus_? Remember the violence done to _Deianira_ and the chaste
Roman lady. Consider what followed them for a reward, and diuers others.
Call to minde that mighty princes haue beene reiected of their
inferiors, how much more then a base and abiect person, but tract of
time giueth place to them which expect the bountie thereof. Time causeth
the fierce lions to be tame, and whatsoeuer furious beast: the small ant
by long trauell laieth vp hir winter foode in the hard tree, and shall
not a diuine shape lying hid in a humane bodie take the impression of
feruent loue, and then holding the same, shake off all annoyous and
vexing passions, hoping to enioy amorous fruits, desired effects, and
triumphing agonismes.
The Nymph _Polia_ perceiuing well the change of my colour and blood
comming in more stranger sort than _Tripolion_ or _Teucrion_, thrise a
day changing the colour of his flowers, and my indeuoring to sende out
scalding sighes deeply set from the bottome of my hart, she did temper
and mitigate the same with hir sweete and friendly regards, pacifieng
the rage of my oppressing passions, so as notwithstanding my burning
minde in these continuall flames and sharpe prouocations of loue, I was
aduised patiently to hope euen with the bird of Arabia in hir sweet nest
of small sprigs, kindled by the heate of the sunne to be renewed.
FINIS.
* * * * *
* * * *
* * * * *
_Errors and anomalies noted by transcriber:_
This e-text is based on a facsimile edition made from a single copy of
the 1592 original. In some places, text is illegible or missing.
"The Italian version" refers to the 1499 text. At time of preparation,
page images of this book were available at
http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-books/HP/hyp000.htm
and linked pages. Note that the 1592 English translation covers just
under half the Italian text. The Italian was consulted in some cases
of uncertain readings in the English. The sidenotes have no Italian
equivalent.
Oddities of punctuation are as in the original, but missing full stops
at paragraph-end have been supplied.
The text often prints [ae] in place of [oe], especially when italicized:
Ph[ae]bus; Cr[ae]sus (twice); C[ae]us
The spellings _Pasiph[ae]_ (for Pasiphae or Pasiphae:) and _Androdus_
(for Androclus or Androcles) were also left unchanged.
u for n, n for u (inverted letter shown with asterisk):
draperie of double _Achan*this_
I behelde _Leu*cothoe_
inclau*strede and compassede about
and lose my lou*e
courteou*s young women
haue you* not seene it
circulatin*g iustly
most pretiou*s vessell
The squ*are base court
skinnes, statu*es, tytles, and trophes
her name was _Mn*emosina_
vppon eu*erie of those Portes and Gates
the first tower or moun*t
discouered and come vn*to
halfe speare; Hemispere
_spellings from Sidenotes in original_
Sidenote h: (a narow sea by Byzantium...
_text reads "(a narow sea)" with extra )_
Sidenote b: Caucasus a mightie hill
_text reads "d" for "b"_
the assending the turning stayers
_so in original: "then assending"?_
neuer heard of this:
_text reads "hard"_
...a horsse of Colos. [__________] of an Oliphant, but especially of a
most rare and straunge Porche._
_gap in printed text is about 12 letters wide. Italian text:_
...uno caballo, de uno iacente colosso, de uno elephanto, ma
praecipuamente de una elegantissima porta.
seene or crediblie reported
_text reads "crebiblie"_
with a long waued maine
_text reads "maime"_
Sidenote: None liue in this world
_text reads "in in"_
studdes hanging iewels, stories, and deuises,
_not an error for "stones". Italian text:_
di molti sigilli, & bulle, & historiette & fictione
the vulgar and common sort of mannalists
_so in original: "manualists"?_
courteous, gentle, bening, tractable
_so in original: "benign"?_
and wrapt ouer with the same foliature and leafe worke
_text reads "wirh"_
an aporne of a Goates skinne
_so in original: "aprone"?_
offered yoong and tender sonne
_so in original: "offered hir"?_
Sidenote: The bones next the qack in the wing
_so in original: "back"?_
this Epigram in Cappitall Greeke Letters
_text reads "Creeke"_
vppon a ground of Iasul or blew Saphyrs
_so in original: "lasul"?_
with her haire trans-formed
_text reads "heare"_
in the disposing thereof as aforesaide
_text reads "aforesaidel"_
corrospondent and agreeing with
_spelling as in original_
Sidenote: A petiment in corrupt English.
_reading "petiment" conjectural_
Sidenote: Anaglipts are cunning carues and grauers.
_reading conjectural: beginning of each line is missing_
_naglipts / _e cunning / _arues and / _rauers
effected by many seuerall workmen
_text reads "wookmen"_
_Bagistanus_ must giue place
_text reads "geue"_
although the Obelisk of Iupiter
_text reads "Obelist"_
asosciated with curious workemanship
_text has "aso/scociated" at page break, but catchword is "sciated"_
bright shining lyke goalde
_reading unclear, checked against Italian_
his Sonnes _Cadus_, _Foenice_, and _Cilicia_
_all forms as in original_
theyr actions and degrees tightlye expressed
_so in original: "rightlye"?_
with exquisite / parergie and shadowing Waters, Fountaines, Mountaines,
Hilles, woodes, / and beasts, in theyr naturall coulours, and distante
one from an other, / with opposite light.
_layout of original ambiguous, with possible paragraph break after
"shadowing". Italian reads:_
Cum gli exquisiti parergi. Aque. fonti. monti. colli. boscheti.
animali. di prauato il coloramento cum la distantia, & cum il lume
opposito...
shaking her trisulked and three parted tongue
_so in original: "trifulked"?_
like and Eele
_so in original: "an"_
sorrowe more abounding then poore _Pscyphes_
_so in original: "Psyches"?_
And who shal be the possor
_so in original: "possessor"?_
reassuming and gatheringtogether
_"a" in "gathering" printed upside-down_
a verie pleasaunt sighte and counttie
_so in original: "countrie"?_
for Angles and noble personages
_spelling as in original_
for it was rownd about compassed
_text reads "it it"_
a I passed on
_reading unclear: may be "as I"_
I beheld _Egiplie hierogliphies_
_so in original: "Egiptie"?_
did containe an elegant Cigrued Nimph
_reading unclear_
vppon a conuenient frame
_text reads "conenient"_
the waters did striue togither and meete
_text reads "meetes"_
_Prapitiles_ neuer perfourmed the lyke
_so in original: "Praxiteles"?_
a most bewtifull Ladye in hir sleep
_text reads "in in"_
and retract towardes hir
_text reads "towares"_
I heard a singing company
_text reads "hard"_
a great applause among the pleasant flowers
_text unclear; "among" conjectural_
the vppermost of curled white sendall
_text reads "vppermst"_
stayed theyr nimphish gates
_text reads "nimpish"_
(for they seemed to mee...
_text reads ")for they"_
nowe vsurped and tyrannized by the insolent Spanyard
_phrase not present in Italian text_
sweete pronuntiation
_text reads "pronuntiaon"_
Achol ... Genshra
_names elsewhere spelled "Achoe" and "Geussia" as in Italian_
compassed about with a Coronice.
_full stop invisible, but implied by spacing_
statues of fine mettal
_text reads "scatnes" with inverted "u"_
a goodly Fountaine of cleare water, spinnyng from the verie toppe as it
were to the foundation, whiche
_commas invisible, but implied by spacing_
and turning rounde.
_full stop invisible, but implied by spacing_
had made theyr habitation there
_text reads "habitaon"_
embost, chased, and engrauen
_text reads "chafed"_
of the sumptuous Fountaine,
_closing ) invisible in original_
checkers or scutuls and Trigons.
_full stop invisible, but implied by spacing_
and in the same two images
_text reads "and and"_
the roofe whereof
_text reads "roote"_
the Matrone _Muemosnia_
_text reads "Muemosnia"_
agreeable and fitting
_text reads "agreebale"_
their solacious and magnificent pleasures
_text reads "magnicifient"_
After that she said .... bee committed
_first four lines of paragraph, at page-end, repeated at beginning
of following page_
when he is in the malignant taile
_reading unclear: Italian has "cauda"_
Streight before the triumphant Queene
_text reads "Sreight"_
seuen vpon a side in a Nimphish apparrel
_text reads "Nimpish"_
Then there at euerie chaunge of course, two _Edeabriees_
_reading unclear: Italian has "domicelle edeatrice"_
And by this appoynted order, there was continually heard melodious
soundes, and pleasaunt harmonies, sweete concords with delightfull
Musicke presented, odoriferous perfume smelt, and stately viandes
plentifully fedde of.
_reading conjectural: beginning of last three lines missing_
And by this appoynted order, there was continually heard
_____dious soundes, and pleasaunt harmonies, sweete con
_____with delightfull Musicke presented, odoriferous per
_____smelt, and stately viandes plentifully fedde of.
_Italian reads:_
continuamente si udiuano gratissimi soni, si auscultaua lepidissimi
concenti, si persentiua delectabile melodia, iocundissimo
odoramento, se exhauriua, & lautissima satietate suauissimamente
gustando si receueua.
Manna, Pineapple kernels, Rose water
_so in original: Italian has "nuclei pinei". On page 57v, "seme de
pine" is translated "seedes of Pines"._
the floures of Gessamin
_text reads "flloures"_
vpon the pauement),
_closing ) missing in original_