Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Loue in a Dreame
tall bodyes, vnpossible to be rightlye described, the artificiall
handling thereof, as it were enuying the woorke of nature itselfe, as if
theyr eyes and feete had mooued together, and coasted from one part to
an other, with an expedite passage and swift course. In such sorte
seemed they vpon theyr strong and mightie horsses, some being cast
downe, other stumbling and falling: many wounded and hurt, yeelding vp
their desired liues: some troden downe and mischieued vnder the feete of
the fierce and vnrestrained horsses. Other casting off their armour
wrastling and togging one with another: some headlong with their heeles
vpwarde, falling and not come to the ground from off their horsses.
Other some lying vpon the earth, houlding vp their sheilds and Targets,
offended with the one hand, and defended with the other. Many with their
shimitaries and curtilaxes, some with long swordes two handed after the
auncient Persian manner, others with diuers deadly and strange fashioned
mortall weapons: some wearing habergions and helmets, with diuers
deuises vpon their crests: others naked and vnarmed, leaping and rushing
in among the thickest, thereby shewing theyr haughtie, inuincible, and
vndaunted courages, resolute for death. Some with fearefull countenances
crying out, other shewing obstinate and furious visages, although they
were assured to dye, strongly abiding the proofe of their paine, and the
cutting in sunder of their fatall thread, others slaine before them,
with diuers vncothe and straunge warlike and deadly instruments. Shewing
their strong members, their swelling muskels standing out, offering to
the sight and eyes of tbe behoulder, the dutie of theyr bones, and the
hollownesse in the places, where theyr strong sinewes be strayned. Their
conflict and combate seemed so fearefull, bloudie, deadly, cruell, and
horrible: as if _Mars_ himselfe had beene fighting with _Porphirion_ and
_Alcion_ who made a noyse lyke the braying of Asses.
This catagliphic imagerie, did exceed a naturall and common
stature and proportion of men, carued in priuie white marble, the ground
thereof as black as iet, a perfect foile to beautifie and set forth with
pale Christaline and siluer crolley, of innumerable huge bodyes, their
last indeuours, their present actions, the fashion of their armor, the
diuersitie of their deaths, & vncertaine & doubtful victorie. The
discharge of my vndertaken discription whereof, prooueth maymed and
lame, by reason that my vnderstanding is wearie, my memorie confused
with varietie, and my sight dimmed with continuall gasing, that my
senses will not aford me rightly, and as their dewe, fitly to manifest
part, much lesse to describe at large the whole manner of their curious
_Lythoglyphi_.
After this I became to cast with my selfe, what should mooue and cause
such a pride & burning desire in any man, to fetch from far, and gather
together so mightie stones with so great trauell: With what carriage,
who were the conueyers and porters, with what manner of wheeles, and
rowling deuises, and vpholding supporters, so great large and
innumerable a sort of stones should be brought thither, and of what
matter theyr cement that ioyned and held them together, was made the
heygth of the Obelisk and statelinesse of the Pyramides, exceeding the
imagined conceit of _Dimocrates_ proposed to _Alexander_ the great,
about a worke to be performed vpon the hill _Athos_. For the strangenes
of the Egiptian building might giue place to this. The famous laborinths
were far inferior, _Lemnos_ is not to be rehearsed the Theaters of old
time were in comparison but warriners lodges, ney ther did the famous
_Nausoley_ come any thing neere. Which certainly maketh me absolutely
perswaded, that he which wrote the seauen woonders of the world, neuer
heard of this: neyther in any age hath their been seene or imagined the
like, no not the sepulcher of _Ninus_.
Lastly I woondered what foundation and arches were able to vphold so
monstrous a weight, whether the pyllars were hexagons or tetragons, and
what varietie of columnes, and what number might serue, and after what
sorte proportionately disposed and set. For the better vnderstanding and
more perfect knowledge wherof, I conueyghed my selfe in at the open &
spacious porche and enterance, within the which was an obscure and vast
hollownes: which porche, together with the proud and stately buylding
(things worthy of memorie) shall in some sorte be descrybed as
followeth.
_Poliphilus, after the discription of the huge Pyramides and Obeliske,
discourseth of maruelous woorkes in this Chapter, namely of a horsse
of Colos. of an Oliphant, but especially of a most rare
and straunge Porche._
Rightlye and lawfullye may I haue leaue to write, that in the whole
world there was neuer such an other, so pompeous, glorious, and
magnificent a peece of worke, by mans eyes seene or crediblie reported.
The woonderfull excellencie and rare straungenesse whereof, as I beheld
what with delight, and what with admiration, my sences were so
captiuated and tyed therevnto, that no other solace or pleasure, did
eyther occurre or take place in my swift flying thought.
But that when I applyed my sences to consider, and addressed my eyes
with diligent obseruation, curiouslie to ouerlooke euerie perticular
part of this sweete composed obiect, and most rare and goodly imagerie
and virgin like bodyes, without cracke or flawe, with a long drawne
breath, and somewhat opening my mouth, I set a deepe sighe. In so much
as my amorous and sounding breathing, by reason of the thicknesse of the
ayre in this solytarie and lone place, gaue an eccho, and did put me in
minde of my Angelike and extreame desired _Polia_.
O hi me that so small or anye intermission should cause that hir louely
and celestiall Idea and shape was not still imprinted in my minde, and
continued a dayly companion, in whose brest my life is resolued to
abide, and rest as vnder the protection of a most sure and approoued
shield and safe defence.
And by this way I was brought to a place where were diuers and sundrie
excellent sorts of auncient deuises and woorkemanships: first of all,
I beheld a most fayre porche, past all sence to describe (for the
incredible curiousnes thereof, as euer was built or deuised) and the
rather for that our mother toung and vulgar speeche, may not afford apt
and peculiar words, for such a piece of artificall worke.
Before this gorgeous and glorious porche, you shall vnderstand that in
the open ayre there was a fowre square court of thirtie paces by his
Diameter, paued with pure fine marble, poynted fowre square, wrought
checkerwise of diuers fashions, and sundrie best fitting coulours: but
in many places, by meanes of the ruine of the auncient walke, and olde
pillers, broken in peeces and ouergrowne.
And in the vtmost partes of the aforesaide court, to the right hand, and
the left, towards the mountaines, there was two straight rowes of
pillars, with a space betwixt for the interiect _Areostile_,[A] as the
quantities of both columnes required, the first course or order of
setting the pyllars, beginning on both sides equall to the Lymbus or
extreame part of the fronte of the porche, the space betwixt pyllars
and pillars XV. paces. Of which collumnes or great pillars, some
and the greatest parte or number were whole. With their capitels or
heads, wrought with a waued shell worke, and cyllerie or draperie, their
corners bearing out and inanulated or turned in like a curled locke of
hayre, or the vpper head of a base Viall aboue the pinnes, which straine
the stringes of the instrument to a musicall concord; with their subiect
Astragals, writhing and hanging heere and there, making the capitall
thrise so big as the bottom thereof of the columne, wherevpon was placed
the Epistile or streight beame, the greatest part decayed, and many
columnes widowed and depriued of their Capitels, buryed in ruine both
Astragals and shafts of the columnes and their bases or feete.
[Sidenote A: A columne consisteth of his Capitell that is the head.
Astragalus that is the subiect of the capitell next the columne.
Hypotrachelie the shaft of the columne. And Hypothesis, that is the
foote whereon the Columne standeth, exceeding the bignes of the
columne.]
Fast ioyning to which order or set rowes of pillars, there grew ould
plaine trees, wylde Oliues, Pine apple, and pricking brambles. I
coniectured that it was made for to ride horses in, to trot and gallop,
the ring, to manage, carrier, and coruet in, or els some open gallerie,
couered close ouer head, vnder propt with pillers, and of a large
widenesse to walke drie in, and to take a temperate ayre in, not too
subtile.
Aboue in this great Court paued as aforesayd, in the passage towardes
the Porche, some tenne paces, I beheld a prodigious winged vaughting
horse, of moulten brasse, of an exceeding bignesse, his wings fanning
out. His hooues standing vpon a smooth plaine base or frame, fiue foote
brode, and nine feete in length, in heigth proportionable to the bredth
and length: with his head at libertie and vnbrideled: hauing his two
small eares, the one standing forward, and the other drawne back, with a
long waued maine, falling from his crest on the contrarye side: vpon
whose backe diuers young youthes assayed to ride, but not one was able
to sit stedfast, by reason of his swiftnesse and high bounding, from
whom some were fallen downe, lying wide open to the ayre, some
groueling, other falling headlong, betwixt the horsse and the earth, the
rest in vaine houlding by the hayre of his maine, some forceing to get
vp vpon him, and others indeuoring to recouer themselues from vnder his
feete.
Vpon the vpper part of the frame and base, there was infixed and fastned
with lead, a footing or thick crust, of the same mettall that the horse
was, and vpon the which he stoode, and those that were ouerthrowne did
lye, somewhat shorter and narrower then the base or subiect frame, the
whole masse or composition cast of a peece and of the same mettall,
maruelouslie founded. Lastlye you could not perceiue that any were
contented with his rowghnes, as appeared by their framed countenances,
shewing a discontent which they could not vtter being sencelesse images,
not differing otherwayes thorough the excellent conning of the
craftisman from liuing creatures, and by his surpassing imitation of
nature.
_Peryllus_ there might go put vp his pypes, and blush with his deuised
Bull, and _Hiram_ the Iewe must heere giue place, or what founders els
soeuer.
The _P[ae]gma_ base or subiect for this metaline machine to stand vpon,
was of one solyde peece of marble (of fit and conuenient breadth,
heighth, and length, for that purpose accordinglye proportioned) full
of streaming vaines, sondry coulered, and diuerslye spotted, maruelous
pleasant to the eye, in infinite commixtures, confusedly disposed.
Vpon the brest or formost part, and end of the marble base, that was
opposite against the porch, there was a garland of greene marble, like
the leaues of bitter _Alisander_, commixt with dead leaues of
Maydenweede, of a hayre coulour, within the which there was a smoothe
round, pure, white stone, wherein was ingrauen these capitall Romaine
letters.
At the hinder end in like sort was a garland of deadly Woolfwoort,
with this inscription, _Equus inf[ae]licitatis_. And vpon the right side
there was ingrauen certaine figures, shapes, and representments of men
and women dauncing together, byformed or faced, the formost smiling,
the hynmost weeping:[A] and dauncing in a ring, with theyr armes spred