Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Loue in a Dreame
the brest vpwarde, ouer the declyning head of the forenamed Smith. Thys
rehearsed hystorie, for the better and sweeter pleasing to the eye, the
workeman had graced in this sort. The playne grounde that was hollowe
and smoothe in euery cutting out of a limme or body, vpon the table of
the stylipode, was like vnto red coroll and shyning, which made such a
reflection vpon the naked bodyes, and theyr members betwixt them, and
compassing them about, that they seemed lyke a Carnation Rose couler.
[Sidenote A: Mars.]
Vpon the left side of the doore in the like aulter or stylipode vpon the
table thereof, there was ingrauen a yoong man of seemly countenance,[A]
wherein appeared great celerity: he sate vpon a square seate adorned
with an ancient manner of caruing, hauing vpon his legge a paire of half
buskens, open from the calfe of the legge to the ancle, from whence grew
out on either ancle a wing, and to whome the aforesaide goddes with a
heauenlye shape, her brests touching together and growne out round and
firme without shaking, with her large flankes conformable to the rest of
hir proportion before mentioned with a sweet countenance offered yoong
and tender sonne ready to be taught: the yong man bowing himselfe
curteously downe to the childe, who stoode before him vppon his pretty
little feete, receiuing from his tutor three arrowes, which in such sort
were deliuered as one might easelye coniecture and gather after what
manner they were to be vsed: the goddesse his mother holding the empty
quiuer and bowe vnbent, and at the feete of this instructor lay his
vypered caduce.
[Sidenote A: Mercurie.]
There also I saw a squier or armour-bearer and a woman with a helmet
vpon her head carying a troph[ae] or signe of victorie vpon a speare
after this manner.[A] An ancient coate-armor hung vp, and vpon the top
thereof or creast, a spheare vpon two wings, and betwixt both wings this
note or saying, _Nihil firmum_, Nothing permanent: she was apparelled in
a thin garment carried abroad with the wind, and her breasts bare.
[Sidenote A: Amor mi troua di tutto disarmato.]
The two straight pillars of Porphyre of seuen diameters vpon either of
the aforenamed stilipodes and square aultars did stretch vpward of a
pumish or tawnie colour, the out sides shining cleere and smoothly
pollished, chamfered, and chanelled with foure and twenty rebaternents
or channels in euery collumne betwixt the nextruls or cordels.
Of these the third part was round, and the reason of their cutting in
such sort (that is two parts chamfered, & the third round) as I thought
was this: the frame or temple was dedicated to both sexes, that is, to a
god and a goddesse, or to the mother and the son, or to the husband and
the wife, or the father and the daughter, and such like. And therefore
the expert and cunning workemen in elder time for the feminine sex, did
vse more chamfering and channelling and double varietie then for the
masculine, because of their slippery and vnconstant nature.
The cause of so much rebating was to shew that this was the temple of a
goddesse, for chamfering dooth set foorth the plytes of feminine
apparell, vpon the which they placed a chapter with prependent folding,
like vnto plyted and curled haire, and feminine dressing, and sometimes
in stead of a chapter a woman's head with crisped haire.
These notable and faire collumnes aforesaide did rise vp in length vpon
their vnderset bases of brasse with their _Thores_ and _Cymbies_[A]
wrought with a foliature of oke leaues and acornes winding about their
chapters standing vpon their subiect _Plynths_.
[Sidenote A: Thores and Cymbies be the outward parts of a chapter or
head of a pillar sticking out further than the pillar wrything and
turning in, wrought with leaues, the worke is called of caruers &
painters draperie and celerie.]
The Chapters of the same substance of their bases, with requisite meete
and conuenient proportion aunswerable to the harmonie of the whole
worke. Such as _Callimachus_ the chiefe caruer to _Calathus_ the sonne
of _Iupiter_ did neuer performe or come neere in the erected sepulcher
of the _Corinthian_ Virgin, beautified with draperie of double
_Achanthis_.
The Plynthes whereon the chapters did stand wrought with winding and
turning workes, and in the middest, decorated with a Lillie, the bowle
garnished with two rowes of viii. leaues of Achanthus, after the Romaine
and Corinthian maner, out of which leaues came little small stalkes,
closing together in the middest of the boule, shewing foorth a fayre and
sweet composed Lyllie in the hollowing of the Abac or Plynth, from the
which the tender stalkes did turne round together, vnder the compasse of
the square Abac, much after the woorke that _Agrippa_ caused to bee
made, in the porche of his woonderfull Pantheon.
Let vs come now to the lymet and lowest parte of the doore, for
entrance, which was of a great large and harde stone, powdered with
sundry sorted spottes, white, black, and of a clay couler, and diuers
other mixtures: vppon this stood the streight cheekes and sides of the
doore, with an interstitious aspect, inwardly carued with as great
cunning as the rest. Without any signe of eyther hookes or hinges, below
or aboue.
The arche of which doore compassing like a halfe cyrcle, was wrought
curiouslye and imbowed, and as it were bounde about with laces like
beads of brasse, some round, and some like Eglantine berries of a
reddish couler, hanging downe after an auncient manner, and foulded and
turned in among the tender stalkes.
The closing together and bracing of which hemicycle or arch, worthie of
admiration, of a rare and subtile deuise, and exquisite polyture, did
thus obiect and present it selfe to my sight.
There I beheld in a hard and most black stone, an eagle displayed, and
bearing out of the bignesse of a naturall eagle, which had louingly
seazed and taken in hir foote a sweete babe in the swadling cloutes,[A]
nicely, carefully, and gently houlding the same, least that hir strong,
sharpe, and hooking pounces, should by anye meanes pierce thorough the
tender skynne of the young infant.
[Sidenote A: The Eagle of Iupiter that carryed Ganimed.]
Hir feete were fixed about the rising vp chist of the childe, whome she
had made bare from the nauell vpwarde and downeward so as the naked
hippes might be seene betwixt the fethered thighes of the Eagle. This
little infant and most beautifull babe (worthie and meete for him that
he was seazed for) by his countenance shewed as if he had beene afraide
of his fortune.
And thus lying in the foote of the Eagle, he stretched both his armes
abroade, and with his little fat hands tooke fast hould vpon the
remigiall bones[A] of the Eagles pinions displayed, as aforesaid. And
clasping his swelling prittie legges and feete, about hir suruaighing
spreding traine, which laye behinde the rising vppe of the arche.
[Sidenote A: The bones next the qack in the wing, whiche in a hawke
excelleth all proportions of other birds.]
This little childe was cut of the white vayne of Achates[A] or Onix, and
the Eagle of the other vaine of the same stone called sardius which is
of black couler of some called Cordeoll, ioyning both in one selfe same
stone. Whereat I stood musing and commending to my selfe the ingenious
and apt inuention of the Arthist, in the vse of such a stone, which of
his owne nature to contrarie proportions affoorded contrarie coulers,
and in such sort as by the raysing vp of hir small plummage aboue hir
seare, hir beack halfe open, and hir toung appearing in the middest
thereof, as if she had beene resolutely intended, and eagerly bent to
haue gorged hir selfe vpon it.
[Sidenote A: Achates is a pretious stone wherein are represented
the figures of the nine Muses, of Venus and such like beautiful
personages.]
The hemicicle or arche rising rownd from the vpper part of the streight
cheeke of the entrance, according to the thicknes thereof was disposed
into losenges or squares, wherein were carued Roses, theyr leaues and
branches hanging in a curious and delightfull order to behoulde, ouer
the entry of the Gate.
In the two Triangles occasioned by the bow of the arche there were two
fayre Nymphes of excellent proportions and shapes, theyr clothes which
couered theyr Virgins bodyes, giuing place for theyr legges, brests, and
armes to be bare, theyr hayre loose and flying abroad, and towardes the
brace, and knitting together of the arche aboue, they held a victorious
troph[ae].
The ground of which tryangle was of black stone, the better to shew
the perfection and truthe of the mettals in the troph[ae]s, and the
beautifull bodyes of the delycate virgins.
Aboue these mentioned partes, was the Zophor,[A] in the myddest whereof,
I beheld a table of goulde, wherein was this Epigram in Cappitall Greeke
Letters of Syluer. In thys sorte reporting.
+THEOIS APHRODITIKAI TO: O: EROTI DIONISOS YKAI
DE: ME:TRA EK TO:N IDIO:N MYTRI
SUMPATHESTATE:+
_Diis veneri filio amori, Bacchus, & Ceres de propriis,
S. substantiis matri pientissim[ae]._
[Sidenote A: Zophor is a border wherin diuers things are grauen.]
Eyther sides of which table was reteind and held vp with two babes or
wynged spyrits of perfect and liuelye shapes, as if they had beene
celestiall bodyes, vppon a ground of Iasul or blew Saphyrs to grace the
mettals and imagerie.
Vpon the face of the Zophor extending and stretching along ouer the
columnes of porphir stone were ingrauen certain spoiles or curates,
gorgets of mayle, vaumbraces, gauntlets, shields, Targets, head-peeces,
maces, battell Axes, spurres, quiuers, arrowes, dartes, broken launces,
curtilaxes, and other auncient instruments of warre. As well ayerie and
marine, as for the field singularly well cut, and manifesting to the
behoulder both victories, force, and triumphes, after a mortall effusion
of bloud.
Vpon this in order stood the coronice, wrought with such lyneaments as
decently concurred, and were aunswerable to the excellencie of the rest
of the worke: for other wise, as in a mans body one qualitie being
contrarie to another, sicknesse dooth follow, the humors oppressing one
an other in abundance: so in building if the adiuncts be vnaptly
disposed, and vndecently distributed there will fall out a fowle
deformitie.
For a frame and building growes weake and vnseemely wherin cannot be
found a sweete harmonie and commodulate order and concent.
Which thing many moderne ideots doe confound, being ignorant in Locall
distribution. For a cunning crafts master will in his worke shewe an
allusion or resemblance to a humaine shape and proportion beautifully
adorned in apparrell.
Aboue ouer the coronice, by an inuers gradation there were fowre
Quadratures or square Tables, two right ouer the chamfered columnes, and
channelled pyllars, and two within them. In an other deuision, betwixt
the said two contrast and inwarde tables, there stood a Nimph in hir
Anagliph[A] most rare and excellent of Orichalke or yealow Latin,
houlding in eyther hand a Torche, one of them reuersed and turned
downeward, beieng extinct and put out, and the other burning towardes
the Sunne. The burning Torche in hyr righte hande, and the extincte in
hyr left.
[Sidenote A: Anagliph smothly chased out with the hammer and not
carued.]
In the quadriture vppon the right side, I behelde the iealous
_Climene_,[A] with her haire trans-formed into an hearbe called _Venus_
maid, or Lady hearbe, & _Phoebus_ in a cruell indignation & wrathfull
displeasure, she following of him weeping, from whom he fled hastening
on forward hys swift horses, as one that flyeth from hys mortall and
deadly enemie.