Hypnerotomachia Part 14

The second is the Ower, which is prouident direction, and gouernment of all with an infinite wisedome.

The third is a Fyerie Vessell, whereby is vnderstoode a partyc.i.p.ation of Loue.

And although that they be three distinct things, yet they are contained & vnited in one sempeternallie, with great loue communicating their blessings, as you may see by the coppies at euery corner of the trygonall stone.

And continuing her delectable speech, shee sayd, vnder the forme of the Sunne, note this Greeke worde, _Adiegetos_. By the Ower looke vpon this, _Adiachoristos_. And by the Vessel of fier, was engrauen, _Adiereynes_.

And to this ende are the three Monsters placed vnder the golden Obelisque, because that there be three great opinions like those Monsters: & as that with the humane countenaunce is best, so the other be beastly and monstrous.

In the Spyre there be three plaine sides, lyneated with three circles, signifying one for euery time. The past, the present, and to come; and no other figure can holde these three circles, but in that inuariable.

And no mortall man can at one instant perfectlie discerne and see together two sides of the same figure, sauing one integrally, which is the Present: and therefore vppon great knowledge were these three Characters engrauen, ?. O. ?.

For which cause _Poliphilus_, not that I excuse my selfe for beeing ouer prolix and tedious, but briefely to teach thee, and sette thee right vp.

In the knowledge heereof, thou shalt vnderstand, that the first basiall Figure is onely knowne to hymselfe, and to one Sonne of man, which hath a humane bodie glorifyed and without sinne: and the brightnes thereof wee see but as in a gla.s.se, and not cleerely as it is, for that it is incomprehensible for a fynite substance.

But he that is indued with wisedome, let him consider of the glorious brightnes thereof. But to the thirde Figure, which is of a darke and blacke collour, wherein be the three golden Images: _The Blacke stone is the Lawe: the Coppies foode: the three Women the preseruation of Man-kind._

Nowe they which will looke higher, they see a Figure in a tryne aspect, and the higher that they goe towardes the toppe, where the vnion of the three is, be they neuer so wise, their vnderstanding is vnperfect: and although that they see it, yet they knowe not what they see, but that there is such a thing, in comparison whereof, they are fooles, theyr power weake, and themselues nothing.

And there _Logistica_ hauing ended her allowed talke, proceeding from an absolute knowledge, deepe iudgement, and sharpnesse of wit in Diuine matters, and vnknowne to weake capacities, I began heereat to take greater delight, then in any other meruailous worke what soeuer, that I had graciously beholden with my greedy eyes. Considering with my selfe of the mysticall Obelisque, the ineffable equality statarie, for durablenesse and perpetuitie vnmoueable, and enduring vncorruptible.

Where there breathed a sweet ayre from heauen, with vnuariable windes, in this Garden round about full of flowers, of a large and circular permanent plot: compa.s.sed about with all sorts of fruites, pleasant in taste and full of health; with a perpetuall greenesse, disposed and set by a regular order, both beautifull, pleasant, and conuenient; with the perfect labour and indeuour of Nature to bring it to that pa.s.se, and beautified with precious gold.

And _Logistica_ holding her peace, they tooke mee both by the hands, and we went out at the mouth of one of the Arches from the precyncts of the Iuied inclosure. And beeing gone from thence, very contentedly pa.s.sing on betwixt them both, saith _Thelemia_, let vs now hasten on to our three Gates whether we are sent.

Where-vpon, we pa.s.sing through a plentiful seate and pleasant Countrey, with a reasonable conuenient pace, I beheld the heauens very cleere & bright, & beguiled the tyme with merry, sweet, and delightfull discourses. And I desirous to vnderstand euery particular of the inestimable riches, vnspeakeable delights and incomparable treasure of the sacred Queene, (to the which _Osyris_ the builder of the two Temples of Golde, one to _Iupiter_, and the other to the kingdome, must giue place,) I mooued this question.

Tell me I beseech you fayre Nymphes, (if my curiosity bee not to your discontentment) amongst all the precious stones that I could perfectly behold of great estimation and pryce, one I deemed inestimable, and without comparison most precious; The Iasper which had the effigies of _Nero_ cut, it was not much bigger. Neither was the Coruscant to pa.s.se in the statue of _Arsinoe_ the _Arabian_ Queene equall with it. Next her, of such value was the Iewell, wherein was the representation of _Nonius_ the Senator, as this sparkling and shyning Dyamond, of a rare and vnseene beautie and bignes, which did hang vpon a rich Carkenet about the snowie necke of the sacred Queene, what cutting was in the same, which I could not perceiue by meanes of the brightnesse and my beeing some-what farre of. And therefore I beeing therein ignoraunt, desyre to knowe the same.

_Logistica_ considering of my honest demaund, aunswered me incontinently. Know this _Poliphilus_, in the Iewell was ingrauen an imperiall throne, and in the throne the mighty name of _Iehouah_ in Hebrew Letters, and before that throne, are cast downe and troden vnder foote, the Gyants which proudly haue lift vp themselues against his worde, and resisted hys will: vppon the left side of the throne is a flame of fire, vppon the right hande a horne of saluation, or Copie full of all good blessednes, and this is all that is contained in the Iewell.

Then I presumed further to knowe, what should these two things vpon eyther sides of the throne signifie, that were holden out in two handes.

_Thelemia_ quickly aunswered me, G.o.d of his infinite goodnesse, proposeth to mankind his mercie and his iudgement, chuse which they will.

For thys beeing satis-fied, I sayd moreouer. Seeing that most gracious Nymphs, my speeches be not displeasant vnto you, and that I am not yet satis-fied in all that I haue seene, I pray you let me vnderstand this.

Before the horrible feare that I was driuen into by the Dragon, I beheld a mighty huge Elephant of stone, with an entrance into his bellie, where were two Sepulchres, with a wryting, the meaning wherof is too mysticall for me, that was, that I shoulde not touch the bodie, but take away the head.

_Logistica_ forthwith made me aunswer. _Poliphilus_, I doe vnderstande very well your doubt, and therefore you shall vnderstande, that this monstrous shape and machine was not made without great and wonderfull humane wisedome, much labour, and incredible diligence, with a perplexibility of vnderstanding to knowe the mysticall conceite. Thou remembrest that vpon the face there hung an ornament, with certaine _Ideonix ionic_ and _Arabic_, which in our Mother-tongue, is as much to say, as labour, and industrie. Signifying thereby, that in thys world, whosoeuer will haue any blessing that shall do him good, he must leaue the body, which is ease and idlenes, and betake himselfe to trauaile and industry, which is the head.

Shee had no sooner ended her words both pleasant & piercing, but I vnderstoode it very well and gaue her great thankes. And yet desirous to be resolued in whatsoeuer I stood in doubt, and seeing that I might speake boldly, I made this third question. Most wise Nymph, in my comming out of the subterraneall vast darksome place, as I pa.s.sed on, I came to a goodlie bridge, and vppon the same, in a Porphyrite stone vppon the one side, and an Ophite vpon the other, I beheld engrauen certaine Hieragliphs, both which I did interprete, but I stoode doubtfull of certaine branches, that were tyed to the hornes of the scalpe of the Oxe, and the rather because they were in the Porphyrite stone, and not in the Ophit vpon the other side.

She aunswered me straight way. The braunches, one is of the Thistle or thorne of Iudea[A], and the other of the Turbentine. The nature of which Woodes bee, that the one will not easily take fire, and the other will neither bend, rotte, consume, nor be eaten with wormes. And so that patience is commended, which with anger is not kindled, nor by aduersity will bee subdued.

[Sidenote A: The crown of thorne vpon Christes head.]

The nature of the Porphyrit stone is of this secrecie, that in the fornace it will neither burne it selfe, but also causeth other stones neere adioyning that they shall not burne. And of that nature is patience, that it will neither be altered itselfe, nor suffer any other wherein it beareth rule to fall into a furie. And the Ophite stone is of such nature also.

Nowe _Poliphilus_, I doe greatly commende you, in that you are desirous to vnderstand such secrets: for to behold, consider, and measure the same, is a commendable vertue, and the way to knowledge: whereuppon I had occasion giuen to render innumerable thanks, for her great and fauourable curtesies.

And thus with allowed and delightfull discoursing speeches, we came to a fayre Riuer, vpon the banck whereof, besides other fayre greene and florishing Trees, and water hearbes, I beheld a fine Groue of Plane Trees, in the which was an excellent fayre bridge ouer the Riuer made of stone, with three Arches, with pyles bearing foorth against the two fronts, to preserue the worke of the bridge, the sides thereof beeing of excellent workmanship.

And in the middle bending of the same, vpon eyther sides, there was a square stone of Porphyrite set, hauing in it a Catagliphic, engrauing of Hieragliphies.

Vpon the right hand as I went ouer, I beheld a woman, casting abroade her armes, sitting onely vppon one b.u.t.tocke, putting foorth one of her legges as if shee woulde rise; In her right hand, vpon that side which shee did sitte, shee helde a payre of winges, and in the other hand, vppon that side whereon she was arysing, a Tortice.

Right against her, there was a Circle, the center wherof two little Spyrits did hold, with their backs turned towards the circ.u.mference of the Circle.

And then _Logistica_ saide vnto me, _Poliphilus_, I am sure that thou doost not vnderstand these Hieragliphs, but they make much for thy purpose: and therfore they are placed for a Monument and thing to be considered, of such as pa.s.se by.

The Circle _Medium tenuere beati_.

The other, temper thy hast by staying, and thy slownesse by rysing, consider heereof as thou seest cause.

This bridge was built with a moderate bending, shewing the cunning disquisition, tryall, examination, arte, and discretion of the excellent workman and inuenter, commended in the continuaunce and durablenesse thereof, which manie of our Bayard-like moderne Idiots, without knowledge, measure and arte buzzing on, neither obserue proportion nor lyneaments, but all out of order.

This bridge was all of pure Marble.

When wee had pa.s.sed ouer the bridge, wee walked in the coole shadow, delighted with the variable notes and chirpings of small byrds, to a rocky and stony place, where high & craggie Mountaines lifted vp themselues, afterwarde continuing to abrupt and wilesome hilly places, full of broken and nybled stones, mounting vppe into the ayre, as high as a man might looke to, and without any greene gra.s.se or hearbe, and there were hewen out the three gates, in the verie rocke it selfe, euen as plaine as might be. A worke verie auncient and past record, in a very displeasant seate.

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Ouer euery one of the which, I beheld in Letters Ionic, Romaine, Hebrew and Arabic, the tytle that the sacred Queene _Eleutherillida_ fore-told me that I should find. The Gate vppon my right hand, had vpon it this word, _Theodoxia_. That vppon my left hand, _Cosmodoxia_. And the thirde, _Erototrophos_. Vnto the which as soone as we were come, the Damosels beganne to instruct me in the tytles, and knocking in the resounding leaues of the Gates, vppon the right hande couered ouer with greene mosse, they were presently opened.

And ther dyd an olde woman present herselfe vnto vs, of an honourable countenaunce, out of an olde dawbed and smoakie house, hauing a poore base little doore, ouer the which was painted _Pilurania_. Shee came with a modest and honest shamefastnesse, and her dwelling place was in a solitarie site and shadie Rocke, decayed and crumbly, her clothes were tattered, her face leane, pale & poore. Her eyes looking towards the ground, her name was _Thende_. Shee had attending vpon her sixe Handmaydes, basely and slenderly apparrelled. One was named _Parthenia_, the second _Edosia_, an other _Hypocolinia_, the fourth _Pinotidia_, the next _Tapinosa_, the last _Prochina_. Which reuerent Matron, with her right arme naked poynted to the heauens.

She dwelt in a place very hard to come vnto, and ful of troubles to pa.s.se on the way, beeing hyndered with thorne and bryers, very rough and displeasant, a mistie clowde cast ouer it, and very hard to clymbe vp into.

_Logistica_ perceiuing by my looke that I had no great lyking in this place, some-what greeued therewith, said, this Rocke is knowne neuer but at the end. And then _Thelemia_ sayde, _Poliphilus_, I see you make small regarde of such a painefull woman. Whereat I a.s.senting to her with my countenaunce, wee departed, and the gate being shut we came to the next.

Where knocking, it was presently opened, and wee entering in, there met vs a browne woman, with fierce eyes rowling, and of a quicke countenaunce, lyfting vp a naked glittering sworde, vpon the middle wherof was a Crowne of golde, and a branche of Palme tree intrauersed.

Her armes brawnie like _Hercules_, in labour and acts magnanimious and n.o.bly minded. Her belly small. A little mouth, strong and stooping shoulders, by her countenaunce seeming to bee of an vndaunted minde, not fearing to vndertake any enterprise how hard soeuer.

Her name was _Euclelia_, verie honourablie attended vppon with sixe young Women. The first was called _Merimnasia_, the second, _Epitide_, another, _Ergasilea_, the fourth, _Anectea_, the fift was named _Statia_, the last was called _Olistea_.

The situation and place me thought was painefull, and _Logistica_ perceiuing my inclynation, presentlie tooke into her hand _Thelemias_ Lute, and beganne to strike a doricall tune, and sung to the same verie sweetly, saying. O _Poliphilus_ be not wearie to take paynes in thys place, for when labour and trauell is ouer-come, there will be a tyme of rest. And her songe was of such force, that I was euen consenting to remaine there, notwithstanding that, the habitation seemed laboursome.

Wherevppon, _Thelemia_ inticingly said vnto me, I think that it standeth with verie great reason my _Poliphilus_, that before you set downe your rest heere in this place, you ought in any case to see the third Gate.

Whereunto I consented with a very good will, and therefore going out from hence, we came to the other Gate, where _Thelemia_ knocking at a ring of Bra.s.se, it was forth-with sette open, and when wee were come in, there came towardes vs a notable goodly woman, and her name was _Philtronia_.