Hypnerotomachia Part 18

Afterward she shewed me a great number of little virgins, vnder the gouernment of three sober and discreete matrones the leaders to so great delight: Adding thereunto very pleasantly (changing hir angellike countenance) My _Poliphilus_, thou shalt vnderstand, that no earthly creature can enter in heere without a burning torch as thou seest me, either with extreeme loue and great paines, or for the fauour and company of those three matrones. And from hir hart setting a deepe sigh, she said: This torch haue I brought hither for thy sake, minding to put it out in yonder temple.

These speeches pearced my hart, they were so delightfull and desired, and so much the more, bicause she called me hir _Poliphilus_. Whereupon I a.s.sured my selfe, that she was _Polia_, and from top to the toe I found an extreeme alteration into a supreame delight, my hart flying onely to hir. Which thoughts were bewraied by my countenance, and whispering small sighes.

Which she cunningly perceiuing, brake on this new accident with these words: Oh how many be there which would most gladly behold these triumphes, and therefore _Poliphilus_, addresse thy thoughts to other matters, and behold what n.o.ble and woorthy Nymphs shew themselues deseruedly consorted with their amorous louers, curteous and affable: who with sweete and pleasant notes in measured verse, praise and commend one another without wearines, incessantly celebrating their turnes with excessiue delight, and extolling the triumphs, the aire also full of the chirpings of diuers pretie birds, yeelding a diffused charme.

About the first triumph among the reioising companie, the nine Muses did sing, with their leader the diuine Luter _Apollo_.[A]

[Sidenote A: This verse consisted of _Strophe_, _Aristophe_, and _Epodus_.]

After the triumph followed the faire Parthenopeian _Leria_, with a lawrell crowne, accompanied with _Melanthia_, whose habites and voices represented the pride of Greece,[A] whereupon the great Macedon rested his head: She bare a splendent lampe, communicating the light thereof with hir companion, then the rest more excellent both in voice and song.

[Sidenote A: _Homer._]

There the faire Nymph shewed me the auncient _Iphiana.s.sa_, and after the old father _Himerinus_ his daughters and their drinke, and one betwixt the two Theban brothers: These with pleasant noises, sweete musicke and fine agilities, paste on about the first triumph.

About the second triumph was the n.o.ble _Nemesis_ with the _Lesbian Corina_, _Delia_ and _Neaera_, with diuers others amorous Nymphs, making pleasaunt soundes vppon stringed instruments of yealow wood.

About the thirde triumph, the glorious Nymphs shewed me _Quintilia_ and _Cynthea Nauta_, with others, in great solace, making sweete harmonies, and singing pleasant verses: there also I behelde the virgin _Violantilla_ with hir Doue, and the other sorrowing for hir Sparrow.

About the fourth triumph, before it went the _Lidian Cloe_, _Lide_, _Neobole_, sweete _Phillis_, and the faire _Lyce_ _Tyburts_ & _Pyra_, with their harps singing and making a most pleasant noyse. After this fourth triumph among the Maenades and sacrificers to _Bacchus_, there folowed an amorous damosell singing in the commendation of the head of hir louer _Plaon_, she desired hornes. And after them all she shewed me two women, one of them apparelled in white, and the other in greene, which came hindermost singing togither.

And thus they marched about in a most pleasant and delightfull maner vpon the fresh greene and flourishing plaine: Some instrophiated with laurel, some with myrtle, and others with other sorts of flowers and garlands, incessantly without any wearines or intermission in a perfection of the felicitie of this world, mutually enioying one anothers aspect and companie.

_The Nymph hauing at large declared vnto Poliphilus the mysticall triumphs and extreeme loue, afterwards she desired him to go on further, where also with great delight he beheld innumerable other Nymphs, with their desired louers, in a thousand sorts of pleasures solacing themselues vpon the greene gra.s.se, fresh shadowes, and by the coole riuers and cleere fountaines. And how Poliphilus there had with madnes almost forgotten himselfe in the pa.s.sions of desire, but hope did a.s.swage his furie, quieting himselfe in the beholding of the sweete sauour of the faire Nymph._

Not onely happie but aboue all other most happie were he, to whom it should be granted continually by speciall fauour to beholde the glorious pompe, high triumphs, beautiful places, sweet scituations, togither with the G.o.ddesses, halfe G.o.ddesses, faire Nymphes of incredible delight and pleasure, but especially to be seconded and accompanied with so honorable a Nymph of so rare and excellent beautie. And this I thought not to be the least and smallest point of my felicitie. Now hauing looked vpon these sights, I remained a great s.p.a.ce recording of the same, being therewith beyonde measure abundantly contented.

Afterwards, the faire and sweet damsell my guide said thus vnto me: _Poliphilus_, let vs now go on a little further. And then immediately we tended our walke toward the fresh fountains and shady riuers, compa.s.sing about the flourshing fields with chrystalline currents and gratious streames.

In which cleare water, grew the purple flowering sonne of the Nymph _Liriope_, looking vp from his tender stringes and leaues. And al the faire riuers were ful of other flowers sweetlie growing among their greene and fresh leaues. This delightfull place was of a spatious and large circuit, compa.s.sed about and inuironed with wooddie mountaines, of a moderate height of greene lawrell, fruitefull memerels, hearie & high pine trees, and within the cleere channels, with graueled banks, and in some places the bottom was faire soft yealow sande, where the water ran swifte, and the three leaued driope grew.

There were a great companie of delicate faire Nymphs of tender age, with a redolent flower of bashfulnes, and beyond all credite beautifull, with their beardles louers continuallie accompanied. Among which Nymphs, some verie pleasantly with wanton countenaunces in the cleere streams shewed themselues sportefull and gamesome, hauing taken vppe finelie their thin garments of silke of diuers colours, and holding them in the bouts of their white armes, the forme of their rounde thighs were seene vnder the plytes, and their faire legges were reuealed to the naked knees, the current streames comming vp so high: it was a sight which woulde haue prepared one to that which were vnfit, and if himselfe had been vnable thereunto. And there where the water was most still, turning downe their faire faces of exceeding beautie, and bending their bodies of rare proportion, as in a large goodly gla.s.se they might behould their heauenly shapes, breaking off the same with the motion of their pretie feete, making a noyse with the contrast of the circulating water. Some solaciouslie striuing to go by the tame swimming swans, and sportingly casting water one at another, with the hollownes of their palms: others standing without the water vpon the soft coole gra.s.se, making vp of nosegaies and garlands of sundrie sweete flowers, & giuing the same to their louers as tokens of their fauorable remembraunce, not denieng their sweet kisses, & louing imbracings, with the amorous regardes of their star-like eyes.

And some were set vpon the greene banks not ouergrown with reed and segs, but finely beautified with sweete hearbs and flowers, among the which the tender Nymphs comming wet out of the water more cleere then _Axius_ in _Mygdonia_, vnder the vmbragious trees, did sit sporting and deuising one with another in delightfull imbracings, with their reuerencing louers, not cruelly scorning & reiecting them, but with a sociable loue and benigne affablenesse, disposing themselues to the like shew of true affection, their sweete gestures and pleasant behauiours far more gratious to the eie, then flowing teares be to the frowarde and vnmercifull _Cupid_, the sweete fountaines and moist dewes to the green fieldes, and desired forme to vnfashioned matter.

Some did sing amorous sonnets, and verses of loue, breathing out in the same from their inflamed b.r.e.a.s.t.s, scalding sighs ful of sweete accents, able to enamorate harts of stone: And to make smooth the ruggednesse of the vnpa.s.sageable mountaine _Caucasus_, to staie whatsoeuer furie the harpe of _Orpheus_ woulde prouoke, and the fowle and euill fauoured face of _Medusa_, to make any horrible monster tame and tractable, and to stop the continuall prouocation of the deuouring _Scylla_. Some rested their heads in the chaste laps of their faire loues, recounting the pleasaunt deuises of _Iupiter_, and they instrophyating their curled locks with sweete smelling flowers.

Others of them fained that they were forsaken, and seemed to flie and go awaie from them, whom dearely they did affect, and then was there running one after another with loud laughters, and effeminate criengs out, their faire tresses spredding downe ouer their snowie shoulders like threeds of gold, bound in laces of greene silke: Some loose after a Nymphish maner, others bounde vp in attyres of golde set with pearle.

Afterwards comming neere togither, they would stowpe downe, and twiching vp the sweete flowers with their faire and tender fingers, fling the same in the faces of their pursuing louers with great pleasure and solace, maintaining their fained disgracings.

Others with great curtesie were putting of Rose leaues one after another into their laced brests, adding after them sweete kisses, some giuing their louers (if ouer-bold) vpon the cheekes with their harmles palmes pretie ticks, making them red like the wheeles of _Phbus_ in a faire and cleere morning: with other new and vnthought contentions, such as loue could deuise. They all being pleasant, merrie, and disposed to delight: Their gestures and motions girlish, and of a virgineall simplicitie, putting on sincere loue without the offence of honorable vertue: Free and exempt from the occursion of griefe or emulation of aduers fortune: Sitting vnder the shade of the weeping sister of the whited _Phaeton_, and of the immortall _Daphne_ and hairie pineapple with small and sharpe leaues, streight Cyprus, greene Orenge trees, and tall Cedars, and others most excellent, abounding with greene leaues, sweete flowers, and pleasant fruits still flourishing in such sort as is inestimable, euenly disposed vpon the gratious banks, & orderly growing in a moderat distance vpon thee gra.s.sie ground, inuested with green Vinca peruince or laurel. What hart is so cold and chilling, that would not be stirred vp to heate, manifestly beholding the delightfull duties of reciprocall loue, such as I was perswaded would haue kindled _Diana_ hir selfe?

Whereupon I was bold to shew that folly which tormented my inward spirits, enuying to see what others possessed, that was a continuall delight in pleasure and solace without any wearines in full cloying, and thus diuers times my hart being set on fire by my eies, and extreemely burning, my minde still fixed vpon delightfull pleasures and their smacking kisses, and regarding with a curious eie the abounding guerdons of the fethered G.o.d, me thought at that instant, that I did behold the extreeme perfection of pleasure. And by this meanes I stood wauering and out of measure amazed, and as one which had droonke an amorous potion, calling into remembrance the ointments of the mischeeuous _Circes_, the forcible hearbs of _Medea_, the hurtfull songs of _Byrrena_, and the deadly verses of _Pamphile_, I stood doubtfull that my eies had seene somthing more than humane, and that a base, dishonorable, and frail bodie should not be where immortall creatures did abide.

After that I was brought from these long and doubtfull thoughts and phantasticall imaginations, and remembring all those maruellous diuine shapes and bodies which I had personally seene with mine eies, I then knew that they were not deceitfull shadowes, nor magicall illusions, but that I had not rightly conceiued of them.

And now with earnest consideration among these beholding the most excellent Nymph fast by me, my eies filled with amorous darts ceased not to wound my pa.s.sionate hart, by means wherof incontinently all my wandering thoughts were stirred vp, compact, and fixed vpon hir their desired obiect, recalling my mortified soule afresh to be tormented in his first flames, which most cruelly I suffered, in that I durst not be bold to aske if she were my desired _Polia_, for she had put me in some doubt thereof before, and now fearing to offend hir with my being ouer bolde, and ore troublesome with my rude and vntilled toong, diuers times when my voice was breaking out betwixt my lips, vpon that occasion I suppressed the same. But what she should be, it was beyond my compa.s.se to imagine, and I stood as suspicious thereof, as the deceiued _Socia_ with the fained _Atlantiades_. Thus with diligent regards and cordiall searches examining hir heauenly features inuaded with a burning desire beyond measure, I said to my self: Oh that I might be, if it were possible, a free m in such a place, for no sorrow shoulde greeue me, nor imminent danger should make me afraid: although that frowarde fortune shoulde oppose hir selfe against me, I woulde spende my life without any regard therof, not refusing to vndertake the laborsome and great enterprise of the two gates shewed to the sonne of _Amphitrio_.

To spend the prime of my youth and pleasure of my yeers in the mortall daungers of the merciles seas, and in the fearfull places of _Trinacria_, with the excessiue trauels and terrors of _Ulysses_, in the darke caue of the horrible _Polyphem_, the son of _Neptune_, to be transformed in the companie of _Calypso_, although I lost my life, or indured the most hard & long seruitude of _Androdus_, for all wearines is forgotten where loue is vehement. To vndertake with the amorous _Minalion_ and _Ileus_ to runne with _Atalanta_, or to com but in such sort as the strong and mightie _Hercules_ for his loue _Deianira_, did with the huge _Achelous_, so as I might atchieue so gratious a fauor, and attaine to so high delight, as the remaining in these solacious places, and aboue all to enioy the precious loue and inestimable good wil of hir, more faire without comparison, then _Ca.s.siopeia_, of better fauour then _Castiamira_. Ah me, my life and death is in hir power! And if so be that I seeme vnwoorthie of hir fellowshippe and amorous commers, yet would G.o.d it might be granted me as a speciall rewarde and priuiledge to looke vpon hir: and then I saide to my selfe, oh _Poliphilus_, if these heauie and burthenous weights of amarous conceits do oppresse thee; the sweetenes of the fruite doth allure thee thereunto: and if the peremptorie dangers strike thee into a terror, the hope of the supportation and helpe of so faire a Nymph will animate thee to be resolute. Thus my thought being diuers, I said, Oh G.o.d, if this be that desired _Polia_ which I see at this present, and whose precious impression without intermission, I haue stil born in my burning and wounded hart, fro the first yeers of my loue vntil this present, I am contented with all sorrows, & besides hir, I desire no other request but only this, that she may be drawne to my feruent loue, that it may be with vs alike, or that I may be at liberty, for I am no longer able to dissemble my griefe, or hide the extremity of my smart, I die liuing, & liuing am as dead: I delight in that which is my griefe: I go mourning: I consume my self in the flame, & yet the flame doth norish me, & burning like gold in the strong cement, yet I find my self like cold yce. Ah wo is me, that loue should be more greeuous vnto me then the weight of _Iuarime_ to _Typhon_. It disperseth me more, then the rauenous vulturs the glomerated bowels of _t.i.tyus_: It holdeth me in more, then the labirinth crooking: It tosseth me more, then the northeast winds the calme seas: It teareth me woorse then _Acteons_ dogges their flieng master: It troubleth my spirits more then horrible death doth them who desire to liue: It is more direfull to my vexed hart, then the crocodils bowels to _Ichneumon_. And so much the more is my greefe, that with all the wit I haue, I knowe not to thinke in what part of the worlde I shoulde be, but streight before the sweete fire of this halfe G.o.ddesse, which without any corporall substance consumeth me: hir aboundant and faire yealow haire, a snare and net for my hart to be masked in: hir large and phlegmatique forehead, like white lillies, bynd me in as with a withe: hir pearcing regards take away my life as sweete prouocations to afflict me: hir roseall cheekes do exasperate my desire, hir ruddie lips continue the same, and hir delicious b.r.e.a.s.t.s like the winter snow vpon the hyperboreall mountaines, are the sharp spurs and byting whip to my amorous pa.s.sions: hir louely gestures and pleasant countenance do draw my desire to an imaginatiue delight, heaping vp my sorrow. And to all these insulting martyrdoms and greeuous vexations of that impious and deceitfull _Cupid_ I laie open, mightilie striuing to beare them, and no waie able to resist them, but to suffer my selfe to be ouercome: neither coulde I shun the same, but remained still as one vnawares lost in the Babylonian fen.

Oh _t.i.tius_, thou canst not perswade me that thy paine is equall with mine, although that the vultures teare open thy breast, and taking out thy smoking warm hart, do pluck it in peeces with their crooked beaks, and pinch the same in their sharpe tallents, eating vp also the rest of thy flesh, vntill they haue ingorged th?selues, & within a while after thou renewed againe, they begin afresh to pray vpon thee. Thou hast a time to be reuiued againe, and made sound as euer thou wert: but two eies without all pitie or intermission haue wounded me, deuour and consume me, leauing me no time of rest, or s.p.a.ce to be comforted.

And hauing had these discourses with my selfe, I began secretly to mourne and weepe, and desire a way that I might die, fetching deepe sighes as if my hart had torne in sunder with euery one of them. And diuers times I had purposed with a lamentable voice to desire hir helpe, for that I was at the point of death: but as one drowned and ouerwhelmed, I deemed that way to be vaine, and to no purpose, and therfore furiously, and as one of a raging spirit I thought thus: Why doest thou doubt, _Poliphilus_? Death for loue is laudable, and therefore my greeuous and malignant fortune, my sorrowful accident and hard hap in the loue of so beautifuil a Nymph, will be writ and reported when I shall lie interred. The same will be sung in doleful tunes vpon sweete instruments of musicke, manifesting the force of hurtfull loue.

And thus continuing the follie of my thoughts, I said: It may be that this Nymph, by al likelihoods, is some reuerend G.o.ddesse, and therefore my speeches will be but as the crackling reedes of Archadia in the moist and fennie sides of the riuer Labdone, shaken with the sharpe east wind, with the boisterous north, cloudy south & rainie south west wind.

Besides this, the G.o.ds will be seuere reuengers of such an insolencie, for the companions of _Vlysses_ had been preserued from drowning and shipwracke, if they had not stolne _Apollos_ cattell kept by _Phaetusa_ and hir sister _Lampetia_. _Orion_ had not beene slaine by a scorpion, if he had not attempted the cold & chast _Diana_, and therefore if I should vse any indecencie against the honor of this Nymph in any sort, such like reuenge or woorse woulde be vsed vpon me. At last getting foorth of these changeable thoughts, I did greatly comfort my selfe in beholding and contemplating the excellent proportion and sweete sauour of this ingenuous and most rare Nymph, containing in hir al whatsoeuer that may prouoke amorous conceits and sweete loue, giuing from hir faire eies so gratious and fauorable regards, as thereby I somewhat tempered my troublesome and vnbrideled thoughts. And my resounding sighes reflexed with a flattering hope (oh the amorous foode of louers and sauce of salt teares) by these and no other rains I did manage my vehement thoughts, and made them stop in a conceiued hope, fixing mine eies with excessiue delight vpon hir faire bodie and well disposed members, by all which, my discontented desires were gently mitigated and redeemed from that furie and amorous fire, which so neere had bred the extremitie of my pa.s.sions.

_The Nymph leadeth the inamored Poliphilus to other pleasant places, where he beheld innumerable Nymphs solacing them, and also the triumph of Vertumnus and Pomona._

By no meanes I was able to resist the violent force of _Cupids_ artillerie, and therefore the elegant Nymph hauing amorously gotten an irrevocable dominion ouer me a miserable louer, I was inforced to follow still after hir moderate steps, which led me into a spatious and large plaine, the conterminate bound of the flowered greene & sweet smelling vallie, where also ended the adorned mountaines and fruitfull hils, shutting vp the entrance into this golden countrie, full of incredible delight with their ioining togither: couered ouer with green trees of a cspicuous thicknes & distance, as if they had been set by hand, as Yew trees, wild Pynes, vnfruitfull but dropping Resin, tall pineapple, straight Firre, burning Pitch trees, the spungie Larix[A], the aierie Teda[B] beloued of the mountains, celebrated and preserued for the festiuall Oreades[C]. There both of vs walked in the greene and flowering plaine, shee being my guide through the high cypres trees, the broad leaued beech, coole shadie okes full of maste, and other hornebeames, p.r.i.c.king iuniper, weake hasell, spalt ash, greene lawrell, and humbryferous esculies, knottie plane trees & lyndens[D] moouing by the sweet breath of the pleasant Zephirus, whistling through their tender branches, with a benigne and fauorable impulsion.

[Sidenote A: _Larix_, is a tree hauing leaues like a pine, & good for building, it will neither rot, woormeate, nor burne to coales.]

[Sidenote B: _Teda_, is a tree out of the which issueth a liquor more thinne than pitch.]

[Sidenote C: _Oreades_, be countrie Nymphs.]

[Sidenote D: _Lyndens_ or teile trees, in Latin _Tiliae_, they beare a fruit as big as a bean, hauing within seedes like anyse seeds.]

All which greene trees were not thickly twisted togither, but of a conuenient distaunce one from another, and all of them so aptly distributed as to the eie the sight thereof bred great delight.

This place was frequented with countrie Nymphs and _Dryades_[A], their small and slender wastes being girded with a brayding of tender corules of sprigs, leaues, and flowers and vpon their heads their rising vp haires, were compa.s.sed about as with garlands. Amongst them were the horned faunes, and lasciuious satyres, solemnising their faunall feasts, being a.s.sembled togither out of diuers places, within this fertile & pleasant c.u.n.trie: bearing in their hands so tender green and strge boughs, as are not to be foud in the wood of the G.o.ddes _Feronia_,[B]

when the inhabitants carrie hir image to the fire.

[Sidenote A: _Dryades_, be Nymphs of the woods.]

[Sidenote B: _Feronia_ a G.o.ddesse of the woods.]

From thence we entered into a large square inclosure cpa.s.sed about with broade walkes, straight from one corner to another, with a quick-set vpon either sides, in height one pace, of p.r.i.c.king iuniper thicke set togither, and mixt with box, compa.s.sing about the square greene mead.

In the rowes of which quick-set there were symmetrially planted the victorious palme trees, whose branches were laden with fruite, appearing out of their husks, some blacke, some crymosen, and many yealow, the like are not to be found in the land of aegypt, nor in Dabulam[A] among the Arabian Scaenits,[B] or in Hieraconta beyond the Sauromatans.[C] All which were intermedled with greene Cytrons, Orenges, Hippomelides, Pistack trees, Pomegranats, Meligots, Dendromirts, Mespils, and Sorbis, with diuers other fruitfull trees.

[Sidenote A: _Dabulam_, a fertile place in Arabia.]

[Sidenote B: _Scaenits_, be a people in Arabia, that dwell altogither in tents.]

[Sidenote C: _Sauromatans_, be people of Sarmatia, which is a large c.u.n.try, reaching fr Germany & the riuer Vistula to Hycaenia, and is deuided into two parts Europea and Asiatica.]

In this place vppon the greene swoord of the flowering mead, and vnder the fresh and coole shadowes, I might behold a great a.s.semblie met togither of strange people, & such as I had neuer before seene, full of ioyes and pastimes, but basely apparrelled, some in fauns skins, painted with white spots, some in lynx[A] skins, others in leopards: and manie had fastened togither diuers broad leaues, instrophiating them with sundrie flowers, therewithall couering their nakednes, singing, leaping, and dauncing with great applause.

[Sidenote A: _Lynx_ is a beast spotted, but in shape like a wolph, being quicke of sight.]