Part 14

And thus hauing leaue to goe in, beholde such thinges presented themselues to my eyes, as were lyker to be celestiall then humane.

A most stately and sumpteous preparation, in a gorgeous and spacious Court, beyond the Pallaice neere and opposite to the other, and foure square.

The bewtifull and precious Pauement within a checkered compasse going about the same, there was a space of sixtie foure Squadrates of three foote, the dyameter of euerye one: Of the which one was of Iasper, of the colour of Corall, and the other greene, powdered with drops of blood not to bee woorne away: and set togither in manner of a Chesse-boord. Compassed about with a border, the breadth of one pace of a rare inuention of woorke, with small pieces of stones, of diuers colours, and so compacte together, as if it had beene a straunge paynted woorke euenly cut and set by rule, that you could not perceiue the ioyning, but smoothe and shyning, and so well framed by the Lybell and Squadrate, that no circulating or sphricall Instrument woulde mooue to either sides without forcing.

About this, lastlye was an other marueylous kynde of Pauing of three paces broad, in knottes of Iasper, Praxin, Calcedonie, Agat, and other sortes of stones of price.

And about by the sides of the walles, compassing the sayde Court paued as you haue heard, there were placed Settles, of the wood of Palme Trees, of colour betwixt a yealow and tawny, passing well turned and fashioned, couered ouer with greene Veluet, and bowlstered with some soft stuffe or feathers easie to sit vpon, the Veluet brought downe to the frame of the Settles or Benches, and fastened to the same with tatch Nayles of Golde, with bossed heades vppon a plaine Siluer Nextrule or Cordicell.

The alament of the claustering walles, were couered ouer with Plates of beaten Golde, with a grauing agreeable to the pretiousnes of the metall.

And in the coquated and smoothe plaine of the same walles of stone, by certaine Pilastrelles, Quadrangules, or Lossenges, of an equall dimension and distinct correspondencie in the middest of euerie one, there were perspicuously appact rounde Iewels, bearing out and swelling beyond the plaine leuell of the wall, after the manner of the tores of bases, and of thicknes according to the proportion of the Losenge wherein it stood, compassed about with greene iagged leaues, one bending ouer an other, the tops turned toward the Iewell.

And betwyxt the Foliature and the great Iewell, another border of pretious stones curiouslie sorted and conspicuouslie set.

And in the rest of the wall circumvallate of these bearing out rownde Iewels, the seuen Plannets with their nature and properties, with an Encaustic woorke were sweetly painted, which I beheld with great delight. The rest of the wall exclusiue from the rowndnes of the Iewels within the Pilastrels, were filled vp and bewtified with infinite varietie of workes in siluer, and powdered with diuers inestimable stones, singularly well cut, and of diuers fashions.

The wall on the left side was in like sort, and opposite in tundels. Against the seuen Plannettes were there seuen Tryumphes ouer the subiectes of the same predominent Plannettes, and in such lyke Art of Painting as the other side.

And on the right part I behelde their seuen harmonies and friendly aspectes, and the passage of the blood, with the qualitatiue receiuing and retiring & circulating entrance, with an incredible Historie of the celestiall operation accedent.

The fourth alament made the Pallaice of suche like distribution as the other, the doore except, whiche did occupie an emptie voyde interstice. The other sixe with a regulate correspondence, and harmonye of the rest, in the Iewelles to the opposite and symentriall congresse of the Plannettes, with their vertuous inclinations, were expressed in the shapes of elegant Nimphes, with the titles and signes of their natures.

The seuenth Mediane quarter, was the forefront directlye placed against the seuenth Iewell, representing the Planet Soll, whiche was set vp more higher then the rest, by reason of the Queenes Throne.

Euerie part of matter, number, forme, and lyneament, in distribution equally correspondent to his Lybell, the right with the left, and here and there, with an exquisite loue, and congresse agreeing.

Of whiche moste excellent Court, euerie side was eight and twentie paces. In this sort stood this synarie open Court, all compassed about with fine golde, a worke rather to bee wondered at, then spoken off.

The Pilastrelles were discrepant fowre paces one from an other, with a iust partition of seuen (a number gratefull to nature) of fine and orient Azure, Lazull stone, passing well coloured according to his kinde, with a bewtifull bestowing of small glymces of gold. In the fore part of which, betwixt the seuen pilastrels, there were appointed little slender Pillers wrought about with leaues, copies, heades with haire like leaues, boyes their hippes and legges proportioned into brawnches, Birdes and copies, and vesselles full of flowers, with other woonderfull inuentions and deuises, from the top to the bottome of the Anaglyph, as if they had grown out of the foundation, making and diuiding in sunder the spaces, their chapters were wrought of a fashion answerable to the rest.

Ouer the whiche did extende a streight beame with grauen lineamentes fitting the same. And ouer that a Zophor, conteining this woorke still throughout, that is, the bonye scalpes of Oxen, with myroll bowghes full of berries, tyed abowt theyr hornes by a towell of linnen.

Vpon either sides of them were Dolphines, with their gilles lyke leaues, and their Finnes and their extreeme partes of a foliature, and vpon theyr heades and backes certaine naked boyes, getting holde of theyr lifted vp braunching tayles, with leaues and flowers, and bending them downe.

The head of the Dolphine hauyng a Syme, whereof the one part turned towardes the Boye, and the other bent against the vessell with an open gaping, and endyng in the head of a Storke, with her beake against the open mouth of a Monster, lying with his face vpwarde, and certaine Whorelles or Beades rysing vp betwixt his mouth and her beake.

Whiche heades in stead of haire, were couered with leaues one ouer an other, filling the Orifice of the vessell, and from one lyp to an other, and vnder the bowle thereof towarde the foote, there compassed a fine towell of linnen, the endes hanging downe from the knottes, in suche an excellent sorte as was conuenient both for the place and matter. And in the middle ouer the heades, was the face of a childe vppon a payre of winges.

And with suche lyke lineamentes was the Zophor adorned and couered, with a Coronice full of excellent workemanship. Vppon the plaine toppe whereof, by a perpendicular lyne ouer the Pillars, in the ordeining of the squadrangalles, there were placed and framed certaine olde fashioned vesselles, by an appointed distribution, three foote high of Calcedonie, some of Amethist, some of Agat, some of Iasper, with their bellies furrowed and Channelled, and cut of a rare and maruellous cunning, and with excellent eares.

In a perfect order ouer euerie Iewell aboue the Coronice, were aptlye ioyned traunsomes, squared seuen foote high, and the middle space betweene them of glistering Golde, with a superadiect extention, closing ouer the streight extended transomes. And by a turnyng downe the transomes, did ioyne decently one with the other, with a Topiarie woorke. Intending that out of the vesselles standing vpon the Coronice as aforesaide, in the cornes the transome and the vyne should ryse vp togither, but out of the other vesselles, either a vyne or some Woodbine of Golde, by courses meeting ouer the transwerst traunsomes, with a thicke stretching out of theyr spreadyng braunches, one ioyning with an other, and twisting togither with a fine and pleasant congresse, couering ouer all the whole court with a riche and inestimable suffite, with diuers fashioned leaues of greene emeralde, gratefull to the sight, more perfect then that wherein Amenon was impressed, and the flowers dispersed and distributed of Saphires and byrrals. And with an excellent disposition and artificiall, betwixt the greene leaues and the grosse vaynes, so precious hunge downe the clusters of grapes made of stones, agreeable and fitting to the naturall coulers of Grapes.

All which most rare deuises, of pryse incomparable, incredible, and past imagination, did shine all ouer most pretiouslie: not so much to be marueyled at for the costlinesse of the matter, but for the large greatnesse of the worke.

For nor without great cause, from place to place, with a diligent and iealous examination I did carefully consider the large extention of the inmost intricate braunches, and their proportionate strength and thicknesse, so cunninglie doone, by such an arte, boulde attempt, and continued intent, they were so aptly led out, whether by sowdering, or by the Hammer, or by casting, or by all three, mee thought it an vnpossible worke to make a couering of such a breadth, and so twysted and twyned together.

In the middle prospect, oppossite against our going in vpon a degreed regall throne, set full of glystering stones in a maruelous order, farre more excellent then the seat in the temple of Hercules at Tyre, of the stone Eusebes. The Queene with an imperiall Maiestie sitting vppon it, goddesse like, and of a woonderfull magnanimitie in countenance: gorgiously apparrelled in clothe of goulde, with a sumptuous and curious attyre, vpon hir head of a purple couler, with an edging of Orient Pearle, shadowing ouer hir large forhead, aunciently and princelike, euer pressing hir plemmirrulate trammels of hayre, as blacke as iet descending downe hir snowie temples, and the rest of the aboundance of hir long hayre, fastned rounde in the hinder parte of her head, and deuided into two partes or tresses, lapt about this waye and that waye, behind hir small eares, ouer hir streight proportioned head, and finished in the crowne, with a flower of great Orient, and rownd Pearles, such as be found in the Indian promontorie Perimula.

The rest of hir long spreding hayre was not seene, but couered ouer with a thinne vayle, edged with gould, hanging downe from the said flower and knot of pearle, to hir delicate shoulders, and flingering abroade with the ayre.

In the middle of the edging of hir dressing, vpon the highest parte ouer the middest of hir forhead hoong a rare iewell. And about hir round and snowie neck, went an inestimable Carkenet with a pendent ouer the diuision of hir rownde brests, of a table Dyamond, in fashion of an Egge, sparkling, and of a monstrous largenes, set in gould with wyer woorke.

At hir eares moste richelye were hanged in the typpes two earinges, two great shynyng Carbunckles of an inestimable price.