Part 27

The Axeltrees and fashion of the same like the other: but the Tables were of orient blewe Saphire, hauing in them, as small as motes in the Sunne, certaine glinces of golde, gratefull to the Magicke Arte, and of Cupid beloued in the left hande.

Vpon the Table on the right side, I behelde engrauen, a goodly Matron lying in a princely bed, beeing deliuered of two egges in a stately Pallace: her Midwyues and other Matrons and yonge women, beeing greatly astonished at the sight. Out of one of the which, spronge a flame of fire: and out of the other egge two bright starres.

Vppon the other side were engrauen, the curious Parents, ignorant of thys strange byrth, in the Temple of Apollo, before hys image, asking by Oracle the cause and ende heereof, hauing this darke aunswere. Vni gratum Mare. Alterum gratum Mari. And for thys ambiguous aunswere they were reserued by their Parents.

Vppon the fore-ende of the Charyot, there was represented most liuely the figure of Cupid, aloft in the skyes, with the sharpe heades of his golden arrowes, wounding and making bleede the bodyes of dyuers foure footed beastes, creeping Serpents, and flying Foules. And vppon the earth, stoode dvuers persons, wondering at the force of such a little slaue, and the effect of suche a vveake and slender Arrowe.

In the hynder ende, Iupiter appoynting in hys steade, a prudent and subtill Sheepehearde as a Iudge, awakened by hym, as hee lay sleeping neere a most fayre Fountaine, whether of the three most fayre Goddesses, hee esteemed best worthie. And hee beeing seduced by deuising Cupid, gaue the Apple to the pleasant working Venus.

This tryumphant Charyot, was drawen by sixe white Elephants, coupled two and two together, such as will hardly be found in Agesinua, nor among the Gandars of India. Pompei neuer had the like in his Tryumphes in Affricke: neither were the like seene in the Tryumphes of the conquest of India; their tronckes armed with deadly teeth of yuory, passing on theyr way and drawing together, making a pleasant braying or noyse. Their furniture & traces of pure blewe silke, twisted with threds of golde and siluer: the fastnings in the furniture, all made vp with square or true loue knots, lyke square eares of corne of the Mountaine Garganus. Their Poyterelles of golde, set with Pearle and stone different in collours; the beautie of the one striuing to excell the beautie of the other. And thus was all their furniture or armings to the traces, of silke as aforesayde.

Vppon them also, did ride (as before) sixe younge and tender Nymphes, in like sort, but theyr Instruments different from the former, but agreeing in consort: and what soeuer the first did, the same did these.

The first two were apparelled in Crymosen: the middle most two in fine hayre collour: and the foremost in vyolet. The Caparisons of the Eliphants were of cloth of golde, edged with great Pearles and precious stones: And about their neckes were ornaments of great round iewelles, and vpon their faces, great balles of Pearles, tasled with silke and golde, vnstable and turning.

Ouer this stately Chariot tryumphant, I behelde a most white Swanne, in the amorous imbracing of a noble Nymph, the daughter of Theseus, of an incredible beautie: and vpon her lappe, sitting the same Swanne, ouer her white thighes. She sate vppon two cushines of cloth of golde, finely and softely wouen, with all the ornaments necessary for them.

Her selfe apparelled in a Nimphish sort, in cloth of siluer, heere and there powdered with golde, ouer one and vnder three, without defect or want of any thing, requisite to the adorning of so honorable a representation, which to the beholder, may occasion a pleasurable delight. In euery sort performed with as great applause as the first.

The third Tryumph.

Then followed the thyrd Tryumph, with foure wheles of thyopian Chrysolite, sparkling out golde: that which hath beene helde in the same, in olde time hath beene thought good to dryue away malignant spirits. The wheeles vpwardly couered, as aforesaide, and the naues and spokes of the same fashion, of greene Helitropia of Cyprus: whose vertue is, to keepe secret in the day light, to diuine giftes, full of drops of blood.

This Historie was engrauen vppon the right side of the Table thereof, as followeth. A man of great Maiestie, requesting to knowe what should happen to his fayre daughter: her Father vnderstanding, that by her meanes he should be dispossessed of his Crowne and dignitie; and to the ende she shoulde not be carried away or stollen of any, he built a mightie stronge Tower, and there, with a watchfull garde caused her to bee kept: and shee remayning there in this sort with great content, had falling into her virgineall lap, drops of Golde.

Vppon the other side was chased out a valiant youth, who with great reuerence did receiue a protection of a Christall shielde, and with his sworde afterward cutting off the heade of a terryble woman, and afterwardes proudly bearing her heade in signe of victorie; Out of the hotte blood of whome, did rise vp a flying horse: who striking vppon a Mountaine with one of hys houes, made a strange springe of water to gush out.

Vpon the fore ende I behelde the mightie Cupid, drawing hys golden Arrowe, and shooting the same vp into the heauens, causing them to raine bloode: whereat a number stoode wonderfully amazed, of all fortes of people. Vpon the other ende, I did see Venus in a wonderfull displeasure, hauing taken her son by a Knight in a Net, and getting him by the winges, she was about to plucke of his fethers: hauing plucked of one handfull, that flewe about, the little elph crying out pitteously; and an other sent from Jupiter, tooke him away and saued him from his mother, and presented him to Jupiter: against whose diuine mouth, were in Attic Letter these wordes written, +SUMOIPL UKUSTEKAIPKROS+ and hee couered him in the lap of his celestiall gowne.

This tryumphant Charriot, was pompously drawne with sixe fierce Vnicornes: their heades like Harts, reuerencing the chaste Diana. The poyterelles and furniture about their stronge breasts, was of golde, set with precious stone, and fringed with siluer and hayre colloured silke, tyed into knots, in manner of a net worke, and tasseled at euery prependent point, their caparisons like the other before spoken of.

Vpon these did sit, six fayre virgines, in such pompe and manner as before, apparelled in cloth of golde, wouen with blewe silke into diuers leaues & flowers; these had a consort of liuncyers winde Instruments, full of spirite. And vppon the toppe of the Chariot, was placed a stoole of green Iasper, set in siluer: needfull in byrth, and medicinable for chastitie; at the foote it was sixe square, and growing smaller towarde the seate, and from the middle to the foote, champhered and furrowed, and vpward wrought with nextrulles: the seate whereof was somewhat hallowed, for the more easily sitting vppon it. The Lyneaments thereof most excellent.

A loft vppon the same did sit a most singuler fayre Nymph, richly apparelled in cloth of golde and blewe silke, dressed lyke a virgine, and adorned with innumerable sortes of Pearles and stone; she shewed an affectious delight, to beholde droppes of golde fall from heauen into her lappe. She sate in solemne pompe like the other, and with great applause, with her fayre and plentifull haire spreading downe ouer her backe, crowned with a Dyademe of golde, set with sundry precious stones.

The fourth Tryumph.

The fourth Tryumph was borne vppon foure wheeles, with Iron strakes, forcibly beaten out without fire; All the rest of the Charyot, in fashion like the former, was of burning Carbuncle, shewing light in the darkest places, of an expolite cutting: past any reason, to thinke howe or where it was possible to be made, or by what workeman.

The right side whereof, helde this History. An honourable woman with childe, vnto whome Jupiter shewed himselfe (as he was wont With Iuno) in thunder and lightning: insomuch, as shee fell all to ashes, out of the which was taken vp a younge infant.

Vpon the other side, I behelde Iupiter, hauing the saide Infant in his hands, & delyuering him to a yonge man, with winged buskyns, and a staffe, with two serpents winding about it: who deliuered the Infant to certaine Nymphes in a Caue, to be fostered.

In the fore-ende, I might see howe Cupid hauing shot vp into heauen with hys mischeeuous Arrowe, had caused Iupiter to beholde a mortall Nymph: and a great number of wounded people woondering at it.

In the hinder end was Iupiter sitting in a tribunall seate as iudge, and Cupide appeering limping before him, and making grieuous complaints against his louing mother, bicause that by hir means he had wounded himselfe extreemly with the loue of a faire damsell, and that his leg was burnt with a drop of a lampe, presenting also the yoong Nymph and the lampe in hir hand. And Iupiter with a smiling countenance speaking to Cupid,

Perfer scintillam qui coelum accendis & omnes.

This Monosticon was grauen in Latine letters in a square table before the faces of their supreame maiesties, the rest as is described.

This mysticall triumph was drawen by sixe spotted beasts of yealow shining colour, and swift as the tygers of Hyrcania called Leopards, coupled togither with withes of twined vines, full of tender greene leaues, and stalkes full of greene clusters. This chariot was drawen very leisurely.

Vpon the middle of which plaine there was placed a base of golde by the lowest diameter, one foote and three handfuls high, the lataster or lowest verdge round and hollowed, in the middle vnder the vpper sime or brimme in forme of a pallie with nextrubs, rules and cordicels: the vpper plaine of this base was euacuated, wherein rested the traines of the fower eagles standing vpon the plaine, smooth superficies of the base, which were of precious tite of Persia, of the colour of a sakers plume. And these stood with their shoulders one opposite against another, and their pounces of gold fastened and sticking in the said base, euery one surueying with their wings, and the flowering tips of their sarcellets touching one another. Ouer these as vpon a nest, was placed this maruellous vessell of thiopian Hyacints cleere and bright, Celso inimicus, Comiti gratiosus. This vessell was crusted with emeralds and vaines of diuers other pretious stones, a worke incredible. The height thereof two foote and a halfe, the fashion in maner round, the breadth by diameter one foote and a halfe, and the circumference consisted of three diameters. From the heads of the eagles the bottome or foote of the vessell did ascend vp one triens, and a border going about the thicknes of a hand, from which border to the beginning of the belly of the vessel, and to the bottome of the foote with this hand breadth, was a foote and a halfe. Vpon this stood the forme of the vessell aforesaid one handfull and a halfe broader, which halfe handfull was distributed to the border, about the brimme of foulding leaues and flowers standing out from the hyacinth. The diameter two quarters & a halfe. Vnder this border there did stick out round about certaine proportions like walnut shels, or the keele of a ship, somwhat thicke and broade at the vpper end, and lessing themselues to nothing belowe. From thence to the orifice it did rise vp two quarters and a halfe, furrowed with turning champhers, and an excellent sime: and in steed of eares to take vp the vessell by, it had two lips standing out and turning in round like the head of a base viall.