Part 29

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 Phoebus 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 grassie 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 god, 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 passionate 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 compasse 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 man 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 Cassiopeia, 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 God 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 God, 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 Tityus: 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 goddesse, 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 breasts like the winter snow vpon the hyperboreall mountaines, are the sharp spurs and byting whip to my amorous passions: 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 Titius, 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 thenselues, & 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 space 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 goddesse, 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 gods 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 passions.

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 conspicuous 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, the aierie Teda beloued of the mountains, celebrated and preserued for the festiuall Oreades. 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, pricking iuniper, weake hasell, spalt ash, greene lawrell, and humbryferous esculies, knottie plane trees & lyndens moouing by the sweet breath of the pleasant Zephirus, whistling through their tender branches, with a benigne and fauorable impulsion.

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, 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 compassed about as with garlands. Amongst them were the horned faunes, and lasciuious satyres, solemnising their faunall feasts, being assembled togither out of diuers places, within this fertile & pleasant cuntrie: bearing in their hands so tender green and strange boughs, as are not to be found in the wood of the goddes Feronia, when the inhabitants carrie hir image to the fire.

From thence we entered into a large square inclosure compassed about with broade walkes, straight from one corner to another, with a quick-set vpon either sides, in height one pace, of pricking iuniper thicke set togither, and mixt with box, compassing 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 gypt, nor in Dabulam among the Arabian Scnits, or in Hieraconta beyond the Sauromatans. All which were intermedled with greene Cytrons, Orenges, Hippomelides, Pistack trees, Pomegranats, Meligotons, Dendromirts, Mespils, and Sorbis, with diuers other fruitfull trees.

In this place vppon the greene swoord of the flowering mead, and vnder the fresh and coole shadowes, I might behold a great assemblie 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 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.

These were the Nymphs Hamadryades, pleasantly compassing vppon either sides the flowered Vertumnus, hauing vppon his heade a garlande of roses, and his gowne lap full of faire flowers, louing the station of the woollie ramme. He sate in an ancient fashioned carre, drawne by fower horned fauns or satyrs, with his louing and faire wife Pomona, crowned with delicate fruits, hir haire hanging downe ouer hir shoulders, of a flaxen colour, and thus she sate participating of hir husbands pleasure and quiet, and at hir feete laie a vessell called Clepsydra. In hir right hand she held a copie full of flowers, fruits, and greene leaues, and in hir left hande a branch of flowers, fruits and leaues.

Before the carre and the fower drawing satyrs, there marched two faire Nymphs, the one of them bare a troph with a prpendant table, whereupon was written this title,

Integerrimam corporis valetudinem & stabile robur castasque mensarum delitias, & beatam animi securitatem cultoribus me offero.

And the other bare a troph of certaine greene sprigges bound togither, and among them diuers rurall instruments fastened. These passed on thus after the ancient maner, with great ceremonies, and much solemnitie, compassing about a great square stone like an aulter, standing in the middest of this faire mead, sufficiently moystened with current streames from beautifull fountaines.

This square stone or aulter was of pure white marble, curiouslie cut by a cunning lapicidarie, vpon euery front wherof was a woonderfull goodly expression, of an elegant image, so exact, as the like else-where is hardly to be found.

The first was a faire goddesse, hir treces flieng abroad, girded with roses and other flowers, vpon a thin vpper garment couering hir beautifull and pleasant proportion. She helde hir right hand ouer an ancient vessell, in maner of a chafing-dish, called Chytropodus, sending foorth a flame of fire, into the which shee did cast roses and flowers, and in the other hand she held a branch of sweete myrtle, full of berries. By hir side stoode a little winged boy smiling, with his bowe and arrowes. Ouer hir head were two pigeons. And vnder the foote of this figure was written

Florido veri S.

Vpon the other side I beheld in an excellent caruing, the representation of a damosell of a maidenly countenaunce, whose stately maiestie gaue great commendation to the curious deuise of the workeman. She was crowned with a garland of wheat eares, hir haire flingering abroade, and hir habyte Nymphish. In hir right hand she held a copie full of rype graine, and in the other hand three eares of corne, vpon their strawie stalks. At hir feete lay a wheat sheaue bound vp, and a little boy with gleanings of corne in either hands. The subscription was this.

Flau Messi S.

Vpon the third side was the likenes in a deuine aspect naked of a yoong boy, crowned with vine leaues, and of a wanton countenance, holding in his left hand certaine clusters of ripe grapes, and in the other, a copie full of grapes which did hang ouer the mouth thereof. At his feete laie a hayrie goate and this writing vnder.

Mustulento Autumno S.

The last square did beare vpon it a kingly image passing well cut, his countenance displeasant and austere, in his left hand he held a scepter vp into the heauens, the aire cloudie, troublesome and stormie, and with the other hand reaching into the clouds full of haile. Behinde him also the aire was rainie and tempestuous. He was couered with beasts skins, and vpon his feete he ware sandals, where vnder was written,

Hiemi oli S.

From thence the most faire and pleasant Nymph brought me towards the sea side and sandie shore, where we came to an olde decaied temple, before the which vpon the fresh and coole hearbs, vnder sweete shadie trees we sate downe and rested ourselues, my eies very narrowly beholding, with an vnsatiable desire, in one sole perfection and virgineall bodie, the accumulation and assembly of all beauties; an obiect interdicting my eies to behold any gracious, that except, or of so great content.