Hypnerotomachia Part 15

Her regards were wanton, lasciuious, and vnconstant, her grace wonderfull pleasant, so as at the verie first sight shee violently drew me into her loue.

This place was the Mansion-house of Voluptuousnes. The grounde decked with small hearbes, and adorned with all sorts of sundrie flowers, abounding with solace and quiet ease. Issuing and sending foorth in diuers places small streames of water, pyppling and slyding downe vpon the Amber grauell in theyr crooking Channels heere and there, by some suddaine fall making a still continued noyse, to great pleasure moystning the open fieldes, and making the shadowed places vnder the leaffye Trees, coole and fresh.

Shee had with her also sixe young women of like statures, pa.s.sing fayre, of pleasant countenaunces, amorously adorned, and dressed as may bee desired of an ambitious beautie and gesture.

The first was called _Rastonelia_. The second, _Cortasina_. The thirde, _Idonesa_. The fourth, _Triphelia_. The fift, _Epiania_. And the last was named _Adia_.

These and their companie, were very delightfull to my gasing and searching eyes. VVhere-vppon _Logistica_ presentlie with a sad and grieued countenaunce, seeing mee disposing my selfe abruptlie to the seruile loue of them, shee said vnto mee, O _Poliphilus_, the alluring and inticing beauties of these, are vaine, deceiueable, and counterfeited, vnsauorie and displeasant, and therefore if thou wouldest with aduis.e.m.e.nt looke vppon their backes, thou wouldest then hate, contemne, and abhorre theyr lothsome filthinesse and shame, abounding in stinke and noysome sauoure aboue any dunghill, which no stomacke can abide.

And therefore what is slypperie and transitorie flye and eschewe, despise that pleasure which bringeth shame and repentance, vaine hopes, a short and small ioy, with perpetuall complaynts, doubtfull sighes, and a sorrowful life neuer ending.

Oh adulterated and vnkindly pleasure, fraught with miserie, contayning such bitternesse, like honnie, and yet gall dropping from greene leaues.

O lyfe worse then death, and yet deadly, delighted in sweete poyson, with what care, sorrow, pensiue thoughts, mortall and desperate attempts, art thou sought for to bee obtained by blind Louers, who without regarde or aduise cast themselues headlong into a gulfe of sorrowes.

They be present before thine eyes, and yet thou seest them not. Oh what and howe great sorrowes, bitter and sharpe paine and vexation doost thou beare, wicked, execrable and accursed appet.i.te.

O detestable madnesse, oh beguiled senses, by your faulte with the selfe same beastlie pleasure, myserable mortall men are ouerthrowne.

Oh filthy l.u.s.t, absurd furie, disordinate and vaine desire, building nests with errours, and torments for vvounded harts, the vtter destroyer, and idle letting goe by of all good blessings.

Oh blinde Monster, how doost thou blinde, and with what deceipt doost thou couer the eyes, and deceiue the vnderstanding sences of vnhappie and miserable Louers with vailes and mystes.

O monstrous and slauish, which compa.s.sed with so manie euils, hastenest to so small pleasure poysoned and fayned.

_Logistica_ speaking with vehemencie these and such lyke words, her fore-head frowning, wrympling with sorrowes, and veines, rysing vp in a great rage, shee cast her Lute vppon the ground and brake it.

VVhere-vppon _Thelemia_, with a smyling countenaunce, nodded towards mee, as if shee shoulde say, let _Logistica_ speake her pleasure, but doe as you see good your selfe.

And _Logistica_ seeing my wicked intent and resolute determination, beeing kindled with disdaine, turned her backe, and with a great sigh hastened away.

And I remained still with my companion _Thelemia_, vvho with a flattering and smyling grace said vnto me, _Poliphilus_, this is the place where thou shalt not continue long, but thou shalt finde the deerest thing which thou louest in the world, & which thou hast in thy hart, without intermission determined to seeke and desire.

And doubtfully then discoursing with my selfe, I was resolued that nothing coulde breede quiet, or bring content to my poore grieued hart, but my best desired _Polia_. The promise and warrantise of _Thelemia_ for my obtayning the same, bred in mee some comfort.

And shee perceiuing that the Mistris of thys place, and the seate it selfe, and her Women dyd bothe please mee vvell, and entertained mee courteously, shee kissing mee, tooke her leaue and gaue me a fare-well.

The metallyne gates beeing shut, I remayned incloystered among these fayre and beautifull Nymphes, who began very pleasantly and wantonly to deuise with mee: and beeing hemmed in with their lasciuious company, I found my selfe prouoked by their perswasiue alluring intis.e.m.e.nts, to vnlawfull concupiscence, feeling in my selfe a burning desire, kyndled with their wanton aspects, an increasing prouocation of a l.u.s.ting fier.

I doubt me that if _Phrine_ had beene of that fauour, and force in gesture of speech, colde _Xenocrates_ would haue consented to her alluring, and not haue beene accused by her, to be an image of stone.

Their countenances were so lasciuious, their breastes naked and intycing, theyr eyes flattering, in their roseall forheads, glystering and rowling, their shapes most excellent, their apparell rich, their motions girlish, theyr regards byting, theyr ornaments, sweete and precious, no part counterfeited, but all perfected by nature in an excellent sort, nothing deformed, but all partes aunswerable one to an other.

Their heades yellowe, their tresses fayre, and the hayre soft and fine, in such a sort dressed vp and rouled into trammels, with laces of silke and golde, pa.s.sing any ioye that a man may beholde, turned about their heads in an excellent manner, inuiluxed, and bound vppe together, their forheades compa.s.sed about and shaddowed with wauering curles, mouably praepending in a wonderfull manner, marueilous delightfull, perfumed & sweet, yeelding an vnknown fragrancie. Their speeches so perswasorie and pleasing, as might robbe the fauour of an indesposed hart, and violently drawe vnto them any mind, though Satyr-like or churlish howsoeuer, to depraue Religion, to binde euery loose conceit, to make any rusty Peasant amorous, and to mollifie any froward disposition. Vppon which occasion, my minde, altogether set on fier with a new desire, and in the extreame heate of concupiscence, prouoked to fall headlong into a lasciuious appet.i.te, & drowned in l.u.s.tfull loue vnbridled: in the extreame inuasion and infectious contage thereof, the Damoselles forsooke mee and left me all alone in a fruitfull playne.

_In this place Poliphilus being left alone, a most fayre Nymphe (when hee was forsaken of the lasciuious company) came vnto him, whose beautie and apparell Poliphilus dooth amourously describe._

My tender heart thus excessiuely wounded with amorous prouocation, I think I was mad, I stood so amazed, or blinde at the least, because that I coulde not perceiue in what sort or how this desired and delightfull company gaue mee the slip: and at last not knowing what I did, but casting mine eyes right forward, I behelde before mee, a fine Arbour of sweete Gessamine, somewhat high, lifting vppe and bending ouer, all to bee painted and decked with the pleasant and odoriferous flowers of three sortes commixt, and entring in vnder the same.

Wonderfully perplexed for the losse of my company, I knewe not howe or in what sort, and calling to remembraunce the diuers, rare and wonderfull thinges past, and aboue al the great hope and trust which I had conceiued vpon the Queenes promise, that I should finde my loue _Polia_.

Alas said I, with a deepe sigh, my _Polia_, that the greene Arbour resounded againe therewithall, my amourous breathings were such, framed within and sent out from my burning hart. And I was no sooner entered into this agony, and ouerwhelmed in this pa.s.sion, but as I pa.s.sed on to the other ende of the Arbor, I might perceiue a farre off, a great number of youthes, solacing and sporting themselues very loude with diuers melodious soundes, with pleasant sports and sundry pastimes, in great ioye, and pa.s.sing delight a.s.sembled together, in a large playne.

Vppon this gratefull and desired noueltie, I set me down marueiling at it, before I would step any further on.

And beholde, a most n.o.ble and faire Nymph, with a burning torch in her hand, departing from the company, tended her course towardes mee, so as I might well perceiue that shee was a reall mayde indeede and no spirite, whervpon I mooued not one whit, but gladly expected her comming, who with a maidenly hast, modest accesse, star-like countenance, and smiling grace, drewe neere vnto mee with such a Maiestie, and yet friendly, so as I doubt me, the amorous _Idalea_ neuer shewed her selfe to _Mars_, nor to her the fayre Pastor _Adonis_. Nor the delicate _Ganimed_ to _Iupiter_, or the fayre _Psyches_, to her spouse _Cupid_.

For which cause, if shee had beene the fourth among the three contending G.o.ddesses, if _Joue_ had beene Iudge, as in the shady Wooddes of _Mensunlone_ was the Phrigian Sheepheard, without all doubt she had beene iudged of farre more excellent beautie, and without equiuolence, more worthy of the golden apple, then all or any one of the rest. At the first sight I was perswaded that shee had beene _Polia_, but the place vnaccustomed & her apparell made mee thinke the contrarie, and therefore my doubtfull iudgement remained in suspence, hauing onely a reuerent suspition therof.

This honourable Nymph, had her virgineall diuine and small body couered with a thinne subtill stuffe of greene silke, powdered with golde, vppon a smocke of pure white coorled Lawne, couering her most delicate and tender body, and snowye skinne, as fine and good as euer _Pamphila_ the daughter to _Platis_ in the Iland of Coo, did inuent to weaue. Which white smocke seemed as if it had couered damaske Roses.

The coate which she wore ouer that, was not like our fas.h.i.+oned petticoates with French wastes, for that her sweete proporcioned body needed no such pinching in, & vnholsome weare, hyndering procreation and an enemie to health: but rather like a wastcoate, with little plightes and gathers vnder her rounde and pretty bearing out b.r.e.a.s.t.s, vpon her slender and small waste, ouer her large proportioned flanckes and little round belly, fast girded about with a girdle of golde: and ouer the same, a gowne or garment side to the ground, and welted belowe.

This garment beeing very side, was taken vp round about the pitch of her hippes, and before vpon her belly, & tyed about with the studded marriage girdle of _Citherea_, the plucking vp of y^e garment, bearing ouer the girdle about her like a french vardingale, & the nethermost part falling down about her feet in plightes and fouldes, vnstable and blowne about with the sweete ayre & coole winde, causing sometime, by the thinnesse thereof, her shape to be seene in it, which shee seemed with a prompt readinesse to resist and hynder. Her beautie and grace was such, as I stoode in doubt whether shee were begotten by any humaine generation: her armes stretching downe, her handes long and slender, her fingers small and fayre, and her nayles thinne and ruddy, and s.h.i.+ning, as if she had beene _Minerua_ her selfe. Her armes to be seene through the cleere thinnesse of the Lawne, the winges about the size of her garment where her armes came out, were of golde, in an excellent sort and fas.h.i.+on welted, and set with Pearle and stone: and in like sort, all the hemming about of her vesture, with golde ooes, and Pearle, and spangles of golde in diuers places, distantly disposed in a curious and pleasant sort to beholde.

Vppon either side, vnder the armes to her waste, her vpper garment was vnsowed and open, but fastened with three b.u.t.tons of great Orient Pearle (such as _Cleopatra_ neuer had to dissolue in a Potion) in loopes of blewe silke, so that you might see her smocke betweene the distance of one Pearle from an other, couering her daintie soft snowye thinne skinne: except her small necke and the vpper halfe of her spatious and delitious breast, more desired and contenting mine eyes, then the water brookes and coole Ryuers to the emboste and chased Hart, more pleasing then the fisher boate of _Endimion_ to _Cynthia_, and more pleasant then _Cithera_ to _Orpheus_.

The sleeues of her smocke of a conuenient largenesse, and about her wristes plighted and tyed with Bracelets of Golde, double and vnited with Orient Pearle. And besides all her ornaments and gracious gestures, she indeuoured nowe and then with stolen and affected regards, in a sweet & pleasant sort, to cast down her eyes vpon her little round swelling breastes, impatient at the suppressing of her soft and fine apparell: so as I iudged vppon good consideration, and thought that in the dignitie and honourable frame of her personage, the Creator had framed and vnited together, all the violence of Loue. The foure Nourses of the royall Kingdome of Babilon, called _The tongue of the G.o.ds_, had not that powre to winne fauour and loue of the King, which this most sweet Nymph had.

About her fayre Necke, more white then the Scithian snowe, shee wore a Carkenet of Oryent Pearle: _Cerna_ the wife of _Caesar_ neuer had the like, and I doubt me that that of _Eriphile_, which she tooke to _Amphiaraus_, was nothing comparable vnto it. And in the bending downe ouer the deuision of her breastes, betwixt two great Pearles, there was laced a corruscant rounde Rubie, and vppon the collaterate sides of the sayde Pearles, two glistering Saphires, and two Pearles, next them two Emeraldes, & two Pearles, and after them two fayre Iacinthes: all these Pearles and Stones were laced in a worke in losenges, in a rare and beautifull manner.

Her fayre heade, sending downe and vnfolding a loose spreading abroade of plentifull hayre, like the smallest threds of golde, wauing with the winde, and vpon her crowne, a garland of tawny vyolets sweetly smelling, and couering the same almost to her forheade: from the middle vpper point whereof, in forme of two Hemycycles to the halfe of her eares, it mounted vppe in curled trammelles, falling downe againe vppon her fayre Temples, moueably wauing and shaddowing the same, and hyding the vpper halfe of her small eares, more fayre then euer was reported of _Mimoria_.

The rest of her yellowe haire, descended downe ouer her fayre necke, well disposed shoulders, and straight backe, to the calues of her slender legges, moderatly wauing and blowne abroad, in greater beautie than the proude eyed feathers of _Iunoes_ Birde. Such hayre as _Berenice_ did neuer vow in the venereous Temple for her _Tholomaus_, nor _Conus_ the Mathematrician did euer beholde the like placed in the Triangule.

In her forehead, vnder two subtile blacke Hemycicles and distinct eye brees, such as _Abacsine_ in aethiopia had not to boast of, or compare with, nor _Juno_ her selfe, did looke out and present themselues two pleasant radious and glistering eyes, which would enforce _Jupiter_ to rayne golde, of a cleere sight, quicke and pearcing, with a browne circle betwixt the Apple and the milchie white: neere to the which, were her purple and Cherry cheekes, beautified with two round smyling dimples, gracing the pleasure of her countenaunce, of the collour of the fresh Roses gathered at the rysing of the Sunne, and layde in a vessell of the Christall of Cyprus, and shewing through the same, as me thought.

Vnder her nose to her lyppes, pa.s.sed a little valley to her small mouth of a most sweete forme, her lyppes not blabbered or swelling, but indifferent, & of a rubye collour, couering two vniforme sets of teeth, like yuory, and small, not one longer and sharper than an other, but in order euenly disposed and set: from betwixt the which, Loue had composed an euerlasting sweet breathing, so as I presumed to thinke, that the snow white teeth betwixt her gracious lyppes, were no other but Oryent Pearles, & her sweet breath hot Muske, and by her delightfull voyce that she was _Thespis_ with her nine daughters.

By all which sight I was greatly mooued and my sences rauished with a kindled appet.i.te, causing among them great strife and bitter contention, such as I neuer felt before, by any other presence or excellent sightes whatsoeuer. My searching eyes commended one part aboue another, to bee more beautifull: but my appet.i.te rapt into an other part of her heauenly body, esteeming that aboue the other. And thus my insatiable and wanton eyes, were the euill beginning of all thys perturbing and contentious commotion, whome I founde the seminaries and moouers of all so great strife and trouble, in my wounded and festering heart. Through theyr contumacy, I was now brought from my selfe, and neuerthelesse, I could not be satisfied by them. My greedy appetyte extolled her delicate breast aboue any comparison, my eyes delightfully consenting thervnto, sayd, at least by that we may discouer what y^e rest is; And they, glauncing from that to the regarde of her grace and gesture, set all their delight therein: and my appet.i.te strengthened and not easilie remooued from thence, I perswaded my selfe, that the plentie and fayrenesse of her head and hayre, and the dressing thereof, and the beautie of her forheade, coulde neuer bee compared with of any one or other, like the sc.r.a.pings of golde alwaies turning into little roundels.

With two eyes lyke morning starres in a cleere heauen, more beautifully adorning her heade, than any that euer the warlike _Neco_ behelde among the _Acitanians_, wounding my heart like one of the arrowes of the angrie _Cupid_. And thus to conclude, I dare be bolde to say, that no mortall man hath seene, so gracious, so shyning, so cleere and pleasant lightes as these were placed in the forhead of this heauenly creature; so that by them my hart was taken prisoner, & was filled with such continuall ctrouersies of desire, as if a leafe of the Laurell of the Tombe of the king of _Bibria_ had bin placed betwixt, & that strife should neuer cease whilst it was there: so as I thought that this strife would neuer cease, vntill the pleasure were taken away, by reason wherof, I could not perceiue howe I shoulde obtaine the fulnes of my desire, or howe it coulde agree with either one or other. Like one extreamely hungry among a number of prepared meates being desirous of all, feedes of none, his burning appet.i.te remayning satisfied with none, but still hungry.

_The most fayre Nymph beeing come to Poliphilus, bearing a Torch in her left hand, with the other tooke him and inuited him to walke with her, and there Poliphilus by her loue was more inflamed._

Thus seing before me, a reall and visible obiect of a most excellent representation, louely presence and heauenly aspect, of a plentifull store and vniuersall gathering of vnseene beautie, and inhumaine comelinesse, I made light and slender account, in respect heereof, of all the inestimable delights, riches, and great pompe which before I had behelde and seene, thinking their worthinesse nothing to speake of, in comparison of this. Oh happie hee that may enioy such and so great a treasure of loue; and not onely a happie possessor I account him, but most happie that shall possesse and obtaine her obedience, to hys desire and rule. But if _Zenes_ had behelde this substance, hee would haue commended the same aboue all the _Agrigentine_ maides, euery proprotion would haue made vnto him an oportune shewe of the absolutest perfection in the whole world.

Which fayre and heauenly Nymph nowe comming neere vnto me, with a cheerefull countenance, incontinently her most rare beautie, before somewhat a farre of looked vppon with mine eyes, but nowe, by them more neere and narrowly behelde, I was rauished and amased.

And her amorous aspect and louely presence, was no sooner brought by the message of mine eyes to my inward partes, but my recording and watchfull remembrance, stirring and waking vppe my heart, presenting and offering her vnto the same: it is become her shoppe; the quiuer for her piercing arrowes and wounding regardes, and the dwelling place and conseruable mansion house, of her sweete picture. Knowing that this was shee which had taediously consumed my tender yeeres, in her hotte and prime loue, not to be resisted. For I felt the same leaping and beating against my breast, without ceasing, like as one that striketh vpon a hoa.r.s.e Taber.

And still me thought by her louely and delightfull countenance, by her fayre tresses, and the curling and wauing haire, playing vp and downe vppon her forheade, that it should be _Polia_, whome so greatly I had loued and desired, and for whom I had sustained so many & sundry griefes, without intermission, sending out scalding sighes, the outward reporters of my inwarde flames. But her rich and Nymphish habite, vnaccustomed, and the place vnknowne and strange, made mee still doubtfull and suspicious.

Shee (as beforesaide) carried in her snowe white left arme, close to her body, a kindled and burning Torch, somewhat higher then her heade a good deale, and the lower ende growing smaller and smaller, shee helde in her hande: and stretching foorth that which was at libertie, more white then euer had _Pelopea_, wherein appeared the thinne smoothnes of the skynne, and the blewnesse of the veynes lyke Azure streames, vppon the faire and whitest paper. Shee tooke me by the left hande with a sweete and louing countenance and smiling grace, and with an eloquent speech, shee pleasantly saide in this manner.