Francesco Colonna

“ Poliphilus, I woulde thou shouldest vnderstand and know thys, that true and vertuous loue hath no respect of outward things, and therefore let not the basenes of thy apparell, diminish or lessen thy minde, if perhaps noble and gentle, and worthy of these places, and fitte to beholde these maruellous tryumphes; Therefore let not thy minde be dismayed with feare, but dilligently behold what Kingdomes they possesse, that are crowned by Venus. ”

“ It is a woorthie matter to consider, that an euill and discontented beginning, often time falleth out to a happie and good successe in the end: and before that anye thing bee committed 53 P vnto you to perfourme, as touching your amorous and firme conceit, it is our pleasure, for the asswagement and mitigation of thy commendable griefes, that in this company thou especially shouldest associate thy selfe with Philotesia, seeing that the faire heauens haue shewed thee of thy entertainment, and brought thee into our triumphant mansion place. ”

“ Making such grosse faults in churches and great mens houses, defaming arte, and so ignorant, that they seeme as though they could not consider what nature hir selfe dooth teach vs in behoulding of hir woorkes.
And what parte soeuer is not agreeable with his principle, is foule and naught. For take away order and rule, and what thing can any man make, eyther beautifull to the eye, or of commendable proportion and durable: then it must needes follow, that the cause of such inconuenient errors doth proceed from ignorance, and hath his beginning from illiterature. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Poliphilus being thus distempered in this daungerous and obscure wood, at length getteth foorth, and being come to a faire Riuer, indeuoring to rest himselfe and coole his heate, he heard a most delightful harmonie, which made him forget to drinke, and followe after the voice, which brought him to a woorse perplexitie.
Feare and desire of freedome thus occupying my sences, my vnderstanding was blinded, neyther did I knowe whether it were better for mee eyther to wishe for hated death, or in so dreadfull a place to hope for desired life. ”

“ 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 grasse, fresh shadowes, and by the coole riuers and cleere fountaines. And how Poliphilus there had with madnes almost forgotten himselfe in the passions of desire, but hope did asswage his furie, quieting himselfe in the beholding of the sweete sauour of the faire Nymph. ”

“ I call that solid which is the bodye of the frame, which is the principall intent, inuention, fore setting downe, and symmetrie, or dew proportion of the building without any additions, rightlye examined, and perfectly composed, which will manifest the skill of the workeman, and the same afterwardes to adorne and beautifie, which adiuncts is an easie matter. ”

“ The paued ground vnder the water being of a diuers emblemature of hard stone, checkered where you might see marueilous graphics through the diuersitie of the colours. For the cleare water and not sulphurous, but sweete and temperatelye hotte, not like a Hotte-house or Stew, but naturally cleansing it selfe beyond all credet, there was no meanes to hinder the obiect from the sight of the eye. For diuers fishes in the sides of the seates, and in the bottom by a museacall cutting expressed, which did so imitate nature as if they had beene swimming aliue. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Oh how many be there which would [v] most gladly behold these triumphes, and therefore Poliphilus, addresse thy thoughts to other matters, and behold what noble 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. ”

“ Vppon the seates of stone, in steed of an Apodyterie, they did impouerish theyr apparrell, richely inuoluped, in the casting of it off, from their celestiall bodyes. Theyr fayre tresses bound vp in nettings of gould, wouen after a most curious sort. And without any respect at all, they gaue mee leaue to looke vpon theyr fayre and delicate personages, theyr honestie and honour reserued. Flesh vndoubtedly like the pure Roses and white Snowe. Ah woe is me, I found my heart to rise and open it selfe, and altogether 42 M2 to be adicted to a voluptuous delight. ”

“ At length,and yet not with a perfect recalled minde, I beganne to reduce and sommon together, my fearefull and distempered spirites: perswading my selfe, that I must needes haue good successe, being neere so faire and diuine an obiect, and in such a place; And so followed her on with a panting heart, more shaking than the birde Sisura, or a Lambe carryed in the mouth of a Wolfe. ”

“ Like one extreamely hungry among 80 a number of prepared meates being desirous of all, feedes of none, his burning appetite 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. ”

“ Know this Poliphilus, in the Iewell was ingrauen an imperiall throne, and in the throne the mighty name of Iehouah in Hebrew Letters, and before that throne, are cast downe and troden vnder foote, the Gyants which proudly haue lift vp themselues against his worde, and resisted hys will: vppon the left side of the throne is a flame of fire, vppon the right hande a horne of saluation, or Copie full of all good blessednes, and this is all that is contained in the Iewell. ”

“ 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 grasse, 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 94 Bb2 imbracings, with the amorous regardes of their star-like eyes. ”

“ Ars toparia is the way of cutting of trees in gardens or other places to proportions or shapes. Round about fast by the walles of the Orchyard there were set conuenyent garden pots in the which in stead of growing plantes, euerie one was of pure glasse, exceeding a mans imagination or beleefe, intorpiaried boxe the rootes and stalkes of golde, whereout the other proceeded. ”

“ Vpon this in order stood the coronice, wrought with such lyneaments as decently concurred, and were aunswerable to the excellencie of the rest of the worke: for other wise, as in a mans body one qualitie being contrarie to another, sicknesse dooth follow, the humors oppressing one an other in abundance: so in building if the adiuncts be vnaptly disposed, and vndecently distributed there will fall out a fowle deformitie. ”

“ In this place hee that will goe on forwards with his companion, shee will neuer abandon or leaue him: for there bee farre more pleasaunt voluptuous women. And many refuse the first and make choyse of them.
In the putting off from the second mount, to come to the third, they finde the current of the water somewhat agaynst them, and stand in neede of oares, but beeing fallen off from the thirde mount, making theyr course towardes the fourth, they finde the tide and streame more against them, and in these seauen oblique courses their pleasure is variable and vnconstant. ”

“ For as to a large big and corpulent body strong legges, and broad feete, are necessarie to beare and carry the same: so in a modulate and well composed building, to sustaine great weights, Naues are appointed, and for beautie, columnes, Corinthies, and slender Ionices, are set vpon them. And this whole woorke euen after such sorte as was requisite for the harmonie thereof, euen so it stood in an approoued excellencie. ”

“ Vpon the other side I perceiued of like bignes to the former Colose, the vpper part of a womans head some deale bare, and the rest buried with the decayed ruines, as I thought, of such like workmanship as the other, and being forbidden by incomposite and disordered heapes of decayed and fallen downe stones, to view the same I returned to another former obiect, which was (and not farre distant from the horse straight forward) a huge Elephant of more blacke stone than the Obsidium, powdered ouer with small spottes of golde and glimces of siluer, as thicke as dust glistering in the sonne. ”

“ There was a roome hung about and diuided by an other Curtaine of excellent Arras full of Imagerie, as signes, shapes, plants, and beastes, singularly well done.
In this place at our comming, an other curious woman came towardes vs, called Indalomena, and she putting by the Curtaine, wee entered in. And there was an other suche like roome, from the second for quantitie, with discourses and reason marueilously wouen, with infinite knottes, bucklinges, tyings, and old fashioned harping Irons, or Hookes, as if they had been fastened and knit togither. ”

“ 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. ”

“ On the other side, I perswaded my selfe, that if I shoulde offer vnto her my amorous heart and loue, hauing no better thing to bestow vpon her, or present vnto her, it might be that she would not refuse it: like Artaxerxes, the King of the Percians; who hauing water presented to hys handes, accepted of it bowing downe himselfe. ”

“ Heerewithall, me thought yet that a fearefull and chill trembling inuaded mee, infusing it selfe ouer all my body and breast, renewing the force of the extreame fire, euen like dry reede: which being once kindled, is enflamed and nourished with the fresh ayre, vntill at length it is increased so mightily, that it consumeth all to ashes. ”

“ Ah woe is mee euen in like sort, a most fayre Nymph of an excellent shape, of a florishing age, of Angel-like behauiour vnspeakable, and of rare honour and exceeding curtesie as mine eies coulde beholde, whose company exceeded any exquesite humaine content; and I, iust by her, full of all whatsoeuer prouocation, forcing sollaciously loue and desire, heaping vppe in her selfe the whole perfections of delight, and yet my yauning and voluptuous desire, neuer the more thereby satisfied. ”

“ In this fayre countrie you shall not finde any large fennie groundes, or offensiue and sicklye ayres, or craggie and fertlesse mosses, but faire and pleasaunt hilles, inuironed and walled about with steip and vnpassageable rockes, and by meanes thereof, secure and free from all daungers and feare, we want not any thing which may breed delight, and cause a sweete content. ”

“ Beeing come to the fourth mount, they finde other yoong women combatting and fighting, and those examining theyr pottes of honie, they intice them to theyr exercise, but those that refuse to leaue theyr first companions, they let passe together, and in this cyrcuite the water is yet more contrary and troublesome, where there is neede of great studie and labour to passe on. ”

“ I finde my selfe all ouer, burning in an vncessant flame, and a sharpe dart cast into the middest of my breast, where it sticketh 82 Y2 fast, hauing made a mortall wounde vncurable. And hauing spoken thus, to the ende I might discouer vnto her my hidden desire, and moderate by that meanes the extreamitie of my bitter passions: vvhich I felt, the more they were concealed, the more to augment and increase, I patiently helde my peace: and by this meanes all those feruent and greeuous agitations, doubtfull thoughtes, wanton and vyolent desires, were somewhat supprest ”