Then first before the sacred Maiestie and royall person of the Queene, and afterwards to vs, fiue fayre Nymphes apparelled in blewe silke and golde curiously wouen togeather in workes, did all together appresent themselues.
The middlemost of them did beare a braunch of coorrall, lyke a tree, such as is not founde amongst the Ilandes Orchades, of one cubite high, which stoode as vppon a little mountayne, which was the couer of an old fashioned vessell of pure gold, in forme of a Challyce, as high agayne as the couer and the tree of coorrall, full of curious workmanshippe and leafe worke, neuer made in our age, nor the like seene.
Betwixt the gracylament of the foote and the cuppe, it was knitte together with a handle of inestimable workemanship, and in lyke manner the foote and the bowle were of an excellent anaglyphie of foliature, monsters and byformed Scyllules, so exquisitely expressed, as could be imbossed, chased, or ingrauen by proportionate circulation.
And the mordycant couer of the same was thicke set with incomparable iewelles: and in lyke sorte all the base and handle whereas conueniencie requyred, and glystering about.
Vppon the braunches of the coorrall, there were artificially sette certayne open flowers with fiue leaues, some of Saphyre, some of Iacynth and Berill, and in the middest of them a little round seede of golde, fastening the leaues to the stalke of corrall.
Which yoong woman reuerently bowing to the earth with her right knee, reseruing the other still vp, whereuppon shee helde this couer of coorrall, which also besides the flowers, had vppon the pointes and toppes of other twigges or sprouts curiously infixed monstrous great pearle. An other of them had a cuppe full of pretious lyquor, better then that which the prowde _Cleopatra_ gaue vnto the Romane Captaine: The reste did execute their offices as aforesaid, and plucking off one after another, with a little instrument with two teeth of golde they offering the same fruits vnto vs, to me vnknowne, for that I had neuer seene the lyke, we did tast them.
But the vnexpected pleasure of them, and sweetnes of their tast, was no otherwise to me than like a gratious substance wanting his desired forme.
And there were restored agayne the balles of golde before mentioned.
Vppon this appeared an other maruellous woorke, that was a perpetuall running fountaine artificially deuysed of the aforesaid matter, but of an other notable fashion and workemanshippe, founded vppon an immoueable axeltree, vppon the which two wheeles turned about.
Aboue the which stood an vnequal quadrature three foot long, two foot broad, and six foote high.
In euery angular part did sit a Harpie with both her winges extended and stretched vp to the breadth of a higher vessell, standing vp vppon the middest of the measured quadrangule, coronized at the extreme and vpper parts, and beautified with chanelling and foliature, circumuesting the lower part.
And vppon euerie side the same diuided into three, the middle parte betwixt the fall of the waters intercepted, did contayne in halfe bodyes carued, a tryumph of Satyres and Nymphes, with Trophees, and exquysite actions, excepte the fore-part and hinder parte moderately sinuated and bent in. The which in steade of squadred lyneament, did contayne a roundnesse waued betweene, in the which was maruellously ingrauen a little sacrifice with an olde Aultar on eyther sides, with manie figures and actions, the rest that was voyde, the tayles of the foresayde Harpyes ioyning togeather, and turning heere and there into leaues, did excellently couer the same.
Out of the medyan center of the equature and quadrangule afore specified and described out of an antyke folyature, did ryse vp an olde fashioned vessell, and verie beautifull, the cyrcuite whereof did not exceede the content of the quadrangulate playne, and this with all the rest of the woorke, and euerie proportionate disquisition, tryall, and examination, both in the highest breadth and thicknesse, with moste conuenient vesseling lineamentes, diligently delymated and fyled, and then finished with an absolute and depolyte deformation.
The which out of the suppressed orifice thereof did ascend vp an other hollowe vessell, the compasse whereof did exceede the aforesaide subiect vessell furrowed and channelled round about, of a great breadth and large brymmes so wel fashioned, as is possible for any goldsmith to beate out with his hammer.
In the center poynt whereof did rise and mount an other vessell of incredible workemanship.
In the bottome of which thirde there were small ridges swelling outwardes, the toppes of them compassed about with a row of diuerse inestimable stones, bearing out and differing in colours, as best might content the eye of a curious Lapidarie and skilfull vnderstanding.
Vppon the same on eyther sides was made a heade of a monster, from the which on both handes did proceede the garnishing thereof in an exquysite and most rare worke of leaues, inuesting the same about with the congresse of the opposyte heade, and finely gracing that parte of the vessell.
And in the bearing out of the lippe of the vessell ouer the perpendicular poynt of the heade there was fastened a rynge, from the which vppon eyther sides there hung downe a garland of braunches, leaues, flowers, and fruites growing bigger towardes the middest, with a perpolyte bynding to eyther ringes.
Ouer the middle bending of the garland, and vnder the proiecture of the lyppe of the vessell, there was fixed and placed the head of an olde man, with his beard and haire of his head transformed into nettle leaues, and out of whose mouth gushed out the water of the fountayne by art continually into the hollownes of the broad vessell vnder this.
Vppon the mouth of this last described vessell did mount vppe a pretyous hyll maruellously congest, and framed of innumerable rounde pretious rocke stones closing one with another vnequally, as if nature had ioyned them growing, making a rounde composed hill, beautifully glistering of dyuerse sortes and colours in a proportionate bignes.
And aloft vppon the toppe of this little hill, there grewe a fine pomgranate tree, the body, boughes and fruite made all of golde, the leaues of greene Smaragde. The fruit of theyr naturall bignesse heere and there aptly placed, their sides cut open, and in place of kernelles they were full of most perfecte Rubyes, as bigge as the kernels.
After that, the ingenious Artificer wanting no inuention, hee seperated the graynes in steade of the fylme with siluer foyle.
And moreouer, in other apples, opened, but not rype, hee redoubled the thicknesse of the foyle, making the kernelles of an oryentall colour, so also hee made the flowers of perfect corrall, in the cuppes full of bees of golde.
Besides this, out of the toppe of the hollowe steale, lyke a pype, there came out a turning steale, the lowest part whereof rested in a heade, framed from the middle trunke or pype iust ouer the axeltree.
Which steale or stypet beeing strongly fastened, it bare vp a vessell of Topas of an auncient forme, the bowle whereof in the bottome was broad, and swelling out with rigges in the opening, rarely bewtified with a coronice, and put vnder with another.
In which closing and binding together in foure equall diuisions, there were foure winged heades of a little childe, with foure pipes in their mouthes.
The rest mounted vp so much as the lower bignesse of the vessell was, beeing closed vp at the orifice with an inuerse foliature. Vppon the which there was placed an other vessell as it were a circular couer of a most curious leafe worke, with a smal coronice, and an artificiall orifice.
From the bottome of which there beganne a flourished tayle of a Dolphin fastened and sowldered to the gracylament of the vessell, descending downe with his heade finned with leaues, to the circulating brymme of the vessell where the boyes heades were fixed. And with a moderate swelling out about the head, and streightning in towardes the tayle, they fitted for the eares in a beautiful manner. And all that inclining part with an exquisite polishing did make an expresse shewe of most curious lineaments.
The ypper vessell was so perfectly wrought, that when the wheele was mooued, the steale with the vessell vppon the toppe thereof, turned about and powred out water through the tree, and when the wheele stoode still, then that lefte turning.
The wheeles were halfe couered with two winges, the typpes turning one one way, and the other an other way, adorned with a chasing of Mermaydes or Scillaes.
[Illustration]
This excellent peece of woorke thus running before euerie one, and weeting our handes and feete of an incredible sweetnesse, such as I neuer had felt before, we dryed our hands, and it was carryed away.
And beeing thus sprinckled with this rare and maiesticall water, the wayters with great reuerence presented vnto the Queene first a great cuppe of golde, and her highnesse affably saluting vs, drunke Nectar, and afterwardes euerie one of vs after other, with reuerent, mutual, and solemne honours done, did drinke a most pleasaunt farewell and shutting vp of all the pretious dainties that we had tasted and fed vpon.