The subtiltie of which, no humane excogitation is able to imitate.
And therefore I thought that nature had made that for a maruell of all her woorkes for commoditie, vse, grace, bewtie, ayre, and continuall durablenes.
For which cause, I was excessiuely desirous to staie and looke vppon it, but my leaders and guides would not suffer mee, and yet by the theft of my eye in the Zopher, ouer the gate I noted this inscription, +HO TE:S PHUSEO:S OLBOS+.
And as muche as with my quicke sences I could carrie, I tooke in my going foorth, with as greate pleasure and delight as is possible to expresse. O happie were hee that myght bee but a drudge or kitchin slaue in suche a Paradice.
Nowe beeing come into the base Court, compassed and sette about with Orenge trees, _Thelemia_ in great curtesie saide thus vnto mee, besides and aboue all the maruellous and woonderfull thinges which thou hast yet seene and behelde, there bee fower yet remayning behynde whiche thou shalt see.
And vppon the lefte side of the incomparable pallace, they brought mee into a fayre Orchyard of excogitable expence, tyme, and subtletie of woorke-manshippe, the contynent and cyrcuite whereof was as muche as the plot of the Pallace, wherein was the resydence and abiding of the Queene.
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[A] boxe the rootes and stalkes of golde, whereout the other proceeded.
[Sidenote A: Ars toparia is the way of cutting of trees in gardens or other places to proportions or shapes.]
Betwixt one and other of the which was placed a Cyprusse tree, not aboue two paces high, and the boxe one pace full of manyfolde maruellous symples, with a moste excellent imitation of nature, and pleasaunt diuersitie in the fashions of flowers in distinct colours verie delyghtfull.
The playne labiall compassing about the quadrant Orchyard comming out from the walles as a seate for these aforesayde garden pottes and trees to stande vppon, was subcoronized with golde by excellent lyneamentes wrought and adorned. The vpper face whereof, and whereuppon those pottes and trees did stande, was couered with a playster of glasse gilte, and a curious historographie to be seene in the same, and compassed about and holden in with wyering and netting of golde.
The wall that compassed about the Orchyard with a conuenient distance, was bellyed out with columnes of the same matter, and inuested with flowring bindings naturally proportioned, and heere and there were quadrangulate columnes of golde chamfered, arching from one to an other, with a requisite beame Zophor and coronice, with a meete and conuenient proiecture ouer the chapter of glasse vppon the round.
The substance of which subiect proiecture of the bryttle matter, was of counterfayte diasper diuersly coloured and shining. Which bryttle substance had some void space betwixt that and the other.
The mouth of the arches were stopped with rombyes of cleare glasse in forme of a tryangle, and the pypes beautified all ouer with an Encaustick painting, verie gratious to the sight of the beholder.
The ground was here and there couered with great round balles of glasselyke gunne stones, and other fine proportions much pleasing, with a mutuall consent vnmooueable lyke pearles shining without any adulteration by folyature. From the flowers did breath a sweet fragrancie by some cleare washing with oyle for that purpose.
There most cunningly did _Logistica_ lyke an Orator make a discourse in commendation physically of that excellent confection of the noblenes of the substaunce, secrecie of the art, and straungenes of the inuention. The like is not to bee found.
And after shee sayde, _Poliphilus_ lette vs goe and ascende vp this mount nexte the Garden, and _Thelemia_ remayning at the stayre foote, wee ascended vp to the playne toppe. Where shee shewed vnto mee, with a heauenly eloquence, a Garden of a large compasse, made in the forme of an intricate Laborynth allyes and wayes, not to bee troden, but sayled about, for insteade of allyes to treade vppon, there were ryuers of water.
The which mysticall place was of a verie lustie mould and fruitfull, replenished with all sorts of fruits, beautified with faire springs, and greene hearbes and flowers, full of all solace and delight. Whereupon she spake thus.
I doe imagine (_Poliphilus_) that you doe not vnderstande the conditionate state of this maruellous feate, and therefore giue attendance to my wordes.
Whosoeuer entereth in cannot come backe, but as you see yonder mountaines heere and there distributed, seuen circuits and the about goings distant one from another.
And the extreeme molestation and sorrowe of the enterers in, is this: In the myddle mountayne within the center thereof, and open mouth of the same, there lurketh inuisibly a deadly deuouring olde Dragon, hee is vtter destruction to some, and others are not hurte to death by him. Hee cannot bee seene nor shunned, neyther doth hee leaue any vnassaulted, but eyther in the entrie, or in their iourney, hee destroyeth or woundeth. And if hee killeth them not betwixt one mountayne and another, they passe the seuen circuites to the next mount.
And they that enter in by the first tower or mount (wherevppon is this tytle inscript +DOXA KOSMIKE:O:S POMPHOLYS+.) They sayle in a little shippe with a prosperous winde, and securely at pleasure: the fruites and flowers fall downe vppon theyr hatches, and with great solace and pleasure they cut through by the seauen reuolutions with a merry winde, vntill the second mount bee discouered and come vnto. And marke and beholde (_Poliphilus_) howe cleare and bright the ayre is in the entrance, ouer that it is in the center, about the which is thicke darknesse.
In the first mount or tower there is alwayes resident a pittifull matron and bountifull, before whome standeth an auncient appoynted vessell called _Vrna_, in a readinesse, hauing vppon it seauen Greeke letters as thus +THESPION+, full of appoynted honie, and to euerie one that entereth in, verie curteously and with a good will shee giueth one of them without respecte of state and condition, but according to theyr enterance.
These beeing receyued, they came foorth, and begin to sayle in the Laborynth, the water beeing enuyroned vpon either sides, with roses, trees, and fruits.
And hauing sayled the first seuen reuolutions of _Aries_, and being come to the second mount, there they meet with innumerable troopes of yong women of diuerse conditions, which demaund of euerie one the sight of theyr honye, which beeing shewed vnto them, they straightwayes knowe the propertie of the hony, and the goodnesse thereof, and embracing him as theyr guest, they inuyte him with them to passe through the next seuen reuolutions, and with diuerse exercises according to her inclyned promptnes, they accompany them to the third mount.
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.
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.
And beeing come to the fift mount, they finde it speculable, lyke a mirrour wherein they see theyr representations, and in that they take great delyght, and with a feruent desire they passe on their laboursome course. In that mount they see this sentence and golden saying manyfested, _Medium tenuere beati_: not lyneall, nor locall, but temporall, where by a sincere and perfect examination hee discerneth that meane wherewith he hath ioyned his felicitie, wisdome and riches: which if not well, in the rest of his course he faynteth the more.
And losing off from thence, the Waters by reason of the broken circles, beginne to be verie slyding towards the Center, so that with small or no rowing they are brought to the sixt Mount. And there they finde elegant Women, with a shew of heauenly modestie and diuine worship, with whose amiable aspects and countenaunces, the Trauailers are taken in their loue, condemning their former with despite and hatefull abhorrence. And with these they fall acquainted, and passe the seauen reuolucions.
These beeing come ouer with an obscure and foggy close ayre, with many losses and a grieuous voyage, they beginne to remember what they haue past and lost: for the more that the compasse of the reuolucion, draweth neere to the discouerie of the Figure of the Center, the sooner they are passed ouer, styll shorter and shorter, and the more swyfter the course of the streame is into the deuouring swallow of the Center.