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[A], the aierie Teda[B] beloued of the mountains, celebrated and preserued for the festiuall Oreades[C]. 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[D] moouing by the sweet breath of the pleasant Zephirus, whistling through their tender branches, with a benigne and fauorable impulsion.
[Sidenote A: _Larix_, is a tree hauing leaues like a pine, & good for building, it will neither rot, woormeate, nor burne to coales.]
[Sidenote B: _Teda_, is a tree out of the which issueth a liquor more thinne than pitch.]
[Sidenote C: _Oreades_, be countrie Nymphs.]
[Sidenote D: _Lyndens_ or teile trees, in Latin _Tili[ae]_, they beare a fruit as big as a bean, hauing within seedes like anyse seeds.]
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_[A], 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_,[B] when the inhabitants carrie hir image to the fire.
[Sidenote A: _Dryades_, be Nymphs of the woods.]
[Sidenote B: _Feronia_ a goddesse of the woods.]
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 [Ae]gypt, nor in Dabulam[A] among the Arabian Sc[ae]nits,[B] or in Hieraconta beyond the Sauromatans.[C] All which were intermedled with greene Cytrons, Orenges, Hippomelides, Pistack trees, Pomegranats, Meligotons, Dendromirts, Mespils, and Sorbis, with diuers other fruitfull trees.
[Sidenote A: _Dabulam_, a fertile place in Arabia.]
[Sidenote B: _Sc[ae]nits_, be a people in Arabia, that dwell altogither in tents.]
[Sidenote C: _Sauromatans_, be people of Sarmatia, which is a large cuntry, reaching from Germany & the riuer Vistula to Hyc[ae]nia, and is deuided into two parts Europea and Asiatica.]
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[A] 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.
[Sidenote A: _Lynx_ is a beast spotted, but in shape like a wolph, being quicke of sight.]
These were the Nymphs Hamadryades,[A] pleasantly compassing vppon either sides the flowered _Vertumnus_,[B] 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[C]. 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.
[Sidenote A: _Hamadryades_ were nymphs of the wood and _Symenides_]
[Sidenote B: _Vertumnus_ the God of fruits.]
[Sidenote C: _Clepsydra_ is sometime taken for a diall measuring time by the running of water, but here for a pot to water a garden and yoong sectlings in a nourcery for an orchyard.]
Before the carre and the fower drawing satyrs, there marched two faire Nymphs, the one of them bare a troph[ae] with a pr[ae]pendant 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[ae] 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.