The Period of Mourning Disposed into sixe Visions. In Memorie of the late Prince. Together with Nuptiall Hymnes, in Honour of this Happy Marriage betweene the Great Princes, Frederick Count Palatine of the Rhene, and The Most Excellent, and Aboundant President of all Virtve and Goodnes Elizabeth onely Daughter to our Soueraigne, his Maiestie. Also the manner of the Solemnization of the Marriage at White-Hall, on the 14 of February; being Sunday, and St. Valentines day. By Henry Peacham |
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 | The Period of Mourning |  |
4.
Th' Idalian Boy no sooner with his Fire,Had warm'd the brest of Honour'd Casimire:
(That now he leaues the Nimphes along his Rheine,
T'espouse Eliza, with Saint Valentine.)
But smiling at the Newes, away he hide
To Cyprus, where his Mother did abide.
There is a Mount within this sacred Ile,
Right opposite against seauen-headed Nile,
Another way affronting Pharos bright,
That many a mile, the Sea-man lends her light:
Here on a plaine, to mortall wight vnknowne,
Where neuer storme, or bitter blast had blowne;
Or candid hoare-Frost show'd the crusty earth;
But euer May of meriment and mirth.
An hedge the same enuirons all of Gold,
Which Mulciber, for sweet embracements sold
And wanton dalliance, to the Cipryan Dame;
(Tis said) and since she hath possest the same.
VVhere still the fields with veluet-greene are spred,
And blossomes paint the woods all white and red,
No Bird may perch her on the tender bow
But such for voyce as Venus shall allow.
The trees themselues doe fall in loue with either,
As seemes by kissing of their tops together:
And softly whispring; when some gentle gale
Chides from the Mountaine, through the shady Vale.
Now from a Rocke within, two fountaines fall,
One sweet, the other, bitter as the gall,
Herein doth Cupid often steepe his darts,
VVhen his dispos'd to seuer louing harts.
(Borne of the Nymphes) these onely wound, they say,
The common people, Venus darling hee,
Aimes at the Gods, and awfull Maiestie:
And many a Power else in this place is found,
As Licence, euer hating to be bound,
Wrath, easie to be reconcil'd and Teares,
Slie Theft, and Pleasure, pale, and iocund Feares:
And ouer-head doe flutter in the bowes
VVith painted wings, Lyes, Periuries and Vowes.
Hence Age is banish'd. Here is seene besides
The Goddesse Court, where alway she resides,
This Lemnius built of Gold and rarest lemmes,
That like a Mount quite hid with Diadems
It seemes; where Art and Cost with each contend,
For which the Eye, the Frame should most commend.
Here Cupid downe with weary wing did light,
And iocund comes into his Mothers sight,
VVith statefull gate: who from a burnish'd Throne,
Embraces, with Ambrosian Armes, her Sonne;
And thus begins; the newes my louely Boy,
And cause of thy arriue, and this new ioy?
Hast thou againe turn'd Ioue into a Cow?
Or wanton Daphne to a Lawrell-bough?
VVhat Man, or Power immortall, by thy Dart,
Is falne to ground, that thus reuiu'd thou art?
VVith many a Nectar kisse, milde Loue replies,
Our Bow ne'er bare away a greater prize:
Knowes not the Goddesse by the fertile Rheine,
Young Fredericke, borne of Imperiall Ligne,
And worlds great VVorthy, valiant Charle-Maigne.
This hopefull Impe is stricken with our Bowe,
VVee haue his Armes, and three-fold Shield to show;
Franconias Lyon, and this of Baueir,
A potent Heyre deriu'd from Cassimeir.
Another Argent onely, long they bore,
Till charg'd by Charles the last, late Emperour,
Hee beares, saue honor, adding nought of his.
What Coast or Country haue not heard their Fame?
Or who not lou'd their euer honour'd Name?
Yet trembled at from farthest Castian Sea,
And Scythian Tanais, to the Danubie.
Eliza's Name, I know, is not vnknowne
Vnto my Queene, the second vnto none,
For beauty, shape of Body, euery grace,
That may in earthly Maiestie take place;
That were not Venus daily seene of mee,
I would haue sworne this Princesse had beene shee.
Hast Cytherea, Leaue thy natiue Land,
And ioyne them quickly by the Marriage band.
The Queene her Sonne remouing from her lap,
Her haire of wiery gold shee tresseth vp.
Wherewith she quiets stormes, and euery blast,
Allaies the swelling flouds, and furious sea;
Whereto full speedily she takes her way:
And here arriu'd, sends forth a Cupid faire,
Drest like a Sea-Nymph, with a siluer hayre:
To search the deepe, and bring vnto the shore
Some Triton, able to conuay her o'er;
Which if hee did performe with nimble speede,
A golden Bowe and Shafts should be his meede.
No sooner Loue had diu'd into the Maine,
But on the surge appear'd a wondrous traine
Of Sea-gods, Tritons, Nymphes, who equall stroue
The formost who should aide the Queene of Loue;
First, Neptune, mounted on a Grampas crown'd
With Roses, calm'd the Ocean all around:
Palæmon on a Seale with hoary lockes,
Begirt with Samphire from the neighbour rockes:
An vgly VVhirlepoole Nereus bestrides,
VVith Trident galling oft his lazie sides.
Among the Maids she Glaucus hindmost lagges
Vpon a Porpose brideled with flagges.
Next Venus comes, with all her beauteous crew,
VVhom Dolphins in a shelly Chariot drew.
No Nymph was there but did some gift bestow,
That did in Amphitrites bosome grow:
Cymothoe brought a girdle passing faire
Of siluer, twisted with her Christall haire.
Young Spathale, a pearely Carcanet,
And Clotho Corrall, good as she could get.
Strange Iemmes and Flowers, some vnknowne before,
Which to Eliza, as their loues they sent,
(Herewith adorning Venus as she went)
Whom when they had conducted to our Thame,
And view'd the spatious channell of the same,
Admir'd our Chalkie Cliffes, suruai'd each Pierre,
Our fertile Shores, our Ships, and Harbours here,
They backe vnto their boundlesse home doe hye;
But in a cloud the Queene ascends the skie,
And takes her way vnto the Royall Hall,
Where downe, she did no sooner softly fall,
But Clouds were fled that ouer cast the ayre,
And Phœbus threw about his golden hayre:
Eke Snow-tress'd Ianuary (seldome seene)
Vpon his brow had got a wreath of greene.
Ioy was in Court, and iocund mirth possest
The hearts of all, from greatest to the least,
(Yet knew they not the cause) the windowes lay
Bestrow'd with Primrose, Violets, and Bay.
Now children looke (quoth shee) you banish hence
Affaires of State, ambitious difference,
Complaints, and Faction, melancholy Feares,
All Parsimonie, sighes, and former Teares.
Let Nights in royall banquetting be spent,
Sweet Musicke, Masques, and ioyous merriment.
Now pleasure take her fill; bring Graces Flowers;
With Torches Hymen plant the lofty Towers;
Twine, Concord double Girlonds, Cupids you
Some gather branches from the Myrtle bough.
Tacke (others) vp rich Arras busily;
Some cast about sweet waters; others clense
With Myrrhe, and best Sabæan Frankinsence,
The Curtaines; others fit about her Bed,
Or for her foote the floore with Veluet spred.
VVhich said, into the Chamber of the Bride,
VVho lay to rest, she passed vnespide
And secretly instructs her how to loue,
Recounting euery pleasure shee should proue:
And vrgeth that each Creature's borne to be
The Propagator of Posteritie.
And now and then, shee casteth in betweene,
Their Legends that haue faithfull Louers beene:
Shee tels of Dido, and Lucretia chaste,
Camilla, Hero, Thisbe, and the rest,
And many a Booke shee had at fingers end,
VVhich for her purpose oft shee can commend.
Now as the Aire gan more and more to cleare,
The Goddesse plainly did at last appeare.
VVhose burnish'd haire the goodly roome did guild,
And with a sweet Ambrosian odor fill'd,
That seeing now Eliza's goodly grace,
Her daintie fingers, and her fairest face:
Shee stood amazed, and with a Nectar kisse,
Shee bow'd her selfe, and boldly vtter'd this.
All happinesse vnto the Princesse be,
The Pearle and Mirrour of great Brittannie,
For whose deere sake, I this aduenture tooke,
And Paphos with my Cyprus sweet forsooke:
And pitty of the hopefull Frederickes flame,
Though thou wert not a Princesse by thy birth,
This face deserues the greatest King on Earth,
What hand so fits a Scepter, and what Eye,
Did euer sparke with sweeter Maiestie,
Thy lips the Roses, whitest necke excells
The mountaine snow, and what is whiter els.
VVith equall temper how the white and red,
(Our cullors,) are vpon thy cheeke dispred,
The fingers of the Morning doe not shine,
More pleasing then those beauteous ones of thine,
If Bacchus crown'd his Loue with many a starre,
VVhy art thou yet vncrowned, fairer farre?
Oh Virgin, worthy onely not of Rhine,
And that sweet soile, thy Countie Palatine,
(Where Mose, the Moene, the Nah, and Nicer clear,
With Nectar runne against thy comming there)
But of a world, due to those guiftes of thine,
Which to thee more then all thy Iewels shine,
This said; about her Iuory necke she hung,
The Nereids tokens which she brought along,
And with a needle curl'd her louely haire,
And ore her head she threw her Sindon vaile,
That farre adowne (vpborne by Nimphes) did traile,
By this, without a thousand Virgins stai'd,
To lead along to Church the Princely maid,
With heauenly sounds, (in fall of plenteous showers,
Among the crew, of all the sweetest flowers.)
That Cytharea leaues the Virgin now,
And takes her leaue with this, or other vow.
Liue Roiall Paire in peace and sweetest Loue,
With all aboundance blest by heauen aboue,
A thousand kisses binde your harts together,
Your Armes be weary with embracing either,
And let me liue to see betweene you twaine,
A Cæsar borne as great as Charlemaine.
| The Period of Mourning | |