University of Virginia Library

THE INNER TEMPLE MASQUE.

[THE FIRSTE SCENE.]

The Description of THE FIRSTE SCENE.

On one side the hall towardes the lower end was discovered a cliffe of the sea done over in parte white accordinge to that of Virgill, lib. 5.

Jamque adeo scopulos Syrenum advecta subibat
Difficiles quondam multorumque ossibus albos.

Upon yt were seated two Syrens as they are described by Hyginus & Servius wth their upper parts like woemen to the navell and the rest like a hen. One of theese at the firste discouery of the scene (a sea being done in perspective on one side the cliffe) began to singe this songe, beinge as lasciuious perper to them & beginninge as that of theirs in Hom. lib. μ. Οδ. Δευρ' αγ ιων παλυαιν Οδυσευ μεγα κυδος Αχαιων.

The last two lines were repeated as from a groue nere by a full Chorus, & ye Syren about to sing againe, Triton (in all parts as Apollonius, lib. 4. Argonautis. shewes him) was seene interruptinge her thus:
Triton.
Leaue, leaue, alluring Syren, wth thy song
To hasten wt ye Fates would faine p̄long:
Your sweetest tunes but grones of Mandrakes be;
He his owne traytore is yt heareth thee.
Tethys commaunds, nor is it fit yt you
Should ever glory you did him subdue
By wyles whose pollicyes were never spread
'Till Flaming Troy gave light to haue ym read.
Ulysses now furrowes ye liquid plaine
Doubtfull of seeing Ithaca againe,
For in his way more stops are thrust by time,
Then in ye path where vertue comes to climbe:
She yt wth silver springs for ever fills
The shady groues, sweet meddowes, and ye hills,
From whose continuall store such pooles are fed
As in ye land for seas are famosed.
'Tis she whose favoe to this Grecian tends
And to remove his ruine Triton sends.

Syren.
But 'tis not Tethys, nor a greater powre,
Cynthia, that rules the waues; scearce he (each howre)
That weilds the thunderboltes, can thinges begun
By mighty Circe (daughter to the Sun)
Checke or controule; she yt by charmes can make
The scalled fish to leaue the brinye lake,
And on the seas walke as on land she were;
She that can pull ye pale moone from her spheare,
And at mid-day the worlds all glorious eye
Muffle wth cloudes in longe obscuritie;
She that can cold December set on fire,
And from the graue bodyes wth life inspire;
She that can cleaue the center, & wth ease
A prospect make to our Antipodes;
Whose mystique spelles haue fearfull thunders made,
And forc't braue riuers to run retrograde.
She wthout stormes that sturdy oakes can tare
And turne their rootes where late their curl'd toppes were.
She that can wth the winter solstice bringe
All Flora's daintyes, Circe: bids me singe;
And till some greater hand her power can staye,
Who'ere commaunde, I none but her obaye.

Triton.
Then Nereus daughter thus you'le haue me telle.

Syren.
You maye.

Triton.
Thinke on her wrath.

Siren.
I shall. Triton! farewelle.

Siren.
Vaine was thy message, vaine her haste, for I
Muste tune againe my wanton Melodye.
Here she went on wth her SONGE thus:
For swellinge waues, our panting brestes
Where neuer stormes arise
Exchange; and be awhile our guestes:
For starres gaze on our eyes.
The compasse loue shall hourely singe,
And as he goes aboute the ringe,
We will not misse
To telle each pointe he nameth wth a kisse.

At ye end of this songe Circe was seene upon the rocke, quaintly attyr'd, her haire loose about her shoulders, an Anadem of flowers on her head, wth a wand in her hand, & then makinge towardes the Syrens, cald them thence wth this speech:
Siren.
What all the elements doe owe to thee
In their obedience is perform'd in mee.

Circe.
Circe drinkes not of Lethe: then awaye
To helpe ye Nymphes who now begin their laye.

The Seconde Scene.

While Circe was speakinge her first speech, & at these words, ‘Yond standes a hill, &c.’ a trauers was drawne at ye lower end of the hall, & gaue way for the discouery of an artificiall wood so nere imitatinge nature yt I thinke had there been a grove like yt in ye open plaine, birds would have been faster drawne to that than to Zeuxis grapes. Ye trees stood at the climbinge of an hill, & lefte at their feete a little plaine, wch they circled like a crescente. In this space vpon hillockes were seen eight musitians in crimsen taffity robes wth chaplets of lawrell on their heades their lutes by them, wch beinge by them toucht as a warninge to ye Nymphes of ye wood, from amonge the trees was heard this songe.......
By this time Circe & ye Syrens being come into ye wood, Vlysses was seene lyeing as asleepe, undr ye couverte of a fair tree, towards whom Circe coming bespake thus:—
Circe.
Yet holdes soft sleepe his course. Now Ithacus
Aiax would offer Hecatombes to vs,
And Iliums rauish'd wifes, & childlesse sires,
Wth incense dym ye bright æthereall fires,
To haue thee bounde in chaynes of sleepe as heere;
But yt [those] mayst behold, & knowe how deare
Thou art to Circe, wth my magicke deepe
And powerfull verses thus I banish sleepe.

Vlysses (as by ye power of Circe) awakinge thus began:
Ulysses.
......Thou more than mortalle mayde
Who when thou listes canst make (as if afraide)
The mountaines tremble & wth terrour shake
The seate of Dis; & from Avernus lake
Grim Hecate wth all the Furyes bringe
To worke reuenge; or to thy questioninge
Disclose the secretes of th' infernall shades
Or raise the ghostes yt walke the vnder-glades.
To thee, whom all obey, Ulysses bendes,
But may I aske (greate Circe) whereto tendes
Thy neuer-failinge handes? Shall we be free?
Or must thyne anger crush my mates and mee?

Circe.
Neyther, Laertes' sonne wth winges of loue
To thee, & none but thee, my actions moue.
My arte went wth thee & thou me mayst thanke
In winninge Rhesus horses, e're they dranke
Of Xanthus streame; & when wth human gore
Cleare Hebrus channell was all stayned 'ore;
When some braue Greekes, companions then wth thee,
Forgot their country through the Lotos tree;
I tyn'd the firebrande that (beside thy flight)
Left Polyphemus in eternall nighte;
And lastly to Æœa brought thee on,
Safe from the man-deuouring Læstrigon.
This for Ulysses loue hath Circe done,
And if to live wth mee thou shalt be wonne;
Aurora's hand shall neuer drawe awaye
The sable vale yt hides ye gladsome daye.
But we new pleasures will beginne to taste,
And, better stille, those we enjoyed laste.
To instance what I canne: Musicke, thy voyce,
And of all those haue felt or wrath the choyce
Appeare; and in a dance 'gin that delight
Which wth the minutes shall growe infinite.

Here one attir'd like a woodman in all poyntes came forth of ye wood & goeinge tow'ds ye stage sunge this songe, to call away ye firste Antimasque.
While ye first staffe of this songe was singinge out of ye thickets on eythr side of ye passage came rushinge ye Antimasque, beinge such as by Circe were supposed to haue beene transformed (havinge ye mindes of men still) into theese shapes followinge:

• 2. wth heartes, heades & bodyes as Actæon is pictur'd.
• 2. like Midas wth Asses eares.
• 2. like wolues as Lycaon is drawne.
• 2. like Baboons.
• Grillus (of whom Plutarche writes in his morralles) in ye shape of a hogge.

These together dancinge an antike measure tow'rdes ye latter end of yt missd Grillus who was newly slipte away & whilst they were at a stand wondringe what was become of him, the woodman stepte forth & sunge this songe:
Circe.
How likes Ulysses this!

Ulysses.
........Much like to one
Who in a shipwracke being cast vpon
The froathy shores, and safe beholdes his mates
Equally cross'd by Neptune and the fates.
You might as well haue ask'd how I would like
A straine whose æquall Orpheus could not strike,
Upon a harpe whose stringes none other be,
Then of the harte of chaste Penelope.
O let it be enough that thou in theese
Hast made most wretched Laertiades:
Let yet the sad chance of distressed Greekes
Wth other teares than Sorrowes dewe your cheekes!
Most abiect basenesse hath enthral'd that breste
Wch laughs at men by misery oppreste.

Circe.
In this, as lyllies, or ye new-falne snowe
Is Circe spotlesse yet, what though the bowe
Wch Iris bendes, appeareth to each sight
In various hewes & colours infinite?
The learned knowe that in itselfe is free
And light and shade make that varietye.
Thinges farre off seene seeme not the same they are,
Fame is not ever truth's Discouerer;
For still where enuy meeteth a reporte
Ill she makes worse, & what is Good come shorte.
In whatso'ere this land hath passiue beene
Or she that here 'ore other raigneth Queene
Let wise Ulysses judg. Some I confesse
That tow'rds this Isle not long since did addresse
Their stretched oares, no sooner landed were,
But (carelesse of themselues) they heere & there
Fed on strange fruites, inuenominge their bloodes,
And now like monsters range about the woods.
If those thy mates were, yet is Circe free:
For their misfortunes haue not byrth from mee
Who in th' Apothecaries shoppe hath ta'ne
(Whilst he is wantinge) that wch breeds his bane,
Should neuer blame the man who there had plac'd it
But his owne folly urginge him to taste it.

Vlysses.
Æœas Queene and great Hyperions pride,
Pardon misdoubtes; and we are satisfide.

Circe.
Swifter the lightninge comes not from aboue,
Then doe our grants borne on the winges of Loue.
And since what's past doth not Ulysses please,
Call to a dance the fair Nereides,
Wth other Nymphes wch doe in euery creeke,
In woods, on plaines, on mountaines, symples seeke
For powerfull Circe, and let in a songe
Ecchos be aydinge that they may prolonge
My now com̄and to each place where they be,
To bringe them hither all more speedilye.

Presently in ye wood was heard a full musicke of lutes wch descendinge to the stage had to them sung this followinge songe, the Ecchos being plac'd in seueral pts of the passage.
Ecch:
Come awaye, come awaye.
From ye riuers, from the sea.

Ecch:
From the sea, from the sea.
From the greene woods euery one.

Ecch:
Euery one, euery one.
Of her maides be missinge none.

Ecch:
Missinge none, missinge none.
No longer stay, except it bee to bringe
A med'cine for loues stinge.
That would excuse you & be held more deare
Then witte or Magicke, for both they are heere.

Ecch:
They are here, they are here.

The Eccho had no sooner answered to ye last line of the songe, They are here, but the second Antimasque came in, being seuen Nymphs & were thus attir'd: Fower in white taffita robes long tresses & chaplets of flowers, herbs & weeds on their heades wth little wicker baskets in yeir hands, neatly painted. These were supposed to be maids attending vpon Circe, & usd in gatheringe simples for their mistresses enchantments.—(Pausanias in prioribus Eliacis.) Three in sea greene robes, greenish haire hanging loose wth leaues of corrall & shelles intermixte vpon it. These are by Ouid affirmed to helpe the Nymphes of Circe in their collections by throse: These hauinge danc'd a most curious measure to a softer tune then ye first Antimasque as most fitting returned as they came; the Nereides tow'rds ye cliffes & ye other maides of Circe to ye woods & plaines, after wch Ulysses, thus:
Ulysses.
Fame addes not to thy ioyes, I see in this,
But like a high & stately Pyramis
Growes least at farthest; now, faire Circe, grante
Although the faire-hair'd Greeks do neuer vaunte,
That they in measur'd paces ought haue done,
But where the god of battailes ledd them on;
Give leaue that (freed from sleepe) ye small remaine
Of my companions on the under plaine
May in a dance striue how to pleasure thee
Eyther wth skill or wth varietye.

Circe.
Circe is pleas'd; Ulysses, take my wand
And from their eyes each child of sleepe com̄and;
Whilst my choyce maides wth their harmonious voyces
(Whereat each byrd and dancinge springe reioyces)
Charminge the windes when they contrary meete,
Shall make their spirits as nimble as their feete.

The THIRD SCENES

Description. Circe wth this speech deliueringe her wande to Ulysses rests on ye lower parte of ye hill, while he goeing up the hill & striking ye trees wth his wande, suddenly two greate gates flew open, makinge as it were a large glade through the wood, & alonge ye glade a faire walke; two seeminge bricke walles on eyther side, over wch the trees wantonly hunge; a great light (as ye Suns suddaine unmaskinge) being seene upon this discouery. At ye further end was descride an arbor, very curiously done, havinge one entrance under an architreave borne vp by two pillers wth their chapters & bases guilte; ye top of ye entrance beautifide wth postures of Satyres, Wood-Nymphes, & othe anticke worke; as also ye sides & corners: the coveringe archwise interwove wth boughes, ye backe of it girt round wth a vine, & artificially done

---

257

vp in knottes towrds ye toppe; beyond it was a wood-scene in perspective, the fore part of it opening at Ulysses his approach, the maskers were discouered in severall seates leaninge as asleape.
THEIR ATTIRE. Doublets of greene taffita, cut like oaken leaves, as upon cloth of siluer; their skirtes & winges cut into leaues, deepe round hose of ye same, both lin'd wth sprigge lace spangled; long white sylke stockings; greene pumps, & roses done oue wth syluer leaues; hattes of ye same stuffe, & cut narrowe-brim'd, & risinge smaller compasse at ye crowne, white wreath hatbandes, white plumes, egrettes wth a greene fall, ruffe bands & cuffes. Ulysses seuerally came & touch't euery one of them wth ye wand while this was sunge.
By this ye knights beinge all risen from their seats were by Ulysses (ye loud musicke soundinge) brought to ye stage; and then to the violins danced their first measure aftewch this songe brought them to the second:
Here they danc'd theire second measure, & then this songe was sunge during wch time they take out ye ladyes:
The knights, wth the ladyes dance here ye old measures, Galliards, Corantoes, the Braules, &c. and then (havinge lead them againe to their places) danced their last measure; after wch this songe called them awaye.