Descensus Astraeae The Device of a Pageant, borne before M. William Web, Lord Maior of the Citie of London on the day he tooke his oath, beeing the 29. of October. 1591 |
 | Descensus Astraeae |  |
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Speech.
See louely Lords, and you my Lord behold
How Time hath turnd his restles wheele about
And made the siluer moone: & heauens bright eie
Gallop the Zodiacke and end the yere
Whose reuolution now begets a new
The daies that haue created and confirmd
A worthie Gouernor for Londons good,
To vnderbeare vnder his Soueraignes swaie
Vnpartiall Iustice beame, and weau'd a Web
For your content, and her command in all,
You Citizens of this Metapolis
Whose honor and whose oath to gratulate
Lordings behold what Emblem I present.
How Time hath turnd his restles wheele about
And made the siluer moone: & heauens bright eie
Gallop the Zodiacke and end the yere
Whose reuolution now begets a new
The daies that haue created and confirmd
A worthie Gouernor for Londons good,
To vnderbeare vnder his Soueraignes swaie
Vnpartiall Iustice beame, and weau'd a Web
For your content, and her command in all,
You Citizens of this Metapolis
Whose honor and whose oath to gratulate
Lordings behold what Emblem I present.
Astræa daughter of the immortall Ioue,
Great Ioue defender of this antient towne,
Descended of the Troian Brutus line:
Ofspring of that couragious conquering king,
Whose pure renown, hath pierced the worlds large eares,
In golden scrolls, rowling about the heauens
Celestiall sacred Nymph, that tendes her flocke
With watchfull eyes, and keep this fount in peace:
Garded with Graces, and with gratious traines,
Vertues diuine, and giftes incomparable.
Great Ioue defender of this antient towne,
Descended of the Troian Brutus line:
Ofspring of that couragious conquering king,
Whose pure renown, hath pierced the worlds large eares,
In golden scrolls, rowling about the heauens
Celestiall sacred Nymph, that tendes her flocke
With watchfull eyes, and keep this fount in peace:
Garded with Graces, and with gratious traines,
Vertues diuine, and giftes incomparable.
Nor lets blind superstitious ignorance,
Corrupt so pure a spring: O happie times
That do beget such calme and quiet daies,
Where sheep & shepheard breath in such content.
Corrupt so pure a spring: O happie times
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Where sheep & shepheard breath in such content.
Honor attendes hir throne, in hir bright eies
Sits Maiestie: Vertue, and Stedfastnesse
Possesse hir hart, sweete mercy swaies hir sword.
Her champion armed with resolution,
Sits at her feete to chastise Malecontentes,
That threat hir honors wracke. And Time & Kinde
Produce hir yeares to make them numberlesse
While Fortune for hir seruice and hir sake,
Wirh golden hands doth strengthen and enrich
The Web that they for faire Astræa weaue.
Long may she liue, long may she gouerne vs
In peace triumphant, fortunate in warres
Our faire Astræa, our Pandora faire,
Our faire Eliza, or Zabeta faire.
Sits Maiestie: Vertue, and Stedfastnesse
Possesse hir hart, sweete mercy swaies hir sword.
Her champion armed with resolution,
Sits at her feete to chastise Malecontentes,
That threat hir honors wracke. And Time & Kinde
Produce hir yeares to make them numberlesse
While Fortune for hir seruice and hir sake,
Wirh golden hands doth strengthen and enrich
The Web that they for faire Astræa weaue.
Long may she liue, long may she gouerne vs
In peace triumphant, fortunate in warres
Our faire Astræa, our Pandora faire,
Our faire Eliza, or Zabeta faire.
Sweet Cynthias darling, beauteous Cyprias peere
As deere to England and true English heartes,
As Pompey to the Citizens of Rome:
As mercifull as Cæsar in his might.
As mightie as the Macedonian king,
Or Troian Hector, terror to the Greekes.
As deere to England and true English heartes,
As Pompey to the Citizens of Rome:
As mercifull as Cæsar in his might.
As mightie as the Macedonian king,
Or Troian Hector, terror to the Greekes.
Goddesse liue long, whose honors we aduance,
Strengthen thy neighbours, propagate thine owne:
Guide well thy helme, lay thine annointed hand
To build the temple of triumphant Trueth,
That while thy subiects draw their peace frō thee,
Thy friends with ayd of armes may succor'd be.
Strengthen thy neighbours, propagate thine owne:
Guide well thy helme, lay thine annointed hand
To build the temple of triumphant Trueth,
That while thy subiects draw their peace frō thee,
Thy friends with ayd of armes may succor'd be.
Astræa
with hir sheephook on the top of the pageant.
Feed on my flocke among the gladsome greene
Where heauenly Nectar flowes aboue the banckes.
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Pay to immortall Ioue immortall thankes:
For what is good fro heauens hie throne doth fall.
And heauens great Architect be praised for all.
Superstition.
A Friar sitting by the fountaine.
Stirre Priest, and with thy beades poyson this spring,
I tell thee all is banefull that I bring.
Ignorance.
A Priest.
It is in vaine hir eye keepes me in awe,
Whose heart is purely fixed on the law:
The holy law, and bootlesse we contend,
While this chast nimph, this fountain doth defend.
Euphrosyne.
Whilom when Saturnes golden raigne did cease,
and yron age had kindled cruel warres:
Enuie in wrath, perturbing common peace,
engendring cancred hate and bloudy iarres:
Lo then Olympus king, the thundring Ioue,
raught hence this gracious nymph Astræa faire,
Now once againe he sends hir from aboue,
descended through the sweete transparent aire:
And heere she sits in beautie fresh and sheene,
Shadowing the person of a peerelesse Queene.
Aglaia.
A peerelesse Queene, a Royall princely dame,
Enrold in register of eternall fame.
Thalia.
The Graces through their balme about hir sacred head,
Whose gouernment hir realms true happines hath bred.
Charitie.
That happinesse continue in her land,
Great Israels God, spiing of all heauenly peace:
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With hir liues wane done Englands ioyes decrease
O let hir princely daies neuer haue fine,
Whose vertues are immortall and deuine.
Hope.
Such vertues as her throne do beautifie,
And make hir honors mount and skale the skie.
Faith.
Where hope of hir eternall blisse doth rest,
Conceaued in hir sweete & sacred brest.
Honor.
With radiant beames, reflecting on the earth,
Euen from the snowie browes of Albion,
Beyond the vtmost verge of Christendome,
As bright as is the burning lampe of heauen,
Shineth my mistresse honor, in whose fame
The heathen carrols sing and all admire,
From Icy Tanais to the seuenfold Nyle,
Her glorie that commands this Westerne Ile.
Champion.
In whose defence my colours I aduaunce,
And girt me with my sword, and shake my lance:
These Brittish Lions rampant in this field,
That neuer learned in battails rage to yeeld:
Breath terror to the proud aspiring foe,
Ranging the world commanding where they go.
Therefore in vaine this misproud Malecontent,
Threatens hir state whose harms the heauēs preuēt
Sit safe sweet Nymph among thy harmlesse sheep,
Thy sacred person angels haue in keep.
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What meaneth this, I striue and cannot strike,
She is preserued by myracle belike:
If so then, wherefore threaten we in vaine,
That Queene, whose cause the gracious heauens maintain.
2. Malecontent.
No maruell then although we faint and quaile,
For mightie is the truth and will preuaile.
In the hinder part of the Pageant did sit a Child, representing Nature, holding in her hand a distaffe, & spinning a Web, which passed through the hand of Fortune and was wheeled vp by Time, who spake as followeth.
Time.
Thus while my wheele with euer turning gyres,
At heauens hie heast serues earthly mens desires,
I wind the Web that kinde so well beginnes:
While Fortune doth enrich what Nature spinnes.
A speech on the water deliuered in the morning at my Lord Maiors going to Westminster.
List gentle Lords, and bubling streame be still
And whistling windes your angrie murmur cease
Let Thetis Nymph vnfold the goddesse hest:
Behold imbarckt thus brauely as you see,
Laden with treasure and with precious ore
From where in Tellus veynes the parching sunne,
Doth gold and glittering munerals create,
Are come these strangers louingly inflamde
To gratulate to you my louely Lord.
This gladsome day wherein your honors spring.
And by the barre that thwarts this siluer streame,
Euen to the beauteous verge of Troynouant
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Thus farre these friendes haue pierced, & all by me,
Salute your honour and your companie.
Thrice worthy Prætor of this auntient towne.
The morter of these walles tempered in peace,
Yet holdes the building sure, as are the sprigges
Wouen from the spreading roote in knottie boxe.
Labour fayre Lord as other Maiors of yore
To beautifie this citie with desertes.
So wish these friendly strangers, man by man
Passe with aduisement to receiue thy oth:
Keepe it inuiolate for thy soueraignes hope,
Vertues pure mirror, Londons great mistresse,
Vnsheath the sword committed to thy swaie,
With mercifull regard of euery cause.
So go in peace happie by sea and land,
Guided by grace, and heauens immortall hand.
FINIS.
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