University of Virginia Library

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE the Ladie Lucie, Countesse of Bedford.

Madame.

In respect of the vnmannerly presumption of an indiscreet Printer, who without warrant hath divulged the late shewe at Court, presented the 8. of Ianuary, by the Queenes Maiestie and her Ladies, and the same verie disorderly set forth: I thought it not amisse seeing it would otherwise passe abroad, to the preiudice both of the Maske and the inuention, to describe the whole forme thereof in all points as it was then performed, and as the world well knowes very worthily performed, by a most magnificēt Queen, whose heroicall spirit, and bountie onely gaue it so faire an execution as it had. Seeing also that these ornaments and delights of peace are in their season, as fit to entertaine the worlde, and deserue to be made memorable as well

as grauer actions, both of them cōcurring to the decking & furnishing of glorie, and Maiestie, as the necessary complements requisit for State and Greatnes.

And therfore first I will deliuer the intent and scope of the proiect: Which was onely to present the figure of those blessings, with the wish of their encrease and continuance, which this mightie kingdome now enioyes by the benefit of his most gratious Maiestie, by whom we haue this glory of peace, with the accession of so great state & power. And to expresse the same, there were deuised 12. Goddesses, vnder whose Images former times haue represented the seuerall gifts of heauen, and erected Temples, Altars, & Figures vnto them, as vnto diuine powers, in the shape & name of women. As vnto Iuno the Goddesse of Empire & regnorum præsedi, they attributed that blessing of power. To Pallas, wisedome and defence: to Venus, loue & amitie: to Vesta, Religion: to Diana, the gift of Chastitie: to Proserpina riches: to Macaria, felicitie: to Concordia, the vnion of hearts. Astræa, Iustice: Flora, the beauties of the earth. Ceres plentie. To Tethis power by Sea.

And though these Images haue oftentimes diuers significatiōs, yet it being not our purpose to represent them, with all those curious and superfluous obseruations, we tooke them only to serue as Hierogliphicqs for our present intention, according to some one property that fitted our occasiō, without obseruing other their misticall interpretations, wherein the Authors themselues are so irrigular & confused, as the best Mytheologers, who wil make somewhat to seem any thing, are so vnfaithful to themselues, as they haue left vs no certain way at all, but a tract of cōfusion to take our course at aduenture. And therfore owing no homage to their intricate obseruations, we were left at libertie to take no other knowledge of them, then fitted our present purpose, nor were tyed by any lawes of Heraldry to range thē otherwise in their precedencies, then they fell out to stand with the nature of the matter in hand. And in these cases it may well seeme ingenerosum sapere solum ex commentarijs quasi maiorū inuenta industriæ nostræ viā precluserit, quasi in nobis offæta sit vis naturæ, nihil exseparere, or that there can be nothing done authenticall, vnles we obserue al the strict rules of the booke.

And therefore we tooke their aptest representations that lay best and easiest for vs. And first presented the Hieroglephicq of Empire & dominion, as the ground & matter whereon this glory of State is built. Then those blessings, and beauties that preserue and adorne it: As armed policie, loue, Religion, Chastitie, wealth, happinesse, Concord, Iustice, florishing seasons, plentie: and lastly power by sea, as to imbound and circle this greatnes of dominion by land.

And to this purpose were these Goddesses thus presented in their proper & seuerall attyres, bringing in their hands the particular figures of their power which they gaue to the Temple of Peace, erected vpō 4. pillars, representing the 4. Vertues that supported a Globe of the earth.

First Iuno in a skie-colour mantle imbrodered with gold, and figured with Peacocks feathers, wearing a Crowne of golde on her head, presents a Scepter.

2 Pallas (which was the person her Maiestie chose to represent) was attyred in a blew mantle, with a siluer imbrodery of al weapōs and engines of war, with a helmet-dressing on her head, and presents a Launce and Target.

Venus, in a Mantle of Doue-colour, and siluer, imbrodered with Doues, presented (in stead of her Cestus, the girdle of Amitie) a Skarffe of diuers colours.

Vesta, in a white Mantle imbrodered with gold-flames, with a dressing like a Nun, presented a burning Lampe in one hand, and a Booke in the other.

Diana, in a greene Mantle imbrodered with siluer halfe Moones, and a croissant of pearle on her head: presents a Bow and a Quiuer.

Proserpina, in a blacke Mantle imbrodered with gold-flames, with a crowne of gold on her head: presented a Myne of gold-ore.

Macaria, the Goddesse of Felicitie, in a Mantle of purple and siluer, imbrodered with the Figures of Plentie and Wisedome, (which concurre to the making of true happinesse) presents a Cadaceum with the Figure of abundance.

Concordia, in a partie coloured Mantle of Crimson and White (the colours of England and Scotland ioyned) imbrodered with siluer, hands in hand, with a dressing likewise of partie coloured Roses, a Branch whereof in a wreath or knot she presented.

Astræa, in a Mantle Crimson, with a siluer imbroderie, Figuring the Sword and Balance (as the Characters of Iustice) which she presented.

Flora, in a Mantle of diuers colours, imbrodered with all sorts of Flowers, presents a Pot of Flowers.

Ceres, in Straw colour & siluer imbrodery, with eares of Corne, and a dressing of the same, presents a Sickle.

Tethes, In a Mantle of Sea-greene, with a siluer imbrodery of Waues, and a dressing of Reedes, presents a Trident.

Now for the introducing this Shewe: It was deuised that the Night represented in

a blacke vesture set with Starres, should arise from belowe, and come towards the vpper end of the Hall: there to waken her sonne Somnus, sleeping in his Caue, as the Proëm to the Visiō. Which Figures when they are thus presented in humane bodyes, as all Vertues, Vices, Passions, Knowledges, and whatsoeuer Abstracts else in imaginatiō are, which we would make visible, we produce them, vsing humane actions, & euen Sleepe it selfe (which might seeme improperly to exercise waking motions) hath beene often shewed vs in that manner, with speech and gesture. As for example:

Exccussit tandem sibi se; cubitoque leuatus
Quid veniat (cognouit enim) Scitatur.
Intanto soprauenne, & gliocchi chiuse
A i Signori, & a i Sergenti il pigro Sonno.

And in another place:

Il Sonno viene, & Sparso il corpo stanco
Colramo intimo nel liquor di Lethe.

So there, Sleepe is brought in, as a body, vsing speech & motion: and it was no more improper in this forme to make him walke,

and stand, or speake, then it is to giue voyce or passion to dead men, Ghosts, Trees, and Stones: and therefore in such matters of Shewes, these like Caracters (in what forme soeuer they be drawne) serue vs but to read the intention of what wee would represent: as in this proiect of ours, Night and Sleepe were to produce a Vision, an effect proper to their power, & fit to shadow our purpose, for that these apparitions and shewes are but as imaginations, and dreames that portend our affections, and dreames are neuer in all points agreeing right with waking actions: and therefore were they aptest to shadow whatsoeuer error might bee herein presented. And therefore was Sleepe (as hee is described by Philostratus in Amphirai imagine) apparelled in a white thinne Vesture cast ouer a blacke, to signifie both the day and the night, with wings of the same colour, a Garland of Poppy on his head, and in stead of his yuoyrie & transparent horne, he was shewed bearing a black Wand in the left hand, and a white in the other, to effect either confused or significant dreames, according to that inuocation of Statius.

—Nec ye totas infundere pennas
Luminibus compello meis, hoc turba precatur.
Lætior, extremo me tange cacumine virgæ.

And also agreeing to that of Sil. Ital.

—Tangens Lethea tempora Virgæ.

And in this actiō did he here vse his white Wand, as to infuse significant Visions to entertain the Spectators, and so made them seeme to see there a Temple, with a Sybilla therin attending vpon the Sacrifices; which done, Iris (the Messenger of Iuno) descends from the top of a Mountaine raised at the lower end of the Hall, and marching vp to to the Temple of Peace, giues notice to the Sybilla of the comming of the Goddesses, & withall deliuers her a Prospectiue, wherin she might behold the Figures of their Deities, and thereby describe them; to the end that at their descending, there might be no stay or hinderance of their Motion, which was to be carryed without any interruption, to the action of other entertainments that were to depend one of another, during the the whole Shewe: and that the eyes of the Spectators might not beguile their eares, as

in such cases it euer happens, whiles the pompe and splendor of the sight takes vp all the intention without regard what is spoken, and therefore was it thought fit their descriptions should bee deliuered by the Sybilla.

Which as soone as shee had ended, the three Graces in siluer Robes with white Torches, appeared on the top of the mountaine, descending hand in hand before the Goddesses; who likewise followed three and three, as in a number dedicated vnto Sanctitie and an incorporeall nature, whereas the Dual, Hierogliphicè pro immudis accipitur. And betweene euery ranke of Goddesses, marched three Torch-bearers in the like seuerall colours, their heads and Robes all dect with Starres, and in their descending, the Cornets sitting in the Concaues of the Mountaine, and seene but to their brests, in the habit of Satyres, soūded a stately March, which continued vntill the Goddesses were approached iust before the Temple, & then ceased, when the Consort Musicke (placed in the Cupula thereof, out of sight) began: whereunto the 3. Graces retyring themselues aside, sang, whiles the Goddesses one after

an other with solemne pace ascended vp into the Temple, and deliuering their presents to the Sybilla (as it were but in passing by) returned downe into the midst of the Hall, preparing themselues to their dance, which (assoon as the Graces had ended their Song) they began to the Musicke of the Violls and Lutes, placed on one side of the Hal. Which dāce being performed with great maiesty & Art, consisting of diuers strains, fram'd vnto motiōs circular, square, triāgular, with other proportiōs exceeding rare & full of variety; the Goddesses made a pawse, casting themselues into a circle, whilst the Graces againe sang to the Musicke of the Temple, and prepared to take out the Lords to daunce. With whō after they had performed certain Measures, Galliards and Curranto's, Iris againe comes and giues notice of their pleasure to depart: whose speech ended, they drew thēselues againe into another short dance, with some few pleasant changes, still retyring thē toward the foote of the Mountaine, which they ascended in ye same maner as they came downe, whilest the Cornets taking their Notes frō the ceasing of the Musick below, sounded another delightfull Marche.

And thus Madame, haue I briefly deliuered, both the reason and manner of this Maske; as well to satisfie the desire of those who could not well note the cariage of these passages, by reason (as I sayd) the present pompe and splendor entertain'd them otherwise (as that which is most regardfull in these Shewes) wherein (by the vnpartiall opinion of all the beholders Strangers and others) it was not inferiour to the best that euer was presented in Christendome: as also to giue vp my accoūt hereof vnto your Honour, whereby I might cleere the reckening of any imputation that might be layd vpon your iudgement, for preferring such a one, to her Maiestie in this imployment, as could giue no reason for what was done.

And for the captious Censurers, I regard not what they can say, who commonly can do little els but say; and if their deepe iudgements euer serue them to produce any thing, they must stand on the same Stage of Censure with other men, and peraduenture performe no such great wonders as they would make vs beleeue: and I comfort my selfe in this, that in Court I know not any,

vnder him, who acts the greatest partes) that is not obnoxious to enuie, & a sinister interpretation. And whosoeuer striues to shewe most wit about these Puntillos of Dreames and showes, are sure sicke of a disease they cannot hide, & would faine haue the world to thinke them very deeply learned in all misteries whatsoeuer. And peraduenture they thinke themselues so, which if they doe, they are in a farre worse case then they imagine; Non potest non indoctus esse qui se doctum credit. And let vs labour to shew neuer so much skill or Art, our weaknesses and ignorance will be seene, whatsoeuer couering wee cast ouer it. And yet in these matters of shewes (though they bee that which most entertaine the world) there needs no such exact sufficiency in this kind. For, Ludit istis animus, non proficit. And therefore, Madame, I wil no longer idlely hold you therein, but refer you to the speeches, & so to your better delights, as one who must euer acknowledge my selfe especially bound vnto your Honour.