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The Night represented, in a blacke Vesture set with Starres, comes and wakens her Sonne Somnus, (sleeping in his Caue) with this Speech.
Awake dark Sleep, rouse thee frō out this Caue,
Thy Mother Night that bred thee in her womb
And fed thee first with silence & with ease,
Doth here thy shadowing operations craue:
And therefore wake my Sonne, awake, and come
Strike with thy Horny wand, the spirits of these
That here expect some pleasing nouelties:
And make their slumber to beget strange sights,
Strange visions and vnvsuall properties.
Vnseene of latters Ages, auntient Rytes.
Of gifts diuine, wrapt vp in mysteries.
Make this to seeme a Temple in their sight,
VVhose mayne support, holy Religion frame:
And 1 Wisdome, 2 Courage, 3 Temperance, & 4 Right,
Make seeme the Pillars that sustaine the same.
Shadow some Sybill to attend the Rytes,
And to describe the Powers that shall resort,
VVith th'interpretation of the benefits
They bring in Clowdes, & what they do import.
Yet make them to portend the true desire
Of those that wish them waking reall things:
Whilest I wil hoou'ring, here a-loofe retire
And couer all things with my sable Wings.

Somnus.
Deare Mother Night, I your commandement
Obay, and Dreames t'interpret Dreames will make,
As waking curiositie is woont.
Though better dreame a sleep, thē dreame awake.
And this white horny Wand shall work the deed;
Whose power doth Figures of the light present:
When from this sable radius doth proceed
Nought but confused shewes, to no intent.
Be this a Temple; there Sybilla stand,
Preparing reuerent Rytes with holy hand,
And so bright visions go, and entertaine
Al round about, whilest I'le to sleepe againe.

Iris,
the Messenger of the Goddesses discending from the Mount, where they were assembled, (dect like the Raine-bow) spake as followeth.

I the daughter of Wonder, (now made the Messenger
of Power) am here discended, to signifie
the cōming of a Cœlestial presence of Goddesses,
determined to visit this faire Temple of Peace,
which holy hands & deuout desires, haue dedicated
to vnitie and concord. And leauing to shewe
themselues any more in Samos, Ida, Paphos, their
antient delighting-places of Greece, & Asia, made

now the seats of Barbarizme & spoyle, vouchsafe
to recreat themselues vpon this Westerne Mount of
mighty Brittanny, the Land of ciuil Musick and
of rest, and are pleased to appeare in the selfe-same
Figures, wherein antiquitie hath formerly cloathed
thē, and as they haue been cast in the imagination
of piety, who hath giuē mortall shapes to the gifts
& effects of an eternall power, for that those beautifull
Caracters of sense were easier to be read then
their mysticall Ideas, dispersed in that wide, and
imcomprehensible volume of Nature.

And well haue mortall men apparelled, all the
Graces, all the Blessings, all Vertues, with that shape
wherein themselues are much delighted, & which
worke the best Motions, and best represent the
beautie of heauenly Powers.

And therfore reuerent Prophetesse, that here attendest
vpon the deuotions of this Place, prepare
thy self for those Rytes that appertaine to thy function,
and the honour of such Deities, and to the
end thou mayst haue a fore-notion what Powers,
& who they are that come, take here this Prospectiue,
and therein note and tell what thou seest: for
well mayest thou there obserue their shadowes,
but their presence wil bereaue thee of all, saue admiration
and amazement, for who can looke vpon
such Powers and speake? And so I leaue thee.

Sybilla,
having receiued this Message, and the Prospectiue, vseth these words.

What haue I seene? where am I? or do
I see at all? or am I any where? was this
Iris, (the Messenger of Iuno) or els but a fantasme
or imagination? will the diuine Goddesses
vouchsafe to visit this poore Temple? Shall I be
blest, to entertaine so great Powers? it can bee
but a Dreame: yet so great Powers haue blest,
as humble roofes, & vse, out of no other respect,
then their owne gracefulnes to shine where they
will. But what Prospectiue is this? or what shall
I herein see? Oh admirable Powers! what sights
are these?

Iuno.
First here Imperiall Iuno in her Chayre,
With Septer of cōmand for Kingdomes large
Descends all clad in colours of the Ayre,
Crown'd with bright Stars, to signifie her charge.
Pallas.
Next war-like Pallas, in her Helmet drest
With Lance of winning, Target of defence:
In whome both Wit and Courage are exprest,
To get with glory, hold with Prouidence.
Venus.
Then louely Venus in bright Maiestie,
Appeares with milde aspect, in Doue-like hue:
With th'all combyning Skarffe of Amitie,
T'ingird strange Nations with affections true.
Vesta.
Next Holy Vesta, with her flames of Zeale
Presents her selfe, clad in white Puritie:
Whose booke, the soules sweet comfort, doth reueale
By the euer-burning Lampe of Pietie.
Diana.
Then chaste Diana, in her Robes of greene,
With weapons of the Wood her self addrests
To blesse the Forrests, where her power is seene,
In peace with all the world, but Sauage beasts.
Proserpina.
Next rich Proserpina, with flames of gold,
Whose state altho within the earth, yet she
Comes from aboue, & in her hand doth hold
The Myne of wealth, with cheerfull Maiestie.
Macaria.
Then all in purple Robes, rich Happinesse
Next her appeares, bearing in either hand,
Th'Ensignes both of wealth, and wits t'expresse,
That by them both, her Maiestie doth stand.
Concordia.
Next all in partie-coloured Robes appeares,
In white and crimson, gracefull Concord drest
With knots of Vnion, and in hand she beares
The happy joyned Roses of our rest.
Astrea.
Cleare-eyed Astrea, nex, twith reuerent brow
Clad in Cœlestiall hue, (which best she likes)
Comes with her Ballance, and her sword to shew
That first her judgement weighs before it strikes.
Flora.
Then cheerefull Flora, all adorn'd with flowers,
Who cloaths the earth with beautie & delight
In thousand sundry suits, whilst shining houres
Will skarce afford a darknesse to the night.
Ceres.
Next plenteous Ceres in her Haruest weede,
Crown'd with th'increase of what she gaue to keepe:
To gratitude & faith: in whom we read,
VVho sowes on Vertue shall with glory reape.
Tethis.
Lastly comes Tethis, Albions fairest loue,
Whō she in faithfull Armes deigne t'embrace
And brings the Trydent of her Power, t'approue
The kinde respect she hath to do him grace.
Thus haue I read their shadowes, but behold!
In glory, where they come as Iris tolde!

The three Graces
, comming to the vpper part of the Hall, sang this Song, while the Goddesses deliuered their Presents.
Gratia sum 1 dantium, 2 reddentiū, 3 & promerentium.

The Song being ended, and the Maskers in the middest of the Hall, disposing themselues to their Daunce: Sybilla hauing placed ther seuerall Presents on the Altar, vtterreth these words.
O power of powers, grāt to our vowes we pray,
That these faire blessings which we now erect
In Figures left vs here, in substance may
Be those great props of glory and respect.

1
Let kingdomes large,

2
let armed policie,

3
Milde loue,

4
true Zeale,

5
right shouting at the white
Of braue disignes:

6
let wealth,

7
felicitie,

8
Iustice,

9
& cōcord,

10
pleasure,

11
plenty,

12
might
And power by Sea, with Grace proportionate,
Make glorious both the Soueraigne & his State.

After this the Maskers danced their owne Measures, which being ended, and they ready to take out the Lords, the 3. Graces sang.

The Maskers hauing ended their dauncing with the Lordes, Iris giues warning of their departure.
Iris.

As I was the ioyfull Messenger to notifie the
comming, so am I now the same of the departure
of these diuine powers. Who hauing cloathed
themselues with these apparances, doe now
returne back againe to the Spheres of their owne
being from, whence they came. But yet, of my
selfe, this much I must reueale, though against the
warrant of a Messenger; who I knowe had better
to faile in obedience then in presumption,
that these Deities by the motion of the all-directing
Pallas, the glorious Patronesse of this mightie
Monarchy, descending in the Maiestie of their
inuisible essence, vpon yonder Mountaine, found
there, the best, (and most worthily the best) of
Ladies, disporting with her choysest Attendants,
whose formes they presently vndertooke,
as delighting to be in the best-built-Temples of
Beautie and Honour. And in them vouchsafed to
appeare in this manner, being otherwise no obiects
for mortall eyes. And no doubt, but that in
respect of the persons vnder whose beautifull couerings

they haue thus presēted themselues, these
Deities, will be pleased the rather at their inuocation
(knowing all their desires to be such) as euermore
to grace this glorious Monarchy with the
Reall effects of these blessings represented.

After this, they fel to a short departing daunce, and so ascend the Mountayne.