 | Londini Speculum : Or Londons Mirror |  |
St. Katherines
speech by Water.
A free admittance on these curled waves,
Who doth from long antiquity professe
Her selfe to be your gratious Patronesse:
Oft have I on a passant Lyon sate,
And through your populous streets beene borne in state:
Oft have I grac'ty our Triumphes on the shore,
But on the Waters was not seene before.
That I thus change my Element? you shall:
When Triton with his pearly trumpets blew
A streperous blast, to summon all the crew
Of Marine gods and goddesses to appeare,
(As the annuall custome is) and meet you here:
As they were then in councell to debate,
What honour they might adde unto the state
Of this Inauguration; there appear'd
God Mercury, who would from Jove be heard:
His Caducæus silence might command,
Whilst all attentive were to understand
The tenor of his message: who thus spake.
That faire designe and purpose you intend;
But he beheld a Machine from an high,
Which at first sight daz'd his immortall eye;
A royall Arke, whose bright and glorious beams
Rivall the Sunnes, ready to proove your streames:
A vessell of such beauty, burthen, state,
That all the high Powers were amaz'd thereat;
So beautified, so munified, so clad,
As might an eight to the seaven wonders adde:
VVhich must be now your charge; 'twas Ioves owne motion,
That all of you attend her to the Ocean.
(To shew that o're you they indulgent are)
That Neptune from his Chariot bad me chuse
Two of his best Sea-horses, to excuse
His inforc't absence: Thames (whose breast doth swell
Still with that glorious burthen) bad me tell,
That Ioves command shall be no sooner done,
But every Tide he'le on your errands runne
From hence to the Lands end, and thence againe
Backe, to conveigh your trafficke from the Maine:
My message thus delivered; now proceed
To take your oath, there is no further need
Of my assistance; who on Land will meete you,
And with the state of greater Triumphes greete you.
These few following Lines may, (and not impertinently) be added unto Jupiters message, delivered by Mercury, which though too long for the Bardge, may perhaps not shew lame in the booke, as being lesse troublesome to the Reader than the Rower.
Thy selfe to thousand figures, 'tis not strange
VVith thee, thou old Sea-prophet, throng the seas
With Phorcus Daughters, the Nereides,
And all the blew-hair'd Nymphes, in number more,
Than Barkes that float, or Pibbles on the shore:
Take Æolus along to fill her sailes
With prosperous windes, and keepe within his gailes
Tempestuous gusts: which was no sooner said,
But done: for all the Marine gods obey'd.
The second show, but the first by Land, is presented by the great Philosopher Pythagoras, Samius, the sonne of Menarchus; which being outwardly Sphericall and Orbicular, yet being opened it quadrates it selfe iust into so many Angles as there be Scepters, over which his Sacred Maiesty beareth title: namely, England, Scotland, France, and Jreland, concerning which number of foure, I thus Read: Pythagoras and his Schollers, who taught in his schooles, that Ten was the nature and soule of all number; one Reason which he gave (to omit the rest) was, because all nations, as well civill as barbarous, can tell no farther than to the Denary, which is Ten, and then returne in their account unto the Monady, that is one: For example, from Tenne wee proceed to Eleven and Twelve,
Againe hee affirmeth, that the strength and vertue of all number consisteth in the quaternion; for beginning with one, two, three and foure, put them together and they make ten; he saith further, that the nature of number consisteth in ten, and the faculty of number is comprized in foure: in which respect the Pythagoreans expresse their holy oath in the quaternion, which they cal'd τετρακτιν, as may appear in these words.
Per tibi nostræ animæ præbentem tetrada Iuro,Naturæ fontemque & firmamenta perennis.
For they held the soule of man to subsist in that number, proportionating it into these foure Faculties, Mens, Scientia, Opinio, Sensus, the Mind, Knowledge, Opinion, and Sence, and therefore according to that number Pythagoras frames his Speech, alluding to those foure Kingdomes over which his Maiesty beareth title.
The Speech of the second Show, delivered in Paules Church-yard.
[Pythagoras]
Sacred 's the number foure, Philosophers say,
And beares an happy Omen; as this day
Namely, the Water, Earth, the Aire, and Fire,
To make up man: the colours in him bred
Are also foure, White, Pallid, Blacke, and red:
Of foure Complexions he existeth soly,
Flegmaticke, Sanguine, Choler, Melancholy.
His meate foure severall digestions gaines,
In Stomacke, Liver, Members, and the Veines.
Foure qualities cald primæ within lie,
Which are thus titled, Hot, Cold, Moist, and Drie.
He acts his whole life on this earthy stage,
In Child-hood, Youth, Man-hood, Decripit age.
The very day that doth afford him light,
Is Morning, the Meridian, Evening, Night.
Foure seasons still successively appeare,
Which put together make a compleat yeare.
The earth, with all the Kingdomes therein guided,
Is into foure distinguish'd parts devided.
The foure Windes from the Worlds foure quarters blow,
Eurus, Favonius, Auster, Aquilo.
All Morall vertues we in foure include,
As Prudence, Iustice, Temperance Fortitude.
Court, City, Campe, and Countrey, the foure C C C s;
Which represent to us the foure degrees,
Requir'd in every faire and flourishing Land,
Substract but one a Kingdome cannot stand.
Foure Colonels are in this City knowne,
Of which you, honoured Sir, have long beene one:
And those foure Crownes, (for so the high Powers please)
Embleme the Kings foure Scepters, and foure Seas.
The fift Imperiall Arch above, proclaimes
That glorious Crowne, at which his Highnesse aimes.
And yours beneath Him, in the number foure.
The third Show.
The third Pageant or Show meerly consisteth of Anticke gesticulations, dances, and other Mimicke postures, devised onely for the vulgar, who are better delighted with that which pleaseth the eye, than contenteth the eare, in which we imitate Custome, which alwaies carrieth with it excuse: neither are they altogether to be vilefied by the most supercilious, and censorious, especially in such a confluence, where all Degrees, Ages, and Sexes are assembled, every of them looking to bee presented with some fancy or other, according to their expectations and humours: Since grave and wise men have beene of opinion, that it is convenient, nay necessitous, upon the like occasions, to mixe seria iocis; for what better can set off matter, than when it is interlaced with mirth? From that I proceede to the fourth.
The fourth Show.
It beareth the Title of an Imperiall Fort: nor is it compulsive, that here I should argue what a Fort is, a Skonce, or a Cittadall, nor what a Counterskarfe, or halfe Moone, &c. is; nor what the opposures or defences are: my purpose is onely to expresse my selfe thus farre, that this Fort which is stil'd Imperiall, defenc'd with men and officers, suiting their functions and places proper to such a muniment; doth in the morall include his Majesties royall chamber, which is the City of London, for to that onely purpose was the project intended.
The Speaker is Bellona, whom some held to be the Daughter, some the Sister, others the Nurse of Mars the
Bellonaes
Speech upon the Imperiall Fort.
Of an Imperiall Fort, apt for that spheare
In which you now moove, borrowing all her grace,
As well from your owne person, as your place;
For you have past through all degrees that tended
Vnto that height which you have now ascended.
A Souldier, Captaine, and a Colonell.
And now in times faire progresse, to crowne all,
Of this Metropolis chiefe Generall.
You, of this Embleme, which this day we bring,
To represent the Chamber of the King,
Are the prime governour: a Royall Fort,
And strongly scited, as not built for sport,
But for example and defence: a Tower
Supported by no lesse than Soveraigne power:
And Charites have here their severall places.
Here Piety, true Zeale, study of Peace,
(By which small mites to Magozines increase)
Have residence: now opposite there are
To these, and with them at continuall warre,
Pride, Arrogance, Sloath, Vanity, Prestigion,
Prophanesse, the contempt of true Religion,
With thousands more, who assiduatly waite
This your Imperiall Fort to insidiate.
Like sound in Triumphes, and for funerall knels;
Marriage and death to them appeare all one,
Masking nor mourning cannot change their tone:
With our Fort 'tis not so, whose faire pretence, is
To comply with the nature of offence,
Errors: she knowes in low termes how to chide
Great faults, with greater noise are terrifi'd:
But she can load her Cannons, and speake loud
To encounter with the arrogant and proud:
Whats further in your Prætorship assign'd,
You, in your Londons Mirrour there may find.
The fifth show, cald Londons Mirrour.
This beareth the title of the whole Triumphe; of Glasses pertinent to this our purpose, there bee severall sorts, as Opticke, Perspective, Prospective, Multiplying, &c. The presenter is Visus, or Sight; for what the minde is to the soule, the same is the eye to the body, being the most precious part thereof. Sight is the most soveraigne sence, the first of five, which directeth man to the studdy & search of knowledge & wisedome; the eyes are placed in the head as in a Citadel, to be watch-towers
We reade that one Marcus Varro was sir-named Strabo, for the excellency and quicknesse of his sight, who from Libæum, a Province in Scicilia, could distinguish and give an exact account of all-such ships as came out of the haven of Carthage, which two places some hold to be more than an hundred Italian leagues distant: indeed no man can better estimate the vertue and value of the sight, than he that is made blinde and wants it, neither could I devise a more apt Speaker to present this Mirrour, than the sence of the sight, without which, the purest Christall is of no use at all.
The Pageant it selfe is decored with glasses of all sorts: the persons upon or about it are beautifull Children, every one of them expressing their natures and conditions in the impresaes of their shields, eight of the prime of which suiting with the quality of the Optick sence, beare these severall Inscriptions: Aspice, Despice, Conspice, Prospice, Perspice, Inspice, Circumspice Respice:
Ουσις, or Opsis the Speaker.
(Now best complying with the place and time)
Presenting Londons Mirrour, and this Glasse
Shewes not alone what she is, or once was,
But that the spacious Vniverse might see
In her, what their great Cities ought to be;
That every forraigne Magistrate from hence
Might learne how to dispose his Opticke sence.
Desartfull men whom this Age frowneth on.
And Despice cast downe thy powerfull eye
On the poore wretch that doth beneath thee lye.
With meditation, ere thou iudge a cause.
Prospice bids looke a farre off, and view
(Before conclude) what dangers may insue.
Perspice wils, in sifting doubts, then scan
The nature of the matter with the man.
Let every cause be searcht, and duely sought,
Saith Inspice, ere thou determinst ought.
Circumspice saith, looke about to immure
So great a charge, that all within be sure.
Considerate Respice inioynes thee last,
To cast thine eyes backe upon all things past.
To examine her without, and then within,
What Architectures, Palaces, what Bowers,
What Citadels, what turrets, and what towers?
Who in her age grew pregnant; brought a bed
Of a New Towne, and late delivered
Of such a burthen, as in few yeares space,
Can almost speake all tongues, (to her more grace.)
Then her Cathedrals, Temples new reparing,
An act of true devotion, no man sparing
His helping hand; and many, 'tis well knowne,
To further Gods house have forgot their owne.
But let them come within to anatomize her.
Her Prætor, scarlet Senate, Liveries,
The ordering of her brave societies:
Divine Astræa here in equall scale
Doth ballance Iustice, Truth needes not looke pale,
Nor poverty deiected, th'Orphants cause,
And Widowes plea finde helpe; no subtile clause
And upright doome in every Court appearing:
Still to preserve her so, be't your indeavour,
And she in you, you her shall live for ever.
I come now to the Linvoy, or last Speech, when his Lordship, after his dayes long and tedious trouble, retireth himselfe to his rest at night, in which Pythagoras the Speaker briefly runs over the passages of the Pageants before expressed after this manner.
The Speech at Night.
We to a Valediction are confin'd,
(Right Honoured) and intreat You beare in minde
What was this Day presented: Your chiefe Saint
A Martyr once of the Church militant,
But now of the tryumphant, bids You spare
Your selfe this Night: for to a World of Care
You are ingag'd to morrow, which must last
Till the whole progresse of Your Yeere be past.
The Spheare-like Globe quadrated, lets You know,
What Pro-Rex doth to the foure Scepters owe.
Your Military honours, (in your Dayes
Of lesse command) th'Imperiall Fort displayes,
And Londons Mirrour, that all men may see
What Magistrates have beene, and ought to be.
Set is the Sunne long since, and now the Light
Quite fayling us, Thrice Honourd Sir, good Night.
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