University of Virginia Library

At the entrance of the King.

The first Trauers was drawne, and the lower descent of the Mountaine discouered; which was the Pendant of a hill to

life, with diuers boscages and Grouets vpon the steepe or hanging grounds thereof, and at the foote of the Hill, foure delicate Fountaines running with water and bordered with sedges and water flowers.

Jris first appeared, and presently after Mercurie striuing to ouertake her.

Jris apparelled in a robe of discoulored Taffita figured in variable colours, like the Raine-bowe, a cloudie wreath on her head, and Tresses.

Mercurie in doublet and hose of white Taffita, a white hat, wings on his shoulders and feet, his Caduceus in his hand, speaking to Jris as followeth.

Mercvrie.
Stay, Stay.
Stay light foot Iris, for thou striuest in vaine,
My wings are nimbler then thy feete.

Iris.
Away,
Dissembling Mercury; my messages
Aske honest haste, not like those wanton ones
Your thundring father sends.

Mercvrie.
Stay foolish Maid,
Or I will take my rise vpon a hill,
When I perceiue thee seated in a cloud,
In all the painted glorie that thou hast,
And neuer cease to clap my willing wings,
Till I catch hold to thy discolour'd Bow,
And shiuer it beyond the angry power
Of your curst Mistresse, to make vp againe.

Iris.
Hermes forbeare, Iuno will chide and strike;
Is great Ioue iealous that I am imploy'd
On her loue errands? she did neuer yet
Claspe weake mortalitie in her white armes,
As he hath often done: I onely come
To celebrate the long wisht Nuptials,
Heere in Olympia, which are now perform'd
Betwixt two goodly Riuers, which haue mixt
Their gentle rising waues, and are to grow
Into a thousand streames, great as themselues;
I need not name them, for the sound is lowde
In heauen and earth, and I am sent from her
The Queene of Mariage, that was present heere,
And smil'd to see them ioyne, and hath not chid
Since it was done: good Hermes let me go.

Mercvrie.
Nay you must stay, Ioues message is the same,
Whose eies are lightning, and whose voice is thunder,
Whose breath is any winde, he will, who knowes
How to be first on earth as well as heauen.

Iris.
But what hath he to doe with Nuptiall rights?
Let him keepe state vpon his starry throne,
And fright poore mortals with his thunderbolts,
Leauing to vs the mutuall darts of eyes.

Mercvrie.
Alas, when euer offer'd he t'abridge
Your Ladies power, but onely row in these,
Whose match concernes his generall gouernment?
Hath not each god a part in these high ioyes?
And shall not he the King of gods presume
Without proud Iunoes licence? let her know
That when enamor'd Ioue first gaue her power
To linke soft hearts in Vndissolued bonds,
He then foresaw, and to himselfe reseru'd
The honor of this Mariage: thou shalt stand
Still as a Rocke, while I to blesse this feast
Will summon vp with my all charming rod,
The Nymphes of fountains, from whose watry locks
Hung with the dew of blessing and encrease,
The greedie Riuers take their nourishment.
You Nymphes, who bathing in your loued springs,
Beheld these Riuers in their infancie,
And ioy'd to see them, when their circled heads
Refresht' the aire, and spread the ground with flowers:
Rise from your Wells, and with your nimble feete
Performe that office to this happie paire;
Which in these plaines, you to Alpheus did;
When passing hence through many seas vnmixt,
He gain'd the fauour of his Arethuse.

Immediatlie vpon which speech foure Naiades arise gentlie out of their seuerall Fountaines, and present themselues vpon the Stage, attired in long habits of sea-greene Taffita, with bubbles of Christall intermixt with powdering of siluer resembling drops of water; blewish Tresses on their heads, garlands of Water-Lillies. They fall into a Measure, daunce a little, then make a stand.
Iris.
Is Hermes growne a louer, by what power
Vnknowne to vs, calls he the Naiades?

Mercvrie.
Presumptuous Iris, I could make thee daunce
Till thou forgott'st thy Ladies messages,
And rann'st backe crying to her, thou shalt know
My power is more, onely my breath, and this
Shall moue fix'd starres, and force the firmament
To yeeld the Hyades, who gouerne showers,
And dewie clouds, in whose dispersed drops
Thou form'st the shape of thy deceitfull Bow.
You maids, who yearely at appointed times,
Aduance with kindly teares, the gentle flouds,
Descend, and powre your blessing on these streames,
Which rolling downe from heauen aspiring hils,
And now vnited in the fruitfull vales;
Beare all before them rauisht with their ioy,
And swell in glorie till they know no bounds.

Fiue Hyades descend softly in a cloud from the firmament, to the middle part of the hill, apparelled in skie coloured Taffita robes, spangled like the Heauens, golden Tresses, and each a faire Starre on their head, from thence descend to the Stage, at whose sight the Naiades seeming to reioyce, meete and ioyne in a dance.
Iris.
Great witte and power hath Hermes to contriue
A liuelesse dance, which of one sexe consists.

Mercvrie.
Alas poore Iris, Venus hath in store
A secret Ambush of her winged boyes,
Who lurking long within these pleasant groues;
First strucke these Louers with their equall darts,
Those Cupids shall come forth, and ioyne with these,
To honor that which they themselues begun.

Enter foure Cupids from each side of the Boscage, attired in flame coloured Taffita close to their bodie like naked Boyes, with Bowes, Arrowes, and wings of gold: Chaplets of flowers on their heads, hoodwinckt with Tiffiny scarfs, who ioyne with the Nymphes, and the Hyades in another daunce. That ended, Jris speakes.
Iris.
Behold the Statuaes which wise Vulcan plac'd
Vnder the Altar of Olympian Ioue,
Shall daunce for ioy of these great Nuptialls:
And gaue to them an Artificiall life,
See how they moue, drawne by this heauenly ioy,
Like the wilde trees, which follow'd Orpheus Harpe.

The Statuaes enter, supposed to be before descended from Joues Altar, and to haue been prepared in the couert with the Cupids, attending their call.
These Statuaes were attired in cases of gold and siluer close to their bodie, faces, hands and feete, nothing seene but gold and siluer, as if they had been solid Images of mettall, Tresses of haire as they had been of mettall imbossed, girdles and small aprons of oaken leaues, as if they likewise had been carued or molded out of the mettall: at their comming the Musicke changed from Violins to Hoboyes, Cornets, &c. And the ayre of the Musicke was vtterly turned into a soft time, with drawing notes, excellently expressing their natures, and the Measure likewise was fitted vnto the same, and the Statuaes placed in such seuerall postures, sometimes all together in the Center of the daunce, and sometimes in the foure vtmost Angles, as was very gracefull besides the noueltie: and so concluded the first Anti-masque.
Mercvrie.
And what will Iunoes Iris do for her?

Iris.
Iust match this shew; or my Inuention failes,
Had it beene worthier, I would haue inuok'd
The blazing Comets, Clouds and falling Starres,
And all my kindred Meteors of the Ayre
To haue excell'd it, but I now must striue
To imitate Confusion, therefore thou
Delightfull Flora, if thou euer felt'st
Encrease of sweetnesse in those blooming plants,
On which the hornes of my faire bow decline;
Send hither all the Rurall company,
Which decke the May games with their Countrey sports;
Iuno will haue it so.

The second Anti-masque rush in, daunce their Measure, and as rudely depart, consisting of a Pedant.            

May Lord,	May Lady.
Seruingman,	Chambermaide.
A Countrey Clowne, or Shepheard,	Countrey Wench.
An Host,	Hostesse.
A Hee Baboone,	Shee Baboone.
A Hee Foole,	Shee Foole vshering them in.

All these persons apparelled to the life, the Men issuing out of one side of the Boscage, and the Woemen from the other: the Musicke was extremely well fitted, hauing such a spirit of Countrey iolitie, as can hardly be imagined, but the perpetuall laughter and applause was aboue the Musicke.
The dance likewise was of the same strain, and the Dancers, or rather Actors expressed euery one their part so naturally, and aptly, as when a Mans eye was caught with the one, and then past on to the other, hee could not satisfie himselfe which did best. It pleased his Maiestie to call for it againe at the end, as he did likewise for the first Anti-masque, but one of the Statuaes by that time was vndressed.
Mercvrie.
Iris we striue,
Like windes at libertie, who should do worst
Ere we returne. If Iuno be the Queene
Of Mariage, let her giue happie way
To what is done, in honor of the State
She gouernes.

Iris.
Hermes, so it may be done
Meerely in honor of the State, and these
That now haue prou'd it, not to satisfie
The lust of Iupiter, in hauing thankes
More then his Iuno, if thy snakierod
Haue power to search the heauens, or sound the sea,
Or call together all the ends of earth,
To bring in any thing that may do grace
To vs, and these; do it, we shall be pleas'd.

Mercvry.
Then know that from the mouth of Ioue himselfe,
Whose words haue wings, and need not to be borne;
I tooke a message, and I bare it through
A thousand yeelding clouds, and neuer stai'd
Till his high will was done: the Olympian games
Which long haue slept, at these wish'd Nuptials,
He pleas'd to haue renew'd, and all his Knights
Are gathered hither, who within their tents
Rest on this hill, vpon whose rising head.
Behold Ioues Altar, and his blessed Priests
Mouing about it: come you holy men,
And with your voices draw these youthes along,
That till Ioues musicke call them to their games,
Their actiue sports may giue a blest content
To those, for whom they are againe begun.

The Maine Masque.

The second Trauers is drawne, and the higher ascent of the Mountaine is discouered, wherein vpon a leuell after a great rise of the Hill, were placed two Pauilions: open in the front of them, the Pauilions were to sight as of cloth of gold, and they were trimmed on the inside with rich Armour and Militarie furniture hanged vp as vpon the walles, and behind the Tents there were represented in prospectiue, the tops of diuers other Tents, as if it had been a Campe. In these Pauilions were placed fifteene Olympian Knights, vpon seates a little imbowed neere the forme of a Croisant, and the Knights appeared first, as consecrated persons all in vailes, like to Coapes, of siluer Tiffinie, gathered,

and falling a large compasse about them, and ouer their heads high Miters with long pendants behind falling from them, the Miters were so high, that they receiued their hats and feathers, that nothing was seene but vaile: in the midst betweene both the Tents vpon the very top of the hill, being a higher leuell then that of the Tents, was placed Jupiters Altar gilt, with three great Tapers vpon golden Candlesticks burning vpon it: and the foure Statuaes, two of gold, and two of siluer, as supporters, and Jupiters Priests in white robes about it.

Vpon the sight of the King, the vailes of the Knights did fall easilie from them, and they appeared in their owne habit.

The Knights attire.
Arming doublets of Carnation satten embrodered with Blazing Starres of siluer plate, with powderings of smaller Starres betwixt, gorgets of siluer maile, long hose of the same, with the doublets laide with siluer lace spangled, and enricht with embroderie betweene the ace: Carnation silke stockins imbrodered all ouer, garters and roses sutable: Pumpes of Carnation satten imbrodered as the doublets, hats of the same stuffe and embroderie cut like a helmet before, the hinder part cut into Scallops, answering the skirts of their doublets: the bands of the hats were wreathes of siluer in forme of garlands of wilde Oliues, white feathers with one fall of Carnation, Belts of the same stuffe and embrodered with the doublet: Siluer swords, little Italian bands and cuffes embrodered with siluer, faire long Tresses of haire.
The Priests habits.
Long roabes of white Taffita, long white heads of haire. The high Priest a cap of white silke shagge close to his head, with two labels at the eares, the midst rising in forme of a Pyramis, in the top thereof a branch of siluer, euery Priest playing vpon a Lute: twelue in number.
The Priests descend and sing this song following, after whom the Knights likewise descend: first laying aside their vailes, belts, and swords.
The first Song.
Shake off your heauy traunce,
And leape into a daunce,
Such as no mortals vse to treade,
Fit only for Apollo
To play to, for the Moone to lead,
And all the Starres to follow.

The Knighs by this time are all descended and fallen into their place, and then daunce their first Measure.
The second Song.
On blessed youthes, for Ioue doth pause
Laying aside his grauer lawes
For this deuice,
And at the wedding such a paire,
Each daunce is taken for a praier,
Each song a sacrifice.

The Knights daunce their second Measure.
The third Song.
Single.
More pleasing were these sweet delights,
Jf Ladies mou'd as well as Knights;
Runne eu'ry one of you and catch
A Nymph in honor of this match;
And whisper boldly in her eare,
Joue will but laugh, if you for sweare.

All.
And this dayes sinnes he doth resolue
That we his Priests should all absolue.

The Knights take their Ladies to daunce with them Galliards, Durets, Corantoes, &c. and leade them to their places. Then loude Musicke found's, supposed to call them to their Olympian games.

The fourth Song.
Ye should stay longer if we durst,
Away, alas that he that first
Gaue Time wilde wings to fly away,
Hath now no power to make him stay.
But though these games must needs be plaid,
J would this Paire, when they are laid,
And not a creature nie them,
Could catch his scythe, as he doth passe,
And cut his wings, and breake his glasse,
And keepe him euer by them.

The Knights daunce their parting Measure and ascend, put on their Swords and Belts, during which time the Priests sing the fifth and last Song.
Peace and silence be the guide
To the Man, and to the Bride,
Jf there be a ioy yet new
Jn mariage, let it fall on you,
That all the world may wonder.
Jf we should stay, we should doe worse,
And turne our blessing to a curse,
By keeping you a sunder.