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Cho. Which from the sea flow'd forth upon the sense,
To wonder first, and next to excellence,
By virtue of divine intelligence!

Here follow the REVELS.

Which ended, the scene changeth to a garden, and the heavens opening, there appear four new persons, in form of a Constellation, sitting; or a new Asterism, expecting VENUS, whom they call upon with this

SONG.

JUPITER, JUNO, GENIUS, Hymen.

Jup. Haste, daughter Venus, haste and come away,
Jun. All powers that govern marriage, pray
That you will lend your light,

Gen. Unto the constellation of this night.
Hym. Hymen.

Jun. And Juno.

Gen. And the Genius call.

Jup. Your father Jupiter.

Grand Cho. And all

That bless or honour holy nuptial.

VENUS here appears in a cloud, and passing through the Constellation, descendeth to the earth, when presently the cloud vanisheth, and she is seen sitting in a throne.

Ven.

Here, here I present am

Both in my girdle, and my flame;
Wherein are woven all the powers
The Graces gave me, or the Hours,
My nurses once, with all the arts
Of gaining, and of holding hearts :
And these with I descend.
But, to your influences, first commend
The vow, I go to take

On earth, for perfect love and beauty's sake.

Her song ended, and she rising up to go to the queen, the throne disappears: in place of which, there shooteth up a palm-tree with an imperial crown on the top; from the root whereof, lilies and roses twining together, and embracing the stem, flourish through the crown; which she in the SONG with the CHORUs describes.

Grand Cho. Beauty and Love, whose story is mysterial,
In yonder palm-tree, and the crown imperial,
Do from the Rose and Lily, so delicious,
Promise a shade, shall ever be propitious
To both the kingdoms. But to Britain's Genius
The snaky rod, and serpents of Cyllenius

Bring not more peace than these, who so united be
By Love, as with it earth and heaven delighted be.
And who this king and queen would well historify,
Need only speak their names; these them will glorify:
MARY and CHARLES, Charles with his Mary named

are,

And all the rest of loves or princes famed are.

After this, they DANCE their going out.

AND THUS IT ENDED.

CHLORIDIA.

RITES TO CHLORIS AND HER NYMPHS.

PERSONATED IN A MASQUE AT COURT. BY THE QUEEN'S MAJESTY, AND HER LADIES,

AT SHROVE-TIDE, 1630.

The Inventors, BEN JONSON; INIGO JONES.

Unius tellus ante coloris erat.

са

CHLORIDIA.] From the undated 4to. but probably printed in 1630 it is also in the fol. 1641. See the observations on Love's Triumph. No mention of Jones occurs in the 4to. edition of this Masque; though his name is found in the folio.

CHLORIDIA.

[graphic]

HE King and Queen's majesty having given their command for the invention of a new argument, with the whole change of the scene, wherein her majesty, with the like number of her ladies, purposed a presentation to the king; it was agreed, it should be the celebration of some rites done to the goddess Chloris, who, in a general council of the gods, was proclaimed goddess of the flowers; according to that of Ovid, in the Fasti,

-Arbitrium tu Dea floris habe.

And was to be stellified on earth, by an absolute decree from Jupiter, who would have the earth to be adorn'd with stars, as well as the heaven.

Upon this hinge the whole invention moved.

The ornament which went about the scene, was composed of foliage, or leaves heighten'd with gold, and interwoven with all sorts of flowers, and naked children, playing and climbing among the branches; and in the midst a great garland of flowers, in which was written, CHLORIDIA.

The curtain being drawn up, the scene is discovered, consisting of pleasant hills, planted with young trees, and all the lower banks adorned with flowers. And from some hollow parts of those hills, fountains come gliding down; which, in the far-off landscape, seemed all to be converted to a river.

Over all a serene sky, with transparent clouds,

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