Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub

Here, perfect lovers, you must pay

First fruits; and on these altars lay (The ladies' breasts), your ample vows, Such as Love brings and Beauty best allows! Cho. For Love without his object soon is gone:

Love must have answering love to look upon.

Amph. To you, best judge then of perfection!

Euph. The queen of what is wonder in the place!

Amph. Pure object of heroic love alone!
Euph. The centre of proportion !-
Amph.
Sweetness!
Euph.
Amph. Deign to receive all lines of love

in one.

Grace !

Euph. And by reflecting of them fill this space.

Cho. Till it a circle of those glories prove, Fit to be sought in beauty, found by love. Semi-cho. Where love is mutual, still

All things in order move.

The circle of the will

Is the true sphere of love. Cho. Advance, you gentler Cupids, then, advance,

And show your just perfections in your dance,

The CUPIDS dance their dance; and the

MASQUERS their Entry.

Which done, EUCLIA, or a fair Glory, appears in the heavens, singing an applausive SONG or Pean of the whole, which she takes occasion to ingeminate in the second chorus, upon the sight of a work of Neptune's, being a hollow rock, filling part of the sea-prospect,

whereon the MUSES sit.

[blocks in formation]

Love's appetite

Did beauty first excite :
And left imprinted in the air
Those signatures of good and fair,
Cho. Which since have flowed, flowed
forth upon the sense,

To wonder first, and then to excellence,
By virtue of divine intelligence!
The Ingemination.

And Neptune too,

Shews what his waves can do:
To call the Muses all to play,
And sing the birth of Venus' day,
Cho. Which from the sea flowed 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

[blocks in formation]

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

a

On earth, for perfect love and beauty's sake. Her song ended, and she rising to go up to the queen, the throne disappears: in place of which, there shooteth up 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,

[blocks in formation]

10

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.

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.

The 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 adorned 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, heightened 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, giving a great lustre to the whole work; which did imitate the pleasant Spring.

When the spectators had enough fed their eyes with the delights of the Scene, in a part of the air a bright cloud begins to break forth; and in it is sitting a plump boy, in a changeable garment richly adorned, representing the mild ZEPHYRUS. On the other side of the Scene, in a purplish cloud, appeareth the SPRING, a beautiful maid, her upper garment green, under it a white robe wrought with flowers; a garland on her head.

Here ZEPHYRUS begins his dialogue, calling her forth, and making narration of the gods' decree at large, which she obeys, pretending it is come to earth already; and there begun to be executed by the King's favour, who assists with all bounties that may be either urged as causes or reasons of the Spring.

FIRST SONG.

Zeph. Come forth, come forth, the gentle
Spring,

And carry the glad news I bring,

To earth, our common mother:

It is decreed by all the gods,

That heaven of earth shall have no odds,
But one shall love another.

Their glories they shall mutual make,
Earth look on heaven, for heaven's sake,
Their honours shall be even :
All emulation cease, and jars,
Jove will have earth to have her stars

And lights, no less than heaven.
Spring. It is already done, in flowers
As fresh and new as are the hours,

By warmth of yonder sun;
But will be multiplied on us,
If from the breath of Zephyrus

Like favour we have won.

Spring

Zeph. Give all to him. His is the dew,
The heat, the humour,
All the true
Beloved of the Spring!
Zeph. The sun, the wind, the verdure !
Spring.

That wisest nature cause can call

Of quickening anything.

All

At which ZEPHYRUS passeth away through the air, and the SPRING descendeth to the earth; and is received by the NAIADES, or Napec, who are the nymphs, FOUNTAINS, and servants of

Not to be called unto their guild,
But slightly passed by as a child.
Fountains. Wherein he thinks his honour
was perverted.

Spring. And though his mother seek to

season,

And rectify his rage with reason,
By shewing he lives yet under her command,
Rebellious he doth disobey,

And she hath forced his arms away.
Fountains. To make him feel the justice
of her hand.

Whereat the boy, in fury fell,
With all his speed is gone to hell,
There to excite and stir up jealousy.
To make a party 'gainst the gods,

And set heaven, earth, and hell at odds. Fountains. And raise a chaos of calamity. The Song ended, the Nymphs fall into a dance, to their voices and instruments, and so return into the scene.

The ANTIMASQUE.

A part of the under-ground opening, out of it enter a DWARF post from hell, riding on a curtal, with cloven feet, and two Lacqueys: these DANCE, and make the first entry of the ANTIMASQUE. He alights and speaks.

lacquey; and look to my curtal, the other; Dwarf. Hold my stirrup, my one walk him well, sirrah, while I expatiate myself here in the report of my office. Oh the Furies! how I am joyed with the title of it! Postillion of hell! yet no Mercury, but a mere cacodæmon, sent hither with a packet of news! News! never was hell so Fountains. Fair maid, but are you come furnished of the commodity of news! Love to dwell,

the season.

SECOND SONG,

And tarry with us here?

hath been lately there, and so entertained by Pluto and Proserpine, and all the gran

Spring. Fresh Fountains, I am come to dees of the place, as, it is there perpetual

tell

A tale in yond' soft ear,
Whereof the murmur will do well,
If you your parts will bear.
Fountains. Our purlings wait upon the
Spring.

Spring. Go up with me then; help to sing
The story to the king.
Here the SPRING goes up, singing the argu-
ment, to the King, and the FOUNTAINS
follow with the close.

Spring. Cupid hath ta'en offence of late
At all the gods, that of the state,
And in their council, he was so deserted,

holyday; and a cessation of torment granted and proclaimed for ever! Halffamished Tantalus is fallen to his fruit with that appetite as it threatens to undo the whole company of costard-mongers, and he has a river afore him running excellent wine. Ixion is loosed from his wheel and turned dancer, does nothing but cut capreols, fetch friskals, and leads lavoltos with the Lamia! Sisyphus has left rolling the stone, and is grown a master-bowler; challenges all the prime gamesters, parsons in hell, and gives them odds upon Tityus's breast, that (for six of the nine acres) is counted the subtlest bowling-ground in all

Tartary. All the Furies are at a game called nine-pins, or keils, made of old usurers' bones, and their souls looking on with delight and betting on the game! Never was there such freedom of sport. Danaus' daughters have broke their bottomless tubs and made bonfires of them. All is turned triumph there. Had hellgates been kept with half that strictness as the entry here has been to-night, Pluto would have had but a cold court and Pro

serpine a thin presence, though both have a vast territory. We had such a stir to get in, I and my curtal and my two lacqueys all ventured through the eye of a Spanish needle, we had never come in else, and that was by the favour of one of the guard who was a woman's tailor, and held ope the passage.-Cupid by commission hath carried Jealousy from hell, Disdain, Fear, and Dissimulation, with other goblins, to trouble the gods. And I am sent after, post, to raise TEMPEST, WINDS, LIGHTNINGS, THUNDER, RAIN, and SNOW, for some new exploit they have against the earth, and the goddess Chloris, queen of the flowers and mistress of the Spring. For joy of which I will return to myself, mount my bidet in a dance, and curvet upon my curtal.

Here he mounts his curtal, and with his lacqueys, danceth forth as he came in.

Second ENTRY.

[blocks in formation]

Seven with rugged white heads and beards, to express Snow, with flakes on their garments, mixed with hail. These having danced, return into the stormy Scene whence they came.

Tempest on an instant ceaseth; and the Here, by the providence of Juno, the scene is changed into a delicious place, figuring the Bower of CHLORIS, wherein

Cupid, Jealousy, Disdain, Fear, and Dis- an arbour feigned of goldsmith's-work, the simulation dance together.

Third ENTRY.

2

The queen's dwarf, richly apparelled, as a prince of hell, attended by six infernal

1 Is counted the subtlest bowling-ground in all Tartary.] i.e. the smoothest, finest: the expression occurs in Shakspeare:

"Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground." Coriolanus, act v.-WHAL.

ornament of which was borne up with termes of satyrs, beautified with festoons, garlands, and all sorts of fragrant flowers. Beyond all this, in the sky afar off, appeared a rainbow: in the most eminent place of

gigantic porter, in the character of Dr. Rat, to the inexpressible delight of the spectators, produced him out of his pocket.

But Jeffrey played a part in more serious affairs. He was sent some time after this to France to fetch a midwife for the queen; and on his return was captured by a Dunkirk priva2 The queen's dwarf.] Jeffrey Hudson. He teer. On the breaking out of the civil war, he was born at Oakham, in Rutlandshire. His held a commission in the cavalry, and followed father, who kept the Duke of Buckingham's his mistress to France. Here he had a dispute "baiting-bulls," and was, as Fuller says, a very with a Mr. Crofts, a young gentleman of proper man, broad-shouldered and broad-chested, family, which ended in a challenge. Crofts presented him to the Duchess, when he was nine came to the field armed with a squirt :-this years old, and scarcely a foot and a half in only served to exasperate matters; and a real height. In 1626, he was served up to the king duel ensued, in which Jeffrey shot his antago and queen, then upon a visit to Burleigh, in a nist dead upon the spot. For this (Fuller says) cold pye; and subsequently taken to White- he was imprisoned. hall, where he became the queen's page, and entered into the diversions of the court.

It is probable that he played Tom Thumb in the preceding Masque, in which Evans, the

He returned to England after the Restoration, and was involved in some trouble on account of what was called the Popish Plot. He died about 1683.

« iepriekšējāTurpināt »