Nor fell you in it by adventure, Cheer up the faint and trembling bride, With this, to a soft strain of music, they paced once about, in their ring, every pair making their honours, as they came before the state: and then dissolving, went down in couples, led on by Hymen, the bride, and auspices following, as to the nuptial bower. After them, the musicians with this SONG. Glad time is at his point arrived, And let no object stay, Nor banquets, but sweet kisses, Of this SONG then only one staff was sung; but because I made it both in form Venus's girdle, mentioned by Homer, Ili. §, which was feigned to be variously wrought with the needle, and in it woven love, desire, sweetness, soft parley, gracefulness, persuasion, and all the powers of Venus. See the words of Elius Verus in Spartian. So Cat. in Nupt. Jul. et Manlii hath it. Viden' ut faces splendidas quatiunt comas? and by and by after, aureas quatiunt comas. § This poem had for the most part versum intercalarem, or carmen amabæum: yet that not always one, but oftentimes varied, and sometimes neglected in the same song, as in ours you shall find observed. and matter to emulate that kind of poem which was called Epithalamium, and by the ancients used to be sung when the bride was led into her chamber, I have here set it down whole, and do heartily forgive their ignorance whom it chanceth not to please. Hoping that nemo doctus me jubeat Thalassionem verbis dicere non Thalassionis. EPITHALAMION. Glad time is at his point arrived, For which love's hopes were so long lived. Nor banquets, but sweet kisses, Shrink not, soft virgin, you will love To which you pressed are; Help, youths and virgins, help to sing From forth the mother's lap, It had the name à Thalamo; dictum est autem Oáλapos cubiculum Nuptiale primo suo significatu, rapà rò báλew dua, quod est simul genialem vitam agere Scal. in Poet. ex gremio matris: or (if she were wanting) ex The bride was always feigned to be ravished proxima necessitudine, because that had succeeded well to Romulus, who by force gat wives for him and his from the Sabines. See Fast. and that of Catui. Qui rapis teneram ad virum virginem. **When he is Phosphorus, yet the same star as I have noted before. That it might wealthy be, And you, her* mistress, see: Haste your own good to meet; Andt lift your golden feet Above the threshold high, With prosperous augury. Now, youths, let go your pretty arms; The place within chants other charms. Whole showers of roses flow; And violets seem to grow, Strewed in the chamber there, As Venus' mead it were. On Hymen, Hymen call, This night is Hymen's all. Good matrons, that so well are known Place you our bride to-night; But chaste and holy love, Now free from vulgar spite or noise, Now, you no fear controls, * At the entrance of the bride, the custom was to give her the keys, to signify that she was absolutely mistress of the place, and the whole disposition of the family at her care. Fest. † This was also another rite: that she might not touch the threshold as she entered, but was lifted over it. Servius saith, because it was sacred to Vesta, Plut. in Quæst. Rom. remembers divers causes. But that which I take to come nearest the truth, was only the avoiding of sorcerous drugs, used by witches to be buried under that place, to the destroying of marriage amity or the power of generation. See Alexand. in Genialibus and Christ. Landus upon Catul. For this, look Fest in Voc. Rapi. § Quo utroque mors propinqua alterius ulterius captari putatur. Fest. ib. A frequent surname of Venus, not of the place, as Cypria: but quòd parere faciat, ǹ rò KVELV Tapexovoa, Theoph. Phurnut. and the grammarians upon Homer, see them. | And look, before you yield to slumber, But keep the bride's fair eyes Then coin them 'twixt your lips so sweet, Nor may your murmuring loves As when your arms are twined: And, Juno, whose great powers protect That they may both ere day And Venus, ** thou, with timely seed, Nor let it prove a tomb : And when the babe to light is shown,1 Deus Naturæ, sive gignendi. And is the same in the male, as Juno in the female. Hence Genialis Lectus, qui nuptiis sternitur, in honorem Genii. Fest. Genius meus, quia me genuit. ** She hath this faculty given by all the ancients. See Hom. Iliad. 0. Lucret. in prim. Virg. in 2 Georg. &c. 1 And when the babe to light is shown, Let it be like each parent known.] This Epithalamium is an imitation of Catullus's poem upon the marriage of Julia and Manlius: the sentiments in general are Jonson's, though the above verses are evidently borrowed from the Latin: Sit suo similis patri On their heads they wore Persic crowns, that were with scrolls of gold plate turned outward, and wreathed about with a carna tion and silver net-lawn; the one end of which hung carelessly on the left shoulder; the other was tricked up before, in several degrees of folds, between the plaits, and set with rich jewels and great pearl. Their bodies were of carnation cloth of silver, richly wrought, and cut to express the naked, in manner of the Greek thorax; girt under the breasts with a broad belt of cloth of gold, embroidered, and fastened before with jewels: their labels were of white cloth of silver, laced, and wrought curiously between, suitable to the upper half of their sleeves; whose nether parts with their bases, were of watchet cloth of silver, cheveroned all over with lace. Their mantles were of severalcoloured silks, distinguishing their qualities, Hitherto extended the first night's solemnity, whose grace in the execution left not where to add unto it with wishing: I mean (nor do I court them) in those that sustained the nobler parts. Such was the exquisite performance as, beside the pomp, splendour, or what we may call apparelling of such presentments, that alone (had all else been absent) was of power to surprise | as they were coupled in pairs; the first, skywith delight, and steal away the spectators from themselves. Nor was there wanting whatsoever might give to the furniture or complement; either in riches or strangeness of the habits, delicacy of dances, magnificence of the scene, or divine rapture of music. Only the envy was, that it lasted not still, or, now it is past, cannot by imagination, much less description, be recovered to a part of that spirit it had in the gliding by. Yet that I may not utterly defraud the reader of his hope, I am drawn to give it those brief touches which may leave behind some shadow of what it was: and first of the attires. That of the lords, had part of it, for the fashion, taken from the antique Greek statue, mixed with some modern additions: which made it both graceful and strange. Et pudicitiam sua Matris indicet ore.-WHAL The couplet, as Whalley observes, may be borrowed from the Latin; or from the " prayer of every gossip" from the days of Inachus to the present. But had the commentator not a word of praise for this chaste and beautiful gem? Surely when he pronounced it to be imitated from the Latin, he might have added, without much suspicion of undue partiality to the author, that nothing so purely classical, so sprightly, and yet so simply elegant, was at the period of its appearance to be found among the poetic treasures of this country, either in the closet or on the stage. 1 Embroidered with O's.] An heraldic term for a kind of spangles. The word occurs in Parthenissa Sacra, 1633. The purple canopy colour; the second, pearl-colour; the third, flame-colour; the fourth, tawny; and these cut in leaves, which were subtily tacked up, and embroidered with O's, and between every rank of leaves a broad silver lace. They were fastened on the right shoulder, and fell compass down the back in gracious folds, and were again tied with a round knot to the fastening of their swords. Upon their legs they wore silver greaves, answering in work to their labels. And these were their accoutrements. The ladies' attire was wholly new, for the invention, and full of glory; as having in it the most true impression of a celestial figure: the upper part of white cloth of silver, wrought with Juno's birds and fruits; a loose under garment, full gathered, of carnation, striped with silver, and parted with a golden zone. Beneath that, another of the earth, powdered over and beset with silver O'es." And Sir Edmund d'Ewes, in his Journal of Queen Elizabeth's parliaments, p. 65, mentions a patent for "making spangles and O'es of gold." It is impossible to pass over this and what immediately follows without calling the attention of the reader to the richness,' elegance, and matchless vigour of Jonson's prose. By the commentators on Shakspeare he is never mentioned but as a hard, jejune, barbarous, and obscure writer; and under this character is handed down to us the great master of the English language, whose style is replete with beauties of every description, and in whose numerous prose (for to this the observation is now confined) may be found almost every epithet which has lent grace, and every variety of expression which has added manliness and precision to our tongue for the last two centuries. flowing garment of watchet cloth of silver, laced with gold; through all which, though they were round and swelling, there yet appeared some touch of their delicate lineaments, preserving the sweetness of proportion, and expressing itself beyond expression. The attire of their heads did answer, if not exceed; their hair being carelessly (but yet with more art than if more affected) bound under the circle of a rare and rich coronet, adorned with all variety and choice of jewels; from the top of which flowed a transparent veil down to the ground; whose verge returning up, was fastened to either side in most sprightly manner. Their shoes were azure and gold, set with rubies and diamonds; so were all their garments; and every part abounding in ornament. No less to be admired, for the grace and greatness, was the whole machine of the spectacle from whence they came: the first part of which was a MIKPOKOZMOZ, or globe, filled with countries, and those gilded; where the sea was exprest, heightened with silver waves. This stood, or rather hung (for no axle was seen to support it), and turning softly, discovered the first masque (as we have before, but too runningly, declared) which was of the men, sitting in fair composition, within a mine of several metals to which the lights were so placed as no one was seen; but seemed as if only Reason, with the splendour of her crown, illumined the whole grot. On the sides of this, which began the other part, were placed two great statues, feigned of gold, one of Atlas, the other of Hercules, in varied postures, bearing up the clouds, which were of relievo, embossed, and tralucent as naturals: to these a cortine of painted clouds joined, which * Atlas and Hercules, the figures mentioned before. 1 The clouds embossed and tralucent.] Translucent wave occurs in Comus. This word, says Warton, I always thought to be first used by Milton till I found it in Braithwaite, 1615. Warton might have found it ten years before where Milton himself found it, together with most of the beautiful and expressive epithets which he has used with such exquisite taste in his Masques. 2 The 4to continues thus: "The design and Act of all which, together with the device of their habits, belong properly to the merit and reputation of Master Inigo Jones, whom I take modest occasion in this fit place to remember, lest his own worth might accuse me of an ignorant neglect from my silence. reached to the utmost roof of the hall; and suddenly opening, revealed the three regions of air: in the highest of which sat Juno, in a glorious throne of gold, circled with comets and fiery meteors, engendered in that hot and dry region; her feet reaching to the lowest where was made a rainbow, and within it musicians seated, figuring airy spirits, their habits various, and resembling the several colours caused in that part of the air by reflection. The midst was all of dark and condensed clouds, as being the proper place where rain, hail, and other watery meteors are made; out of which two concave clouds from the rest thrust forth themselves (in nature of those Nimbi, wherein, by Homer, Virgil, &c., the gods are feigned to descend), and these carried the eight ladies over the heads of the two terms;* who, as the engine moved, seemed also to bow themselves (by virtue of their shadows) and discharge their shoulders of their glorious burden: when having set them on the earth, both they and the clouds gathered themselves up again, with some rapture of the beholders. But that which (as above in place, so in the beauty) was most taking in the spectacle, was the sphere of fire, in the top of all, encompassing the air, and imitated with such art and industry, as the spectators might discern the motion (all the time the shows lasted) without any mover; and that so swift as no eye could distinguish any colour of the light, but might form to itself five hundred several hues out of the tralucent body of the air, objected betwixt it and them. And this was crowned with a statue of Jupiter the Thunderer.2 "And here, that no man's deservings complain of injustice (though I should have done it timelier, I acknowledge), I do for honour's sake and the pledge of our friendship, name Master Alphonso Ferrabosco, a man planted by himself in that divine sphere, and mastering all the spirits of music. To whose judicial care, and as absolute performance, were committed all those difficulties both of song and otherwise. Wherein what his merit made to the soul of our invention would ask to be exprest in tunes no less ravishing than his. Virtuous friend, take well this abrupt testimony and think whose it is. It cannot be flattery in me, who never did it to great ones, and less than love and truth it is not where it is done out of knowledge. "The dancers were both made and taught by Master Thomas Giles, and cannot be more approved than they did themselves. Nor do I THE BARRIERS. On the next night, whose solemnity was of BARRIERS (all mention of the former being utterly removed and taken away), there appeared at the lower end of the hall a mist made of delicate perfumes; out of which (a battle being sounded under the stage) did seem to break forth two ladies, the one representing TRUTH, the other OPINION; but both so alike attired, as they could by no note be distinguished. The colour of their garments was blue, their socks white; they were crowned with wreaths of palm, and in their hand each of them sustained a palm-bough. These, after the mist was vanished, began to examine each other curiously with their eyes, and approaching the state, the one expostulated the other in this manner : Truth. Who art thou, thus that imitat'st my grace, In steps, in habit, and resembled face? Opin. Grave Time* and Industry my parents are; My name is Truth, who, through these sounds of war, Which figure the wise mind's discursive sight, In mists by nature wrapt, salute the light. Truth. I am that Truth, thou some illusive spright; Whom to my likeness, the black sorceress Night Hath of these dry and empty fumes created. *Truth is feigned to be the daughter of Saturn who indeed, with the ancients, was no other than time, and so his name alludes, Kpóvos. Plut. in Quest. To which confer the Greek adage, άγει δὲ πρὸς φῶς τήν ἀλήθειαν χρόνος. + Hippocrat. in a certain epistle to Philopom. describeth her, Mulierem, quæ non mala videatur, sed audacior aspectu et concitatior. To which Cesare Ripa, in his Iconolog. alludeth in these words, Faccia, nè bella, ne dispiacevole, &c. want the will but the skill to commend such subtilties, of which the sphere wherein they were acted is best able to judge. "What was my part, the faults here, as well as the virtues, must speak: Know, then, the first production of things Required two; from mere one nothing springs: Without that knot, the theme thou gloriest in, (The unprofitable virgin) had not been. Mutare dominum nec potest liber notus." 1 A mist made of delicate perfumes.]. Jonson is truly classical in all the decorations and accompaniments of his Masques. Here he has introduced a circumstance familiar to the Roman theatres, in which mists or showers of perfumes were frequently raised. Pliny observes-"crocum, vino mire congruere, præcipue dulci, tritum ad theatra replenda."-Lib. 31, c. 17. And both Ovid and Propertius speak of the practice as common in their days. The voluptuous Sir Epicure has a similar allusion: "My mists I'll have of perfume, vapoured 'bout the room To lose ourselves in."-Vol. ii. p. 22 a. |