LOVE'S TRIUMPH THROUGH CALLIPOLIS; PERFORMED IN A MASQUE AT COURT, 1630 BY HIS MAJESTY, WITH THE LORDS AND GENTLEMEN ASSISTING. The Inventors Ben Jonson; Inigo Jones. QUANDO MAGIS DIGNOS LICUIT SPECTARE TRIUMPHOS? TO MAKE THE SPECTATORS UNDERSTANDERS. WHEREAS, all Representations, especially those of this nature in court, public spectacles, either have Leen, or ought to be, the mirrors of man's life, whose ends, for the excellence of their exhibitors (as being the donatives of great princes to their people) ought always to carry a mixture of profit with them, no less than delight; we, the inventors, being commanded from the KING to think on something worthy of his majesty's putting in act, with a selected company of his lords and gentlemen, called to the assistance; for the honor of his court, and the dignity of that heroic love, and regal respect born by him to his unmatchable lady and spouse, the queen's majesty, after some debate of cogitation wth ourselves, resolved on this following argument. First, that a person, boni ominis, of a good! character, as Euphemus, sent down from heaven to Callipolis, which is understood the city of Beauty or Goodness, should come in; and, finding her majesty there enthroned, declare unto her, that Love, who was wont to be respected as a special deity in court, and tutelar god of the place, had of late received an advertisement, that in the suburbs, or skirts of Callipolis, were crept in certain sectaries, or depraved lovers, who neither knew the name, or nature of love rightly, yet boasted themselves his followers, when they were fitter to be called his furies: their whole life being a continued vertigo, or rather a torture on the wheel of love, than any motion either of order or measure. When suddenly they leap forth below, a mistress leading them, and with antic gesticulation and action, after the manner of the old pantomimi, they dance over a distracted comedy of love, expressing their confused affections, in the scenical persons and habits of the four prime European nations. A glorious boasting lover. An adventurous romance lover. A sordid illiberal lover. A proud scornful lover. An angry quarrelling lover. A melancholic despairing lover. A sensual brute lover. All which, in varied intricate turns, and involved mazes, exprest, make the ANTIMASQUE: and conclude the exit, in a circle EUPHEMUS descends singing. Joy, joy to mortals, the rejoicing fires Of gladness smile in your dilated hearts! The father Plenty is, the mother Want, [He goes up to the statt To you, that are by excellence a queen! Your interwoven lines of good and fair! But prays of favor he be not call'd on,. Within the ear, but run the mazes round. Cho. Mean time, we make lustration of the place, Grand Cho. With all the rest, that in the sensual school Of lust, for their degree of brute may pass, All which are vapor'd hence. No loves, but slaves to sense; Mere cattle, and not men. Sound, sound, and treble all our joys agen, The scene opens and discovers a prospect of the sea. The TRIUMPH is first seen afar off, and led in by AMPHITRITE, the wife of Oceanus, with four sea gods attending her, NEREUS, PROTEUS, GLAUCUS, PALEMON. The Triumph consisted of fifteen LOVERS, and as many Cupids, who rank themselves seven and seven on a side, with each a Cupid before him, with a lighted torch, and the middle person (which is his Majesty) placed in the centre. Amph. Here stay a while: this, this, The temple of all beauty is! 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! For love without his object soon is gone: Co. 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. Euph. Sweetness! Grace! Amph. Deign to receive all lines of love in one. Euph. And by reflecting of them fill this space. Cho. Till it a circle of those glories prove, Semi-cho. Where love is mutual, still All things in order move. Semi-cho. The circle of the will Oko. Is the true sphere of love. Advance, you gentler Cupids, then, advance, 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 Paan 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. Ven Here, here I present am Both in my girdle, and my flame; 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 INDER. 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. 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 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, 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 favor, who assists with all bounties, that may be either urged as causes or reasons of the Spring. At which ZEPHYRUS passeth away through the air, and the SPRING descendeth to the earth, and is received by the NAIADES, or Napeæ, who are the nymphs, fountains, and servants of the season. SECOND SONG. Spring. Fresh Fountains, I am come to tell Here the SPRING goes up, singing the argument, to the king, and the NAIDES follow with the close. Cupid hath ta'en offence of late, At all the gods, that of the state, Spring. And in their council, he was so deserted, Not to be call'd unto their guild, But slightly pass'd by as a child, Naïdes. Wherein he thinks his honor was perverted. Spring. And thongh his mother seek to season, And rectify his rage with reason, By shewing he lives yet under her command, And she hath forced his arms away, Whereat the boy, in fury fell, To make a party 'gainst the gods, And set heaven, earth, and hell at odds, Naïdes. 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 twoo Lacqueys: these DANCE, and make the first entry of the Antimasque. He alights and speaks. Lightnings, three in number, their habits glis tering expressing that effect, in their motion. SIXTH ENTRY. Thunder alone dancing the tunes to a noise, mixed, and imitating thunder. SEVENTH ENTRY. Rain, presented by five persons, all swollen, and clouded over, their hair flagging, as if they were wet, and in their hands balls full of sweet water, which, as they dance, sprinkle all the room. EIGHTH ENTRY. Dwarf. Hold my stirrup, my one lacquey; and look to my curtal, the other; 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 furnished of the commodity of news! Love hath been lately there, and so entertain'd by Pluto and Proserpine, and all the grandees of the place, as it is there perpetual holyday; and a cessation of torment granted, and proclaimed for ever! Half-famish'd Tantalus is fallen to his fruit, with that appetite, as it threatens to undo the whole company of costard-mongers; and has a river afore him, running excellent wine. Ixion is loosed from his wheel, and turn'd 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 call'd 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 turn'd triumph there. Had hell-gates been kept with half that strictness, as the entry here has been to-night, Pluto would have had but a cold court, and Proserpine 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 favor 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 For whom the warbling fountains sing; SNOW, for some new exploit they have against the earth, and the goddess Chloris, queen of the flowers, and mistre s of the Spring. For joy 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. Here, by the providence of Juno, the Tempest on an instant ceaseth; and the scene is BOWER OF CHLORIS, wherein an arbor feigned of changed into a delicious place, figuring the goldsmith's-work, the ornament of which was born up with termes of satyrs, beautified with flowers. Beyond all this, in the sky afar-off, apfestoons, garlands, and all sorts of fragrant peared a rainbow: in the most eminent place of the Bower, sat the goddess CHLORIS, accompa nied with fourteen nymphs, their apparel white, embroidered with silver, trimmed at the shoulders with great leaves of green, embroidered with gold, falling one under the other. And of of flowers, mixed with silver and gold, with of their dressing, a thin veil hanging down. some sprigs of ægrets among, and from the top the same work were their bases, their head-tires All which beheld, the Nymphs, Rivers, and Fountains, with the Spring, sung this rejoicing song. THIRD SONG. Grand Cho. Run out, all the floods, in joy, with rour silve The story of the towers, At Juno's soft cominand, and In?' showers; Sent to quench jealousy, and all these powers FOURTH SONG. Grand Cho. Tell a truth, gay Spring, let us know What feet they were, that so Fame. Impress'd the earth, and made such various flowers to grow. Cho. Fame. Spring. She that led, a queen was at least, Or a goddess 'bove the rest : Grand Cho. O, 'twere a fame to know her name; Whether she were the root; Or they did take th' impression from her foot. The MASQUERS here dance their second Dance. Which done, the farther prospect of the scene changeth into air, with a low landscape, in part covered with clouds: and in that instant, the heaven opening, JUNO and IRIS are seen; and above them many airy spirits, sitting in the clouds. FIFTH SONG. Juno. Now Juno, and the air shall know, From our discolor'd bow. Iris, what news? Iris. The air is clear, your bow can tell, Chloris renown'd, Spight fled to hell, The business all is well. And Cupid sues. Juno. For pardon! Does he? Iris. Juno. Iris. He sheds tears Here, out of the earth ariseth a Hill, and on the top of it a globe, on which FAME is seen standing with her trumpet in her hand; and on the hill are seated four persons, presenting POESY, Cho. Understood, That action must be virtuous, great, and good. Where the Fame's neglected Juno. Iris. Fame. With Architecture, who will raise thee high, And Sculpture, that can keep thee from to die. All help to lift thee to eternity. And Juno through the air doth make thy way. By her serenest messenger of day. Thus Fame ascends, by all degrees to heaven, And leaves a light, here, brighter than the seven. Let all applaud the sight. Grand Cho. Air first, that gave the bright Reflections, day or night! With these supports of Fame, That keep alive her name! The beauties of the Spring. Founts, Rivers, every thing: From the height of all, To the waters fall, Resound and sing The honors of his Chloris, to the king. Chloris, the queen of flowers; The sweetness of all showers; The ornament of bowers: The top of paramours. FAME being hidden in the clouds, the hill sinks, and the heaven closeth. The MASQUERS dance with the LORDS. AND THUS IT ENDED |