About the fourth triumph, before it went the Lidian Cloe, Lide, Neobole, sweete Phillis, and the faire Lyce Tyburts & Pyra, with their harps singing and making a most pleasant noyse. After this fourth triumph among the Mænades and sacrificers to Bacchus, there folowed an amorous damosell singing in the commendation of the head of hir louer Plaon, she desired hornes. And after them all she shewed me two women,
one of them apparelled in white, and the other in greene, which came hindermost singing togither.
And thus they marched about in a most pleasant and delightfull maner vpon the fresh greene and flourishing plaine: Some instrophiated with laurel, some with myrtle, and others with other sorts of flowers and garlands, incessantly without any wearines or intermission in a perfection of the felicitie of this world, mutually enioying one anothers aspect and companie.
The Nymph hauing at large declared vnto Poliphilus the mysticall triumphs and extreeme loue, afterwards she desired him to go on further, where also with great delight he beheld innumerable other Nymphs, with their desired louers, in a thousand sorts of pleasures solacing themselues vpon the greene grasse, fresh shadowes, and by the coole riuers and cleere fountaines. And how Poliphilus there had with madnes almost forgotten himselfe in the passions of desire, but hope did asswage his furie, quieting himselfe in the beholding of the sweete sauour of the faire Nymph.
Not onely happie but aboue all other most happie were he, to whom it should be granted continually by speciall fauour to beholde the glorious pompe, high triumphs, beautiful places, sweet scituations, togither with the goddesses, halfe goddesses, faire Nymphes of incredible delight and pleasure, but especially to be seconded and accompanied with so honorable a Nymph of so rare and excellent beautie. And this I thought not to be the least and smallest point of my felicitie. Now hauing looked vpon these sights, I remained a great space recording of the same, being therewith beyonde measure abundantly contented.
Afterwards, the faire and sweet damsell my guide said thus vnto me: Poliphilus, let vs now go on a little further. And then
[v] immediately we tended our walke toward the fresh fountains and shady riuers, compassing about the flourshing fields with chrystalline currents and gratious streames.
In which cleare water, grew the purple flowering sonne of the Nymph Liriope, looking vp from his tender stringes and leaues. And al the faire riuers were ful of other flowers sweetlie growing among their greene and fresh leaues. This delightfull place was of a spatious and large circuit, compassed about and inuironed with wooddie mountaines, of a moderate height of greene lawrell, fruitefull memerels, hearie & high pine trees, and within the cleere channels, with graueled banks, and in some places the bottom was faire soft yealow sande, where the water ran swifte, and the three leaued driope grew.
There were a great companie of delicate faire Nymphs of tender age, with a redolent flower of bashfulnes, and beyond all credite beautifull, with their beardles louers continuallie accompanied. Among which Nymphs, some verie pleasantly with wanton countenaunces in the cleere streams shewed themselues sportefull and gamesome, hauing taken vppe finelie their thin garments of silke of diuers colours, and holding them in the bouts of their white armes, the forme of their rounde thighs were seene vnder the plytes, and their faire legges were reuealed to the naked knees, the current streames comming vp so high: it was a sight which woulde haue prepared one to that which were vnfit, and if himselfe had been vnable thereunto. And there where the water was most still, turning downe their faire faces of exceeding beautie, and bending their bodies of rare proportion, as in a large goodly glasse they might behould their heauenly shapes, breaking off the same with the motion of their pretie feete, making a noyse with the contrast of the circulating water. Some solaciouslie striuing to go by the tame swimming swans, and sportingly casting water one at another, with the hollownes of their palms: others standing without the water vpon the soft coole grasse, making vp of nosegaies and garlands of sundrie sweete flowers, & giuing the same to their louers as tokens of their fauorable remembraunce, not denieng their sweet kisses, & louing