For whiche cause I refused the Nenuphar, and reiected the Dracuncle for his heate, and accepted of the Amella, whiche shee had cleane washed, by meanes whereof, within a verye short space, I founde my venerious Lubric and incensing spurre of desire to leaue of, and my intemperate luste was cleane gone.
Vnlawfull concupiscence blindeth a man, and driueth his sences from him. And when my vnlawfull desires of the fleshe were brideled, the pleasant Nymphes came againe to mee, and as wee walked on, wee came into a frequented place, and wonderfully fruitfull.
And there in a fine order and appointed distance was a waye set on either sides with Cyprus Trees, with their corner clefted Apples, and as thicke with leaues as their nature will suffer them, the leauell grounde beeyng couered all ouer, with greene Vinca Peruima, or Lawreoll and Chamme,
[v] Daphne, and full of his asurine flowers. Which adorned way of a meete and conuenient breadth, did lead directly on into a greene Closure, from the beginning of whiche walke, iust betwixt the Cyprus Trees, to the entrance and opening of the aforesaide enclosure, was some foure furlonges. Vnto which enclosure when wee came, I founde it equilaterall, with three fences like a streight wall, as high as the Cyprus Trees vpon either sides of the waye, that wee had passed along in: which was altogither of Cytrons, Orenges and Lymonds, bushing with their leaues one within an other, and artifitially knitte and twisted togither, and the thicknes mee thought of sixe foote: with a Gate in the middest of the same Trees, so wel composed as is either possible to bee thought or done. And aboue in conuenient places were made windowes, by meanes whereof, the bowghes in those places were to be seene bare, but for their greene leaues which yeelded a most sweet and pleasant verdure. Betwixt the curious twistings of the braunches and their greene leaues, the white flowers did aboundantly shewe themselues a singular Ornament, breathing foorth a most delectable and sweete odour. And to please the eye, the faire fruite was in no place wanting, where it should yeelde content. And afterwardes I might perceiue, that in the interstitious thicknes, the bowghes (not without a wonderful woorke) were so artificially twisted and growne togither, that you might assend vp by them, and not bee seene in them, nor yet the way where you went vp.
At length comming into this greene and delightful grounde to the eye, and in a mans vnderstanding woorthie of estimation, I perceiued that it was a great enclosure in the fore front of a marueilous Pallaice of a noble simmetriated architecturie which of this frondiferous conclausure, was the fourth part in longitude sixtie paces. And this was the Hypæthri to walke in, for open ayre.
In the middest of this great base Court, I did behold a goodly Fountaine of cleare water, spinnyng from the verie toppe as it were to the foundation, whiche stoode vpon a smoothe pauement through little streight Pypes, falling into a hollowed vessel, whiche was of most pure Amethist, whose Diameter conteined three paces, the thicknes agreeing therewithall, leauyng
the twelfth part for the thicknesse of the brimme, rounde about the same were carued water monsters, after the best sort that euer any auncient inuentor or woorkeman for the hardnes of the stone could deuise to woorke, it might bee the woorke of Dædalus, for the wonderful excellencie thereof. Pausania, if he had seene this, would haue taken small pleasure to boast of the standing cup which he made to Hipparis.
Which same was founded vpon a steale or final Pillar of Iasper of diuers colours, beautifully adulterating one with an other being cut in the middest and closed vp with the cleare Calcidonie, of the colour of the troubled Sea water, and brought into marueilous woorke, beeing lifted vp with guttured hollowe vessels, one aboue an other, with a reserued seperation, by artificiall and woonderful ioyntes. It stood streight vp, fastened in the center of a Plynth, made of greene Ophite which was rounde, and somewhat lifted vp aboue, about compassing Porphyr, some fiue inches, whiche was curiously wrought with diuers lyneaments.
Rounde about the steale whiche helde vp the vessell, foure Harpies of Golde did stand, with their clawes and tallented feete vpon the smoothe Table of the Ophite.
Their hinder partes towardes the steale, one iust opposite against an other, with their winges displaied and spredde abroad, they rested vnder the vessell with their feminine countenances, and hauing haire vpon their heades, from the same, it spredde downe to their showlders, their heades vnder, and not touching the vessell: with their tayles like Eeles, and turning rounde. And vpon their nauels, an Antique leafe worke. These were verie necessarie for the strengthening of the Pype within the steale and smal Pillar.