And then she smyling, said: Poliphilus, ouer the deuouring throat of thys Center, there sitteth a seuere Iudge, balancing euery ones actions, and helping whom hee will helpe. And because that it will be tedious to tell thee all, let thus much heereof suffise. Let vs goe downe to our cõpanion Thelemia, who demanding the cause why they staid so long aboue, Logistica made aunswer, it doth not content our Poliphilus, onely to behold, but also to vnderstand by me the secrecie of those things, which he could not goe to knowe, wherein I haue satis-fied him. And when she had ended, Thelemia said.
[v] Let vs goe a little while to an other garden no lesse pleasant ioyning to the glasse garden, vppon the right side of the Pallas: and when wee were come in thither, I was amazed with excessiue wondering, to see the curiousnesse of the worke; as vneasie to report as vncredible to beleeue: æquiuolent with that of glasse, wyth lyke disposition of benches or bankes; theyr lyppes set out with coronising and golden ground worke, and such trees, but that the boxes and Cyprus trees, were all silke, sauing the bodies and greater branches, or the strength of the armes: the rest, as the leaues, flowers, and outermost rynde, was of fine silke, wanting no store of Pearles to beautifie the same: and the perfect fine collour, smelling as the glasse flowers beforementioned, and alike, but that they about compassing walles, of meruailous and incredible sumpteousnesse, were all couered ouer with a crusting of Pearle, close ioyned and set together: and towardes the toppe, there sprouted out greene yuie, the leaues thickning and bushing out from the Pearles, vvith the stringes and veines of golde, running vppe in diuers places betwixt the Pearles, in a most rare and curious sort, as if it had beene very growing yuie, with berries of precious stones sette in the stalkes in little bunches: and in the bushes were Ringe-doues of silke, as if they had beene feeding of the berries, all along the sides of the square plotted garden walles: ouer the which, in master-like and requisite order, stretched out the beame and Zophor of golde.
The plaine smoth of the settles, where-vpon the boxe trees stoode, couered ouer with Histories of loue and venerie, in a worke of silke and threddes of golde and siluer, in suche a perfect proportioned ymaginarie and counterfaiting as none may goe beyonde. The ground of the leuell garden, was of leaues, grasse, and flowers of silke, like a faire sweete meddowe: in the midst whereof, there was a large and goodly round Arbour, made with golde wyer, and ouerspread with roses of the lyke worke, more beautifull to the eye, then if they had been growing roses, vnder which couering, and within which Arbour about the sides, were seates of red Diaspre, & all the round pauemẽt of a yellow Diaspre, according to the largenes of the place,
with dyuers colloured spottings, confusedly agreeing together in pleasant adulterated vniting, and so cleere and shining, that to euery obiect was it selfe gaine represented. Vnder the which Arbour, the fayre and pleasant Thelemia, solaciously sitting downe, tooke her Lute which she carryed with her, and with a heauenly melodie and vn-hearde sweetenesse, she began to sing in the commendation and delightes of her Queene. And seeing what a grace vnto her, the company of her fellowe Logistica was, I maruailed why Apollo came not to harken the Harmonie made by them: it was so melodious, that for the present tyme a man woulde haue thought that there had beene no greater fælicitie. And after that shee ended her diuine Poems, Logistica tooke me by the hande and led me foorth of the Arbour, saying vnto me.
Poliphilus, thou shalt vnderstande that the deuise of these obiects, are more pleasant to bee vnderstoode then behelde, and therefore lette vs enter in heere, to bee satisfied in both.
And from thence, shee and her companion brought mee from thys garden to an other, where I behelde an arching Areostile, from the ground bent to the toppe, fyue paces in height and three ouer, and thus continued rounde about the compasse of the garden, in an orderly and requisite proportioning, all inuested and couered ouer with greene yuie, so that no part of the wall was to be seene. And there were a hundred Arches to the compassing of this garden.
By euery of the Arches, was an Aulter of red Porphirite, curiously proportioned with exquisite lyneaments; and vppon euery one of them was placed, an image of golde, like a Nymph, of rare and beautifull semblances, diuersly apparelled, and varying in theyr attyre and heade dressing, euery one bending their eyes towards the Center of the garden.
In which middle Centricke place, there was founded a Base, of a cleere Christal-like Calcedonie stone, in a Cubic forme: that is, euery way a like square. And vppon that was set a round stone, but flatte vppon both sides, two foote high, and by the Diameter, one pace and a halfe ouer, of most pure red Diaspre. Vppon the which, stoode a most blacke stone, in forme three square, and in quantitie for breadth, fitting the rounde, and in
[v] height one pace and a halfe. The corners of which triangle did iumpe with the sides, and lymbus of the subiacent plynth or round stone.
In the smooth polished fronts of which triangle, there was appact a beautifull Image, of a heauenly aspect, graue and modest, with their feete not touching the stone, but standing out from the same iust ouer the suppressed and vnder put rounde stone. Theyr statures as tall as the trygonall would beare, vnto the which they did stick fast by their backe parts. Theyr armes were stretched abroade, both the right and left to the corners of the triangle, where they held a Coppy, filled and fastned to the corners of the Trigonall, the length of euery one of which Coppies of fine gold, was seauen foote.