Hypnerotomachia | Page 9

Tetrifolie, Sheere grasse, hunnisuckle, the musked Angelica, Crowfoot
Elapium and Rugwoort, with other profitable and vnknowne hearbes
and flowers heare and there diuerslie disposed. A little beyond in the
same valley, I founde a sandie or grauelly plaine, yet bespotted with
greene tuffes, in which place grew a faire Palme tree with his leaues
like the Culter of a plowe, and abounding with sweet and pleasant
fruite, some set high, some lowe, some in a meane, some in the very
top, an elect and chosen signe of victorie. Neither in this place was
there any habitation or creature whatsoeuer. Thus walking solitarily
betwixt the trees, growing distantly one from another, I perswaded my
selfe, that to this no earthly situation was comparable: in which thought
I soddainely espied vpon my left hand, an hungrie and carniuorous
Woolfe, gaping vpon me with open mouthe.
[Sidenote a: Aesculus is a tree bearing both greater fruite and broder

leaues then the Oke.]
[Sidenote b: Gemista beareth a cod and yellowe flower, vines are
bound therewith. Elaphium is like to Angelica, but not in smell, the hart
thereon rubbeth his head when it is veluet.]
At the sight whereof immediatly, my hayre stood right vp, and I would
haue cryed out, but could not: and presently the Woolfe ranne away:
wherevpon returning to my selfe, and casting my eyes towards the
wooddie mountaines, which seemed to ioyne themselues together,
beeing looked vnto a farre off, I sawe the forme of a tower of an
incredible heygth, with a spyre vnperfectlie appearing, all being of very
auncient forme and workemanship.
And drawing neare vnto this building, I beheld the gratious mountaines
before a farre of seeming small, by comming neerer and neerer, by little
and little, to lift vp themselues more and more, at the first seeming to
mee that they had ioyned together with the building which was an
inclosure or end of the valley betwixt mountaine and mountaine: which
thing I thought worthy the noting, and without further delay I addressed
my selfe more neerer therevnto. And by how much the more I
approximated the same, by so much the more the excellencie of the
woorke shewed it selfe, increasing my desire to behould the same. For
there appeared no longer a substance of vnknowne forme, but a rare
Obelisk vpon a vast frame and stonie foundation, the heigth whereof
without comparison did exceed the toppes of the sidelying mountaynes,
although I thought that they had beene the renowmed _Olympus_[a],
the famous _Caucasus_[b], and not inferior to _Cyllenus_[c].
[Sidenote a: Olimpus a hil in Greece between Macedonie and Thesalie,
so high, that of the Poets it is sometime taken for heauen.]
[Sidenote b: Caucasus a mightie hill in Asia which parteth India from
Scythia.]
[Sidenote c: Cillenus a hill of Arcadia, where Iupiter begat Mercurie
vpon Maia.]

To this sollitarie place thus desiredlye comming, with vnspeakeable
delight, at pleasure I behelde the straunge manner of the arte, the
hugenesse of the frame, and the woonderfull excellencie of the
woorkmanship. Maruelling and considering the compasse and
largenesse of this broken and decayed obiect, made of the pure
glistering marble of _Paros_[d]. The squared stones ioyned togither
without anye cement, and the pointed quadrangulate corner stones
streightlye fitted and smoothlye pullished, the edges whereof were of
an exquisite vermellion coulour, as is possible to bee deuised: and so
iust set, as betwixt the ioynts, euen the enemie to the woorke (if euer
there were anye) could not deuise to hide the point of the smallest
spanish needle vsed of the best workewomen. And there in this so
noble a piece of worke, I found a proportioned substance to euery shape
and likenesse that can be thought vpon and called to remembrance,
partly decayed, and some still whole remaining, with pillers small vpon
great, with their excellent heads of an exact and most perfect closing,
crowned battelments, embost caruings, bearing forth like embroderie,
arched beames, mightie mettaline images, ouerthrowne and broken in
sunder, the trunke of their exact and perfect members, appearing
hollow of brasse. Skyffes, small boates and vessels of _Numidian_
stone and _Porphyr_, and diuers couloured marble. Great lauers
condites, and other infinite fragments of notable woorkmanship, far
different and inferiour from that they were, in their perfection, but now
brought back as it were to their first vnshapelines, being fallen and cast
downe, some heere, some there, vpon the earth from the which they
were taken. Among the broken and decayed places, wherof great
sundrie wall weeds and hearbes, especially the vnshaking Anagyre, the
Lentise of both kindes, beares foote, dogges head, Gladen greene,
spotted Iuie, Centarie, and diuers suchlike. And in the myldered places
of broken walles grew Howslike, and the hanging Cymbalaria bryers,
and pricking brambles, among the which crept Swifts and Lyzarts