To make the Specta-
tors vnderstanders.
WHereas all Repræsentations, especially
those of this nature in court, publique
Spectacles, eyther haue bene, or ought to
be the mirrors of mans life, whose ends, for the
excellence of their exhibiters (as being the dona-
tiues, of great Princes, to their people) ought al-
wayes to carry a mixture of profit, with them, no
lesse then delight; Wee, the Inuentors, being com-
manded from the King, to thinke on some thing
worthy of his Maiesties putting in act, with a sele-
cted company of his Lords, and Gentlemen, cal-
led to the assistance: For the honor of his Court,
and the dignity of that heroique loue, and regall
respect borne by him to his vnmatchable Lady,
and Spouse, the Queenes Maiesty, after some de-
bate of cogitation with our selues, resolued on
this following argument.
First, that a Person, boni ominis, of a good cha-
racter, as Euphemus, sent downe from Heauen to
Callipolis, which is vnderstood the Citty of Beauty
or Goodnes, should come in; and, finding her Ma-
iesty there enthron'd, declare vnto her, that Loue
who was wont to be respected as a speciall Deity
in Court, and Tutelar God of the place, had of late
receiu'd an aduertisement, that in the suburbes,
or skirtes of Callipolis, were crept in certaine
Sectaries, or deprau'd Louers, who neyther knew
the name, or nature of loue rightly, yet boasted
themselues his followers, when they were fitter
to be call'd his Furies: their whole life being a con-
tinew'dvertigo, or rather a torture on the wheele
of Loue, then any motion eyther of order or mea-
sure. When sodainely they leape forth below, a
Mistresse leading them, and with anticke gesticu-
lation, and action, after the manner of the old
Pantomimi, they dance ouer a distracted comœdy
of Loue, expressing their confus'd affections,
in the Scenicall persons, and habits, of the foure
prime European Nations.
A glorious boasting Louer.
A whining ballading Louer.
An aduenturous Romance Louer.
A phantasticke vmbrageous Louer.
A bribing corrupt Louer.
A froward jealous Louer.
A sordid illiberall Louer.
A proud skorne-full Louer.
An angry quarrelling Louer.
A melancholique despairing Louer.
An enuious vnquiet Louer.
A sensuall brute Louer.
All which, in varied, intricate turnes, and involu'd
mazes, exprest, make the Antimasque: and conclude the exit, in a circle.
EVPHEMVS descends singing.
Ioy, ioy to mortals, the reioycing fires
Of gladnes, smile in your dilated hearts!
Whilst Loue presents a world of chast desires,
Which may produce a harmony of parts!
Loue is the right affection of the minde,
The noble appetite of what is best:
Desire of vnion with the thing design'd,
But in fruition of it cannot rest.
The Father plenty is, the Mother want,
Plenty the beauty, which it wanteth, drawes;
Want yeilds it selfe: affording what is scant.
So, both affections are the vnion's cause.
But, rest not here. For Loue bath larger scopes,
New ioyes, new pleasures, of as fresh a date
As are his minutes: and, in him no hopes
Are pure, but those hee can perpetuate.
Here hee goes vp to the State.
To you that are by excellence a Queene!
The top of beauty! but, of such an ayre,
As, onely by the minds eye, may bee seene
Your enter-wouen lines of good, and fayre!
Vouchsafe to grace Loues triumph here, to night,
Through all the streetes of your Callipolis;
Which by the splendor of your rayes made bright
The seate, and region of all beauty is.
Loue, in perfection, longeth to appeare
But prayes, of fauour, he be not call'd on,
Till all the suburbes, and the skirts bee cleare
Of perturbations, and th' infection gon.
Then will he flow forth, like a rich perfume
Into your nostrils! or some sweeter sound
Of melting musique, that shall not consume
Within the eare, but run the mazes round.
Heere the Chorus walke about with their censers.
Meane time, wee make lustration of the place,
And with our solemne fires, and waters proue
T'haue frighted, hence, the weake diseased race
Of those were tortur'd on the wheele of loue.
Chorus
With all the rest, that in the sensuall schoole
Of lust, for their degree of brute may passe.
All which are vapor'd hence.
No loues, but slaues to sense:
Meere cattell, and not men.
Sound, sound, and treble all our ioyes agen,
Who had the power, and vertue to remooue
Such monsters from the labyrinth of loue.
The Triumph is first seene a far of, and led in by Am-
phitrite, the wife of Oceanus, with foure Sea-
gods attending her.
NEREVS, PROTEVS, GLAVCVS, PALÆMON
It consisteth of fifteene Louers, and as many Cu-
pids, who ranke themselues seauen, and seauen on
a side, with each a Cupid before him, with a ligh-
ted torch, and the middle person(which is his
Maiesty,) placed in the center.
| 1. The prouident. | 2. The iudicious. | 3. The secret. | 4. The valiant. | 5. The witty. | 6. The iouiall. | 7. The secure. | 15. The Heroicall, | 8. The substantiall. | 9. The modest. | 10. The candid. | 11. The courteous. | 12. The elegant. | 13. The rationall. | 14. The magnificent. |
AMPHITRITE
Heere, stay a while: This! this
The Temple of all Beauty is!
Heere, perfect Louers, you must pay
First-fruits; and on these altars lay
(The Ladies breast's) your ample vowes,
Such, as Loue brings, and Beauty best allowes!
Cho.
For Loue, without his obiect, soone is gone:
Loue must haue answering loue, to looke vpon.
AMPHJTRITE
To you, best Iudge then, of perfection!
EVPHEMVS
The Queene, of what is wonder, in the place!
AMPHITRITE
Pure obiect, of Heroique Loue, alone!
EVPHEMVS
The center of proportion——!
AMPHITRITE
Sweetenesse
EVPHEMVS
Grace.?
AMPHITRITE
Daigne to receiue all lines of loue in one.
EVPHEMVS
And by reflecting of them fill this space.
Cho.
Till it a circle of those glories proue,
Fit to be sought in Beauty, found by Loue.
Semi.cho.
Where Loue is mutuall, still
All things in order moue,
Semi-cho.
The circle of the will
Js the true spheare of Loue.
Cho.
Aduance, you gentler Cupids, then aduance,
And shew your iust perfections in your dauuce.
The Cupids dance their dance.
And the Masquers their entry.
Which done, Euclia, or a faire Glory appeares in
the heauens, singing an applausiue song, or Pœan
of the whole, which shee takes occasion to inge-
minate in the second Chorus, vpon the sight of a
worke of Neptunes, being a hollow rocke, filling
part of the Sea-prospect, whereon the Muses sit.
EVCLIAS Hymne.
So loue, emergent out of Chaos brought
the world to light!
And gently mouing on the waters, wrought
all forme to sight!
Loues appetite
Did beauty first excite:
And left imprinted in the ayre,
Those signatures of good, and faire,
CHO.
Which since haue flow'd, flow'd forth vpon the sense,
To wonder first, and then to excellence,
By vertue of diuine intelligence!
The ingemination.
And Neptune too
Shewes what his waues can doe:
To call the Muses all to play,
And sing the birth of Venus day,
CHO.
Which from the Sea flow'd, forth vpon the sense
To wonder first, and next to excellence,
By vertue of diuine intelligence!
Here follow the Reuels.
Which ended, the Scene changeth to a Garden,
and the heauens opening, there appeare foure new
persons, in forme of a Constellation sitting, or a
new Asterisme, expectng Venus, whom they call
vpon with this song.
IVPITER. IVNO. GENIVS. HYMEN.
IVP.
Hast daughter Venus hast, and come away:
IVN.
All powers, that gouerne mariage, pray
That you will lend your light
GEN.
Vnto the constellation of this night.
HYM.
Hymen
IVN.
And Iuno.
GEN.
And the Genius call,
IVP.
Your father Iupiter,
CHO.
And all
That blesse, or honnor holy nuptiall.
VENVS here appeares in a cloud, and pas-
through the constellation, descendeth to the earth,
when presently the cloud vanisheth, and she is
seene sitting in a throane.
VENVS.
Here, here I present ame
Both in my girdle, and my flame.
Wherein are wouen all the powers
The Graces gaue me, or the Howres
(My nources once) with all the artes
Of gayning, and of holding hearts:
And these with I descend.
But, to your influences, first commend
The vow, I goe to take
On earth, for perfect loue and beauties sake!
Her song ended, and she rising to goe vp to
the Queene, the Throane disappeares: in place of
which, there shooteth vp a Palme tree with an
imperiall crowne on the top, from the roote
whereof, Lillies and Roses, twining together and
imbracing the stem, flourish through the crowne,
which she in the song, with the Chorus describes.
Beauty and Loue, whose story is mysteriall,
In yonder Palme-tree, and the Crowne imperiall,
Doe from the Rose, and Lilly so delicious,
Promise a shade, shall euer be propitious
To both the Kingdomes. But to Brittaines Genius
The snaky rod, and serpents of Cyllenius
Bring not more peace, then these, who so vnited be
By Loue, as with it Earth and Heauen delighted be.
And who this King, and Queene would well historify,
Need onely speake their names: Those them will glorify.
MARY, and CHARLES, CHARLES, with his MARY, na-
(med are
And all the rest of Loues, or Princes famed are.
After this they dance their going out, and end.
The Masquers Names
The King.- The Marquesse Hammilton.
- Earle of Holland.
- Earle of Newport.
- Lord Strange.
- Sir Robert Stanley
- Master Goring.
- Maister Dimock.
- Lord Chamberlaine.
- Earle of Carnaruan.
- Vicount Doncaster.
- Sir William Howard.
- Sir William Brooke.
- Maister Ralegh.
- Maister Abercromy.