Hypnerotomachia Part 1

Hypnerotomachia.

by Francesco Colonna.

To the Right Honourable Robert Deuorax, Earle of Ess.e.x and Ewe, Viscount Hereford, and Bourghchier, Lorde Ferrers of Chartley, Bourghchier and Louaine, Maister of the Queenes Maiesties _Horse, and Knight of the most n.o.ble order of the Garter:_ Is wished, the perfection of all happinesse, and tryumphant felicitie in this life, and in the worlde to come.

When I had determined (Right honorable) to dedicate this Booke, to the euerlyuing vertues of that matchlesse Knight Syr _Phillip Sydney_; me thought that I could not finde out a more n.o.ble personage then your selfe, and more fit, to patronize, s.h.i.+eld, and defende my dutie to the deade, then your Honour, whose greatnes is such, and vertues of that power, as who so commendeth them, deserueth not to be accounted a flatterer, but he that doth not the same, may be thought an euill willer. Hovv your Honor vvill accept hereof, I make no doubt, because that curtesie attendeth vpon true n.o.bilitie; but my humble request is, that your Honor may not thinke of me (by the tytle of the Booke, and some part of the discourse) as if I vvere amorous, and did speake according to my ovvne pa.s.sions, for I beeing restrained of my liberty, and helde in the graue of obliuion, where I still as yet remaine, oppressed with Melancholie, and wearied vvith deeper studies, I vvas glad to beguile the time with these conceits, anothomising in them, the vanitie of this life, and vncertaintie of the delights therof, in the Dreame of _Poliphilus_; Which if it shall please your Honor at conuenient leysure to looke ouer, pardoning what you finde amisse, and weighing my good will, I shall thinke my selfe most happy.

And thus I humbly take my leaue, vntill that I may present your Honour, with a matter more fitting the same.

_Your Honors deuoted,_

R. D.

Anonymi elegia ad Lec- _torem_.

Candide _Poliphilum_ narrantem somnia Lector auscultes, summo somnia missa polo, Non operam perdes, non haec audisse pigebit, tam varijs mirum rebus abundat opus.

Si grauis & tetricus contemnis erotica, rerum nosce precor seriem tam bene dispositam.

Abnuis? ac saltem stylus & noua lingua novusq; sermo grauis, sophia, se rogat aspicias.

Id quoq; sirenuis, geometrica cerne vetusta plurima milliacis disce referta notis.

Hic sunt Pyramides, thermae, ingentesq; Colossi, ac Obeliscorum forma vetusta patet.

Hic diuersa basis fulget, variaeque columnae illarumq; arcus, Zophora, epistilia, Et capita atq; trabes, et c.u.m quadrante coronae symmetria, & quicquid tecta superba facit.

Hic regum cernes exculta palatia, cultus Nympharum, fontes, egregiasque epulas.

Hinc bicolor ch.o.r.ea est latronum, expressaque tota in Laberintheis vita hominum tenebris.

Hinc lege de triplici quae maiestate tonantis dicat, & in portis egerit ipse tribus._ Polia _qua fuerit forma, quam culta, tryumphos inde Iouis specta quatuor aethereos.

Haec praeter varios affectus narrat amoris, atque opera & quantum saeuiat ille Deus._

Poliphili hypnerotomachia, Wherein he sheweth, that all humaine and worldlie things are but a dreame, and but as vanitie it _selfe. In the setting foorth whereof many things_ are figured worthie of remembrance.

_The Author beginneth his _Hypnerotomachia_, to set downe the hower and time when in his sleepe it seemed to him that hee was in a quiet solitarie desart, and vninhabited plaine, and from thence afterward how he entered vnaduisedly before he was aware, with great feare, into a darke obscure and vnfrequented wood._

The discription of the morning.

What houre as _Phbus_[a] issuing foorth, did bewtifie with brightnesse the forhead of _Leucothea_[b], and appearing out of the Occean waues, not fully shewing his turning wheeles, that had beene hung vp, but speedily with his swift horses _Pyrous_ & _Eous_[c], hastning his course, and giuing a tincture to the Spiders webbes, among the greene leaues and tender p.r.i.c.kles of the Vermilion Roses, in the pursuite whereof he shewed himselfe most swift & glistering, now vpon the neuer resting and still moouing waues, he crysped vp his irradient heyres.

[Sidenote a: Phaebus the Sunne.]

[Sidenote b: Leucothea the morning.]

[Sidenote c: Pyr & Eo, the horses of the Sunne.]

Vppon whose vprising, euen at that instant, the vnhorned Moone dismounted hir selfe, losing from hir Chariot hir two horses, the one white and the other browne, and drewe to the Horrison[d] different from the Hemisphere[e] from whence she came.

[Sidenote d: Horison a circle deuiding the halfe speare of the firmament from the other halfe which we doe not see.]

[Sidenote e: Hemispere is halfe the compa.s.se of the visible heauen.]

And when as the mountaines and hilles were beautifull, and the northeast winds had left of to make barraine with the sharpnesse of their blasts, the tender sprigs to disquiet the moouing reedes, the fenny Bulrush, and weake Cyprus, to torment the foulding Vines, to trouble the bending Willowe, and to breake downe the brittle Firre bowghes, vnder the hornes of the lasciuious Bull, as they do in winter.

At that very houre, as the diuers coulered flowers and greene meades, at the comming of the sunne of _Hypperion_[f] feare not his burning heate, being bedued and sprinkled with the Christalline teares of the sweete morning, when as the _Halcyons_[g] vpon the leuell waues of the stil, calme, and quiet flowing seas, do build their nests in sight of the sandie sh.o.r.e, whereas the sorrowfull _Ero_, with scalding sighes did behold the dolorous and vngrate departure of hir swimming _Leander_[h].

[Sidenote f: Hyperion the Sunne.]

[Sidenote g: Halcyons are certaine byrds which building near the sh.o.r.e vpon the waues there will be no storme vntill the young be hatched.]

[Sidenote h: Leander a young man of Abydos, who in swimming ouer h.e.l.lespont (a narow sea) by Byzantium, which parteth Europ from Asia) to Sestus, was in the sight of his louer Ero of Sestus drowned, which she seeing, threw hir self down into the sea, and died with him.]

I lying vpon my bed, an oportune and meet freend to a wearie body, no creature accompaning me in my chamber, besides the attender vppon my body, and vsuall night lights, who after that she had vsed diuers speeches, to the end shee might comfort me, hauing vnderstood before of me, the originall cause of my hollow and deepe sighes, she indeuored hir best to moderate, if at least she might, that, my perturbed and pittifull estate. But when she sawe that I was desirous of sleepe, she tooke leaue to depart.

Then I being left alone to the high cogitations of loue, hauing pa.s.sed ouer a long and tedious night without sleepe, through my barren fortune, and aduerse constellation, altogether vncomforted and sorrowfull, by means of my vntimely and not prosperous loue, weeping, I recounted from point to point, what a thing vnequall loue is: and how fitly one may loue that dooth not loue: and what defence there may bee made against the vnaccustomed, yet dayly a.s.saults of loue: for a naked soule altogether vnarmed, the seditious strife, especially being intestine: a fresh still setting vpon with vnstable and new thoughts.

In this sort brought to so miserable an estate, and for a long while plunged in a deepe poole of bitter sorrowes, at length my wandring sences being wearie to feede still vpon vnsauorie and fayned pleasure, but directly and without deceit, vppon the rare diuine obiect: whose reuerende _Idea_ is deeply imprinted within me, and liueth ingrauen in the secret of my heart, from which proceedeth this so great and vncessant a strife, continually renuing my cruell torments without intermission. I began the conditions of those miserable louers, who for their mistresses pleasures desire their owne deaths, and in their best delights do think themselues most vnhappie, feeding their framed pa.s.sions not otherwise then with fithfull imaginations. And then as a weary bodye after a sore labour, so I, somewhat in outward shew qualified, in the payne of my sorrowfull thoughts, and hauing incloystered and shut vp the course of my distilling teares: whose drops had watered my pale cheekes, thorow amorous griefe, desired some needfull rest.

At length my moyst eyes being closed within their bloudshotten and reddish liddes, presently betwixt a bitter life and a sweet death, I was in them inuaded and ouercome, with a heauie sleepe, who with my minde and watchfull spirits, were no pertakers of so high an operation.

Me thought that I was in a large, plaine, and champion place, all greene and diuersly spotted with many sorted flowerrs, wherby it seemed pa.s.singly adorned. In which by reason of the milde and gentle ayre, there was a still quyet whisht: Inso much that my attentiue eares did heare no noyse, neither did any framed speech peirce into them, but with the gratious beames of the sunne, the sliding time pa.s.sed.

In which place with a fearefull admiration, looking about me, I sayd thus to my selfe. Heere appeareth no humaine creature to my sight, nor sylu beast, flying bird, coutrey house, field tent, or shepheards cote: neyther vpon the gras could I perceiue feeding eyther flock of sheep, or heard of cattell, or rustike herdman with Oten pipe making pastorall melodie, but onely taking the benefit of the place, and quietnesse of the plaine, which a.s.sured mee to be without feare, I directed my course still forward, regarding on eyther side the tender leaues and thick gra.s.se, which rested vnstirred, without the beholding of any motion.

At length my ignorant sleepes, brought me into a thick wood, whereinto being a pritty way entred, I could not tell how to get out of it.

Wherevpon, a soddaine feare inuaded my hart, and diffused it selfe into euery ioynt, so that my couler began to waxe pale, and the rather by reason that I was alone, and vnarmed, and could not finde any track or path, eyther to direct me forward, or lead me back againe. But a darke wood of thicke bushes, sharpe thornes, tall ashes haled of the Viper, towgh Elmes beloued of the fruitfull vines, harde Ebony, strong Okes, soft Beeche, and browne Hasils, who intertaining one anothers branches, with a naturall goodwill opposed themselues, to resist the entrance of the gratious sunne s.h.i.+ne, with the greene couerture of their innumerable leaues. And in this sort I found my selfe in a fresh shadowe, a coole ayre, and a solytarie thicket.

VVherevpon my reason perswaded me to beleeue, that this vast wood, was onely a receptacle for sauage and hurtfull beasts, as the tusked Bore, the furious and bloudthirstie Beare, the hissing serpent, and inuading VVoolfe, against which I was vnprouided to make resistance, but rayther as a praye sent amongst them, miserablie to haue my flesh and bones rent and gnawne in peeces.

And thus forecasting the woorst that might follow, I was resolued not to abide there, but to seeke to get out, that I might the better eschew such suspected occurrents, and taking my selfe to my feete, I wandred now this way, now that way, sometime to the right hand, sometime to the left: nowe forwarde, then backe againe, not knowing how to goe among the thicke bowghes and tearing thornes, bearing vpon my face: rending my clothes, and houlding me sometimes hanging in them, whereby my hast in getting foorth was much hyndered. In this vnaccustomed labour: and without any helpe but onely the keeping of the sunne still vpon one side, to direct mee streight forwarde: I grewe extreamely hoate and faynte, not knowing what to doe, but onely in a wearye body, to conteine a minde distraught through troublesome thoughts, breathing out hollow and deepe sighes, desiring helpe of the pittifull _Cretensian Ariadne_, who for the destroying of hir monstrous brother the _Mynotaur_[A] gaue vnto the deceitfull _Theseus_ a clew of thred, to conduct him foorth of the intricate laborinth, that I also by some such meanes might be deliuered out of this obscure wood.

[Sidenote A: Minotaurus a monster in Creete, born of Pasiphae which being inclosed in the laborinth fed on mans flesh, whome Theseus slew and got out of the laborinth by a clew of thred giuen by Ariadne king Minoes daughter, after wife to Theseus, who did forsake hir, and left hir in a disinhabited Ile, notwithstanding that she had saued his life.]

[Decoration]

_Poliphilus being thus distempered in this daungerous and obscure wood, at length getteth foorth, and being come to a faire Riuer, indeuoring to rest himselfe and coole his heate, he heard a most delightful harmonie, which made him forget to drinke, and followe after the voice, which brought him to a woorse perplexitie._

Feare and desire of freedome thus occupying my sences, my vnderstanding was blinded, neyther did I knowe whether it were better for mee eyther to wishe for hated death, or in so dreadfull a place to hope for desired life. Thus euery way discontent, I did indeuour, with all force and diligence to get foorth, wherin the more I did striue the more I found my selfe intangled, and so infeebled with wearinesse, that on euery side I feared, when some cruell beast should come and deuoure me, or els vnawares to tumble downe into some deepe pit or hollow place.

Wherefore more trembling then in mustulent _Autume_ be the yealow coulored leaue, hauing left their moisture, being thorowlye searched with the furious north winde, I lifted vp my hart to G.o.d, desiring as _Achemenides_ being afraide of the horrible _Cyclops_ rather to be slaine by the hands of _Aeneas_ his enemie, rather then to suffer so odious a death.

And my deuoute prayer, sincerely vnited to a contrite heart, powring out a fountaine of teares with a stedfast beliefe to be deliuered. I found my selfe in a short s.p.a.ce gotten at libertie, like a new day crept out of a darke and tempestuous night. My eyes before vsed to such ob.u.mbrated darkenes, could sca.r.s.e abide to behould the light, thorow watery sadnes.