Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, Vol. 10 of 10

Part 29

Chapter 293,906 wordsPublic domain

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THE MASQUE OF THE GENTLEMEN OF GRAYS-INNE AND THE INNER-TEMPLE.

The quarto is as follows:

THE MASKE OF | THE INNER TEMPLE AND | GRAYES INNE, GRAYES INNE | and the Inner Temple, presented before his | _Majestie, the Queenes, &c._

This Maske was appointed to have beene presented the Shrove-tuesday before, at which time the Maskers with their attendants and divers others gallant young Gentlemen of both houses, as their convoy, set forth from Winchester house which was the _Rende vous_ towards the Court, about seven of the clocke at night.

This voyage by water was performed in great Triumph. The gentlemen Maskers being placed by themselves in the Kings royall barge with the rich furniture of state, and adorned with a great number of lights placed in such order as might make best shew.

They were attended with a multitude of barges and gallies, with all variety of lowde Musicke, and severall peales of Ordnance. And led by two Admiralls.

Of this shew his Majesty was gratiously pleased to take view, with the Prince, the Count _Palatine_, and the Lady _Elizabeth:_ their highnesses at the windowes of his privy gallerie upon the water, till their landing, which was at the privy staires: where they were most honorablie received by the Lord Chamberlaine, and so conducted to the Vestry.

The Hall was by that time filled with company of very good fashion, but yet so as a very great number of principall Ladies, and other noble persons were not yet come in, wherby it was foreseen that the roome would be so scanted as might have been inconvenient. And there upon his Majesty was most gratiously pleased with the consent of the gentlemen Maskers, to put off the night until Saturday following with this special favour and priviledge, that there should bee no let, as to the outward ceremony of magnificence untill that time.

At the day that it was presented, there was a choice roome reserved for the gentlemen, of both their houses, who comming in troope about seven of the clocke, received that speciall honor and noble favour, as to be brought to their places, by the Right Honourable the Earle of Northampton, Lord Privie Seale.

_Yee that spared no time nor travell, in the setting forth, ordering, & furnishing of this Masque, being the first fruits of honor in this kinde, which these two societies have offered to his Majestie: Will not thinke much now to looke backe upon the effects of your owne care and worke: for that whereof the successe was then doubtfull, is now happily performed and gratiously accepted. And that which you were then to thinke of in straites of time, you may now peruse at leysure. And you Sir_ Francis Bacon _especially, as you did then by your countenance, and loving affection advance it, so let your good word grace it, and defend it, which is able to adde value to the greatest, and least matters._

THE DEVISE OR | ARGUMENT OF THE | MASQUE.

_Jupiter_ and _Juno_ willing to doe honour to the Mariage of the two famous Rivers _Thamesis_ and _Rhene_, imploy their Messengers severally, _Mercurie_ and _Iris_ for that purpose. They meete and contend: then _Mercurie_ for his part brings forth an Anti-masque all of Spirits or divine Natures: but yet not of one kinde or liverie (because that had been so much in use heretofore) but as it were in consort like to broken Musicke. And preserving the proprietie of the devise; for that Rivers in nature are maintained either by Springs from beneath, or Shewers from above: He raiseth foure of the _Naiades_ out of the Fountaines, and bringeth downe five of the _Hyades_ out of the Cloudes to daunce; hereupon _Iris_ scoffes at _Mercurie_ for that hee had devised a daunce but of one Sexe, which could have no life: but _Mercurie_ who was provided for that exception, and in token that the Match should be blessed both with Love and Riches calleth forth out of the Groves foure _Cupids_, and brings downe from _Jupiters_ Altar foure _Statuaes_ of gold and silver to daunce with the Nymphes and Starres: in which daunce the _Cupids_ being blinde, and the _Statuaes_ having but halfe life put into them, and retaining still somewhat of their old nature, giveth fit occasion to new and strange varieties both in the Musick and paces. This was the first Anti-masque.

Then _Iris_ for her part in scorne of this high flying devise, and in token that the Match shall likewise be blessed with the love of the Common People, calles to _Flora_ her confederate (for that the Moneths of flowers are likewise the Moneths of sweete shewers, and Raine-bowes) to bring in a May-daunce or Rurall daunce, consisting likewise not of any suted persons, but of a confusion, or commixture of all such persons as are naturall and proper for Countrey sports. This is the second Anti-masque.

Then _Mercurie_ and _Iris_ after this vying one upon the other, seeme to leave their contention: and _Mercurie_ by the consent of _Iris_ brings downe the _Olympian_ Knights, intimating that _Jupiter_ having after a long discontinuance revived the _Olympian_ games, and summoned thereunto from all parts the liveliest, & activest persons that were, had enjoyned them before they fell to their games to doe honour to these Nuptials. The _Olympian_ games portend to the Match, Celebritie, Victorie, and Felicitie. This was the maine Masque.

The Fabricke was a Mountaine with two descents, and severed with two Travesses.

_At the entrance of the King._

The first Travers was drawne, and the lower descent of the Mountaine discovered; which was the Pendant of a hill to life, with divers boscages and Grovets upon the steepe or hanging grounds thereof, and at the foote of the Hill, foure delicate Fountaines running with water and bordered with sedges and water flowers.

_Iris_ first appeared, and presently after _Mercurie_ striving to overtake her.

_Iris_ apparelled in a robe of discoulored Taffita figured in variable colours, like the Raine-bowe, a cloudie wreath on her head, and Tresses.

_Mercurie_ in doublet and hose of white Taffita, a white hat, wings on his shoulders and feet, his Caduceus in his hand, speaking to _Iris_ as followeth.

MERCURIE.

Stay, Stay. Stay light foot _Iris_, for thou strivest in vaine, My wings are nimbler then thy feete.

IRIS.

Away, Dissembling _Mercury_; my messages Aske honest haste, not like those wanton ones Your thundring father sends.

MERCURIE.

Stay foolish Maid, Or I will take my rise upon a hill, When I perceive thee seated in a cloud, In all the painted glorie that thou hast, And never cease to clap my willing wings, Till I catch hold of thy discolour'd Bow, And shiver it beyond the angry power Of your curst Mistresse, to make up againe.

IRIS.

_Hermes_ forbeare, _Juno_ will chide and strike; Is great _Jove_ jealous that I am imploy'd On her love errands? she did never yet Claspe weake mortalitie in her white armes, As he hath often done: I onely come To celebrate the long wisht Nuptials, Heere in _Olympia_, which are now perform'd Betwixt two goodly Rivers, which have mixt Their gentle rising waves, and are to grow Into a thousand streames, great as themselves; I need not name them, for the sound is lowde In heaven and earth, and I am sent from her The Queene of Mariage, that was present heere, And smil'd to see them joyne, and hath not chid Since it was done: good _Hermes_ let me go.

MERCURIE.

Nay you must stay, _Joves_ message is the same, Whose eies are lightning, and whose voice is thunder, Whose breath is any winde, he will, who knowes How to be first on earth as well as heaven.

IRIS.

But what hath he to doe with Nuptiall rights? Let him keepe state upon his starry throne, And fright poore mortals with his thunderbolts, Leaving to us the mutuall darts of eyes.

MERCURIE.

Alas, when ever offer'd he t'abridge Your Ladies power, but onely now in these, Whose match concernes his generall government? Hath not each god a part in these high joyes? And shall not he the King of gods presume Without proud _Junoes_ licence? let her know That when enamor'd _Jove_ first gave her power To linke soft hearts in Undissolved bonds, He then foresaw, and to himselfe reserv'd The honor of this Mariage: thou shalt stand Still as a Rocke, while I to blesse this feast Will summon up with my all charming rod, The Nymphes of fountains, from whose watry locks Hung with the dew of blessing and encrease, The greedie Rivers take their nourishment. You Nymphes, who bathing in your loved springs, Beheld these Rivers in their infancie, And joy'd to see them, when their circled heads Refresht' the aire, and spread the ground with flowers: Rise from your Wells, and with your nimble feete Performe that office to this happie paire; Which in these plaines, you to _Alpheus_ did; When passing hence through many seas unmixt, He gained the favour of his _Arethuse_.

Immediatlie upon which speech foure _Naiades_ arise gentlie out of their severall Fountaines, and present themselves upon the Stage, attired in long habits of sea-greene Taffita, with bubbles of Christall intermixt with powdering of silver resembling drops of water; blewish Tresses on their heads, garlands of Water-Lillies. They fall into a Measure, daunce a little, then make a stand.

IRIS.

Is _Hermes_ growne a lover, by what power Unknowne to us, calls he the _Naiades?_

MERCURIE.

Presumptuous _Iris_, I could make thee daunce Till thou forgott'st thy Ladies messages, And rann'st backe crying to her, thou shall know My power is more, onely my breath, and this Shall move fix'd starres, and force the firmament To yeeld the _Hyades_, who governe showers, And dewie clouds, in whose dispersed drops Thou form'st the shape of thy deceitfull Bow. You maids, who yearely at appointed times, Advance with kindly teares, the gentle flouds, Descend, and powre your blessing on these streames, Which rolling downe from heaven aspiring hils, And now united in the fruitfull vales; Beare all before them ravisht with their joy, And swell in glorie till they know no bounds.

Five _Hyades_ descend softly in a cloud from the firmament, to the middle part of the hill, apparelled in skie coloured Taffita robes, spangled like the Heavens, golden Tresses, and each a faire Starre on their head, from thence descend to the Stage, at whose sight the _Naiades_ seeming to rejoyce, meete and joyne in a dance.

IRIS.

Great witte and power hath _Hermes_ to contrive A livelesse dance, which of one sexe consists.

MERCURIE.

Alas poore _Iris_, _Venus_ hath in store A secret Ambush of her winged boyes, Who lurking long within these pleasant groves; First strucke these Lovers with their equall darts, Those _Cupids_ shall come forth, and joyne with these, To honor that which they themselves begun.

Enter foure _Cupids_ from each side of the Boscage, attired in flame coloured Taffita close to their bodie like naked Boyes, with Bowes, Arrowes, and wings of gold: Chaplets of flowers on their heads, hoodwinckt with Tiffiny scarfs, who joyne with the Nymphes, and the _Hyades_ in another daunce. That ended, _Iris_ speakes.

IRIS.

Behold the Statuaes which wise _Vulcan_ plac'd Under the Altar of Olympian _Jove_, Shall daunce for joy of these great Nuptialls: And gave to them an Artificiall life, See how they move, drawne by this heavenly joy, Like the wilde trees, which follow'd _Orpheus_ Harpe.

The _Statuaes_ enter, supposed to be before descended from _Joves_ Altar, and to have been prepared in the covert with the _Cupids_, attending their call.

These _Statuaes_ were attired in cases of gold and silver close to their bodie, faces, hands and feete, nothing seene but gold and silver, as if they had been solid Images of mettall, Tresses of haire as they had been of mettall imbossed, girdles and small aprons of oaken leaves, as if they likewise had been carved or molded out of the mettall: at their comming, the Musicke changed from Violins to Hoboyes, Cornets, &c. And the ayre of the Musicke was utterly turned into a soft time, with drawing notes, excellently expressing their natures, and the Measure likewise was fitted unto the same, and the _Statuaes_ placed in such severall postures, sometimes all together in the Center of the daunce, and sometimes in the foure utmost Angles, as was very gracefull besides the noveltie: and so concluded the first Anti-masque.

MERCURIE.

And what will _Junoes Iris_ do for her?

IRIS.

Just match this shew; or my Invention failes, Had it beene worthier, I would have invok'd The blazing Comets, Clouds and falling Starres, And all my kindred Meteors of the Ayre To have excell'd it, but I now must strive To imitate Confusion, therefore thou Delightfull _Flora_, if thou ever felt'st Encrease of sweetnesse in those blooming plants, On which the homes of my faire bow decline; Send hither all the Rurall company, Which decke the May-games with their Countrey sports; _Juno_ will have it so.

The second Anti-masque rush in, daunce their Measure, and as rudely depart, consisting of a Pedant.

May Lord, May Lady. Servingman, Chambermaide. A Countrey Clowne, or Shepheard, Countrey Wench. An Host, Hostesse. A Hee Baboone, Shee Baboone. A Hee Foole, Shee Foole ushering them in.

All these persons apparelled to the life, the Men issuing out of one side of the Boscage, and the Woemen from the other: the Musicke was extremely well fitted, having such a spirit of Countrey jolitie, as can hardly be imagined, but the perpetuall laughter and applause was above the Musicke.

The dance likewise was of the same strain, and the Dancers, or rather Actors expressed every one their part so naturally, and aptly, as when a Mans eye was caught with the one, and then past on to the other, hee could not satisfie himselfe which did best. It pleased his Majestie to call for it againe at the end, as he did likewise for the first Anti-masque, but one of the _Statuaes_ by that time was undressed.

MERCURIE.

_Iris_ we strive, Like windes at libertie, who should do worst Ere we returne. If _Juno_ be the Queene Of Mariage, let her give happie way To what is done, in honor of the State She governes.

IRIS.

_Hermes,_ so it may be done Meerely in honor of the State, and these That now have prov'd it, not to satisfie The lust of _Jupiter_, in having thankes More then his _Juno_, if thy snakie rod Have power to search the heavens, or sound the sea, Or call together all the ends of earth, To bring in any thing that may do grace To us, and these; do it, we shall be pleas'd.

MERCURY.

Then know that from the mouth of _Jove_ himselfe, Whose words have wings, and need not to be borne; I tooke a message, and I bare it through A thousand yeelding clouds, and never stai'd Till his high will was done: the Olympian games Which long have slept, at these wish'd Nuptials, He pleas'd to have renew'd, and all his Knights Are gathered hither, who within their tents Rest on this hill, upon whose rising head. Behold _Joves_ Altar, and his blessed Priests Moving about it: come you holy men, And with your voices draw these youthes along, That till _Joves_ musicke call them to their games, Their active sports may give a blest content To those, for whom they are againe begun.

* * * * *

_The Maine Masque._

The second Travers is drawne, and the higher ascent of the Mountaine is discovered, wherein upon a levell after a great rise of the Hill, were placed two Pavilions: open in the front of them, the Pavilions were to sight as of cloth of gold, and they were trimmed on the inside with rich Armour and Militarie furniture hanged up as upon the walles, and behind the Tents there were represented in prospective, the tops of divers other Tents, as if it had been a Campe. In these Pavilions were placed fifteene _Olympian_ Knights, upon seates a little imbowed neere the forme of a Croisant, and the Knights appeared first, as consecrated persons all in vailes, like to Coapes, of silver Tiffinie, gathered, and falling a large compasse about them, and over their heads high Miters with long pendants behind falling from them, the Miters were so high, that they received their hats and feathers, that nothing was seene but vaile: in the midst betweene both the Tents upon the very top of the hill, being a higher levell then that of the Tents, was placed _Jupiters_ Altar gilt, with three great Tapers upon golden Candlesticks burning upon it: and the foure _Statuaes_, two of gold, and two of silver, as supporters, and _Jupiters_ Priests in white robes about it.

Upon the sight of the King, the vailes of the Knights did fall easilie from them, and they appeared in their owne habit.

_The Knights attire._

Arming doublets of Carnation satten embrodered with Blazing Starres of silver plate, with powderings of smaller Starres betwixt, gorgets of silver maile, long hose of the same, with the doublets laide with silver lace spangled, and enricht with embroderie betweene the lace: Carnation silke stockins imbrodered all over, garters and roses sutable: Pumpes of Carnaiton satten imbrodered as the doublets, hats of the same stuffe and embroderie cut like a helmet before, the hinder part cut into Scallops, answering the skirts of their doublets: the bands of the hats were wreathes of silver in forme of garlands of wilde Olives, white feathers with one fall of Carnation, Belts of the same stuffe and embrodered with the doublet: Silver swords, little Italian bands and cuffes embrodered with silver, faire long Tresses of haire.

_The Priests habits._

Long roabes of white Taffita, long white heads of haire. The high Priest a cap of white silke shagge close to his head, with two labels at the eares, the midst rising in forme of a Pyramis, in the top thereof a branch of silver, every Priest playing upon a Lute: twelve in number.