Those pillars did uxorious Vulcan frame,*
Against this day, and underneath that hill,
He, and his Cyclopes, are forging still

Some strange and curious piece, to adorn the night,
And give these graced nuptials greater light.

Here VULCAN presented himself, as overhearing Hymen, attired in a cassock girt to him, with bare arms, his hair and beard rough; his hat of blue, and ending in a cone; in his hand a hammer and tongs, as coming from the forge.

Vul. Which I have done; the best of all my life; And have my end, if it but please my wife, And she commend it, to the labour'd worth. Cleave, solid rock! and bring the wonder forth. At which, with a loud and full music, the cliff parted in the midst, and discovered an illustrious concave, filled with an ample and glistering light, in which an artificial sphere was made of silver, eighteen feet in the diameter, that turned perpetually: the coluri were heightened with gold; so were the arctic and antarctic circles, the tropics, the equinoctial, the meridian and horizon; only the zodiac was of pure gold: in which the masquers, under the characters of the twelve signs, were placed, answering them in number; whose offices, with the whole frame, as it turned, Vulcan went forward to describe.

*The ancient poets, whensoever they would intend any thing to be done with great mastery, or excellent art, made Vulcan the artificer, as Hom. II. in the forging of Achilles's armour, and Virg. for Æneas, Æneid. 8. He is also said to be the god of fire and light. Sometime taken for the purest beam: and by Orph. in Hym. celebrated for the sun and moon. But more especially by Eurip. in Troad. he is made Facifer in Nuptiis. Which present office we give him here, as being Calor Naturæ, and Præses Luminis. See Plat. in Cratyl. For his description, read Pausan. in Eliac.

It is a sphere, I've formed round and even,
In due proportion to the sphere of heaven,
With all his lines and circles; that compose
The perfect'st form, and aptly do disclose
The heaven of marriage: which I title it :
Within whose zodiac, I have made to sit,
In order of the signs, twelve sacred powers,
That are presiding at all nuptial hours:

The first, in Aries' place, respecteth pride
Of youth, and beauty; graces in the bride.

In Taurus, he loves strength and manliness;
The virtues which the bridegroom should profess.

In Gemini, that noble power is shown,

That twins their hearts, and doth of two make one.

In Cancer, he that bids the wife give way
With backward yielding to her husband's sway.

In Leo, he that doth instil the heat

Into the man which from the following seat

Is temper'd so, as he that looks from thence
Sees yet they keep a Virgin innocence.

In Libra's room, rules he that doth supply
All happy beds with sweet equality.

The Scorpion's place he fills, that makes the jars,
And stings in wedlock; little strifes and wars:

Which he, in th' Archer's throne, doth soon remove,
By making, with his shafts, new wounds of love.
And those the follower with more heat inspires,
As, in the Goat, the sun renews his fires.

In wet Aquarius' stead, reigns he that showers Fertility upon the genial bowers.

Last, in the Fishes place, sits he doth say,
In married joys, all should be dumb as they.

And this hath Vulcan for his Venus done,
To grace the chaster triumph of her son.
Ven. And for this gift, will I to heaven return,
And vow for ever, that my lamp shall burn
With pure and chastest fire; or never shine,*
But when it mixeth with thy sphere and mine.

Here Venus returned to her chariot, with the Graces; while Vulcan, calling out the priests of Hymen, who were the musicians, was interrupted by PYRACMON.t Vul. Sing, then, ye priests.

Pyrac. Stay, Vulcan, shall not these
Come forth and dance!

Vul. Yes, my Pyracmon, please
The eyes of these spectators with our art.

* As Catul. hath it in nup. Jul. et Manl. without Hymen, which is marriage, Nil potest Venus, fama quod bona comprobet,

etc.

+ One of the Cyclops, of whom, with the other two, Brontes and Steropes, see Virg. Æneid.

Ferrum exercebant vasto Cyclopes in antro,

Brontesque, Steropesque et nudus membra Pyracmon, etc. As when Hom. Iliad., makes Thetis for her son Achilles, to visit Vulcan's house, he feigns that Vulcan had made twenty tripods, or stools with golden wheels, to move of themselves miraculously, and go out and return fitly. To which the invention of our dance alludes, and is in the poet a most elegant place, and worthy the tenth reading.

Pyrac. Come here then, Brontes, bear a Cyclop's part,
And Steropes, both with your sledges stand,
And strike a time unto them as they land;
And as they forwards come, still guide their paces,
In musical and sweet proportion'd graces;
While I upon the work and frame attend,

And Hymen's priests forth, at their seasons, send
To chaunt their hymns; and make this square admire
Our great artificer, the god of fire.

Here the musicians, attired in yellow, with wreaths of marjoram, and veils like Hymen's priests, sung the first staff of the following Epithalamion: which, because it was sung in pieces between the dances, shewed to be so many several songs; but was made to be read an entire poem. After the song, they came (descending in an oblique motion) from the Zodiac, and danced their first dance; then music interposed, (but varied with voices, only keeping the same chorus) they danced their second dance. So after, their third and fourth dances, which were all full of elegancy and curious device. And thus it ended.*

The two latter dances were made by master Thomas Giles, the two first by master Hier. Herne: who, in the persons of the two Cyclopes, beat a time to them with their hammers. The tunes were master Alphonso Ferrabosco's. The device and act of the scene master Inigo Jones's, with addition of the trophies. For the invention of the whole, and the verses, Assertor qui dicat esse meos, imponet plagiario pudorem.

The attire of the masquers throughout was most graceful and noble; partaking of the best both ancient and later figure. The colours carnation and silver, enriched both with embroidery and lace. The dressing of their heads, feathers and jewels; and so excellently ordered to the rest of the habit, as all would suffer under any description, after the shew. Their performance of

EPITHALAMION.

Up, youths and virgins, up, and praise
The god, whose nights outshine his days;
Hymen, whose hallowed rites

Could never boast of brighter lights;
Whose bands pass liberty.

Two of your troop, that with the morn were free,
Are now waged to his war.
And what they are,
If you'll perfection see,
Yourselves must be.

Shine, Hesperus, shine forth, thou wished star!

What joy or honours can compare
With holy nuptials, when they are
Made out of equal parts

Of years of states, of hands, of hearts!
When in the happy choice,

The spouse and spoused have the foremost voice!
Such, glad of Hymen's war,

Live what they are,

And long perfection see:
And such ours be,

Shine, Hesperus, shine forth, thou wished star!

The solemn state of this one night
Were fit to last an age's light;

all, so magnificent and illustrious, that nothing can add to the seal of it, but the subscription of their names:

The Duke of LENOX,

Earl of ARUNDELL,
Earl of PEMBROKE,
Earl of MONTGOMERY,
Lord D'AUBIGNY,

Lord of WALden,

Lord HAY,

Lord SANKRE,

Sir Ro. RICHE,

Sir JO. KENNETHIE,

Master ERSKINE