She that makes Souls, with Bodies, mix in Love,
Contracts the World in one, and therein Jove;
Is (a) spring, and end of all things: yet, most strange!
Her self nor suffers spring, nor end, nor change.
No wonder, they were you, that were so bold;
For none but Humors and Affections would
Have dar'd so rash a Venture. You will say
It was your zeal, that gave your powers the sway;
And urge the masqued, and disguis'd pretence,
Of saving Blood, and succ'ring Innocence?
So want of knowledge, still begetteth Jars,
When humorous Earthlings will controll the Stars.
Inform your selves, with safer Reverence,
To these mysterious Rites, whose mystick Sence,
Reason (which all things, but it self, confounds)
Shall clear unto you, from th' authentic grounds.
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(a) Mac. in
som. Scip.
lib.1.
At this, the Humors and Affections sheathed their Swords,
and retired amazed to the sides of the Stage, while Hymen be-
gan to rank the Persons, and order the Ceremonies: And
Reason proceeded to speak.
R E A S O N.
H E Pair, which do each other side,
Though (yet) some space doth them divide,
This happy Night must both make one
Blest Sacrifice, to Union.
Nor is this Altar but a sign
Of one more soft, and more divine.
The (b) Genial Bed, where Hymen keeps
The solemn Orgies, void of sleeps:
And wildest Cupid, waking, hovers
With Adoration 'twixt the Lovers.
The Tead of white and blooming Thorn,
In token of Increase is born:
As (c) also, with the ominous light,
To fright all malice from the Night.
Like are the (d) fire, and water, set;
That, ev'n as moisture, mixt with heat,
Helps every natural Birth, to Life;
So, for their Race, join Man and Wife.
The (e) blushing veil shews shamefac'tness
Th' ingenious Virgin should profess
At meeting with the Man: Her hair,
That (f) flows so liberal, and so fair,
Is shed with grey, to intimate,
She entreth to a Matrons state.
For which those (g) Utensils are born.
And, that she would not labour scorn,
Her self a (h) snowy fleece doth wear,
And these her (i) rock and spindle bear,
To shew, that nothing, which is good,
Gives check unto the highest blood.
The (k) Zone of wooll about her waste,
Which, in contrary Circles cast,
Doth meet in one (l) strong knot, that binds,
Tells you, so should all married minds.
And lastly, these five waxen lights,
Imply perfection in the Rites;
For (m) five the special number is,
Whence hallow'd Union claims her bliss.
As being all the Sum, that grows
From the united strengths, of those
Which (n) male and female numbers we
Do stile, and are first two, and three.
Which, joined thus, you cannot sever
In equal parts, but one will ever
Remain as common; so we see
The binding force of Unity:
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(b) Pro-
perly that,
which
was made
ready for
the new
married
Bride, and
was call'd
Genialis, à
generandis
liberis. Ser.
in 6. Æn.
(c) See
Ovid. Fast.
lib. 6. Sic
fatus, spi-
nam, quâ
tristes pel-
lere posset
A foribus
noxas, hæc
erat alba,
dedit.
(d) Plutar.
in Quæst.
Rom. and
Var. lib. 4.
de ling.
Lat.
(e) Plin.
Nat. Hist.
lib. 21. cap.
8.
(f) Pomp.
Fest. Briss.
Hotto. de
Rit. Nup.
(g) Var.
lib. 6. de
ling. Lat.
and Fest. in
Frag.
(h) Fest. ib.
(i) Plutar.
in Quæst.
Rom. & in
Romul.
(k) Plin.
Nat. Hist. lib. 8. cap. 48. (l) That was Nodus Herculeanus, which
the Husband, at Night, untied, in sign of good Fortune, that he might
be happy in propagation of Issue, as Hercules was, who left Seventy
Children. See Fest. in Voc. Cingul. (m) Plutarch. in Quæst. Rom.
(n) See Mart. Capel. lib. 6. de Nupt. Phil. & Mer. in numero Pentade.
[column break]
For which alone, the peaceful gods
In number, always, love the odds;
And even parts as much despise,
Since out of them all discords rise.
Here, the upper part of the Scene, which was all of Clouds,
and made artificially to swell, and ride like the Rack, began to
open; and, the Air clearing, in the top thereof was
discovered (o) Juno, sitting in a Throne, supported by
two beautiful (p) Peacocks; her Attire rich, and
like a (q) Queen, a (r) white Diadem on her head,
from whence descended a Veil, and that bound with
a (s) Fascia, of several coloured Silks, set with all
sorts of Jewels, and raised in the top with (t) Lillies
and Roses; in her right hand she held a Scepter, in
the other a Timbrel, at her golden feet the (u) hide
of a Lion was placed: round about her sate the Spi-
rits of the Air, in several colours, making Musick:
Above her the Region of Fire, with a continual
motion, was seen to whirl circularly, and Jupiter
standing in the top (figuring the Heaven) bran-
dishing his thunder: Beneath her the Rainbow, Iris,
and, on the two sides eight Ladies, attired richly, and
alike in the most celestial colours, who represented her
Powers, as she is the (x) Governess of Marriage,
and made the second Masque. All which, upon the
discovery, Reason made Narration of.
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(o) With
the Greeks,
Juno was
interpre-
ted to be
the Air it
self. And so
Macr. de
som. Scipio.
l. 1. c. 17.
calls her.
Mar. Cap.
surnames
her Aëria,
of reign-
ing there.
(p) They
were sa-
cred to
Juno, in
respect of
their co-
lours, and
temper, so
like the Air. Ovid. de Arte Amand. Laudatas ostendit aves Junonia
pennas. And Met. lib. 2. Habili Saturnia curru ingreditur liquidum
pavonibus Æthera pictis. (q) She was call'd Regina Juno with the
Latines, because she was Soror & Conjux Jovis, Deorum & hominum
Regis. (r) Read Apul. describing her, in his 10th. of the Ass. (s) Af-
ter the manner of the antique Bend, the varied colours implying the
several mutations of the Air, as Showres, Dews, Serenity, Force of
Winds, Clouds, Tempest, Snow, Hail, Lightning, Thunder, all which
had their Noises signified in her Timbrel: the Faculty of causing
these, being ascribed to her by Virg. Æneid. lib. 4. where he makes
her say, His ego nigrantem commista grandine nimbum Desuper infun-
dam, & tonitru clum omne ciebo. (t) Lillies were sacred to Juno,
as being made white with her milk, that fell upon the earth, when Jove
took Hercules away, whom by stealth he had laid to her breast: the
Rose was also call'd Junonia. (u) So she was figur'd at Argos, as a
Stepmother, insulting on the Spoils of her two Privigni, Bacchus and
Hercules. (x) See Virg. Æneid. lib. 4. Junoni ante omnes cui vincla
jugalia curæ: and in another place, Dant signum prima & Tellus, &
Pronuba Juno: And Ovid. in Phill. Epist. Junonemque terris quæ præ-
sidet alma Maritis.
R E A S O N.
N D see, where Juno, whose great Name
Is Unio, in the Anagram,
Displays her glistering State, and Chair,
As she enlightned all the Air!
Hark how the charming Tunes do beat
In sacred Concords 'bout her Seat!
And lo! to grace what these intend,
Eight of her noblest powers descend,
Which are (y) enstil'd her faculties,
That govern nuptial Mysteries;
And wear those Masques before their Faces,
Lest, dazling Mortals with their Graces
As they approach them, all Mankind
Should be, like Cupid, strucken blind.
These Order waits for, on the ground,
To keep, that you should not confound
Their measur'd steps, which only move
About th' harmonious Sphere of Love.
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(y) They
were all
eight cal-
led by par-
ticular
surnames
of Juno,
ascribed
to her for
some pe-
culiar
property
in mar-
riage, as
some-
where af-
ter is
more fitly
declared.
Their Descent was made in two great Clouds, that put
forth themselves severally, and (with one measure of time)
were seen to stoop, and fall gently down upon the earth. The
manner of their habits, came after some Statues of Juno,
no less airy, than glorious. The dressings of their heads, rare; so
likewise of their feet: and all full of splendor, sovereignty, and
riches. Whil'st they were descending, this Song was sung at the
Altar.
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