Selected quad for the lemma: house_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A25376
|
The hermetick romance, or, The chymical wedding written in High Dutch by Christian Rosencreutz ; translated by E. Foxcroft ...; Chymische Hochzeit. English. 1690
|
Rosencreutz, Christian.; Foxcroft, E.
|
1690
(1690)
|
Wing A3114; ESTC R8341
|
77,533
|
192
|
the middle went likewise all in black and Cupid held up her Train after this intimation was given to us to follow and after us the Virgins till at last old Atlas brought up the rear In such Procession through many stately Walks we at length came to the House of the Sun there next to the King and Queen upon a richly furnished Scaffold to behold the fore-ordained Comedy We indeed though Separated stood on the right Hand of the Kings but the Virgins on the left except those to whom the Royal Ensignes were committed To them was allotted a peculiar standing at top of all But the rest of the attendants were fain to stand below between the columns and therewith to be content Now because there are many remarkable Passages in this Comedy I will not omit in brief to run it over First of all came forth a very ancient Ring with some Servants before whose Throne was brought a little Chest with mention that it was found upon the Water Now it being opened there appeared in it a lovely Babe together with certain Jewels and a small Letter of Parchment sealed and superscribed to the King Which the King therefore presently opened and having read it wept and then declared to his Servants how injuriously the King of the Moores had deprived his Aunt of her Country and had exstinguished all the Royal Seed even to this Infant with the Daughter of which Country he had now purposed to have matched his Son Hereupon he Swore to maintain perpetual enmity with the Moore and his Allies and to reuenge this upon him and therewith commanded that the Child should be tenderly nursed and to make preparation against the Moore Now this provision and the discipline of the young Lady who after she was a little grown up was committed to an antient Tutor continued all the first Act with many very fine and laudable sports besides In the interlude a Lyon and Griffon were set at one another to fight and the Lyon got the victory which was also a pretty fight In the second Act the Moore a very black treacherous Fellow came forth also who having with vexation understood that his Murder was discovered and that too a little Lady was craâ—â—â—â—ly stollen from him began thereupon to consult how by stratagem he might be able to encounter so powerful an adversary whereof he was at length advised by certain Fugitives who by reason of Famine fled to him So the young Lady contrary to all mens expectation fell again into his Hands Whom had he not heen wonderfully deceived by his own Servants he had like to have caused to be slain Thus this Act too was concluded with a mervelous triumph of the Moore In the third Act a great Army on the King's party was raised against the Moore and put under the conduct of an antient valiant Knight who fell into the Moores Country till at length he forceably rescued the young Lady out of the Tower and Apparrelled her a new After this in a trice they erected a glorious Scaffold and placed their young Lady upon it presently came twelve Royal Embassadors amongst whom the fore-mentioned Knight made a Speech alledging that the King his most gracious Lord had not only heretofore delivered her from death and even hitherto caused her to be royally brought up though she had not behaved her self altogether as became her But moreover his Royal Majesty had before others elected her to be a Spouse for the young Lord his Son and most gratiously desired that the said espousals might be really executed in case they would be sworn to his Majesty upon the following Articles Hereupon out of a Patent he caused certain glorious conditions to be read which if it were not too long were well worthy to be here recounted In brief the young Lady took an Oath inviolably to observe the same returning thanks withal in most seemly sort for this so high a Grace Whereupon they began to sing to the Praise of God of the King and the young Lady and so for this time departed For sport in the mean while the four Beasts of Daniel as he saw them in the Vision and hath at large described them were brought in all which had its certain signification In the fourth Act the young Lady was again restored to her lost Kingdom and Crowned and for a space in this array conducted about the place with extraordinary joy after this many various Embassadors presented themselves not only to wish her prosperity but also to behold her Glory Yet it was not long that she preserved her integrity but soon began again to look want only about her and to wink at the Embassadors and Lords wherein she truly acted her part to the Life These her manners were soon known to the Moore who would by no means neglect such an opportunity and because her Steward had not sufficient regard to her she was easily blinded with great promises so that she had no good confidence in her King but privily submitted her self to the intire disposal of the Moore Hereupon the Moore made haste and having by her consent gotten her into his Hands he gave her good words so long till all her Kingdom had subjected it self to him After which in the third Scene of this Act he caused her to be led forth and first to be stript stark naked and then upon a scurvy wooden Scaffold to be bound to a Post and well scourged and at last sentenced to Death This was so woful a Spectacle that it made the Eyes of many to run over Hereupon thus naked as she was she was cast into Prison thereto expect her Death which was to be procured by Poyson which yet killed her not but made her Leprous all over Thus this Act was for the most part lamentable Between they brought forth Nebuchadnezzar's Image which was adorn'd with all manner of Arms on the Head Breast Belly Legs and Feet and the like of which too more shall be spoken in the future explication In the fifth Act the young King was acquainted with all that had passed between the Moore and his future Spouse who first interceeded with his Father for her intreating that she might not be left in that condition which his Father having agreed to Embassadors were dispatched to comfort her in her Sickness and Captivity but yet withal to give her notice of her inconsideratedness But she would not yet receive them but consented to be the Moore 's Concubine which was also done and the young King was acquainted with it After this comes a band of Fools each of which brought with him a Cudgel where with in a trice they made a great Globe of the World and as soon undid it again It was a fine sportive Phantsie In the sixth Act the young King resolved to bid battle to the Moore which also was done And albeit the Moore was discomfitted yet all held the young
Images which moved themselves as if they had been alive and had so strange a contrivance that it would be impossible for me to relate it all like wise as we were passing out there began such a marvellous kind of vocal Musick that I could not certainly tell whether it were performed by the Virgins who yet stayed behind or by the Images themselves Now we being for this time satisfied went thence with out Virgins who the Musâ—ians being already present led us down the winding Stairs again but the Door was diligently locked and bolted as soon as we were come again into the Hall one of the Virgins began I wonder Sister that you durst adventure your self amongst so many Persons My Sister replyed our President I am fearful of none so much as of this Man pointing at me This speech went to the Heart of me For I well understood that she mocked at my Age and indeed I was the oldest of them all Yet she comforted me again with promise That in case I behaved my self vvell towards her she vvould easily rid me of this burden Mean time a Collation was again brought in and every one's Virgin seated by him vvho vvell knevv how to shorten the time with handsom discourses But what their discourses and sports vvere I dare not blab out of School But most of the questions were about the Arts whereby I could lightly gather that both young and old were conversant in the Sciences But still it run in my thoughts hovv I might become young again whereupon I vvas somevvhat the sadder This the Virgin perceived and therefore began I dare lay any thing if I lye with him to night he shall be pleasanter in the morning Hereupon they began to laugh and albeit I blushed all over yet I vvas sain to laugh too at my ovvn ill-luck Novv there vvas one there that had a mind to return my disgrace again upon the Virgin vvhereupon he said I hope not only we but the Virgins too themselves will bear witness in behalf of our Brother that our Lady President hath promised her self to be his Bed-fellow to Night I should be well content with it replyed the Virgin if I had not reason to be afraid of these my Sisters there would be no hold with them should I clouse the best and handsomest for my self against their will My Sister presently began another We find hereby that thy high Office makes thee not proud wherefore if by thy permission we might by lot part the Lords here present amongst us for Bed-fellows thou shouldst with our good-will have such a Prerogative We let this pass thus for a Jeast and began again to discourse together But our Virgin could not leave tormenting us and therefore began again My Lords how if we should permit Fourtune to decide which of us must lie together to Night Well said I if it may be no othervvise vve cannot refuse such a proffer Novv because it vvas concluded to make this tryal after Mear vve resolved to sit no longer at Table so we arose and each one vvalked up and dovvn vvith his Virgin Nay said the Virgin It shall not be so yet but let us see how Fortune will couple us upon vvhich vve vvere separated asunder But novv first arose a dispute hovv the business should be carried but this was only a premediated device for the Virgin instantly made the proposal that we should mix our selves together in a Ring and that she beginning to count from her self the seventh was to be content with the following seventh whether it were a Virgin or man for our pâ—â—ts we were not aware of any craft and therefore permitted it so to be but when we thought we had very well mingled our selves the Virgins nevertheless were so subtil that each one knew her station before-hand The Virgin began to reckon the seventh next her was again a Virgin the third seventh a Virgin likewise and this hapned so long till to our amazement all the Virgins came forth and none of us was hit Thus we poor pittiful Wretches remained standing alone and were moreover forced to suffer our selves to be jeared too and confess we were very handsomly couzened In short who ever had seen us in our order might sooner have expected the Skye to fall then that it should never have come to our turn Herewith our sport was at an end and we were fain to satisfie our selves with the Virgins Waggery In the interm the little wanton Cupid came also in unto us But because he presented himself on behalf of their Royal Majesties and delivered us a Health as from them out of a golden Cup and was to call our Virgins to the King withal declaring he could at this time tarry no longer with them we could not sufficiently sport our selves with him So with a due return of our most humble thanks we let him flye forth again Now because in the interm the mirth began to fall into my Consort 's Feet and the Virgins were nothing sorry to see it they quickly lead up a civil Dance whom I rather beheld with pleasure then assisted For my Mercurialists were so ready with their Postures as if they had been long of the Trade After some few Dances our president came in again and told us how the Artists and Students had offered themselves to their Royal Majesties for their Honour and Pleasure before their departure to act a Merry Comedy and if we thought good to be present at it and to waite upon their Royal Majesties to the House of the Sun it would be acceptable to them and they would most gratiously acknowledge it Hereupon in the first place we returned our most humble thanks for the Honour vouchsafed us not only so but moreover most submissively tendered our small service which the Virgin related again and presently brought word to attend their Royal Majesties in our order in the Gallery whither we were soon led and staid not long there for the Royal Procession was just ready yet without any Musick at all The unknown Queen who was Yesterday with us went foremost with a small and costly Coronet apparrelled in white Sattin she carried nothing but a small Crucifix which was made of a Pearl and this very day wrought between the young King and his Bride After her went the six fore-mentioned Virgins in two ranks who carried the King's Jewels belonging to the little Altar next to these came the three Kings The Bridegroom was in the midst of them in a plain dress only in black Sattin after the Italian Mode He had on a small round black Hat with a little black pointed Feather which he courteously put off to us thereby to signifie his favour towards us To him we bowed our selves as also to the first as we had been before instructed After the Kings came the three Queens two whereof were richly habited only she in