The Descent of Liberty: A Mask |
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1st Shep 2d Shep allusion Ambriel appears Ariel back-ground Ben Jonson bless breath CERES charm cheek cherubs CHORUS Circe cloud colour Comus crowned with laurel dance dear delight descend DESCENT OF LIBERTY drama Earth is worthy Enchanter Enchanter's hand Eunomus eyes Faithful Shepherdess fancy feelings finger flourish Goddess golden Gray's Inn green happy head heard heart Heaven History of Poetry Hush Inner Temple Iris land LEIGH HUNT light lightsome look Lysippus MAID'S TRAGEDY Mask Masque Mercury Milton Myrt MYRTILLA nature o'er Pageants Peace piece pipe pleasure poetical poetry poets pomps we celebrate recollect rejoice round scene seat Shepherds shew shoulders sight smile songs sound species sphere spirit Spring strike sweet tears Temple thee things thou thought touch tow'rds trees true sovereignty Trumpets turn Vex'd vision Vision of Delight voice wand wings wise and free
Popular passages
Page xviii - So as it appeareth that poesy serveth and conferreth to magnanimity, morality, and to delectation. And therefore it was ever thought to have some participation of divineness, because it doth raise and erect the mind, by submitting the shows of things to the desires of the mind ; whereas reason doth buckle and bow the mind unto the nature of things.
Page xlv - Sabrina fair, Listen where thou art sitting Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave, In twisted braids of lilies knitting The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair; Listen for dear honour's sake, Goddess of the silver lake, Listen, and save. Listen, and appear to us, In name of great Oceanus; By the earth-shaking Neptune's mace, And Tethys...
Page xlv - QUEEN and Huntress, chaste and fair, Now the sun is laid to sleep, Seated in thy silver chair State in wonted manner keep: Hesperus entreats thy light, Goddess excellently bright. Earth, let not thy envious shade Dare itself to interpose; Cynthia's shining orb was made Heaven to clear when day did close: Bless us then with wished sight, Goddess excellently bright. Lay thy bow of pearl apart And thy...
Page xvii - Therefore, because the acts or events of true history have not that magnitude which satisfieth the mind of man, poesy feigneth acts and events greater and more heroical; because true history propounded! the successes and issues of actions not so agreeable to the merits of virtue and vice, therefore poesy feigns them more just in retribution, and more according to revealed providence; because true history represented!
Page xvii - ... nothing else but feigned history, which may be styled as well in prose as in verse. The use of this feigned history hath been to give some shadow of satisfaction to the mind of man in those points wherein the nature of things doth deny it, the world being in proportion inferior to the soul; by reason whereof there is, agreeable to the spirit of man, a more ample greatness, a more exact goodness, and a more absolute variety, than can be found in the nature of things.
Page xxxviii - Naiades out of the fountains, and bringeth down five of the Hyades out of the clouds, to dance. Hereupon, Iris scoffs at Mercury, for that he had devised a dance but of one sex, which could have no life; but Mercury, 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 four Cupids, and brings down from Jupiter's altar four statues of gold and silver to dance with the nymphs and stars, in which dance the Cupids...
Page xvi - History hath been to give some shadow of satisfaction to the mind of man in the points wherein the nature of things doth deny it — the world being in proportion inferior to the soul ; by reason whereof there is agreeable to the spirit of man a more ample greatness, a more exact goodness, and a more absolute variety than can be found in the nature of things.
Page xliv - Nature and bcnumbeth sense, And Gorgon-like, turns active men to stone. The picture of Pleasure is that of "a young woman with a smiling face, in a light lascivious habit, adorned with silver and gold, her temples crowned with a garland of roses, and over that a rainbow circling her head down to her shoulders." Poverty's speech is followed with a dance of Gypsies, Pleasure's with that of the Five Senses: but Mercury dismisses her in like manner, commencing, among other images of a less original complexion,...
Page xxxviii - Jupiter and Juno, willing to do honour to the marriage of the two famous rivers Thamesis and Rhine, employ their messengers severally, Mercury and Iris, for that purpose. They meet and contend: then Mercury, for his part, brings forth an anti-masque all of spirits or divine natures ; but yet not of one kind or livery (because that had been so much in use heretofore), but, as it were, in consort, like to broken music...
Page xxxix - ... occasion to new and strange varieties both in the music and paces. This was the first anti-masque. " Then Iris, for her part, in scorn of. this high-flying; devise, and in token that the match shall likewise be blessed with the love of the common people...