Londini speculum: or, Londons mirror exprest in sundry triumphs, pageants, and showes, at the initiation of the right Honorable Richard Fenn, into the Mairolty [sic] of the famous and farre renowned city London. All the charge and expence of these laborious projects both by water and land, being the sole undertaking of the Right Worshipful Company of the Habberdashers. Written by Tho. Heywood.

Londini Speculum, OR, Londons Mirrour.

ALL Triumphes have their Titles, and so this, according to the nature thereof, beareth a name: It is called Londini 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that is, Speculum, more plainly, Londons Mirrour, neither altogether unproperly so termed, since she in her selfe may not onely perspicuously behold her owne vertues, but all forraigne Cities by her, how to correct their vices.

Her Antiquity she deriveth from Brute, lineally discended from Aeneas, the sonne of Anchises and Venus, and by him erected, about the yeare of the world two thousand eight hundred fifty five: before the Nativity of our blessed Saviour, one thousand one hundred and eight: first cald by him Trinovantum, or Troy-novant, New Troy, to continue the remembrance of the old, and after, in the processe of time Caier Lud, that is, Luds Towne, of King Lud, who not onely greatly repaired the City, but increased it with goodly and gorgeous buildings; in the West part whereof, he built a strong gate, which hee called after his owne name Lud gate, and so from Luds Towne, by contraction of the word and dialect used in those times, it came since to be called London.

I will not insist to speake of the name of Maior, which implyeth as much as the greater, or more prime person; such were the Praetors, or Proefecti in Rome, neither were the Dictators any more, till Iulius Caesar aiming at the Imperiall Purple, was not content with that annuall honour, which was to passe successively from one to another, but he caused himselfe to be Elected Perpetuus Dictator, which was in effect no lesse than Emperor.

And for the name of Elder-man, or Alder-man, it is so ancient, that learned Master Cambden in in his Britan. remembreth unto us, that in the daies of Royal King Edgar, a noble Earle, and of the Royall blood, whose name was Alwin, was in such favour with the King, that be was stiled Healf Kunning, or halfe King, and had the stile of Alderman of all England: This man was the first founder of a famous Monastery in the Isle of Ely, where his body lies interred, upon whose Tombe was an inscription in Latin, which I have, verbatim, thus turned into English, Here resteth Alwin, couzen to King Edgar, Alderman of all England, and of this Holy Abbey the miraculous founder. And so much (being tide to a briefe discourse) may serve for the Antiquity of London, and the Titles for Maior or Alderman.

I come now to the Speculum, or Mirrour. Plutarch tels us, That a glasse in which a man or woman behold their faces, is of no estimation or value (though the frame thereof be never so richly deckt with gold & gemmes, unlesse it represent unto us the true figure and obiect. Moreover, that such are foolish and flattering glasses, which make a sad face to looke pleasant, or a merry countenance melancholy: but a perfect and a true Christall, without any falsity or flattery; rendreth every obiect its true forme, and proper figure, distinguishing a smile from a wrincle; and such are the meanes many times to bridle our refractory affections: for who being in a violent rage, would be pleased that his servant should bring him a glasse wherein hee might behold the •• rvity and strange alteration of his countenance? Minerva playing upon a Pipe, was mockt by a Satyre in these words.

Non te decet forma istaec, pone fistulas, Et Arma capesse componens recte genus. That visage mis-becomes, thy Pipe Cast from thee, Warlike dame, Take unto thee thy wonted Armes, And keepe thy Cheekes in frame.

But though she despised his Councell for the present, when after, playing upon the same Pipe, in which she so much delighted, shee beheld in a river such a change in her face, shee cast it from her, and broke it asunder, as knowing that the sweetnes of her musick could not countervaile or recompence that deformity which it put upon her countenance, and therefore I have purposed so true and exact a Mirrour, that in it may be discovered as well that which beautifies the governour, as deformes the government.

One thing more is necessitously to be added, and then I fall upon the showes in present agitation: namely, that the fellowship of the Merchant Adventurers of England were first trusted with the sole venting of the manufacture of Cloth out of this kingdome, & have for above this 4 hundred years traded in a priviledged, & wel governed course, in Germany, the Low Countries, &c. and have beene the chiefe meanes to raise the manufacture of all wollen commodities to that height in which it now existeth, which is the most famous staple of the Land, and whereby the poore in all Countries are plentifully maintained: and of this Company his Lordship is free: as also of the Levant, or Turkey, and of the East India Company, whose trading hath beene, and is in these forraine adventures: also who spent many yeares and a great part of his youth abroad in other Countries.

N •• the first show by water is presented by St. Katherine, of whom I will give you this short Character: She was the daughter of King Costus, and had the generall title of Queene of Famogosta, because crowned in that City, being lineally discended from the Roman Emperors, who as she lived a Virgin so she dyed a Martyr, under the Tyrant Maxentius, whose Empresse with divers other eminent persons she had before converted to the Faith: she rideth on a Scallop, which is part of his Lordships Coate of Armes, drawne in a Sea-Chariot, by two Sea-horses with divers other adornments to beautifie the peece; the Art of which, the eye may better discover, than my pen describe, and why she being a Princesse, and Patronesse of this Company of the Haberdashers, who onely ruled on the Land, should at this time appeare upon the water, and without any iust taxation, to make that cleare, shee thus delivereth her selfe.

St. Katherines speech by Water. GReat Praetor, and grave Senators, she craves A free admittance on these curied waves, Who doth from long antiquity professe Her 〈◊〉 to be your gratious Patronesse: Oft have I on a passant Lyon sate, And through your populous streets beene borne in state: Oft have I grac'ty our Triumphes on the shore, But on the Waters was not seene before. Will you the reason know why it doth fall, That I thus change my Element? you shall: When Triton with his pearly trumpets blew A streperous blast, to summon all the crew Of Marine gods and goddesses to appeare, (As the annuall custome is) and meet you here: As they were then in councell to debate, What honour they might adde unto the state Of this Inauguration; there appear'd God Mercury, who would from Iove be heard: His Caducaus silence might command, Whilst all attentive were to understand The tenor of his message: who thus spake. The Sire of gods, with what you undertake Is highly pleas'd, and greatly doth commend That faire designe and purpose you intend; But he beheld a Machine from an high, Which at first sight daz'd his immortall eye; A royall Arke, whose bright and glorious beams Rivall the Sunnes, ready to proove your streames: A vessell of such beauty, burthen, state, That all the high Powers were amaz'd thereat; So beautified, so munified, so clad, As might an eight to the seaven wonders adde: VVhich must be now your charge; 'twas Ioves owne motion, That all of you attend her to the Ocean. This notwithstanding, such was their great care, (To shew that o're you they indulgent are) That Neptune from his Chariot bad me chuse Two of his best Sea-horses, to excuse His inforc't absence: Thames (whose breast doth swell Still with that glorious burthen) bad me tell, That loves command shall be no sooner done, But every Tide he'le on your errands runne From hence to the Lands end, and thence againe Backe, to conveigh your trafficke from the Maine: My message thus delivered; now proceed To take your oath, there is no further need Of my assistance; who on Land will meete you, And with the state of greater Triumphes greete you.

These few following Lines may, (and not impertinently) be added unto Iupiters message, delivered by Mercury, which though too long for the Bardge, may perhaps not shew lame in the booke, as being lesse troublesome to the Reader than the Rower.

Dance in thy raine-bow colours Pr • t •• s change Thy selfe to thousand figures, 'tis not strange VVith thee, thou old Sea-prophet, throng the seas With Ph • rcus Daughters, the Nereides, And all the blew-hair'd Nymphes, in number more, Than Barkes that float, or Pibbles on the shore: Take Ae • lus along to fill her sailes With prosperous windes, and keepe within his gailes Tempestuous gusts: which was no sooner said, But done: for all the Marine gods obey'd.

The second show, but the first by Land, is presented by the great Philosopher Pythagoras, Samius, the sonne of Menarchus; which being outwardly Sphericall and Orbicular, yet being opened it quadrates it selfe iust into so many Angles as there be Scepters, over which his Sacred Maiesty beareth title: namely, England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, concerning which number of foure, I thus Read: Pythagoras and his Schollers, who taught in his schooles, that Ten was the nature and soule of all number; one Reason which he gave (to omit the rest) was, because all nations, as well civill as barbarous, can tell no farther than to the Denary, which is Ten, and then returne in their account unto the Monady, that is one: For example, from Tenne wee proceed to Eleven and Twelve, which is no more than Ten and One, Ten and Two, and so of the rest, till the number rise to an infinite.

Againe hee affirmeth, that the strength and vertue of all number consisteth in the quaternion; for beginning with one, two, three and foure, put them together and they make ten; he saith further, that the nature of number consisteth in ten, and the faculty of number is comprized in foure: in which respect the Pythagoreans expresse their holy oath in the quaternion, which they cal'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as may appear in these words.

Per tibi nostrae animae praebentem tetrada Iuro, Naturae fontemque & firmamenta perennis.

For they held the soule of man to subsist in that number, proportionating it into these foure Faculties, Mens, Scientia, Opinio, Sensus, the Mind, Knowledge, Opinion, and Sence, and therefore according to that number Pythagoras frames his Speech, alluding to those foure Kingdomes over which his Maiesty beareth title.

The Speech of the second Show, delivered in Paules Church-yard. SAcred's the number foure, Philosophers say, And beares an happy Omen; as this day It may appeare: foure Elements conspire, Namely, the Water, Earth, the Aire, and Fire, To make up man: the colours in him bred Are also foure, White, Pallid, Blacke, and red: Of foure Complexions he existeth soly, Flegmaticke, Sanguine, Choler, Melancholy. His meate foure severall digestions gaines, In Stomacke, Liver, Members, and the Veines. Foure qualities cald primae within lie, Which are thus titled, Hot, Cold, Moist, and Drie. He acts his whole life on this earthy stage, In Child-hood, Youth, Man-hood, Decripit age. The very day that doth afford him light, Is Morning the Meridian, Evening, Night. Foure seasons still successively appeare, Which put together make a compleat yeare. The earth, with all the Kingdomes therein guided, Is into foure distinguish'd parts divided. The foure Windes from the Worlds foure quarters blow, Eorus, Favonius, Auster, Aquilo. All Morall vertues we in foure include, As Prudence, Iustice, Temperance Fortitude. Court, City, Campe, and Countrey, the foure CCCs; Which represent to us the foure degrees, Requir'd in every faire and flourishing Land, Substract but one a Kingdome cannot stand. Foure Colonels are in this City knowne, Of which you, honoured Sir, have long beene one: And those foure Crownes, (for so the high Powers please) Embleme the Kings foure Scepters, and foure Seas. The Quinta perennis. fift Imperiall Arch above, proclaimes That glorious Crowne, at which his Highnesse aimes. Thus is our round Globe squard, figuring his power, And yours beneath Him, in the number foure.

The third Show.

THe third Pageant or Show meerly consisteth of Anticke gesticulations, dances, and other Mimicke postures, devised onely for the vulgar, who are better delighted with that which pleaseth the eye, than contenteth the eare, in which we imitate Custome, which alwaies carrieth with it excuse: neither are they altogether to be vilefied by the most supercilious, and censorious, especially in such a confluence, where all Degrees, Ages, and Sexes are assembled, every of them looking to bee presented with some fancy or other, according to their expectations and humours: Since grave and wise men have beene of opinion, that it is convenient, nay necessitous, upon the like occasions, to mixe seria iocis; for what better can set off matter, than when it is interlaced with mirth? From that I proceede to the fourth.

The fourth Show.

IT beareth the Title of an Imperiall Fort: nor is it compulsive, that here I should argue what a Fort is, a Skonce, or a Cittadall, nor what a Counterskarfe, or halfe Moone, &c. is; nor what the opposures or defences are: my purpose is onely to expresse my selfe thus farre, that this Fort which is stil'd Imperiall, defenc'd with men and officers, suiting their functions and places proper to such a muniment; doth in the morall include his Majesties royall chamber, which is the City of London, for to that onely purpose was the project intended.

The Speaker is Bellona, whom some held to be the Daughter, some the Sister, others the Nurse of Mars the god of Warre; neither in any of these is any impropiety, or ought that is dissonant from authority, because Eny • , which is Bellona, implyeth that which putteth spirit and courage into an army, &c. Antiquity called her Duell •• a, that is, the goddesse of warre; to whom their Priests sacrificed their owne blood, and before whose Temple the Facialis set a speare against some prime pillar thereof, when any publicke warre was to be denounced: Shee was most honoured of the Thracians, the Scithians, and those wild and barbarous nations, upon whose Altars they used to sacrifice a Vulture, which is a ravenous bird, used to prey upon dead carcasses, and assemble themselves in great flocks after any fought battaile: but this Discourse may to some appeare impertinent to the project in hand, and therefore I thus proceed to her speech.

Bellonaes Speech upon the Imperiall Fort. THis Structure honour'd Sir doth title beare Of an Imperiall Fort, apt for that spheare In which you now moove, borrowing all her grace, As well from your owne person, as your place; For you have past through all degrees that tended Vnto that height which you have now ascended. You have beene in this City ('tis knowne well) A Souldier, Captaine, and a Colonell. And now in times faire progresse, to crowne all, Of this Metropolis chiefe Generall. You, of this Embleme, which this day we bring, To represent the Chamber of the King, Are the prime governour: a Royall Fort, And strongly s ••• ed, as not built for sport, But for example and defence: a Tower Supported by no lesse than Soveraigne power: The Theologicke vertues, the three Graces, And Charites have here their severall places. Here Piety, true Zeale, study of Peace, Concordia parve res Crescunt, is the Motto of the Company of the right Worshipfull Habberdashers. (By which small mites to Magozines increase) Have residence: now opposite there are To these, and with them at continuall warre, Pride, Arrogance, Sloath, Vanity, Prestigion, Prophanesse, the contempt of true Religion, With thousands more, who assiduatly waite This your Imperiall Fort to insidiate. You may observe i'th musicke of your Bels Like sound in Triumphes, and for funerall knels; Marriage and death to them appeare all one, Masking nor mourning cannot change their tone: With our Fort 'tis not so, whose faire pretence, is To comply with the nature of offences, Errors: she knowes in low termes how to chide Great faults, with greater noise are terrifi'd: But she can load her Cannons, and speake loud To encounter with the arrogant and proud: Whats further in your Praetorship assign'd, You, in your Londons Mirrour there may find.

The fifth show, cald Londons Mirrour.

THis beareth the title of the whole Triumphe; of Glasses pertinent to this our purpose, there bee severall so • ts, as Opticke, Perspective Prospective, Multiplying, &c. The presenter is Visus, or Sight; for what the minde is to the soule, the same is the eye to the body, being the most precious part thereof. Sight is the most soveraigne sence, the first of five, which directeth man to the studdy & search of knowledge & wisedome; the eyes are placed in the head as in a Citadel, to be watch-towers and Centinels for the safety, and ginders and conducters for the sollace of the body.

We reade that one Marcus Varro was sir-named strabo, for the excellency and quicknesse of his sight, who from Libaum, a Province in Scicilia, could distinguish and give an exact account of all such ships as came out of the haven of Carthage, which two places some hold to be more than an hundred Italian leagues distant: indeed no man can better estimate the vertue and value of the sight, than he that is made blinde and wants it, neither could I devise a more apt Speaker to present this Mirrour, than the sence of the sight, without which, the purest Christall is of no use at all.

The Pageant it selfe is decored with glasses of all sorts: the persons upon or about it are beautifull Children, every one of them expressing their natures and conditions in the impresaes of their shields, eight of the prime of which suiting with the quality of the Optick sence, beare these severall Inscriptions: Aspice, Despice, Conspice, Prospice, Perspice, Inspice, Circumspice Respice:

O ••• , or Opsis the Speaker. BEhold me Sight, of the five sences prime, (Now best complying with the place and time) Presenting Londons Mirrour, and this Glasse Shewes not alone what she is, or once was, But that the spacious Vniverse might see In her, what their great Cities ought to be; That every forraigne Magistrate from hence Might learne how to dispose his Opticke sence. Aspice saith, Looke toward and upon Desartfull men whom this Age frowneth on. And Despice cast downe thy powerfull eye On the poore wretch that doth beneath thee lye. Then Conspice take counsell first and pause With meditation, ere thou iudge a cause. Prospice bids looke a farre off, and view (Before conclude) what dangers may insue. Perspice wils, in sifting doubts, then scan The nature of the matter with the man. Let every cause be searcht, and duely sought, Saith Inspice, ere thou determinst ought. Circumspice saith, looke about to immure So great a charge, that all within be sure. Considerate Respice inioynes thee last, To cast thine eyes backe upon all things past. For Londons selfe, if they shall first begin To examine her without, and then within, What Architectures, Palaces, what Bowers, What Citadels, what turrets, and what towers? Who in her age grew pregnant, brought a bed Of a New Towne, and late delivered Of such a burthen, as in few yeares space, Can almost speake all tongues, (to her more grace.) Then her Cathedrals, Temples new reparing, An act of true devotion, no man sparing His helping hand; and many, 'tis well knowne, To further Gods house have forget their owne. Vnto her outward shape I doe not prize her, But let them come within to anatomize her. Her Praetor, scarlet Senate, Liveries, The ordering of her brave societies: Divine Astraea here in equall scale Doth ballance Iustice, Truth needes not looke pale, Nor poverty deiected, th'Orphants cause, And Widowes plea finde helpe; no subtile clause Can make demurre in sentence: a faire hearing, And upright doome in every Court appearing: Still to preserve her so, be't your indeavour, And she in you, you her shall live for ever.

I come now to the Linvoy, or last Speech, when h • s Lordship, after his dayes long and tedious trouble, retireth himselfe to his rest at night, in which Pythagoras the Speaker briefly runs over the passages of the Pageants before expressed after this manner.

The Speech at Night. WE • o a Valediction are confin'd, (Right Honoured) and intreat You beare in minde What was this Day presented: Your chiefe Saint A Martyr once of the Church militant, But now of the tryumphant, bids You spare Your selfe this Night: for to a World of Care You are ingag'd to morrow, which must last Till the whole progresse of Your Yeere be past. The Spheare-like Globe quadrated, lets You know, What Pro-Rex doth to the foure Scepters owe. Your Military honours, (in your Dayes Of lesse comm • nd) th' Imperiall Fort displayes, And Londons Mirrour, that all men may see What Magistrates have beene, and ought to be. Set is the Sunne long since, and now the Light Quite fayling us, Thrice Honourd Sir, good Night.

For the Artists, and directors of these Pageants and showes, Iohn Christmas and Mathias, the two Sonnes of Gerard, their now deceased Father, a knowne Master in all those Sciences he profest.: I can say no more but thus, that proportioning their Workes according to the limits of the gates through which they were to passe, being ty'de not to exceede one Inch either in height, or breadth: My Opinion is, that few Workemen about the Towne can paralell them, much lesse exceede them. But if any shall either out of Curiosity or malice taxe their ability, in this kind of Art, I referre them to the Carving of his Majesties Great Ship lately built at Woolwitch, which Worke alone is able both to satisfie Emulation, and qualifie Envie.

FINIS.