And to make some plainer declaration and rehearsal of all these things before Her Majesty, on the 10 of July there met her in the Forest, as she came from hunting, one clad like a Savage man, all in ivy, who, seeming to wonder at such a presence, fell to quarrelling with Jupiter, as followeth: [Dialogue in verse with Echo. The wild man inquires what the reason for all the strange shews he sees may be, and being informed, answers, that he will “make glee with sundry gladsome games” on Thursday.] These verses were devised, penned and pronounced by Master Gascoigne,[69] and that (as I have heard credibly reported), upon a very great sudden. The next thing that was presented before Her Majesty was the delivery of the Lady of the Lake; whereof the Sum was this. Triton, in likeness of a mermaid, came towards the Queen’s Majesty as she passed over the bridge, returning from hunting, and to her declared that Neptune had sent him to her Highness, to declare the woful distress wherein the poor Lady of the Lake did remain; the cause whereof was this. Sir Bruse sauns pitie, in revenge of his cousin Merlin the prophet, whom for his inordinate lust she had enclosed in a rock, did continually pursue the Lady of the Lake, and had long sithens surprised her, but that Neptune, pitying her distress, had environed her with waves. Whereupon she was enforced to live always in that pool, and was thereby called the Lady of the Lake. Furthermore affirming that by Merlin’s prophecy it seemed she could never be delivered but by the presence of a better maid than herself. Wherefore Neptune had sent him right humbly to beseech Her Majesty, that she would no more but shew herself, and it should be sufficient to make Sir Bruse withdraw his forces. Furthermore commanding both the waves to be calm and the Fishes to give their attendance. And this he expressed in verse as followeth: [Verses by Triton and the Lady of the Lake.] From thence Her Majesty passing yet further on the bridge, Proteus appeared, sitting on a dolphin’s back. And the dolphin was conveyed upon a boat, so that the oars seemed to be his fins. Within the which dolphin a concert of music was secretly placed, the which sounded: and Proteus, clearing his voice, sang this song of congratulation.... [Verses.] This song being ended, Proteus told the Queen’s Majesty a pleasant tale of his delivery, and the fishes which he had in charge. The device of the Lady of the Lake was also Master Hunnis’.... And now you have as much as I could recover hitherto of the devices executed there; the country shews excepted and the merry marriage, the which were so plain as needeth no further explication. To proceed then: there was prepared a show to have been presented before Her Majesty in the Forest; the argument whereof was this: