English poetry -- History and criticism; Poetry -- Early works to 1800
Yet such singularities haue had many time both good liking and good
successe, otherwise then many would haue looked for. As When _Dinocrates_
the famous architect, desirous to be knowen to king _Alexander_ the great,
and hauing none acquaintance to bring him to the kings speech he came one
day to the Court very strangely apparelled in long skarlet robes, his head
compast with a garland of Laurell, and his face all to be slicked with
sweet oyle, and stoode in the kings chamber, motioning nothing to any man:
newes of this stranger came to the king, who caused him to be brought to
his presence, and asked his name and the cause of his repaire to the
Court. He aunswered, his name was _Dinocrates_ the Architect, who came to
present his Maiestie with a platforme of his own deuising, how his
Maiestie might buylde a Citie vpon the mountaine Athos in Macedonia, which
should beare the figure of a mans body, and tolde him all how. Forsooth
the breast and bulke of his body should rest vpon such a fiat: that hil
should be his head, all set with foregrowen woods like haire: his right
arme should stretch out to such a hollow bottome as might be like his
hand: holding a dish conteyning al the waters that should serue that
Citie: the left arme with his hand should hold a valley of all the
orchards and gardens of pleasure pertaining thereunto: and either legge
should lie vpon a ridge of rocke, very gallantly to behold, and so should
accomplish the full figure of a man. The king asked him what commoditie of
soyle, or sea, or nauigable riuer lay neere vunto it, to be able to
sustaine so great a number of inhabitants. Truly Sire (quoth _Dinocrates_)
I haue not yet considered thereof: for in trueth it is the barest part of
all the Countrey of Macedonia. The king smiled at it, and said very
honourably, we like your deuice well, and mean to vse your seruice in the
building of a Citie, but we wil chuse out a more commodious scituation:
and made him attend in that voyage in which he conquered Asia and Egypt,
and there made him chiefe Surueyour of his new Cite of Alexandria. Thus
did _Dinocrates_ singularitie in attire greatly further him to his
aduancement.
Yet are generally all rare things and such as breede maruell & admiration
somewhat holding of the vndecent, as when a man is bigger & exceeding the
ordinary stature of a man like a Giaunt, or farre vnder the reasonable and
common size of men as a dwarfe, and such vndecencies do not angre vs, but
either we pittie them or scorne at them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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