When I had ended this
orison, and discovered my plaints to the Goddesse, I fortuned to fall
asleepe, and by and by appeared unto me a divine and venerable face,
worshipped even of the Gods themselves. Then by little and little I
seemed to see the whole figure of her body, mounting out of the sea and
standing before mee, wherefore I purpose to describe her divine
semblance, if the poverty of my humane speech will suffer me, or her
divine power give me eloquence thereto. First shee had a great
abundance of haire, dispersed and scattered about her neck, on the
crowne of her head she bare many garlands enterlaced with floures, in
the middle of her forehead was a compasse in fashion of a glasse, or
resembling the light of the Moone, in one of her hands she bare
serpents, in the other, blades of corne, her vestiment was of fine
silke yeelding divers colours, sometime yellow, sometime rosie,
sometime flamy, and sometime (which troubled my spirit sore) darke and
obscure, covered with a blacke robe in manner of a shield, and pleated
in most subtill fashion at the skirts of her garments, the welts
appeared comely, whereas here and there the starres glimpsed, and in
the middle of them was placed the Moone, which shone like a flame of
fire, round about the robe was a coronet or garland made with flowers
and fruits. In her right hand shee had a timbrell of brasse, which gave
a pleasant sound, in her left hand shee bare a cup of gold, out of the
mouth whereof the serpent Aspis lifted up his head, with a swelling
throat, her odoriferous feete were covered with shoes interlaced and
wrought with victorious palme. Thus the divine shape breathing out the
pleasant spice of fertill Arabia, disdained not with her divine voyce
to utter these words unto me: Behold Lucius I am come, thy weeping and
prayers hath mooved mee to succour thee. I am she that is the naturall
mother of all things, mistresse and governesse of all the Elements, the
initiall progeny of worlds, chiefe of powers divine, Queene of heaven!
the principall of the Gods celestiall, the light of the goddesses: at
my will the planets of the ayre, the wholesome winds of the Seas, and
the silences of hell be diposed; my name, my divinity is adored
throughout all the world in divers manners, in variable customes and in
many names, for the Phrygians call me the mother of the Gods: the
Athenians, Minerva: the Cyprians, Venus: the Candians, Diana: the
Sicilians Proserpina: the Eleusians, Ceres: some Juno, other Bellona,
other Hecate: and principally the Aethiopians which dwell in the
Orient, and the Aegyptians which are excellent in all kind of ancient
doctrine, and by their proper ceremonies accustome to worship mee, doe
call mee Queene Isis. Behold I am come to take pitty of thy fortune and
tribulation, behold I am present to favour and ayd thee, leave off thy
weeping and lamentation, put away all thy sorrow, for behold the
healthfull day which is ordained by my providence, therefore be ready
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