Londini Status Pacatus: or Londons Peaceable Estate.
NOt to insist upon the Antiquity, Nobility, nor the first foundation and scituation of this glorious City, comparing it with others (of old) rarely remarkable; now demolisht and ruin'd: neither with those contemporary or at this present in greatest prosperity, either for Magnificent structure, or Grave and godly Government; because it hath bin the Annuall argument, suiting with the occasion now in agitation: let them therefore passe as conclusions granted, & principles against which there is no disputation to be held; since for beautifull Architectures, Pallaces, Rialtoes, Guilds, Arcenalls, Temples, Cathedralls, [Page] Aquaeducts &c. and further for cōmerce in al Countries, Christian or Heathen; discoveries, plantations, (as in Ireland, Virginia, Bromoothos, or Summers Islands, St Christophers, New England, Harbergrace in new-found Land &c. In which the most famous Cities of the World, Athens, Thebes, Lacedemon, nor Rome it selfe the Metropolis of the Roman Empire, could in her most flourishing estate and Potency, (though she Tyranniz'd over the whole World,) in the least compare with London. And in the way of Competitor-ship, the Spartan Ephori, the Athenian Areopagitae, with Romes purple Optimates, may subscribe to her scarlet Senate; no Pretor in any City whatsoever being graced with the like Sollemne and sumptuous Inauguration.
But from the City, I come now to the particular Company of the Drapers, one of the prime members thereof; which may claime one speciall priority above the rest: in regard that Sir Henry Fitz-Alwin was of that Fraternity, and the first Lord Major, who might bee rather cald a perpetuall Dictator than an one yeares Praetor; continuing his Majoralty from foure and twenty yeares and upwards together: not Anno comple to, but vita durante; from his Initiation, to his Expiration: which hath not hapned in any other of the eleven Worshipfull Societies. After him within a little space, Sir William Powltney foure yeares together Lord Major, Iohn Hind, Sir Iohn New-man, Sir Richard [Page] Hardell, before whom the Sword was borne for the space of sixe severall yeares without intermission. Simon Eyre who built Leaden Hall, or Sir Richard Pipe, George Monox, Sir Iohn Milborne, Sir Richard Campion, Sir Thomas Hayes, Sir Iohn Iolls, Sir Edward Barkham, Sir Martin Lumley, Sir Allen Cotten, Sir Cutbert Hacket, and Sir Maurice Abbot, whom the Right Honourable Henry Garway now succeedeth: the right Worshipfull Mr. Thomas Adam, being this yeare Sheriffe, and of the Drapers Society.
And although before the last Lord Major preceeding this, there hath not bin any for the space of ten yeares of that Worshipfull fraternity, yet in the Annuall vicessitude of twelue yeares before, sixe of those before named were elected into the Praetorian dignity: and all, or most of these from the first being builders of Churches, and Chappels; Founders of Schooles, Almes-houses, and Hospitalls, repayrers of decayed Temples, and Oratories; Benefactors to Halls, and liberall contributors to the maintaining of Arts, and all Pious and Charitable acts whatsoever. Besides your Coate of Armes, Nobilitated by ancient Heraldry, being three imperiall Crownes supported by two golden pelletted Lions; your Crest Aries, the first of the twelue Zodiack signes; your inscript, To God alone be all honour and glory: your Patronesse, the blessed Virgin; all these approve your antiquity and dignity: I have nominated these amongst many, &c. but I come now to the first shew by water.
The first Shew by water.
IS a person representing the ancient River Nilus, mounted in a Sea-Chariot, and seated upon a silver Scallop (the plat-forme decored with Marine Nimphs and Goddesses) his habit suiting with the nature of the river, in his right hand a seven-forked Scepter, alluding to the seven heads, or as many Channells through which he runnes; and therefore by Ovid, cald Septem-fluus: he is drawne by two Crocadiles, which may be reckoned amongst the Amphibiae, as living in, and pertaking of the two Elements, Earth and Water: the river it selfe by sundry Inundations watereth the whole Land of Aegypt, leaving behind it a slime, or moist Clay, which serveth for a male or manuring, to make the soyle more fertill. The originall head from which it flowes is uncertaine, which Claudian thus expresseth: Et Arcanos Nili deprendite fontes. The Ecclesiasticall Writers hold it for one of the foure rivers that floweth from the earthly Paradise; in divers places it changeth name, according to the scituation of the shores through which it runnes: it brings forth Reedes, whose filmes or inward rinds are much like our Paper, and for a need may be writ upon; and therefore by the Poets cald Nilus papyrifer: of all other rivers it onely breedeth Crocadiles, and Hippotami, Aequi fluviales, Sea Horses.
The Crocadile is a Serpent that from a small Egge, growes in short time to a mighty length and bignesse, [Page] for some of them have bin 22 Cubits long, it hath [...]our feet, with which he runnes as swiftly on land as hee swims by water; he is bold over those that fly him, but fearefull of those that pursue him; the foure winter moneths, November, December, Ianuary and February, he eats not at all; hee hath no tongue, but teeth sharpe and long; neither in feeding doth he move his lower jaw: briefly, hee is terrible to man and beast, and preyes on both; but I leave them and come to the speaker.
The second Shew, but the first by Land
IS Ianus, plac'd upon an Artificiall Structure, built in a square modell, at the foure corners whereofsit foure Persons representing the foure seasons; Spring, Summer, Autume, Winter; every one habited agreeable to his propriety and condition. The name Ianus is borrowed from the Hebrew word Iain, which implyeth Vinum, wine, being held [Page] to bee the first that planted the Vine. Some report him to have bin an ancient King of Italy amongst the Aborigines, An. mun. 2629. & before Christ 1319. who received Saturne flying from his Son Iupiter, & taught him the use of Agriculture and Tillage. Historians report him to have bin the wisest King in his dayes; remembring things past, and predicting what was futurely to come; & therefore they figured him with two faces: he was Deified after his death, to whom Numa dedicated a Temple, shut in the time of peace, open in the time of warre; from which he had the denomination of Ianus Patuleius, and Clausius: some thinke him to have bin Ogyges, others Noah, with one face looking backward upon the world before the Flood, the other forward on that since the Flood: they also called the one the face of Government, the other of Labour. His standing upon such fixt bases admonisheth all Magistrates, and men of Honour, to be constant in all their courses; but especially in the establishing and maintenance of true Religion: He holdeth in his right hand a golden Key to shut up the yeare past, as never more to come; and open to the yeare future: it may also be an Embleme of noble policy to unbosome and bring to light their trecherous devises and stratagems, who seeke to undermine and supplant the prosperity of a faire & flourishing Common-weale. Upon the Key are two Greeke letters ingraven, ξ and ε and on a bar in his left hand the letter τ all being numerall, and make up 365, the number of the dayes in our solary yeare; of which by some hee is stil'd the Father: the bar in his left hand implyeth the Fortitude required in every good Magistrate, in the incouragement of vertue, and suppressing of vice &c. Ianus the speaker:
His speech as followeth.
[Page]The third show
IS Orpheus with his Harpe, seated in a faire Plat-forme, beautified with pleasant Trees, upon which are pearcht severall Birds, and below Beasts of all sorts, who notwithstanding being of severall conditions, and opposite natures, yet all imagined to be attentive to his Musick. This Show hath reference to the title of the whole Triumph, Status pacatus, A peaceable and blest estate, in which our Soveraigns Royalty hath a correspondence with Saturnes Reigne, which was cald the golden world. There were foure most excellent of the Harpe, remembred unto us by the ancient Poets, who are likewise the Emblemes of the foure Elements: Apollo the Son of Iupiter and Latona, (killing the Dragon Pithon) of fire. Amphion the Son of Iupiter and Antiope, figured with a Camelion of Ayre. Arion the Methimnian riding upon a Dolphin, of water: and Orpheus the Thracian (thus accomodated) of the Earth: and these attributes were confer'd on them for their severall Ayres, and straines in Musick: this Orpheus was the Sonne of Apollo, who instructed him on the Harpe, upon which he grew so excellent that the Woods and Mountaines followed him; the Rivers staid their course, and the wild beasts, and birds their prey, with Trees, and stones were said to be attentive to his Musicke: [Page] of him much more might be spoken, but to shorten circumstance I come to his Speech.
The fourth Show
IS a Chariot drawne by two Cammells, upon eithers back an Indian mounted, and habited according to the manner of their Country: of Cammells there be two sorts, the Bactrian, and Arabian; and differ thus: The Bactrians have two bunches or swellings on the backe, and are called Dromedaries: the Arabians but one, and another on the breast, [Page] on which they leane when they lye downe to rest: They want the upper order of teeth, and are some times used in War, in velocity exceeding horses; but most commonly for burdens, every one being acquainted with his owne lading according to his strength; lesse weight they desire not, and more they will not beare: they are taught to kneele till they have their load, and then they rise of themselves. Neither in their journey will they change their pace; they can abstaine from water foure dayes together, but then they drinke as well for the time past, as that to come; yet not before with their feet they have troubled the streame: they live to fifty yeares, and some to an hundred; and though the pelleted Lyons might have serv'd more properly to this place, as being supporters of the Armes belonging to the Right Worshipfull Company of the Drapers; yet these are as genuine to the purpose: to show his Lord-ships generall negotiation in all kinds of Merchandise whatsoever.
I cannot stand to speake much of the Fleece, but of Iason, and Medea, (thus briefly;) Jason signifieth sanans, or healing, Medea consilium, or Counsell: he was the Son of Aeta, his Father was no sooner dead but he left the Kingdome to his brother Pelias, who set him upon an adventure to fetch the golden Fleece from Colchos: to which purpose hee caused the Argoe to be built, in which sixty of the prime Princes of Greece accompanied him; whom Medea the Daughter of Aeta King of Colchos courteously entertained with all the rest of the Argonauts: and being greatly inamoured of him, and affraide least he should perish in the attempt; knowing the danger he was to undergoe, upon promise of Marriage, she taught him how he should tame the Brazenfooted Bulls, & to cast the Dragon that watched the Fleece into a dead sleepe: which hee did, and by slaying him [Page] bore away the prize. The rest I leave to the Speaker, which is
The fifth Show.
AS the last had a relation to the Company in generall, so this hath reference to his Lordship in particular, as he is a noble Merchant; having it hereditary from his worthy Father Mr. William Garway, who was not onely a great Benefactor to the Right Worshipfull Society of the Drapers, but an indulgent Educator of divers yong men, who have since prov'd great and Eminent adventurers; some attaining even to the prime Magistracy of this our Metropolis.
The next Modell presented to the publick view is a Ship, which as it hath all accomodatings and ornaments belonging to such a Vessell; so it is also decored with the Armes of the nine Companies of Merchant-adventurers, of which his Lordship hath bin, and is at this present free: the trouble of the place, the presse of so mighty a confluence, with the necessity of time, in the solemnity of such a Feastivall [Page] Day (then limited) will not afford it a speech: which I the rather omit; because in the last representation of the like, the excellency of Merchandise, the commodity of shipping, with the antiquity and profit of Navigation was delivered at large: I therefore come to the sixt and last. which is
AN artificiall Architecture best able (for the Workeman-ship) to commend it selfe, and being apparent to the publick view, lesse needeth my description. It presenteth the calamities of War, & the blessednesse of peace, Status Pacatus; bearing the Title of the whole Triumph: In one part thereof are exprest to the life, the figures of Death, Famine, Sicknesse, strage, &c. in the other Prosperity, Plenty, Health, Wealth, but especially the free and frequent Preaching of the Word and Gospell. I desire not to swell these few pages to small purpose, therefore thus briefly of both. Peace is the Tranquility, and calme quiet of Kingdomes, free from Section, tumult, uproares and faction; a Plantation of rest, ease and security; with all the flourishing ornaments of earthly felicity: peace is the end at which War aimeth: Honour the fruits of peace; and good Goverment the ground of either, asking no lesse wisedome to preserve it, then valour to obtain it: for Concord and Unity maketh a mite to increase to a Magazin, when discord and debate in any publick Weale, or private society, lesseneth a mountaine to a Mole-hill; and therefore Pacem te poscimus omnes.
Now of the contrary, War is of two sorts, Civill, or Forraigne. Domesticke War is the over-throw and ruine of all Estates, and Monarchies, and the incendiary of whatsoever is most execrable, begetting contempt of God, corruption of manners, and disobedience to Magistrates: change [Page] of Lawes, neglect of Justice, and dis-estimation of Learning and liberall Arts: But forraigne Warre is that) by Plato, cald a more gentle and generous contention) onely lawfull, being undertooke to propagate true Religion; or to procure a continuance of Peace. Any War may be begun with great facility, but is ended with much difficulty; neither is it in his power to end it who begins it: to raise a combustion is in the power of any Coward, but to appease it lyes onely in the mercy of the Conquerour: & therefore much safer and better is certaine peace, than hoped for Victory: the first is in our Will, the latter in the Will of the Gods.
The more to illustrate this Tryumph, it is graced by the Company of Artillery men compleatly armed, to expresse Warre: and the Livery and gown-men being the Embleme of Peace. I come now to the Speech, delivered by The Genius of the City.
One thing I cannot omit, concerning the Wardens and Committies of this Worshipful Society of the Drapers; that howsoever in all my writing I labour to avoyd what is Abtruse or obsolete: so withall I study not to meddle with what is too frequent and common: yet in all my expressions either of Poeticall fancie, or (more grave History,) their apprehensions went equally along with my reading: neither, had I travel'd in the least deviating path, could I have escapt without a just taxation: but I come now to the last Speech at night.
The last Speech.
Concerning these two excellent Artists, Master Iohn, and Master Mathias Christmas, brothers; the exquisite contrivers of these Triumphall Models; I can onely say thus much: their workeman-ship exceeds what I can expresse in words, and in my opinion their performance of what they undertake, is equall at least, if not transcendent over any's who in the like kind shall strive to parralell them.