riousnes was ingrauen a man neere
his myddle-age, of a churlish and swarffie countenance, with an vnshaply
beard, thick, and turning into his chyn, by the towghnesse of the hard
skinne, and vneasie growing out of the hayre.

He sat vpon a stone with an aporne of a Goates skinne, the hinder parts
compassing his waste, and tyed behynde with a knotte, and the neck part,
with the hayrie side next him, hung downe betwixt his legges. Before him
in the interstice of these grose and tumorus calfes, there was an anuill
fastned vpon a knottie peece of a tree, wherevpon he was fashoning of a
brigandine or habergion of burning mettall, houlding vp his Hammer, and
as it were striking vpon his worke.

And there before him was a most noble woman, hauing two fethered wings
set vpon hir delicate and tender shoulders, houlding hir sonne an
infante naked, which sate with his little hyppes vpon the large and
goodly proportioned thighes of the faire goddesse his mother, and
playing with hir, as she held him vp, and putting his feete vpon a
stone, as it had beene a little hill, with a fornace in a hollow hole,
wherin was an extreame whote burning fire.

This Ladye had hir fayre tresses curiouslie dressed vpon hyr broad and
highe forhead, and in like sorte compassing about with abundance, hir
head in so rare and delicate a sort, that I marueyled why the
Blacksmithes that were there busie at theyr worke, left not off to looke
still vpon so beautifull an obiect. There was also fast by, of like
excellent woorkemanship, a knight of fierce countenance,[A] hauing vpon
hym an armour of brasse, with the head of _Medusa_ vpon the curate or
brest plate, and all the rest exquisitely wrought and beautified, with a
bandilier ouerthwart his broad and strong brest, houlding with hys
brawny arme a halfe Pike, and raysing vp the poynte thereof, and bearing
vpon his head a high crested helmet, the other arme shadowed and not
seene by reason of the former figure: There was also a young man in
silke clothing, behynde the Smith, whome I could not perceiue but from
the brest vpwarde, ouer the declyning head of the forenamed Smith. Thys
rehearsed hystorie, for the better and sweeter pleasing to the eye, the
workeman had graced in this sort. The playne grounde that was hollowe
and smoothe in euery cutting out of a limme or body, vpon the table of
the stylipode, was like vnto red coroll and shyning, which made such a
reflection vpon the naked bodyes, and theyr memb