without delaie,
were obedient to her commaund. And I beeing readie to speake, neyther
knew what to say, or yet durst to so high a maiestie, and for so great
bounties giue a word.

The two appoynted companyons of my iourney, verie fauourablye, and with
a familiar readines and virginlike iestures, tooke holde of mee, one by
the right hande, and the other by the left, and reuerently obteyning
licence, first of the Queene, and takyng theyr leaue of the rest, went
out the same way that I came in.

And I beeyng desirous and not satisfied, turned mee about towardes the
conspicuous Poarch, to beholde diligently the artificious Pallaice,
wonderfull and perfinite of the Art of building.

The subtiltie of which, no humane excogitation is able to imitate.

And therefore I thought that nature had made that for a maruell of all
her woorkes for commoditie, vse, grace, bewtie, ayre, and continuall
durablenes.

For which cause, I was excessiuely desirous to staie and looke vppon it,
but my leaders and guides would not suffer mee, and yet by the theft of
my eye in the Zopher, ouer the gate I noted this inscription, +HO TE:S
PHUSEO:S OLBOS+.

And as muche as with my quicke sences I could carrie, I tooke in my
going foorth, with as greate pleasure and delight as is possible to
expresse. O happie were hee that myght bee but a drudge or kitchin slaue
in suche a Paradice.

Nowe beeing come into the base Court, compassed and sette about with
Orenge trees, _Thelemia_ in great curtesie saide thus vnto mee, besides
and aboue all the maruellous and woonderfull thinges which thou hast yet
seene and behelde, there bee fower yet remayning behynde whiche thou
shalt see.

And vppon the lefte side of the incomparable pallace, they brought mee
into a fayre Orchyard of excogitable expence, tyme, and subtletie of
woorke-manshippe, the contynent and cyrcuite whereof was as muche as the
plot of the Pallace, wherein was the resydence and abiding of the
Queene.

Round about fast by the walles of the Orchyard there were set conuenyent
garden pots in the which in stead of growing plantes, euerie one was of
pure glasse, exceeding a mans imagination or beleefe, intorpiaried[A]
boxe the rootes and stalkes of golde, whereout the other proceeded.

[Sidenote A: Ars toparia is the way of cutting of trees in gardens
or other places to proportions or shapes.]

Betwixt one and other of the which was placed a Cyprusse tree, not aboue
two paces high,