was wrought
curiouslye and imbowed, and as it were bounde about with laces like
beads of brasse, some round, and some like Eglantine berries of a
reddish couler, hanging downe after an auncient manner, and foulded and
turned in among the tender stalkes.

The closing together and bracing of which hemicycle or arch, worthie of
admiration, of a rare and subtile deuise, and exquisite polyture, did
thus obiect and present it selfe to my sight.

There I beheld in a hard and most black stone, an eagle displayed, and
bearing out of the bignesse of a naturall eagle, which had louingly
seazed and taken in hir foote a sweete babe in the swadling cloutes,[A]
nicely, carefully, and gently houlding the same, least that hir strong,
sharpe, and hooking pounces, should by anye meanes pierce thorough the
tender skynne of the young infant.

[Sidenote A: The Eagle of Iupiter that carryed Ganimed.]

Hir feete were fixed about the rising vp chist of the childe, whome she
had made bare from the nauell vpwarde and downeward so as the naked
hippes might be seene betwixt the fethered thighes of the Eagle. This
little infant and most beautifull babe (worthie and meete for him that
he was seazed for) by his countenance shewed as if he had beene afraide
of his fortune.

And thus lying in the foote of the Eagle, he stretched both his armes
abroade, and with his little fat hands tooke fast hould vpon the
remigiall bones[A] of the Eagles pinions displayed, as aforesaid. And
clasping his swelling prittie legges and feete, about hir suruaighing
spreding traine, which laye behinde the rising vppe of the arche.

[Sidenote A: The bones next the qack in the wing, whiche in a hawke
excelleth all proportions of other birds.]

This little childe was cut of the white vayne of Achates[A] or Onix, and
the Eagle of the other vaine of the same stone called sardius which is
of black couler of some called Cordeoll, ioyning both in one selfe same
stone. Whereat I stood musing and commending to my selfe the ingenious
and apt inuention of the Arthist, in the vse of such a stone, which of
his owne nature to contrarie proportions affoorded contrarie coulers,
and in such sort as by the raysing vp of hir small plummage aboue hir
seare, hir beack halfe open, and hir toung appearing in the middest
thereof, as if she had beene resolutely intended, and eagerly bent to
haue gorged hir selfe vpon it.

[Sidenote A: Achates is a pretious stone wherein are r