all green and embroidered with gold. The chariot is covered
with red cloth embroidered with gold, with a border of ermine all round;
and it stands in a verdant and flowery champaign country, surrounded by
cliffs and rocks; while landscapes and cities are seen in the distance,
with a sky of a most marvellous blue. On the opposite page is a young
Neptune, whose clothing is in the shape of a long shirt, embroidered all
round with the colour formed from terretta verde. The flesh-colour is
very pale. In his right hand he is holding a little trident, and with
his left he is raising his dress. He is standing with both feet on the
chariot, which has a covering of red, embroidered with gold and fringed
all round with sable. This chariot has four wheels, like that of Mars,
but it is drawn by four dolphins, and accompanied by three sea-nymphs,
two boys, and a great number of fishes, all wrought with a water-colour
similar to the terretta, and very beautiful in expression. After these
is seen Carthage in despair, in the form of a woman standing upright
with dishevelled hair. Her upper garment is green, and it is open from
the waist downwards, being lined with red cloth embroidered in gold; and
through this opening there may be seen another garment, delicate and of
changing purple and white colour. The sleeves are red and gold, with
certain puffs and floating folds made by the upper garment, and she is
stretching out her left hand towards Rome, who is opposite to her, as
though saying, "What is thy wish? I have my answer ready;" and in her
right hand she holds a naked sword, with an air of frenzy. Her buskins
are blue, and she is standing on a rock in the middle of the sea,
surrounded by a very beautiful sky. Rome is a maiden as beautiful as it
is possible for man to imagine, with dishevelled hair and certain
tresses wrought with infinite grace. Her clothing is pure red, with only
an embroidered border at the foot; the lining of her robe is yellow, and
the garment beneath, which is seen through the opening, is of changing
purple and white. Her buskins are green; in her right hand she has a
sceptre, in her left a globe; and she, too, is standing on a rock, in
the midst of a sky that could not be more beautiful than it is. Now,
although I have striven to the best of my power to show with what great
art these figures were wrought by Attavante, let no one believe that I
have said more than a very small part of what might be said about thei