Within the saide Garland I beheld a rough Milche Gote,[A] which a little child did suck, sitting vnder hir side vpon his fleshie young legges one streight foorth, and the other retract and bowed vnder him. With his little armes houlding himselfe by the hearie and rough locks, his countenance and eyes vpon the byg and full vdder thus sucking. And a certaine Nimphe, as it were speaking woords, and giuing voyces of contentment, to the Goat and bowing downe hir selfe with the left hand, held vp one of the feete, and with the right hand putting the pappe to the smacking kissings of the sucking infant, and vnder hir were these letters _Amalthea_.[B]
Another Nimphe stood against the head of the Goate, with one arme carefully compassing the neck, and with the other shee held hir by the horne.
In the middest stood the third Nimphe with greene bowgh leaues in one hand, and in the other an oulde fashioned drinking bowle, more long then broad, like a boate by a little handle. Vnder hir feete was written, _Melissa_.[A]
[Sidenote A: The daughter of Melissus and Iupiters nursse.]
Betwixt one and other of the three fore specified Nymphes, there were two other hauing Cymbals in theyr handes, as it were playing and dauncing, euery one apparrelled according to the perfection of theyr beauties, with an artificiall performance of workmanship in the vndertaken proportions, that they rather seemed the substances themselues then a Lythoglyph an Imagerie, either by _Policletus_, _Phidias_ or _Lysippus_, neyther did y^e _Anaglipts_[A] to _Artemisia_ the Queene of _Caria_, _Scaphes_, _Briaxes_, _Timotheus_, _Leocaris_ and _Theon_, come any thing neare for the workemanship heereof seemed to excell the cunning of any humaine Lapicidarie, caruer grauer, or cutter whatsoeuer.
[Sidenote A: Anaglipts are cunning carues and grauers.]
Aboue this foresayde Triangle, and vnder the vpper coronice in a smooth plaine were these two Attic wordes in capitall Letters, ΔΙΟΣ ΑΙΓΙΟΧΙΟΝ.
This conspitious porche and gate, most woorthye to be behelde, thus stoode of a maruelous composition, excellently disposed. If I had not explaned the commodulation and harmonie heereof particularly, I might haue beene blamed for my prolixitie and tediousnesse, and for wanting of fit words, in the discription. And thus for this time heereof so much.