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 represented the figures of the nine Muses, of Venus and such like beautiful personages.]
The hemicicle or arche rising rownd from the vpper part of the streight cheeke of the entrance, according to the thicknes thereof was disposed into losenges or squares, wherein were carued Roses, theyr leaues and branches hanging in a curious and delightfull order to behoulde, ouer the entry of the Gate.
In the two Triangles occasioned by the bow of the arche there were two fayre Nymphes of excellent proportions and shapes, theyr clothes which couered theyr Virgins bodyes, giuing place for theyr legges, brests, and armes to be bare, theyr hayre loose and flying abroad, and towardes the brace, and knitting together of the arche aboue, they held a victorious trophæ.
The ground of which tryangle was of black stone, the better to shew the perfection and truthe of the mettals in the trophæs, and the beautifull bodyes of the delycate virgins.
Aboue these mentioned partes, was the Zophor,[A] in the myddest whereof, I beheld a table of goulde, wherein was this Epigram in Cappitall Greeke Letters of Syluer. In thys sorte reporting.