Dismays the vices that abhor the light;
To wanderers by sea and land gives aid;
Conquers dismay, recomforteth affright;
Rouseth dull idleness, and starts soft sleep,
And all the world to daily labour keep. 
This a true looking-glass impartial,
Where beauty’s self herself doth beautify
With native hue, not artificial,
Discovering falsehood, opening verity: 
The day’s bright eye colours distinction,
Just judge of measure and proportion. 
The only means by which each mortal eye
Sends messengers to the wide firmament,
That to the longing soul brings presently
High contemplation and deep wonderment;
By which aspirement she her wings displays,
And herself thither, whence she came, upraise.

PHA.  What blue thing’s that, that’s dappled so with stars.

VIS.  He represents the heaven.

PHA.  In my conceit
’Twere pretty, if he thundered when he speaks.

VIS.  Then none could understand him.

COEL.  Tropic, colures, the equinoctial,
The zodiac, poles, and line ecliptical,
The nadir, zenith, and anomalies,
The azimuth and ephimerides,
Stars, orbs, and planets, with their motions,
The oriental regradations,
Eccentrics, epicyctes, and—­and—­and—­

PHA.  How now, Visus, is your heaven at a stay,
Or is it his motus trepidationis that makes him stammer? 
I pray you, Memory, set him a-gate[259] again.

MEM.  I remember, when Jupiter made Amphitryo cuckold, and lay with his wife Alcmena, Coelum was in this taking for three days space, and stood still just like him at a nonplus.

COM.  SEN.  Leave jesting; you’ll put the fresh actor out of countenance.

COEL.  Eccentrics, epicyctes, and aspects
In sextile, trine and quadrate, which effects
Wonders on earth:  also the oblique part
Of signs, that make the day both long and short,
The constellations, rising cosmical,
Setting of stars, chronic, and heliacal,
In the horizon or meridional,
And all the skill in deep astronomy,
Is to the soul derived by the eye.

PHA.  Visus, you have made Coelum a heavenly speech, past earthly capacity; it had been as good for him he had thundered.  But I pray you, who taught him to speak and use no action? methinks it had been excellent to have turned round about in his speech.

VIS.  He hath so many motions, he knows not which to begin withal.

PHA.  Nay, rather it seems he’s of Copernicus’ opinion, and that makes him stand still.

    [TERRA comes to the midst of the stage, stands still
    a while, saith nothing, and steps back.

COM.  SEN.  Let’s hear what Terra can say—­just nothing?

VIS.  And’t like your lordship, ’twere an indecorum Terra should speak.

MEM.  You are deceived; for I remember, when Phaeton ruled the sun (I shall never forget him, he was a very pretty youth), the Earth opened her mouth wide, and spoke a very good speech to Jupiter.