This same building was a hundred times more sumptuous
and magnificent than ever was Bonnivet, Chambourg,
or Chantilly; for there were in it nine thousand,
three hundred and two-and-thirty chambers, every one
whereof had a withdrawing-room, a handsome closet,
a wardrobe, an oratory, and neat passage, leading
into a great and spacious hall. Between every
tower in the midst of the said body of building there
was a pair of winding, such as we now call lantern
stairs, whereof the steps were part of porphyry, which
is a dark red marble spotted with white, part of Numidian
stone, which is a kind of yellowishly-streaked marble
upon various colours, and part of serpentine marble,
with light spots on a dark green ground, each of those
steps being two-and-twenty foot in length and three
fingers thick, and the just number of twelve betwixt
every rest, or, as we now term it, landing-place.
In every resting-place were two fair antique arches
where the light came in: and by those they went
into a cabinet, made even with and of the breadth
of the said winding, and the reascending above the
roofs of the house ended conically in a pavilion.
By that vise or winding they entered on every side
into a great hall, and from the halls into the chambers.
From the Arctic tower unto the Criere were the fair
great libraries in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French, Italian,
and Spanish, respectively distributed in their several
cantons, according to the diversity of these languages.
In the midst there was a wonderful scalier or winding-stair,
the entry whereof was without the house, in a vault
or arch six fathom broad. It was made in such
symmetry and largeness that six men-at-arms with their
lances in their rests might together in a breast ride
all up to the very top of all the palace. From
the tower Anatole to the Mesembrine were fair spacious
galleries, all coloured over and painted with the
ancient prowesses, histories, and descriptions of the
world. In the midst thereof there was likewise
such another ascent and gate as we said there was
on the river-side. Upon that gate was written
in great antique letters that which followeth.
Chapter 1.LIV.
The inscription set upon the great gate of Theleme.
Here enter not vile bigots, hypocrites,
Externally devoted apes, base snites,
Puffed-up, wry-necked beasts, worse than the Huns,
Or Ostrogoths, forerunners of baboons:
Cursed snakes, dissembled varlets, seeming sancts,
Slipshod caffards, beggars pretending wants,
Fat chuffcats, smell-feast knockers, doltish gulls,
Out-strouting cluster-fists, contentious bulls,
Fomenters of divisions and debates,
Elsewhere, not here, make sale of your deceits.
Your filthy trumperies
Stuffed with pernicious lies
(Not worth a bubble),
Would do but trouble
Our earthly paradise,
Your filthy trumperies.
