i THE LONDON OF ELIZABETH 43 



ill-handled body, behold them so many executioners 

 and tipstaffs ; if they can pretend that you touched any 

 one of them, you will have your back and legs as sore 

 as if you had the heels of Mercury, or were mounted 

 upon the Pegasean Horse, or bestrode the steed of 

 Perseus, the Hippogriff of Astolfo, the dromedary of 

 Madian, or had trotting under you one of the giraffes 

 of the three Magicians : by force of blows they will 

 make you run, helping you forward with their heavy 

 fists, better for you were they hoofs of ox, ass, or 

 mule : and will not let you go till they have you fast 

 in a prison, and there I take my leave of you." In 

 the second dialogue of the Cena^ there occurs incident- 

 ally, a characteristic account of the state of Elizabethan 

 London. Fulke Greville had agreed with Bruno to 

 have a discussion in his house on the Copernican theory, 

 on the evening of Ash Wednesday. When the day 

 came, no further message arriving, Bruno concluded 

 that the meeting had been postponed, and after dinner 

 went out to visit some Italian friends. Returning after 

 sunset, he found Florio and Guin (Gwynne), impatiently 

 awaiting him : a number of cavaliers, gentlemen, and 

 doctors, had met to hear the discussion, but the chief 

 character of the play was awanting. They hurried him 

 off, in the dark, and thinking to shorten the road, left 

 the straight way and made for the Thames to get a boat 

 to take them to the Palace. " Arrived at the bridge of 

 Lord Buckhurst's Palace, we shouted and cried for 

 * oares ' -'id est Gondolieri" 1 and wasted as much 

 time as would easily have sufficed to take us by land to 

 our destination, and to have done some business on the 

 way. At last from afar two boatmen replied, and 

 slowly, slowly drew up to the shore ; after many inter- 

 rogations and replies as to the whence, whither, why, 



