And in the vtmost partes of the aforesaide court, to the right hand, and the left, towards the mountaines, there was two straight rowes of pillars, with a space betwixt for the interiect _Areostile_,[A] as the quantities of both columnes required, the first course or order of setting the pyllars, beginning on both sides equall to the Lymbus or extreame part of the fronte of the porche, the space betwixt pyllars and pillars XV. paces. Of which collumnes or great pillars, some and the greatest parte or number were whole. With their capitels or heads, wrought with a waued shell worke, and cyllerie or draperie, their corners bearing out and inanulated or turned in like a curled locke of hayre, or the vpper head of a base Viall aboue the pinnes, which straine the stringes of the instrument to a musicall concord; with their subiect Astragals, writhing and hanging heere and there, making the capitall thrise so big as the bottom thereof of the columne, wherevpon was placed the Epistile or streight beame, the greatest part decayed, and many columnes widowed and depriued of their Capitels, buryed in ruine both Astragals and shafts of the columnes and their bases or feete.
[Sidenote A: A columne consisteth of his Capitell that is the head. Astragalus that is the subiect of the capitell next the columne. Hypotrachelie the shaft of the columne. And Hypothesis, that is the foote whereon the Columne standeth, exceeding the bignes of the columne.]
Fast ioyning to which order or set rowes of pillars, there grew ould plaine trees, wylde Oliues, Pine apple, and pricking brambles. I coniectured that it was made for to ride horses in, to trot and gallop, the ring, to manage, carrier, and coruet in, or els some open gallerie, couered close ouer head, vnder propt with pillers, and of a large widenesse to walke drie in, and to take a temperate ayre in, not too subtile.
Aboue in this great Court paued as aforesayd, in the passage towardes the Porche, some tenne paces, I beheld a prodigious winged vaughting horse, of moulten brasse, of an exceeding bignesse, his wings fanning out. His hooues standing vpon a smooth plaine base or frame, fiue foote brode, and nine feete in length, in heigth proportionable to the bredth and length: with his head at libertie and vnbrideled: hauing his two small eares, the one standing forward, and the other drawne back, with a long waued maine, falling from his crest on the contrarye side: vpon whose backe diuers young youthes assayed to ride, but not one was able to sit stedfast, by reason of his swiftnesse and high bounding, from whom some were fallen downe, lying wide open to the ayre, some groueling, other falling headlong, betwixt the horsse and the earth, the rest in vaine houlding by the hayre of his maine, some forceing to get vp vpon him, and others indeuoring to recouer themselues from vnder his feete.