Of Artificiall lights of the Scenes

I Promised in the Treatise of Scenes to set downe the manner how to make these lights shining through, of diuers collours, & first I will speake of a sure collour which is like to a Zaphir, and yet somewhat fayrer. Take a piece of Salamoniacke, and put it into a Barbers Basen, or such like thing, and put water into it: then bruse and crush the Salamoniacke softly therein, till it be all molten, alwayes putting more water vnto it, as you desire to haue it light or sad collour; which done, if you will haue it fayre and cleare, then straine it through a fine cloth into an other vessell, and then it will be a cleare Celestiall blew, whereof you may make diuers kinds of blew with water. Will you make an Emerauld collour, then put some Saffron as you will haue it pale or high colloured; for heere it is not necessary to prescribe you any weight or measure, for that experience will teach you bow to doe it. If you will make a Rubbie collour, if you bee in a place where you may haue red Wine. then you néed not vse any other thing; but to make it pall with water, us need requireth: but if you can get no wine, then take Brazill beaten to powder, & put it into a Kettell of water with Allum, let it séethe, and skum it well; then strayne it, and vse it with water and Vinneger. If you will counterfeit a Ballayes, you must make it of red and white Wine mingled together; but white Wine alone will showe like a Topas or a Crisolite? The Conduit or common water being strayned, will be like a Diamond, and to doe this well, you must vpon a glassie ground frame certaine points or tablets, and fill them with water. The manner to set these shining collours in their places, in thus, Behind the painted house wherein these painted collours shall stand, you must set a thin board, cut out in the same manner that these lights shall be placed, whether it be round or square, cornerd or o•le, like an Egge; and behind the same board there shall be another stronger board layd flat behind them, for the bottels and other manner of glasses with these waters to stand in, must be placed against the holes, as it shall necessarily fall out, but they must be set fast, lest they fall with leaping and dancing of the Moriscoes. And behind the glasses you must set great Lampes, that the light may also be stedfast: and if the bottels or other vessels of glasse on the side where the light stands were flat, or rather hollow, it would show the clearer, and the collours most excellent and fayre; the like must be done with the holes on the shortening side: But if you néed a great light to show more then the rest, then set a torch behind, and behind the torch a bright Bason; the brightnes whereof will shew like the beames of the Sunne. You may also make glasse of all collours and formes, some foure square, some with crosses, & any other forme with their light behind them. Now all the lights seruing for the collours, shal not be yᵉ same which must light the Scene, for you must haue a great number of torches before the Scene. You may also place certaine candlestickes aboue the Scene with great candles therein, and aboue the candlesticks you may place some vessels with water, wherein you may put a piece of Camphir, which burning, will show a very good light, and smell well. Sometime it may chance that you must make some thing or other which should séeme to burne, which you must wet throughly with excellent good Aquauite; and setting it on fire with a candle it will burne all ouer: and although I could speake more of these fires, yet this shal suffice for this time; & I will speake of some things that are pleasing to the beholders. The while that the Scene is emptie of personages, then the workman must haue certaine Figures or formes ready of such greatnes as the place where they must stand, will afford them to be, which must be made of passe board, cut out round and paynted, signifiing such things as you will, which Figures must leane against a rule or lath of wood, crosse ouer the Scene where any gate, doore, or way is made, and there some one or other behind the doore must make the. Figures passe along, sometime in forme of Musitions with instruments, and some like singers; and behind the Scene some must play on, vpon certaine instruments and sing also: sometime you must make a number of foote men and horsemen going about with Trumpets, Phifes and Drummes, at which time you must play with Drumbes, Trumpets and Phifes, &c. very softly behind, which will kéepe the peoples eyes occupied, and content them well. If it be requisite to make a Planet or any other thing to passe along in the Ayre, it must bee framed and cut out of paste-board; then in the hindermost and backe part of the houses of the Scene, there must be a piece of wire drawne aboue in the roofe of the house and made fast with certain rings behind to the paste-board painted with a Planet or any other thing that shalbe drawne softly by a man with a blacke thréed from one end to the other, but it must be farre from mens sight, that neither of the thréeds may bee séene. Sometime you shall haue occasion to shew thunder and lightning as the play requireth; then you must make thunder in this manner: commonly all Scenes are made at the end of a great Hall, whereas vsually there is a Chamber aboue it, wherein you must roule a great Bullet of a Cannon or of some other great Ordinance, and then counterfeit Thunder. Lightning must be made in this maner, there must be a man placed behind the Scene or Scaffold in a high place with a boxe in his hand, the couer whereof must be full with holes, and in the middle of that place there shall be a burning candle placed, the boxe must be filled with powder of vernis or sulphire, and casting his hand with the boxe vpwards the powder flying in the candle, will shew as if it were lightning. But touching the beames of the lightning, you must draw a piece of wyre ouer the Scene, which must hang downewards, whereon you must put a squib conered ouer with pure gold or shining lattin which you will: and while the Bullet is rouling, you must shoote of some piece of Ordinance, and with the same giuing fire to the squibs, it will worke the effect which is desired. It would be ouerlong if I should speake of all things which are to be vsed in these affaires, therefore I will leaue speaking of Perspectiue things.

FINIS.