After the Sun—to begin again with the upper part of the work—comes Venus, who is holding Love in her arms, and is kissing him with the fondness of a mother; she also has her appropriate attribute above her. In the oval beneath her is Youth, a young man namely, seated amidst books, instruments for mensuration, and other requisites to the arts of design, with maps and globes, celestial and terrestrial: behind him is a Loggia, within which are other young men, who sing, dance, play on various instruments, and amuse themselves to their hearts’ content; while a second company of similar age is seated at table, and appears to be wholly given up to pleasure in every form. This oval is supported on one side by Self-knowledge, with compasses, a sector, an armillary sphere, the quadrant, and numerous books around her, while she holds a mirror, in which she is regarding her own visage, in her hand, and on the other side is seen Deceit, a most repulsive old woman, meagre and toothless, who laughs mockingly in the face of Self-knowledge, while she is concealing her own revolting countenance behind a fair and lovely mask. Beneath the oval is Moderation, with the bridle of a horse in her hand; and under this figure is that of Rhetoric, who stands in a line with Logic, and the other figures of similar import and signification.
Venus is followed by Mars fully armed, and surrounded by numerous trophies; above him is the sign of the Lion. In the oval beneath is Manhood, represented by a man of mature age, with the figure of Memory on one side, and that of Determination on the other; they hold before him a golden tazza, within which lies a pair of wings, and they point towards the Path of Safety, which lies up the ascent of a mountain. The oval of Manhood is sustained on the one side by Innocence, represented by a young girl, with a lamb beside her, and on the other by Cheerfulness, smiling and joyous, who exhibits the frankness of aspect which is truly her own. Beneath the oval and between the windows is Prudence, decorating her person before a mirror, and on the parapet below stands Philosophy.
Re-commencing at the upper part of the work, we then find Jupiter, who stands next to Mars; he bears his thunderbolt, and is attended by the bird sacred to him, the Eagle namely: he too has his appropriate sign above his head. In
