Neptune In His Chariot
To represent Neptune in his chariot, you must have a Neptune (made of
wood, or basket-work) as big as life, fixed on a float large enough to
bear his weight; on which must be two horses' heads and necks, so as
to seem swimming. For the wheels of the chariot, there must be two
vertical wheels of black fire, and on Neptune's head a horizontal
wheel of brilliant fire, with all its cases, to play upwards. When
this wheel i
like Neptune's coronet; then let the trident be made without prongs,
but instead of them, fix three cases of a weak grey charge, and on
each horse's head put an eight-ounce case of brilliant fire, and on
the mouth of each fix a short case, of the same diameter, filled with
the white flame composition enough to last out all the cases on the
wheels: these short cases must be open at bottom, that they may light
the brilliant fires; for the horses' eyes put small port-fires, and
in each nostril put a small case half filled with grey charge, and the
rest with port-fire composition.
If Neptune is to give fire to any building on the water, at his first
setting out, the wheels of the chariot, and that on his head, with the
white flame on the horses' heads, and the port-fires in their eyes and
nostrils, must all be lighted at once; then from the bottom of the
white flames carry a leader to the trident. As Neptune is to advance
by the help of a block and cord, you must manage it so as not to let
him turn about, till the brilliant fires on the horses and the trident
begin; for it is by the fire from the horses (which plays almost
upright,) that the building, or work, is lighted, which must be thus
prepared. From the mouth of the case which is to be first fired, hang
some loose quick-match to receive the fire from the horses. When
Neptune is only to be shown by himself, without setting fire to any
other works, let the white flames on the horses be very short, and not
to last longer than one case of each wheel, and let two cases of each
wheel burn at a time.
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