Ford, John · published 1633 · first performed or written 1630 [c.1630-1633] (Annals) tragedy · King's Men · Blackfriars T48 Addressing a lady: love, desire and inti typicality 0.91 · 507 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T48: lady, love, heart, fair, eyes, la, lord, tears, fie, face.
With pardon, Lady, not a syllable Of mine implies so rude a sense; the drift.— Do thy best To make this Lady merry for an hour. Your will shall be a law, Sir. prithee leave me, I have some private thoughts I would account with: Use thou thine own. Speak on, fair nymph, our souls Can dance as well to music of the Spheres As any's who have feasted with the gods. Your School terms are too troublesome. What heaven Refines mortality from dross of earth, But such as uncompounded beauty hallows With glorified perfection. Set thy wits In a less wild proportion. Time can never On the white table of unguilty faith Write counterfeit dishonour; turn those eyes (The arrows of pure love) upon that fire Which once rose to a flame, perfumed with vows As sweetly scented as the License smoking like The holiest Altars, Virgin tears On Vesta's odours) sprinkled dews to feed 'em, And to increase their fervour. Be not frantic. All pleasures are but mere imagination, Feeding the hungry appetite with steam, And sight of banquet, whilst the body pines, Not relishing the real taste of food, Such is the leanness of a heart divided From intercourse of troth-contracted lones; No horror should deface that precious figure Sealed with the lively stamp of equal souls. Away, some fury hath bewitched thy tongue: The breath of ignorance that flies from thence, Ripens a knowledge in me of afflictions, Above all sufferance.— Thing of talk be gone, Be gone without reply. Be just, Penthea, In thy commands: when thou send'st forth a doom Of banishment, know first on whom it lights; Thus I take off the shroud, in which my cares Are folded up from view of common eyes; What is thy sentence next? Rash man, thou layest A blemish on mine honour with the hazard Of thy too desperate life: yet I profess, By all the Laws of ceremonious wedlock, I have not given admittance to one thought Of female change, since cruelty enforced Divorce betwixt my body and my heart: Why would you fall from goodness thus? O rather Examine me how I could live to say I have been much, much wronged; 'tis for thy sake I put on this Imposture; dear Penthea, If thy soft bosom be not turned to marble, thou'lt pity our calamities; my Interest Confirms me thou art mine still. Lend your hand: With both of mine I clasp it thus, thus kiss it, Thus kneel before ye. You instruct my duty. We may stand up: Have you ought else to urge Of new demand? as for the old forget it, 'Tis buried in an everlasting silence, And shall be, shall be ever; what more would ye? I would possess my wife, the equity Of very reason bids me. Is that all? Why 'tis the all of me myself. Remove Your steps some distance from me; at this space A few words I dare change; but first put on Your borrowed shape. You are obeyed, 'tis done.
seed 43: T31 · seed 44: T44 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
With pardon, Lady, not a sillable Of mine implyes so rude a sense; the drift.— Doe thy best To make this Lady mery for an hour. Your will shall be a law, Sir. Prethe leaue me, I haue some priuate thoughts I would account with: Vse thou thine owne. Speake on, faire nimph, our soules Can dance as well to musick of the Spheares As any's who haue feasted with the gods. Your Schoole terms are too troublesome. What heauen Refines mortality from drosse of earth, But such as vncompounded beauty hallowes With glorified perfection. Set thy wits In a lesse wild proportion. Time can neuer On the white table of vnguilty faith Write counterfeit dishonour; turne those eyes (The arrowes of pure loue) vpon that fire Which once rose to a flame, perfum'd with vowes As sweetly scented as the Lcense smoking like The holiest Atars, Virgin teares On Vesta's odours) sprinkled dewes to feed 'em, And to increase their feruour. Be not franticke. All pleasures are but meere imagination, Feeding the hungry appetite with steame, And sight of banquet, whilst the body pines, Not relishing the reall tast of food, Such is the lennesse of a heart diuided From entercourse of troth-contracted lones; No horror should deface that precious figure Seal'd with the liuely stampe of equall soules. Away, some fury hath bewitch'd thy tongue: The breath of ignorance that flyes from thence, Ripens a knowledge in me of afflictions, Aboue all suffrance. — Thing of talke be gone, Be gone without reply. Be iust, Penthea, In thy commands: when thou send'st forth a doome Of banishment, know first on whom it lights; Thus I take off the shrowd, in which my cares Are folded vp from view of common eyes; What is thy sentence next? Rash man, thou layest A blemish on mine honour with the hazard Of thy too desperate life: yet I professe, By all the Lawes of ceremonious wedlocke, I haue not giuen admittance to one thought Of female change, since cruelty enforc'd Diuorce betwixt my body and my heart: Why would you fall from goodnesse thus? O rather Examine me how I could liue to say I haue bin much, much wrong'd; 'tis for thy sake I put on this Imposture; deare Penthea, If thy soft bosome be not turn'd to marble, Thou't pitty our calamities; my Interest Confirmes me thou art mine still. Lend your hand: With both of mine I claspe it thus, thus kisse it, Thus kneele before ye. You instruct my duty. We may stand vp: Haue you ought else to vrge Of new demand? as for the old forget it, 'Tis buried in an everlasting silence, And shall be, shall be euer; what more would ye? I would possesse my wife, the equity Of very reason bids me. Is that all? Why 'tis the all of me my selfe. Remoe Your steps some distance from me; at this space A few words I dare change; but first put on Your borrowed shape. You are obey'd, 'tis done