Coelum Britannicum (The British Heaven) · chunk 1 of 15
Carew, Thomas · published 1634 · first performed or written 1634 [Feb 18] (Annals) masque · before the Court T12 Olympian gods: Jupiter, Juno, Venus and typicality 0.80 · 563 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T12: iupiter, saturn, iuno, venus, gods, mars, earth, titan, love, fair.
FRom the high Senate of the gods, to You Bright glorious Twins of Love and Majesty, Before whose Throne three warlike Nations bend Their willing knees, on whose Imperial brows The Regal Circle prints no awful frowns To fright your Subjects, but whose calmer eyes Shed joy and safety on their melting hearts That flow with cheerful loyal reverence, Come I Cyllenius, Ioves Ambassador: Not, as of old, to whisper amorous tales Of wanton love, into the glowing ear Of some choice beauty in this numerous train; Those days are fled, the rebel flame is quenched In heavenly breasts, the gods have sworn by Styx Never to tempt yielding mortality To lose embraces. Your exemplar life Hath not alone transfused a zealous heat Of imitation through your virtuous Court, By whose bright blaze your Palace is become The envied pattern of this underworld, But the aspiring flame hath kindled heaven; Th' immortal bosoms burn with emulous fires, Jove rivals your great virtues, Royal Sir, And Iuno, Madam, your attractive graces; He his wild lusts, her raging jealousies She lays aside, and through th' Olympic hall, As yours doth here, their great Example spreads. And though of old, when youthful blood conspired With his new Empire, prone to heats of lust, He acted incests, rapes, adulteries On earthly beauties, which his raging Queen, Swollen with revengeful fury, turned to beasts, And in despite he retransformed to Stars, Till he had filled the crowded Firmament With his loose Strumpets, and their spurious race, Where the eternal records of his shame Shine to the world in flaming Characters; When in the Crystal mirror of your reign He viewed himself, he found his loathsome stains; And now, to expiate the infectious guilt Of those detested luxuries, he'll chase Th' infamous lights from their usurped Sphere, And drown in the Lethae an flood, their cursed Both names and memories. In whose vacant rooms First you succeed, and of the wheeling Orb In the most eminent and conspicuous point, With dazzling beams, and spreading magnitude, Shine the bright Polestar of this Hemisphere. Next, by your side, in a triumphant Chair, And crowned with Ariadne's Diadem, Sits the fair Consort of your heart, and Throne; Diffused about you, with that share of light As they of virtue have derived from you, he'll fix this Noble train, of either sex; So to the British Stars this lower Globe Shall owe its light, and they alone dispense Toth' world a pure refined influence. BY your leave, Mortals. God-den cousin Hermes; your pardon good my Lord Ambassador: I found the tables of your Arms and Titles, in every Inn betwixt this and Olympus, where your present expedition is registered, your nine thousandth nine hundred ninety ninth Legation. I cannot reach the policy why your Master breeds so few Statesmen, it suits not with his dignity that in the whole Empyraeum there should not be a god fit to send on these honourable errands but yourself, who are not yet so careful of his honour as your own, as might become your quality, when you are itinerant: the Hosts upon the highway cry out with open month upon you for supporting pilfery in your train; which, though as you are the god of petty Larceny, you might protect, yet you know it is directly against the new orders, and opposes the Reformation in Diameter.
seed 43: T28 · seed 44: T22 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
FRom the high Senate of the gods, to You Bright glorious Twins of Love and Majeſty, Before whoſe Throne three warlike Nations bend Their willing knees, on whoſe Imperiall browes The Regall Circle prints no awfull frownes To fright your Subjects, but whoſe calmer eyes Shed joy and ſafety on their melting hearts That flow with cheerefull loyall reverence, Come I Cyllenius, Ioves Ambaſſadour: Not, as of old, to whiſper amorous tales Of wanton love, into the glowing eare Of ſome choyce beauty in this numerous traine; Thoſe dayes are fled, the rebell flame is quench'd In heavenly breſts, the gods have ſworne by Styx Never to tempt yeelding mortality To looſe embraces. Your exemplar life Hath not alone transfus'd a zealous heat Of imitation through your vertuous Court, By whoſe bright blaze your Pallace is become The envy'd patterne of this underworld, But the aſpiring flame hath kindled heaven; Th' immortall boſomes burne with emulous fires, Jove rivals your great vertues, Royall Sir, And Iuno, Madam, your attractive graces; He his wild luſts, her raging jealouſies She layes aſide, and through th' Olympique hall, As yours doth here, their great Example ſpreads. And though of old, when youthfull blood conſpir'd With his new Empire, prone to heats of luſt, He acted inceſts, rapes, adulteries On earthly beauties, which his raging Queene, Swolne with revengefull fury, turn'd to beaſts, And in deſpight he retransform'd to Stars, Till he had fill'd the crowded Firmament With his looſe Strumpets, and their ſpurious race, Where the eternall records of his ſhame Shine to the world in flaming Characters; When in the Chryſtall myrrour of your reigne He view'd himſelfe, he found his loathſome ſtaines; And now, to expiate the infectious guilt Of thoſe deteſted luxuries, hee'll chace Th' infamous lights from their uſurped Spheare, And drowne in the Lethae an flood, their curs'd Both names and memories. In whoſe vacant roomes Firſt you ſucceed, and of the wheeling Orbe In the moſt eminent and conſpicuous point, With dazeling beames, and ſpreading magnitude, Shine the bright Pole-ſtarre of this Hemiſpheare. Next, by your ſide, in a triumphant Chaire, And crown'd with Ariadnes Diadem, Sits the faire Conſort of your heart, and Throne; Diffus'd about you, with that ſhare of light As they of vertue have deriv'd from you, Hee'll fix this Noble traine, of either ſexe; So to the Brittiſh Stars this lower Globe Shall owe its light, and they alone diſpence To'th' world a pure refined influence. BY your leave, Mortals. Goodden Cozen Hermes; your pardon good my Lord Ambaſſadour: I found the tables of your Armes and Titles, in every Inne betwixt this and Olympus, where your preſent expedition is regiſtred, your nine thouſandth nine hundred ninety ninth Legation. I cannot reach the policy why your Maſter breeds ſo few Statesmen, it ſuits not with his dignity that in the whole Empyraeum there ſhould not be a god fit to ſend on theſe honourable errands but your ſelfe, who are not yet ſo carefull of his honour as your owne, as might become your quality, when you are itinerant: the Hoſts upon the highway cry out with open month upon you for ſupporting pilfery in your traine; which, though as you are the god of petty Larcinry, you might protect, yet you know it is directly againſt the new orders, and oppoſes the Reformation in Diameter.