Coelum Britannicum (The British Heaven) · chunk 5 of 15
Carew, Thomas · published 1634 · first performed or written 1634 [Feb 18] (Annals) masque · before the Court unassigned nearest T12 Olympian gods: Jupiter, Juno, Venus and · 533 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T12: iupiter, saturn, iuno, venus, gods, mars, earth, titan, love, fair.
Momus thou shalt prevail, for since thy bold Intrusion hath inverted my resolves, I must obey necessity, and thus turn My face, to breathe the Thunderers just decree 'Gainst this adulterate Sphere, which first I purge Of loathsome Monsters, and misshapen forms: Down from her azure concave, thus I charm The Lyrnean Hydra, the rough unlicked Bear, The watchful Dragon, the storm-boding Whale, The Centaur, the horned Goatfish Capricorn, The Snake-haired Gorgon, and fierce Sagittar: Divested of your gorgeous starry robes, Fall from the circling Orb, and ere you suck Fresh venom in, measure this happy earth, Then to the Fens, Caves, Forests, Deserts, Seas, Fly, and resume your native qualities. Are not these fine companions, trim playfellows for the Deities? yet these and their fellows have made up all our conversation for some thousands of years. Do not you fair Ladies acknowledge yourselves deeply engaged now to those Poets your servants, that in the height of commendation have raised your beauties to a parallel with such exact proportions, or at least ranked you in their spruce society. Hath not the consideration of these Inhabitants rather frighted your thoughts utterly from the contemplation of the place? but now that those heavenly Mansions are to be void, you that shall hereafter be found unlodged will become inexcusable; especially since Virtue alone shall be sufficient title, fine, and rent: yet if there be a Lady not competently stocked that way, she shall not on the instant utterly despair, if she carry a sufficient pawn of handsomeness; for however the letter of the Law runs, Jupiter notwithstanding his Age and present austerity, will never refuse to stamp beauty, and make it currant with his own Impression; but to such as are destitute of both, I can afford but small encouragement. Proceed Cousin Mercury, what follows? Look up, and mark where the bright Zodiac Hangs like a Belt about the breast of heaven; On the right shoulder, like a flaming jewel, His shell, with nine rich Topazes adorned, Lord of this tropic, sits the scalding Crab: He, when the Sun gallops in full career His annual race; his ghastly claws upreared, Frights at the confines of the torrid Zone, The fiery team, and proudly stops their course, Making a solstice, till the fierce Steeds learn His backward paces, and so retrograde Post downhill to th' opposed Capricorn. Thus I depose him from his lofty Throne; Drop from the Sky, into the briny flood, There teach thy motion to the ebbing Sea, But let those fires that beautified thy shell Take humane shapes, and the disorder show Of thy regressive paces here below. This Crab, I confess, did ill become the heavens; but there is another that more infests the Earth, and makes such a solstice in the politer Arts and Sciences, as they have not been observed for many Ages to have made any sensible advance: could you but lead the learned squadrous with a masculine resolution past this point of retrogradation, it were a benefit to mankind worthy the power of a god, and to be paid with Altars; but that not being the work of this night, you may pursue your purposes: what now succeeds?
seed 43: T49 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Momus thou ſhalt prevaile, for ſince thy bold Intruſion hath inverted my reſolves, I muſt obey neceſſity, and thus turne My face, to breath the Thundrers juſt decree 'Gainſt this adulterate Spheare, which firſt I purge Of loathſome Monſters, and miſ-ſhapen formes: Downe from her azure concave, thus I charme The Lyrnean Hydra, the rough unlick'd Beare, The watchfull Dragon, the ſtorme-boading Whale, The Centaure, the horn'd Goatfiſh Capricorne, The Snake-heard Gorgon, and fierce Sagittar: Diveſted of your gorgeous ſtarry robes, Fall from the circling Orbe, and e're you ſucke Freſh venome in, meaſure this happy earth, Then to the Fens, Caves, Forreſts, Deſerts, Seas, Fly, and reſume your native qualities. Are not theſe fine companions, trim playfellowes for the Deities? yet theſe and their fellowes have made up all our converſation for ſome thouſands of yeeres. Doe not you faire Ladies acknowledge your ſelves deeply engaged now to thoſe Poets your ſervants, that in the height of commendation have rais'd your beauties to a parallell with ſuch exact prpportions, or at leaſt rank'd you in their ſpruce ſociety. Hath not the conſideration of theſe Inhabitants rather frighted your thoughts utterly from the contemplation of the place? but now that thoſe heavenly Manſions are to be voyd, you that ſhall hereafter be found unlodged will become inexcuſable; eſpecially ſince Vertue alone ſhall be ſufficient title, fine, and rent: yet if there be a Lady not competently ſtock'd that way, ſhe ſhall not on the inſtant utterly deſpaire, if ſhee carry a ſufficient pawne of handſomeneſſe; for however the letter of the Law runnes, Jupiter notwithſtanding his Age and preſent auſterity, will never refuſe to ſtampe beauty, and make it currant with his owne Impreſſion; but to ſuch as are deſtitute of both, I can afford but ſmall encouragement. Proceed Cozen Mercury, what followes? Looke up, and marke where the bright Zodiacke Hangs like a Belt about the breſt of heaven; On the right ſhoulder, like a flaming Iewell, His ſhell, with nine rich Topazes adorn'd, Lord of this Tropique, ſits the skalding Crab: He, when the Sunne gallops in full careere His annuall race; his ghaſtly clawes uprear'd, Frights at the confines of the torrid Zone, The fiery teame, and proudly ſtops their courſe, Making a ſolſtice, till the fierce Steeds learne His backward paces, and ſo retrograde Poſte downe-hill to th' oppoſed Capricorne. Thus I depoſe him from his laughty Throne; Drop from the Sky, into the briny flood, There teach thy motion to the ebbing Sea, But let thoſe fires that beautifi'd thy ſhell Take humane ſhapes, and the diſorder ſhow Of thy regreſſive paces here below. This Crab, I confeſſe, did ill become the heavens; but there is another that more infeſts the Earth, and makes ſuch a ſolſtice in the politer Arts and Sciences, as they have not beene obſerved for many Ages to have made any ſenſible advance: could you but lead the learned ſquadrous with a maſculine reſolution paſt this point of retrogradation, it were a benefit to mankinde worthy the power of a god, and to be payed with Altars; but that not being the worke of this night, you may purſue your purpoſes: what now ſucceeds?