Dekker, Thomas · published 1636 · first performed or written 1631 [1619-1631] (Annals) comedy · Prince Charles's Men (first) (?) T0 Court life: dukes, favour and honour typicality 0.80 · 494 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T0: duke, lord, duchess, love, court, madam, prince, honour, grace, lady.
You come to cast on waters; bar up my doors, But one such tattered ensign here being spread, Draws numbers hither, here must no rogues be fed; Command my carpenters invent odd engines. To manacle base beggars, hands and feet, And by my name call'em my whipping posts; If you spy any man that has a look, Stigmatically drawn, like to a fury's, (Able to fright) to such I'll give large pay, To watch and ward for poor snakes night and day, And whip'em soundly if they approach my gates; The poor are but the earths-dung fit to lie Covered on much-heaps not to offend the eye. Two Gentlemen sent from the Florence Duke, Require speech with your Lordship— give ''em entrance What re you? and whence come you? From the Duke. Your business? This, fame sounding forth your worth For hospitable princely housekeeping; Our Duke drawn by the wonder of report, Invites himself (by us) to be your guest. The honour of Ambassadors be yours; Say to the Duke that Caesar never came; More welcome to the Capitol of Rome, Than he to us— healths to him— fill rich wines. You have this wonder wrought, now rare to men; By you they have found the golden age again. Which I'll uphold, so long as there's a sun, To play the Alchemist. This proud fellow talks As if he grasped the Indies in each hand. Health to your Duke. We pledge it on our knees. I'll stand to what I do, but kneel to none. Break not our custom (pray ye) with one beam; The god of metals makes both gold and wine To Imitate whose greatness; If on you I can bestow Wine, I can give gold too, Take them as free as Bacohus spends his blood; And in them drink our health. Your bounty far Exceeds that of our Caesars. Caesar ero, vel nihil ero: What are Gold heaps? but a rich dust for Kings To scatter with their breath, as chaff by wind? Let him then that hath gold, bear a king's mind, And give till his arm aches, who bravely powers But into a wench's lap his golden showers, May be Ioves equal, oh but he that spends A world of wealth, makes a whole world his debtor, And such a Noble spender is Ioves better; That man I'll be, I'm Alexander's heir To one part of his mind, I wish there were Ten Worlds, yet not to conquer, but to sell. For Alpine hills of silver, And that I. Might at one feast, spend all that treasure dry; Who hoards up wealth, is base; who spends it, brave, Earth breeds gold, so I tread but on my slave; Bear back our gratulations to your Duke. we shall great sir. Torrenti call you him; 'tis a proud rough stream. he's of the Roman Family indeed. Lord Vanni? rather my Lord Vanity. And heaps of money sure have struck him mad.
seed 43: T0 · seed 44: T0 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
You come to cast on waters; barre up my doores, But one such tattered ensigne here being spread, Drawes numbers hither, here must no rogues be fed; Command my carpenters invent od engines. To manacle base beggers, hands and feete, And by my name call'em my whipping posts; If you spye any man that has a looke, Stigmatically drawne, like to a furies, (Able to fright) to such I'le give large pay, To watch and ward for poore snakes night and day, And whip'em soundly if they approch my gates; The poore are but the earths-dung fit to lie Cover d on much-heapes not to offend the eye. Two Gentlemen sent from the Florence Duke, Require speech with your Lord-ship— Give'm entrance What re you? and whence come you? From the Duke. Your businesse? This, fame sounding forth your worth For hospitable princely house-keeping; Our Duke drawne by the wonder of report, Invites himselfe (by us) to be your guest. The honour of Embassadors be yours; Say to the Duke that Caesar never came; More welcome to the Capitoll of Rome, Then he to us—healthes to him—fill rich wines. You have this wonder wrought, now rare to men; By you they have found the golden age agen. Which I'le uphold, so long as there's a sunne, To play the Alchymist. This proud fellow talkes As if he grasped the Indies in each hand. Health to your Duke. We pledge it on our knees. I'le stand to what I do, but kneele to none. Breake not our custome (pray ye) with one beame; The god of mettailes makes both gold and wine To Imitate whose greatnesse; If on you I can bestow Wine, I can give gold too, Take them as free as Bacohus spends his blood; And in them drinke our health. Your bounty farre Exceeds that of our Caesars. Caesar ero, vel nihil ero: What are Gold heapes? but a rich dust for Kings To scatter with their breath, as chaffe by winde? Let him then that hath gold, beare a Kings minde, And give till his arme akes, who bravely powres But into a wenches lap his golden showres, May be Ioves equall, oh but hee that spends A world of wealth, makes a whole world his debter, And such a Noble spender is Ioves better; That man Ile be, I'me Alexanders heire To one part of his minde, I wish there were Ten Worlds, yet not to conquer, but to sell. For Alpine hills of silver, And that I. Might at one feast, spend all that treasure drie; Who hoards up wealth, is base; who spends it, brave, Earth breeds gold, so I tread but on my slave; Beare backe our gratulations to your Duke. Wee shall great sir. Torrenti call you him; 'tis a prowd rough streame. Hee's of the Romane Family indeede. Lord Vanni? rather my Lord Vanitie. And heapes of money sure have strucke him mad.