Gascoigne, George / Ariosto, Ludovico · published 1573 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) comedy T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.81 · 590 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Alas how shall I be revenged of this extreme despite? if I punish my servant according to his devilish deserts, I shall heap further cares upon mine own head, for to such detestable offences no punishment can seem sufficient, but only death: & in such cases it is not lawful for a man to be his own carver, the laws are ordained, and officers appointed to minister justice for the redress of wrongs: and if to the potestates I complain me, I shall publish mine own reproach to the world: yea, what should it prevail me to use all the punishments that can be devised? the thing once done can not be undone. My daughter is deflowered, and utterly dishonested, how can I then wipe that blot off my brow? and on whom shall I seek revenge? Alas, alas, I myself have been the cause of all these cares, and have deserved to bear the punishment of all these mishaps. Alas, I should not have committed my dearest darling in custody to so careless a creature as this old Nurse: for we see by common proof, that these old women be either peevish, or to pitiful: either easily inclined to evil, or quickly corrupted with bribes and rewards. O wife, my good wife (that now liest cold in the grave) now may I well bewail the want of thee, and mourning now may I bemoan that I miss thee: if thou hadst lived, such was thy government of the least things, that thou wouldest prudently have provided for the preservation of this pearl: a costly jewel may I well account her, that hath been my chief comfort in youth, and is now become the corrosive of mine age. O Polynesta, full evil hast thou requited the clemency of thy careful father, and yet to excuse thee guiltless before God, and to condemn thee guilty before the world, I can count none other but my wretched self the caitiff and causer of all my cares: for of all the duties that are requisite in human life, only obedience is by the parents to be required of the child, where on the other side the parents are bound, first to beget them, than to bring them forth, after to nourish them, to preserve them from bodily perils in the cradle, from danger of soul by godly education, to match them in comfort inclined to virtue, to banish them all idle and wanton company, to allow them sufficient for their sustentation, to cut of excess the open gate of sin, seldom or never to smile on them unless it be to their encouragement in virtue, and finally, to provide them marriages in time convenient, lest neglected of us, they learn to set either to much or to little by themselves: five years are past since I might have married her, when by continual excuses I have prolonged it to my own perdition: Alas, I should have considered, she is a collop of my own flesh, what should I think to make her a princess? Alas alas, a poor kingdom have I now caught to endue her with: it is too true, that of all sorrows this is the head source and chief fountain of all furies: the goods of the world are incertain, the gains to be rejoiced at, and the loss not greatly to be lamented, only the children cast away, cutteth the parent's throat with the knife of inward care, which knife will kill me surely, I make none other account.
Translation;Nonprofessional;University/Inns of Court
Edition / TCP / DEEP
edition 103 · TCP A01513 · DEEP 5006.01
Edition role
Representative edition — used in the analysis
Position
nodes 353–353 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 18 of 36 in this edition
Length
590 words · 737 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.810 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Alas how shall I be reuenged of this extreme despite? if I punishe my seruant according to his diuelishe deserts, I shall heape further cares vpon mine owne head, for to suche detestable offences no punishment can séeme sufficient, but onely death: & in such cases it is not lawfull for a man to be his owne caruer, the lawes are ordyned, and officers appoynted to minister iustice for the redresse of wrongs: and if to the potestates I complayne me, I shal publishe mine owne reproche to the worlde: yea, what should it preuayle me to vse all the punishments that can be deuised? the thing once done can not be vndone. My daughter is defloured, and vtterly dishonested, howe can I then wype that blot off my browe? and on whome shall I séeke reuenge? Alas, alas, I my selfe haue bene the cause of all these cares, and haue deserued to beare the punishment of all these mishappes. Alas, I should not haue committed my dearest darling in custodie to so carelesse a creature as this olde Nourse: for we sée by common proofe, that these olde women be either péeuishe, or to pitifull: either easily enclined to euill, or quickly corrupted with bribes and rewards. O wife, my good wife (that nowe lyest colde in the graue) now may I well bewayle the wante of thée, and mourning nowe may I bemone that I misse thée: if thou hadst liued, such was thy gouernement of the least things, that thou wouldest prudently haue prouided for the preseruation of this pearle: a costly iewell may I well accompte hir, that hath béen my chéefe comforte in youth, and is nowe become the coroue of mine age. O Polynesta, full euill hast thou requed the clemencie of thy carefull father, and yet to excuse thée giltlesse before God, and to condemne thée giltie before the worlde, I can count none other but my wretched selfe the caytife and causer of all my cares: for of all the dueties that are requisite in humane lyfe, onely obedience is by the parents to be required of the childe, where on ye other side the parēts are bound, first to beget them, then to bring thē foorth, after to nourish them, to preserue them from bodily perils in the cradle, from daunger of soule by godly education, to matche them in comfort enclined to vertue, to banish them all ydle and wanton companie, to allow them sufficiente for their sustentation, to cut of excesse the open gate of sinne, seldome or neuer to smile on them vnlesse it be to their encouragement in vertue, and finally, to prouide them mariages in time cōuenient, lest neglected of vs, they learne to sette either to much or to litle by themselues: fiue yeares are past since I might haue maried hir, when by continuall excuses I haue prolonged it to my owne perdition: Alas, I shoulde haue considered, she is a collop of my owne flesh, what should I thinke to make hir a princesse? Alas alas, a poore kingdome haue I now caught to endue hir with: it is too true, that of all sorowes this is the head source and chiefe fountaine of all furies: the goods of the worlde are incertaine, the gaines to be reioyced at, and the losse not greatly to be lamented, only the children cast away, cutteth the parents throate with the knife of inward care, which knife will kill me surely, I make none other accoumpte.