Heywood, Thomas · published 1636 · first performed or written 1635 [1634-1636] (Annals) tragicomedy · King's Men · Blackfriars unassigned nearest T14 Royal love, favour and dynastic relation · 508 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T14: prince, princess, love, king, lord, queen, madam, grace, lady, life.
Call't if you please, self-love: Besides in man or woman, since the first Nature hath yielded dead none so absolute, To whom she made no fellow. First for beauty, If Greece afforded a fair Helen, Troy Her parallelled with a Polyxena: For Wisdom, Rome presented a Cornelia, And Lidia a Sosipatra: Chastity? Lucrece, of whom the Romans so much boast: Did not the self same City breed a Portia, Who when she heard her husband Brutus slain, Kept from all other Engines, swallowed fire, And by that means to meet with him in death, Of such I could produce yet Infinite; And Madam though I must confess you rare, And most completely perfect in all these, Yet not so choice a piece, but the wide world May yield you a competitor. As you are, Prince, And over hope to have the sweet fruition Of those pure gifts, that man so much disdains; Grant me one free demand. Speak and obtain, His banishment from Spain and Portugal, Never hereafter to be capable Of Honour, of Renown, place, or office, Till he can find, produce, and set before us, Our match in Face and bosom, birth we set by, But be she woman, and can balance us, In both, or either, he redeems his exile Without such, to return, forfeits his head, Deny this Prince, you banish us your bed. Most unpeered Lady, that, not for ten Worlds, For if an husband can a vassal be, To such approved virtues; I am he: Lord Bonavida, you have from her tongue An express doom, that cannot be revoked; 'tis like the Persian seal unalterable: And come my divine Princess; He shall know, In his Just doom, what zeal to you we owe. Is this truth's merit? Can the Court find place For none but flatterers, and must I be made The first example of her Tyranny? Shall I be made a precedent through Spain, To deter men from speaking in the Court What's Just and honest? Nay, we term this law, Or mere oppression. What an Infinite task Am I confined too? One as virtuous No Cloister scarce but could supply me with, And never travel further; but the doubt is, Whether it harbour in so smooth a skin; As fair a face, I might with ease produce, But Where's the Virtue then? since few there are That wear both these ascriptions, Chaste, and fair: In all his twelve great labours, Hercules Was not thus tasked by Iuno. Ill news flies apace, and hath plucked me by the ears already, well, whosoever pronounced that sentence; I hope nobody hears me: I would his Portugal skin were tanned into Spanish Leather, and either cut into some slovenly Boot, to be dabbled in the dirt without a galosh, or sniped into a Saint Martin's jerkin, that never came within the scent of a perfumer's shop. Had she proposed to find her match for pride, There had been then no help, no hope at all; For that had been the harder task of two.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Call' if you please, Selfe-love: Besides in man or woman, since the first Nature hath yee ded none so absolute, To whom she made no fellow. First for beautie, If Greece afforded a fayre Hellen, Troy Her paralleld with a Polyxena: For Wisedome, Rome presented a Cornelia, And Lidia a Ssipatra: Chastity? Lucrece▪ of whom the Romanes so much boast: Did not the selfe same Citie breede a Portia, Who when she heard ber husband Brutus slaine, Kept from all other Engines, swallowed fire, And by that meanes to meete with him in death, Of such I could produce yet Infinite; And Madam though I must confesse you rare, And most compleatly perfct in all these, Yet not sochoice a piece, but the wide world May yeeld you a competitor. As you are, Prince, And over hope to have the sweete fruition Of those pure gifts, that man so much disdaines; Grant mee one free demand. Speake and obtaine▪ His banishment from Spaine and Portugall, Never hereafter to bee capable Of Honor, of Renowne, place, or office, Till hee can find, produce, and set before vs, Our match in Face and bosome, birth wee set by, But be shee woman, and can ballance us, In both, or either, he redeemes his exile Without such, to returne, forfeits his head, Denie this Prince, you banish us your bed. Most unpeer'd Lady, that, not for ten Worlds, For if an husband can a vassaile bee, To such approved vertues; I am hee: Lord Bonavid, you have from her tongue An expresse doome, that cannot bee revok't; Tis like the Persian seale vnalterable: And come my divine Princesse; Hee shall knowe, In his Iust doome, what zeale to you wee owe. Is this Trueth's merit? Can the Court find place For none but flatterers, and must I be made The first example of her Tyrannie? Shall I be made a president through Spaine, To deterre men from speaking in the Court What's Iust and honest? Nay, wee terme this law, Or meere oppression. What an Infinite taske Am I confin'd too? One as vertuous No Cloister scarce but could supply me with, And never travell further; but the doubt is, Whether it harbour in so smooth a skinne; As faire a face, I might with ease produce, But Where's the Vertue then? since few there are That weare both these ascriptions, Chaste, and fayre: In all his twelue great labours, Hercules Was not thus task'd by Iuno. Ill newes flies apace, and hath pluck't mee by the eares already, well, whosoever pronounc'd that sentence; I hope no body heares mee: I would his Portugall skinne were tan'd into Spanish Leather, and either cut into some flovenly Boote, to be dabled in the durt without a Galoach, or snip'd into a Saint Martines Ierkin, that never came within the sent of a perfumers shoppe. Had shee propos'd to find her match for pride, There had binne then no helpe, no hope at all; For that had bin the harder taske of two.