Nabbes, Thomas · published 1637 · first performed or written 1635 (Annals) tragedy · Queen Henrietta Maria's Men · Phoenix/Cockpit T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.74 · 498 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Sophonisba! I was new entered into meditations Of death, and other wretchedness, depends Upon mortality. Is that the argument Of your dejectedness? it shows too much Of woman's weakness. Man should have a spirit Above the fear any consideration Can work within him. Death is but an entrance To our eternity: and if our life Merit a blessedness hereafter, we Should run with joy to meet it. But if one Possessed of happiness beyond the hope Of any greater; that denies another Can be in expectation (more than what His soul enjoys already) apprehended A separation from it by the malice Of death, or other accident, 'twould force him Weep silently within, though shame restrained His outward tears. This circumstance would seem To prepare something that should have relation Unto yourself or me. Perhaps the Consul Hath urged that I should be delivered up To Rome's disposing. Massanissas vow Made with religious ceremony cannot If he respect the gods consent to it. And rather than their tyranny should make me Wretched anew, to my first earth return me, The worst remains of Sophonisba. Dare she die then to quit her fears? And meet the instrument With greater cheerfulness, than fondest parents Can show at the return of their decree child From long captivity. This tender frame Lodgeth a masculine and heroic spirit. And if thy passionate love denies thyself To be the Actor in this benefit, Give me thy sword; my own right hand shall guide The point unto my heart: I'll without trembling Open a passage for the crimson drops; And smile to see them diaper the pavement, As if't were some conceited workmanship Made by the looker's fancy. ere mine eyes Should suffer such an object to offend Their hitherto pleased sense, I would dissolve them In their own humour. No Sophonisba; This breath shall first waste into empty air, And leave my naked bones i'th' hallowed pile ere I prove false to thee. Give me some wine: I'll drink a bridal health to Sophonisba, And mix it with Nepenthe. Here's the juice Will cause forgetfulness, and mock th'extremity Of any adverse fortune. Sure 'tis poison. Will Massanissa leave me then unguarded To Scipio's violence? I have here no father Nor uncle to defend me; not so much As a poor tear by weeping to stir up A Romans pity: I shall only dart An anger from my burning eye, to show The Carthaginian spirit I was borne with, Which not with standing will not quit this part From a captivity: this Scipio's rage Will hurry in his triumph to be gazed at, And scorned by the course rabble. Do not then By such a keeping of it break thy vow; For 'tis no less to me. I must still want The benefice of such a constancy. For though himself live not to yield me up I am exposed to't, and without least power To make resistance. Let me then partake That means of best security
nodes 1226–1301 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 17 of 31 in this edition
Length
498 words · 636 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.744 (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)
Sophonisba! I was new enter'd into meditations Of death, and other wretchednesse, depend's Vpon mortality. Is that the argument Of your dejectednesse? it shew's too much Of womans weakenesse. Man should have a spirit Above the feare any consideration Can worke within him. Death is but an entrance To our eternity: and if our life Merit a blessednesse hereafter, we Should runne with joy to meete it. But if one Possest of happinesse beyond the hope Of any greater; that denies another Can be in expectation (more then what His soule enjoy's already) apprehended A separation from it by the malice Of death, or other accident, 'twould force him Weep silently within, though shame restrain'd His outward teares. This circumstance would seeme To prepare something that should have relation Vnto your selfe or me. Perhaps the Consull Hath urg'd that I should be deliver'd up To Romes disposing. Massanissas vow Made with religious ceremony cannot If he respect the gods consent to it. And rather then their tyranny should make me Wretched a new, to my first earth returne me, The worst remaines of Sophonisba. Dare shee Dyethen to quit her feares? And meete the instrument With greater cherefalnesse, then fondest parents Can shew at the returne of their decre child From long captivity. This tender frame Lodgeth a masculine and heroick spirit. And if thy passionate love deny's thy selfe To be the Actor in this benefit, Give me thy sword; my owne right hand shall guide The point unto my heart: I'le without trembling Open a passage for the crimson drops; And smile to see them diaper the pavement, As if't were some conceited workemanship Made by the lookers sancie. E're mine eyes Should suffer such an object to offend Their hitherto pleas'd sense, I would dissolve them In their owne humour. No Sophonisba; This breath shall first wast into empty ayre, And leave my naked bones i'th'hallow'd pile E're I prove false to thee. Give me some wine: I'le drinke a bridall health to Sophonisba, And mixe it with Nepenthe. Here's the juice Will cause forgetfulnesse, and mock th'extremity Of any adverse fortune. Sure 'tis poyson. Will Massanissa leave me then unguarded To Scipios violence? I have here no father Nor uncle to defend me; not so much As a poore teare by weeping to stirre up A Romanes pity: I shall only dart An anger from my burning eye, to shew The Carthaginian spirit I was borne with, Which not with standing will not quit this part From a captivity: this Scipios rage Will hurry in his triumph to be gaz'd at, And scorn'd by the course rabble. Doe not then By such a keeping of it breake thy vow; For 'tis no lesse to me. I must still want The benefice of such a constancy. For though himselfe live not to yeeld me up I am expos'd to't, and without least power To make resistance. Let me then partake That meanes of best security