Comus (The Masque at Ludlow Castle) · chunk 7 of 15
Milton, John · published 1637 · first performed or written 1634 [Sep 29] (Annals) pastoral; masque unassigned nearest T11 Siblings, kin and confidants · 508 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T11: sister, brother, love, friend, heart, father, mother, woman, lord, hear.
I do not brother Infer, as if I thought my sister's state Secure without all doubt, or controversy: Yet where an equal poise of hope, and fear Does arbitrate th'event, my nature is That I incline to hope, rather than fear And gladly banish squint suspicion. My sister is not so defenceless left As you imagine, she has a hidden strength Which you remember not. What hidden strength Unless the strength of heaven, if mean that? I mean that too, but yet a hidden strength Which if heaven gave it, may be termed her own: 'Tis chastity, my brother, chastity: She that has that, is clad in complete steel, And like a quivered nymph with arrows keen May trace huge forests, and unharboured heaths Infamous hills, and sandy perilous wilds Where through the sacred rays of chastity No savage fierce, bandit, or mountaineer Will dare to soil her virgin purity Yea there, where very desolation dwells By grots, and caverns shagged with horrid shades She may pass on with unblenched majesty Be it not done in pride, or in presumption. Some say no evil thing that walks by night In fog, or fire, by lake, or moorish fen blue meager hag, or stubborn unlaid ghost That breaks his magic chains at curfew time No goblin, or swart Fairy of the mine Has hurtful power over true virginity. Do ye believe me yet, or shall I call Antiquity from the old schools of Greece To testify the arms of Chastity? Hence had the huntress Dian her dread bow Fair silver-shafted Queen for ever chaste Wherewith we tamed the brinded lioness And spotted mountain pard, but set at nought The frivolous bolt of Cupid, gods and men Feared her stern frown, & she was queen o'th' woods. What was that snaky headed Gorgon shield That wise Minerva wore, unconquered virgin Wherewith she freezed her foes to congealed stone? But rigid looks of Chaste austerity And noble grace that dashed brute violence With sudden adoration, and blank awe. So dear to heaven is saintly chastity That when a soul is found sincerely so, A thousand liveried angels lackey her Driving far off each thing of sin, and guilt, And in clear dream, and solemn vision Tell her of things that no gross ear can hear, Till oft converse with heavenly habitants Begin to cast a beam on th' outward shape The unpolluted temple of the mind And turns it by degrees to the souls essence Till all be made immortal; but when lust By unchaste looks, loose gestures, and foul talk But most by lewd, and lavish act of sin let's in defilement to the inward parts, The soul grows clotted by contagion, embodies, and imbrutes, till she quite loose The divine property of her first being. Such are those thick, and gloomy shadows damp Oft seen in Charnel vaults, and Sepulchers Hovering, and sitting by a new made grave As loath to leave the body that it loved, And linked itself by carnal sensuality To a degenerate and degraded state.
seed 43: T21 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I doe not brother Inferre, as if I thought my sisters state Secure without all doubt, or controversie: Yet where an equall poise of hope, and feare Does arbitrate th'event, my nature is That I encline to hope, rather then feare And gladly banish squint suspicion. My sister is not so defencelesse left As you imagine, she has a hidden strength Which you remember not. What hidden strength Vnlesse the strength of heav'n, if meane that? I meane that too, but yet a hidden strength Which if heav'n gave it, may be term'd her owne: 'Tis chastitie, my brother, chastitie: She that has that, is clad in compleat steele, And like a quiver'd nymph with arrowes keene May trace huge forrests, and unharbour'd heaths Infamous hills, and sandie perillous wilds Where through the sacred rays of chastitie No savage fierce, bandite, or mountaneet Will dare to soyle her virgin puritie Yea there, where very desolation dwells By grots, and caverns shag'd with horrid shades She may passe on with unblench't majestie Be it not done in pride, or in presumption. Some say no evill thing that walks by night In fog, or fire, by lake, or moorish fen Blew meager hag, or stubborne unlayd ghost That breaks his magicke chaines at curfeu time No goblin, or swart Faërie of the mine as hurtfull power ore true virginity. Doe yee beleeve me yet, or shall I call Antiquity from the old schools of Greece To testifie the armes of Chastitie? Hence had the huntresse Dian her dred bow Faire silver-shafed Queene for ever chast Wherewith we tam'd the brinded lionesse And spotted mountaine pard, but set at nought The frivolous bolt of Cupid, gods and men Fear'd her sterne frowne, & sh was queen oth' woods. What was hat snakie headed Gorgon sheild That wise Minerva wore, unconquer'd virgin Wherewith she freez'd her foes to congeal'd stone? But rigid looks of Chast austeritie And noble grace that dash't brute violence With sudden adoration, and blancke aw. So deare to heav'n is saintly chastitie That when a soule is found sincerely so, A thousand liveried angels lackie her Driving sarre off each thing of sinne, and guilt, And in cleere dreame, and solemne vision Tell her of things that no grosse eare can heare, Till oft converse with heav'nly habitants Begin to cast a beame on th' outward shape The unpolluted temple of the mind And turnes it by degrees to the souls essence Till all bee made immortall; but when lust By unchast looks, loose gestures, and foule talke But most by leud, and lavish act of sin Lets in defilement to the inward parts, The soule growes clotted by contagion, Imbodie, and imbrutes, till she quite loose The divine propertie of her first being. Such are those thick, and gloomie shadows damp Oft seene in Charnell vaults, and Sepulchers Hovering, and sitting by a new made grave As loath to leave the body that it lov'd, And link't it selfe by carnall sensualitie To a degenerate and degraded state.