Britannia Triumphans (Britain Triumphing) · chunk 1 of 7
Davenant, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1638 [licensed for performance, Jan 8] (Annals) not in BritDrama · before the Court T35 Fools, wit and railing typicality 0.84 · 456 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T35: fool, wit, aristippus, achilles, wise, fools, patroclus, thersites, master, men.
My variable Sir; Ith' name of Heaven, What makes your falsehood here where fame intends Her triumphs all of Truth? her Trumpet she Hath chosen new and clean, lest it should taint Her breath; Thou art so useless to the World That thou art impudent, when thou dost share What is most cheap, and common unto all The Air and Light; I do beseech thee my Fine, false Artificer, hide both thy faces (For thou art double everywhere) steal hence And I'll take care, thou shalt no more be missed Than shadows are at night. Be patient Sir! This valiant humour of disdain works not So powerfully as you believe, I hide myself? The reasons must be strong, that shall persuade Me under ground: The Badger loves his hole, Yet is not so bashful, but dares look out And show himself, when there is prey abroad: Then strangely arrogant, I pity thee As Politics do men too humble, for Their care, much more for their redress; that is, I smile at thee (the Graver way of scorn) For should I laugh, I fear 'twould make thee think Thy impudence had somewhat in't of wit, Didst ever hope to be so useful in The manage and support of humane works As I? Proceed, Proceed, make up your History. Wisely the jealous skeptics did suspect Reality in every thing, for every thing but seems, And borrows the existence it appears To have: Imposture governs all, even from The gilded Ethnic Mitre, to the painted staff Oth' Christian Constable, all but pretend Th' resemblance of that power which inwardly They but deride, and whisper merry questions to themselves Which way it comes. Y' have cunningly observed This is a pleasant new Philosophy: Right Sir, and what is pleasant unto all Is generally good, Troth I could wish Our reason were as certain as our sense Would alter in dispute, as little be As soon confirmed, but since it is not so, That universally shall take, which most Doth please, not what pretends at profit, and Imaginary good, Is it not fit And almost safest to cozen all, when all Delight still to be cozened. These Lectures would Subdue a numerous sect, wert thou to preach To young soft Courtesans, unpractised heirs Of over practised Usurers, silken And fine feathered gallants, whose easy ears Still open to delights, and shut at truths: But Fate takes not so little care of those For whom it doth preserve the Elements: That what is chief within us should be quite Depraved, as we were only borne to aim At trifles here, like children in their first Estate of using legs, to run at sight Of bubbles, and to leap at noise of bells.
nodes 0–62 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 1 of 7 in this edition
Length
456 words · 589 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T35 — Fools, wit and railingcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.843 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T58 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
My variable Sir; Ith' name of Heaven, What makes your falshood here where fame intends Her triumphs all of Truth? her Trumpet she Hath chosen new and cleane, lest it should taint Her breath; Thou art so uselesse to the World That thou art impudent, when thou dost share What is most cheape, and common unto all The Aire and Light; I doe beseech thee my Fine, false Artificer, hide both thy faces (For thou art double every where) steale hence And I'le take care, thou shalt no more be miss'd Than shadowes are at night. Be patient Sir! This valiant humour of disdaine workes not So powerfully as you beleeve, I hide my selfe? The reasons must bee strong, that shall perswade Me under ground: The Badger loves his hole, Yet is not so bashfull, but dares looke out And shew himselfe, when there is prey abroad: Then strangely arrogant, I pittie thee As Politickes doe men too humble, for Their care, much more for their redresse; that is, I smile at thee (the Graver way of scorne) For should I laugh, I feare 'twould make thee thinke Thy impudence had somewhat in't of wit, Didst ever hope to be so usefull in The manage and support of humane workes As I? Proceed, Proceed, make up your History. Wisely the jealous sceptickes did suspect Realitie in every thing, for every thing but seemes, And borrowes the existence it appeares To have: Imposture governs all, even from The gilded Ethnicke Miter, to the painted staffe Oth' Christian Constable, all but pretend Th' resemblance of that power which inwardly They but deride, and whisper merry questions to themselves Which way it comes. Y' have cunningly observ'd This is a pleasant new Philosophie: Right Sir, and what is pleasant unto all Is generally good, Troth I could wish Our reason were as certaine as our sense Would alter in dispute, as little bee As soone confirm'd, but since it is not so, That universally shall take, which most Doth please, not what pretends at profit, and Imaginarie good, Is it not fit And almost saf'st to cosen all, when all Delight still to bee cosen'd. These Lectures would Subdue a numerous sect, wert thou to preach To young soft Courtisans, unpractis'd heires Of over practis'd Vsurers, silken And fine feathered gallants, whose easie eares Still open to delights, and shut at truths: But Fate takes not so little care of those For whom it doth preserve the Elements: That what is chiefe within us should bee quite Deprav'd, as we were onely borne to aime At trifles here, like children in their first Estate of using legs, to run at sight Of bubbles, and to leap at noise of bels.