Gascoigne, George / Kinwelmershe, Francis / Yelverton, ChristopherEuripides / Dolce, Lodovico · published 1573 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy unassigned nearest T34 Thebes and royal catastrophe: siege, sla · 535 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T34: thebes, antigone, polynices, creon, eteocles, war, theban, gods, dear, country.
Take here the salt, and sprinkle therewithal About the neck, that done, cast all the rest Into the sacred fire, and then anoint The knife prepared for the sacrifice. O mighty Ioue, preserve the precious gift That thou me gave, when first thine angry Queen, For deep disdain did both mine eyes do out, Grant me, I may foretell the truth in this, For, but by thee, I know that I ne may, Ne will ne can, out trusty sentence say, This due is done. With knife then stick the kid. Thou daughter of divine Tiresias, With those unspotted virgins hands of thine Receive the blood within this vessel here, And then devoutly it to Bacchus yield. O holy God of Thebes, that dost both praise Sweet peace and dost in heart also disdain The noisome noise, the furies and the fight Of bloody Mars and of Bellona both: O thou the giver both of joy and health, Receive in 'gree and with well willing hand These holy whole brunt offerings unto thee, And as this town doth wholly thee adore, So by thy help do grant that it may stand Safe from the enemies outrage evermore. Now in thy sacred name I bowel here This sacrifice. And what entrails hath it? Fair and well-formed all in every point, The liver clean, the heart is not infect, Save lo, I find but only one heart string By which I find somewhat I wot near what, That seems corrupt, and were not only that, In all the rest, they are both sound and hole. Now cast at once into the holy flame The sweet incense, and then advertise me What hue it bears, and every other rite That aught may help the truth for to conject. I see the flames do sundry colours cast, Now bloody sanguine, straight way purple, blue, Some parts seem black, some grey, and some be green. Stay there, sufficeth this for to have seen, Know Creon, that these outward seemly signs By that the Gods have let me understand Who understandeth all and seeth secret things, Betokeneth that the City great of Thebes Shall Victor be against the Greekish host, If so consent be given, but more than this I list not say: Alas for courtesy Say on Tiresias, never have respect To any living man, but tell the truth. In this meanwhile I will return with speed From whence I came, for lawful is it not, That such as I should hear your secretness. Contrary then to that which I have said, The incest foul, and childbirth monstrous Of Iocasta, so stirs the wrath of Ioue, This city shall with bloody channels swim, And angry Mars shall overcome it all. With famine, flame, rape, murder, dole and death: These lusty towers shall have a headlong fall, These houses burnt, and all the rest be razed, And soon be said, here whilom Thebes stood. One only way I find for to escape, Which both would thee displease to hear it told, And me to tell percase were perilous. Thee therefore with my travel I commend To Ioue, and with the rest I will endure, What so shall chance for our adversity.
seed 43: T30 · seed 44: T26 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Take here the salte, and sprinckle therwithall About the necke, that done, cast all the rest Into the sacred fire, and then annoynte The knife prepared for the sacrifice. O mightie Ioue, preserue the precious gifte That thou me gaue, when first thine angrie Quéene, For déepe disdayne did both mine eyes do out, Graunt me, I may foretell the truth in this, For, but by thée, I know that I ne may, Ne will ne can, out trustie sentence say, This due is done. With knife then stick y• kid. Thou daughter of deuine Tyresias, With those vnspotted virgins hands of thine Receiue the bloude within this vessell here, And then deuoutly it to Bacchus yelde. O holy God of Thebes, that doest both praise Swete peace▪ and doest in hart also disdayne The noysome noyse, the furies and the fight Of bloudie Mars and of Bellona both: O thou the giuer both of ioy and health, Receyue in grée and with well willing hand These holy whole brunt offrings vnto thée, And as this towne doth wholy thee adore, So by thy helpe do graunt that it may stand Safe from the enmyes outrage euermore. Now in thy sacred name I bowell here This sacrifice. And what entralls hath it? Faire and welformed all in euery poynt, The liuer cleane, the hart is not inft, Saue loe, I finde but onely one hart string By which I finde somwhat I wotenre what, That séemes corrupt, and were not onely that, In all the rest, they are both sounde and hole. Now cast at once into the holy flame The swete incense, and then aduertise mée What hew it beares, and euery other ryte That ought may helpe the truth for to coniecte. I see the flames doe sundrie colours cast, Now bloudy sanguine, straight way purple, blew, Some partes séeme blacke, some gray, and some be gréene. Stay there, suffyeth this for to haue séene, Know Creon, that these outward séemely signes By that the Gods haue let me vnderstand Who vnderstandeth al and séeth secrete things, Betokeneth that the Citie great of Thebes Shall Uictor be against the Greekish host, If so consent be giuen, but more than this I lyst not say: Alas for curtesie Say on Tyresias, neuer haue respect To any liuing man, but tell the truth. In this meane while I will returne with spéede From whence I came, for lawfull is it not, That suche as I should heare your secretnesse. Contrary then to that which I haue sayde, The incest foule, and childbirth monstruous Of Iocasta, so stirres the wrath of Ioue, This citie shall with bloudy channels swimme, And angry Mars shall ouercome it all. With famine, flame, rape, murther, dole and death: These lustie towres shall haue a headlong fall, These houses burnde, and all the rest be rasde, And soone be sayde, here whilome Thebes stoode. One onely way I finde for to escape, Which bothe would thée displease to heare it tolde, And me to tell percase were perillous. Thée therfore with my trauell I commende To Ioue, and with the rest I will endure, What so shall chaunce for our aduersitie.