Gascoigne, George / Kinwelmershe, Francis / Yelverton, ChristopherEuripides / Dolce, Lodovico · published 1573 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T34 Thebes and royal catastrophe: siege, sla typicality 0.82 · 469 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T34: thebes, antigone, polynices, creon, eteocles, war, theban, gods, dear, country.
This good success was lucky sure, and such, As for my part I little looked for: To save the town and eke to have my sons (As you report) preserved yet alive. But yet proceed, and further let me know The final end that they agreed upon. No more (O Queen) let this for now suffice, Sith hitherto your state is safe enough. Those words of thine, do whelm my jealous mind With great suspect of other mischiefs hid. What would ye more, already being sure That both your sons in safety do remain? I long to know the rest, or good or bad. O let me now return to Eteocles, That of my service greatly stands in need. Right well I see, thou dost conceal the worst. Oh force me not, the good now being passed, To tell the ill. Tell it I say, on pain of our displeasure. Since thus ye seek to hear a doleful tale, I will no longer stay: wit ye therefore, Your desperate sons together be agreed For to attempt a wicked enterprise, To private fight they have betrothed themselves, Of which conflict, the end must needs be this, That one do live, that other die the death. Alas, alas, this did I ever fear. Now, sith in sum I have revealed that, Which you have heard with great remorse of mind, I will proceed, at large to tell the while. When your victorious son, with valiant force Had chaste his foes into their joining tents, Even there he staid, and straight at sound of trump With stretched voice the herald thus proclaimed: You princely Greeks, that hither be arrived To spoil the fruit of these our fertile fields, And us to drive from this our Native soil, O suffer not so many guiltless souls By this debate descend in Stygian lake, For private cause of wicked Pollinice, But rather let the brethren, hand to hand, By mutual blows appease their furious rage, And so to cease from shedding further blood: And, to the end you all might understand The profit that to every side may fall, Thus much my Lord thought good to proffer you, This is his will, if he be overcome, Than Polynice to rule this kingly realm: If so it hap (as reason would it should) Our rightful prince to conquer Polynice, That then no one of you make more ado, But straight to Argos. I'll haste home again. This, thus pronounced unto the noble Greeks, No sooner did the sound of trumpet cease, But Polynice stepped forth before the host, And to these words this answer did he make: O thou, (not brother) but my mortal foe, Thy proffer here hath pleased me so well, As presently, without more long delay, I yield myself prepared to the field.
seed 43: T30 · seed 44: T33 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
This good successe was luckie sure, and such, As for my parte I little loked for: To saue the towne and eke to haue my sonnes (As you report) preserued yet aliue. But yet procéede, and further let me know The finall ende that they agréed vpon. No more (O Quéene) let this for now suffise, Sith hitherto your state is safe inough. Those words of thine, do whelme my iealous mind With great suspecte of other mischiefes hidde. What would ye more, alredy being sure That both your sonnes in safetie do remaine? I long to know the rest, or good or bad. O let me now retourne to Eteocles, That of my seruice greately stands in néede. Right well▪ I sée, thou doest conceale the woorst. Oh force me not, the good now béeing past, To tell the yll. Tell it I say, on paine of our displeasure. Since thus ye séeke to heare a dolefull tale, I will no longer stay: witte ye therefore, Your desperate sonnes togither be agréed For to attempt a wicked enterprise, To priuate ght they haue betroutht themselues, Of which conflicte, the end mus needes be this, That one do , that other die the death. Alas, alas, this did I euer feare. Now, sith in summe I haue reuealed that, Which you haue heard with great remorse of mind, I will procéede, at large to tell the whle. When your victorious sonne, with valiaunt force Had chast his foes into their ioyning tents, Euen there he staide, and straight at sound of trumpe With stretched voice the herault thus proclaimde: You princely Gréekes, that hither be arriued To spoile the fruite of these our fertile fields, And vs to driue from this our Natiue soile, O suffer not so many giltlesse soules By this debate descend in Stigian lake, For priuate cause of wicked Pollinice, But rather let the brethren, hand to hand, By mutuall blowes appease their furious rage, And so to cease from sheding further bloud: And, to the end you all might vnderstand The profite that to euery side may fall, Thus much my Lord thought good to profer you, This is his will, if he be ouercome, Then Polinice to rule this kingly realme: If so it happe (as reason would it should) Our rightfull prince to conquere Polinice, That then no one of you make more adoo, But straight to Argos. Ile hast home againe. This, thus pronounst vnto the noble Gréeks, No soner did the sound of trumpet cease, But Polinice stept forth before the host, And to these words this answere did he make: O thou, (not brother) but my mortall foe, Thy profer here hath pleased me so well, As presently, without more long delay, I yeld my selfe prepared to the field.