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 · 470 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T34: thebes, antigone, polynices, creon, eteocles, war, theban, gods, dear, country.
Our woeful words, our prayers & our plaints, Poured out with streams of overflowing tears, (Where Nature rules) may happen to prevail, When reason, power, and force of arms do fail, But if the glowing heat of boiling wrath So furious be, as it may not relent, Than I atwixt them both will throw myself, And this my breast shall bear the deadly blows That otherwise should light upon my sons: So shall they shed my blood and not their own. Well now dear daughter, let us hasten hence, For if in time we stay this raging strife, Then haply may my life prolonged be: If ere we come the bloody deed be done, Then must my ghost forsake this feeble corpse: And thou, dear child, with dolour shalt bewail, Thy brother's death and mother's all at once. WHo so hath felt, what fervent love A mother bears unto her tender sons, She and none other sure, can comprehend The doleful grief, the pangs and secret pain, That presently doth pierce the princely breast Of our afflicted Queen: alas, I think No martyrdom might well compare with hers. So oft as I record her restless state, Alas methinks I feel a shivering fear Flit to and fro along my flushing veins. Alas for ruth, that thus two brethren should, Enforce themselves to shed each other's blood. Where is the laws of nature now become? Can flesh of flesh, alas, can blood of blood, So far forget itself, as slay itself? O lowering stars, O dim and angry skies, O guilty fate, such mischief set aside. But if supernal powers decreed have, That death must be the end of this debate, Alas what floods of tears shall then suffice, To weep and wail the near approaching death: I mean the death of sons and mother both, And with their death the ruin and decay, Of Oedipus and all his princely race? But lo, here Creon comes with careful cheer. 'Tis time that now I end my just complaint. ALthough I straightly charged my tender child To fly from Thebes for safeguard of himself, And that long since he parted from my sight, Yet do I greatly hand in lingering doubt, lest passing through the gates, the privy watch Hath stayed him by some suspect of treason. And so therewhile, the prophets having scried His hidden fate, he purchased have the death Which I by all means sought he might eschew: And this mischance so much I fear the more, How much the wished conquest at the first, Fell happily unto the town of Thebes. " But wise men ought with patience to sustain The sundry haps that slippery fortune frames. Alas, who can direct my hasty steps Unto the brother of our woeful Queen? But lo where carefully he standeth here.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Our wofull wordes, our prayers & our plaintes, Pourde out with streames of ouerflowing teares, (Where Nature rules) may happen to preuayle, When reason, power, and force of armes do fayle, But if the glowing heate of boyling wrath So furious be, as it may not relent, Then I atwixt them both will throw my selfe, And this my brest shall beare the deadly blowes That otherwise should light vpon my sonnes: So shall they shead my bloud and not their owne. Well now déere daughter, let vs hasten hence, For if in time we stay this raging strife, Then haply may my life prolonged be: If ere we come the bloudy déede be done, Then must my ghost forsake this féeble corps: And thou, deare childe, with dolour shalt bewaile, Thy brothers death and mothers all at once. WHo so hath elt, what feruent loue A mother beares vnto hir tender sonnes, She and none other sure, can comprehende The dolefull griefe, the pangs and secret paine, That presently doth pierce the princely brest Of our afflicted Quéene: alas, I thinke No martyrdome might well compare with hirs. So ofte as I recorde hir restlesse state, Alas me thinkes I féele a shiuering feare Flit to and fro along my flushing vaines. Alas for ruth, that thus two brethren shoulde, Enforce themselues to shed each others bloude. Where is the lawes of nature nowe become? Can fleshe of fleshe, alas, can bloude of bloude, So far forget it selfe, as slaye it selfe? O lowring starres, O dimme and angrie skies, O giltie fate, such mischiefe set aside. But if supernall powers decreed haue, That death must be the ende of this debate, Alas what floudes of teares shall then suffise, To wéepe and waile the neare approching death: I meane the death of sonnes and mother both, And with their death the ruine and decay, Of Oedipus and all his princely race? But loe, here Creon cōmes with carefull cheare. 'Tis time that nowe I ende my iust complaint. ALthough I straightly chargde my tender childe To flie from Thebes for safegarde of hymselfe, And that long since he parted from my , Yet doe I greatly hand in lingring doubt, Least passing through the gates, the priuie watch Hath stayed him by some suspect of treason. And so therewhile, the prophetes hauing skride His hidden fate, he purchast haue the death Which I by all meanes sought he might eschewe: And this mischaunce so much I feare the more, Howe much the wished conquest at the first, Fell happily vnto the towne of Thebes. "But wise men ought with patience to sustaine "The sundrie haps that slipperie fortune frames. Alas, who can direct my hastie steppes Unto the brother of our wofull Quéene? But loe where carefully he standeth here.