The Seven Champions of Christendom · chunk 33 of 43
Kirke, John · published 1638 · first performed or written 1635 [1634-1638] (Annals) romance · Red Bull Company (second) · Red Bull unassigned nearest T36 Hell, Furies and the language of punishm · 486 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
Either my Genius flatters my best thoughts, Or else we three were borne to consummate This great adventure. 'Tis most plain, Spain gave me birth, The Golden Fleece mine Arms, The figure of that prize which Iason brought, And to make perfect the Inscription, Here is a Helmet framed in Normandy, Which I have worn in all my travails since. No more of doubts; Argalio and Leonides Prepare to meet your ruin, your all potent Charms, methinks I see them fly from room to room, Searching the Caverns and obscurest Vaults To hide their guilty heads from vengeance: And this strong Charm, once thought invincible, When it shall vanish like an idle dream, Their confidence will plague their Conscience more, Than if they had mistrusted it before. No more delays, but boldly let's assail, Our cause is good, and justice must prevail. It clears, it clears: What does thy Art avail thee, Thou that hast said for to obscure the Sun, Where are they fled? hide thyself now Argalio, And hide my errors with thee, they are vain, As my beliefs are, that thou hast a knowledge Above my mischiefs: horse us on the Clouds, For nought else can prevent our imminent ruin. Art thou yet doubtful, unbelieving boy? Remember the large stretched thoughts I have employed to arm thee, could I cause Darkness? could my powerful Art hide the Bright Sun in his most royal progress? And shall it be confined by these opposers? I cannot have a faith in these delusions: Let me despair and die; here is a sword Can quickly ease my torments, and set free A burdened Conscience: how freely will my spirit Greet the air of hell's black kingdom: There the Thracian sits, hard by the sullen Waters of black Styx, fingering his Lute; To hear whose pleasing strains, hell's Ministers Forget their offices, the wearied souls their torments, The whole Vault resounds his echoes; Thither will I hie, and lay my troubled head Upon his lap, and he shall charm me Into endless slumbers. Hold brainsick man, look up for thy safety; Seest thou this Throne by sable spirits borne, In it we'll mount, so unbelieved a height, Earth shall appear an atom to thine eye: Thou shalt view Cynthia in her silver sphere, Couched by Aurora on her Rosy bed; and make The sun-god jealous of your loves: we'll progress over the Celestial Orbs, Thence to the Winds, and view the hollow cave, Where Aeol fetters up the unruly brood; Then by descensions pleasing to our thoughts, we'll take survey of Neptune's watery rule, Ride o'er the bosom of the Ocean On crooked Dolphins, Amphion like, striking a well tuned Harp, And then to th' earth again. Thou hast given me a new life, I feel a new unwonted joy assail me, And all my sorrows vanish like those clouds, That even but now environed us with darkness.
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)
Either my Genius flatters my beſt thoughts, Or elſe we three were borne to conſummate This great adventure. 'Tis moſt plaine, Spaine gave me birth, The Golden Fleece mine Armes, The figure of that prize which Iaſon brought, And to make perfect the Inſcription, Here is a Helmet fram'd in Normandy, Which I have worne in all my travailes ſince. No more of doubts; Argalio and Leonides Prepare to meete your ruine, your all potent Charmes, Me thinks I ſee them flye from roome to roome, Searching the Cavernes and obſcureſt Vaults To hide their guilty heads from vengeance: And this ſtrong Charme, once thought invincible, When it ſhall vaniſh like an idle dreame, Their confidence will plague their Conſcience more, Than if they had miſtruſted it before. No more delaies, but boldly lets aſſaile, Our cauſe is good, and juſtice muſt prevaile. It cleares, it cleares: What does thy Art availe thee, Thou that haſt ſaid for to obſcure the Sunne, Where are they fled? hide thy ſelfe now Argalio, And hide my errours with thee, they are vaine, As my beleefes are, that thou haſt a knowledge Above my miſchieves: horſe us on the Clouds, For nought elſe can prevent our imminent ruine. Art thou yet doubtfull, unbeleeving boy? Remember the large ſtretcht thoughts I have imploy'd to arme thee, could I cauſe Darkneſſe? could my powerfull Art hide the Bright Sunne in his moſt royall progreſſe? And ſhall it be confin'd by theſe oppoſers? I cannot have a faith in theſe deluſions: Let me deſpaire and dye; here is a ſword Can quickly eaſe my torments, and ſet free A burthend Conſcience: how freely will my ſpirit Greet the aire of hells blacke kingdome: There the Thracian ſits, hard by the ſullen Waters of blacke Styx, fingring his Lute; To heare whoſe pleaſing ſtraines, hells Miniſters Forget their offices, the wearied ſoules their torments, The whole Vault reſounds his ecchoes; Thither will I hie, and lay my troubled head Upon his lap, and he ſhall charme me Into endleſſe ſlumbers. Hold braine-ſicke man, looke up for thy ſafety; Seeſt thou this Throne by ſable ſpirits borne, In it wee'le mount, ſo unbeleev'd a height, Earth ſhall appeare an attome to thine eye: Thou ſhalt view Cynthia in her ſilver ſpheare, Couch'd by Aurora on her Roſie bed; and make The Sunne-God jealous of your loves: Wee'le progreſſe over the Celeſtiall Orbes, Thence to the Windes, and view the hollow cave, Where Aeol fetters up the unruly broode; Then by deſcentions pleaſing to our thoughts, Wee'le take ſurvey of Neptunes watry rule, Ride o're the boſome of the Ocean On crooked Dolphins, Amphion like, ſtriking a well tun'd Harp, And then to th' earth agen. Thou haſt given me a new life, I feele a new unwonted joy aſſaile me, And all my ſorrowes vaniſh like thoſe clouds, That even but now invirond us with darkneſſe.