The Sophister (Fallacy, or The Troubles of Great Hermenia) · chunk 18 of 32
Zouche, Richard · published 1639 · first performed or written 1614 [c.1614-1620] (Annals) comedy unassigned nearest T35 Fools, wit and railing · 473 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T35: fool, wit, aristippus, achilles, wise, fools, patroclus, thersites, master, men.
How now Description, didst thou see our Sovereign Sophime? Hath Distinction gotten Ambiguities linsey woolsey Coat? or Ambiguity Distinctions particoloured Cloak? My cunning is quite staggered; I know not whether I should believe mine eyes or mine ears. Doth your feeling serve you any better? Oh, is it you? No wonder I mistook Ambiguity. They say a man may know the Devil by his cloven Foot; I am sure one may know thee by thy double hand. Why double hand? I hope I have not four hands. Nay, thou hast but one hand rather; thou art Ambo-dexter. Is not that best? So Plato would have his Citizens. But he would not have them double tongued, as you are. Then be like Scaliger and Mithridates, who had four and twenty tongues should have had no place in his Commonwealth. There is great difference. They many ways could speak one thing, thou one way speak'st many things. That's a sign my words are most significant, which is no small commendation. Right, if the signification be single and true. Why not double and true? That's impossible. O gross! what truer than the Oracles, which delivered their minds even with my voice? and who more trusted, whose words cost more, than our common Lawyers, who for their facility in double dealing, and speaking on both sides, are called the Oracles of the City? But tell me, sawest thou my new disguised Master Sophime? I prithee, how cam'st thou by this Cloak? Thou answer'st not what I ask thee. Nor dost thou ask what I intend to answer thee. But see here comes mad Discourse, he will make us admirable sport. Well, I will not come near him if he be mad. Nor I, if he were in his wits. Certain 'tis so; nay I will maintain it, as long as I have any breath; for I am neither in Delos, nor in the floating Islands of Scotland. 'Twere sitter you were in the Island of Anticyra. Nor am I in a ship, that I should think the Earth moves. If you be not, you deserve to be in the ship of fools. No, no, 'tis even so; the Earth is turned about, his spherical form is apt for such a motion. You are monstrously deceived, 'tis nothing but the house goes round with you. Again, the Heavens are of a duller metal, nothing, but blue Marble. I'll go talk with him. My Lord Discourse, what Paradox is this, are the Heavens made of Marble. Dost thou doubt of that? why, in a clear day thou may'st see it plain; and when it rains, those drops are nothing else, but such as fall from the sweating stone. Somewhat it was, that in the time of Anaxagoras, and as Livy reports, in the 200. year of Rome, it rained.
seed 43: T49 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
How now Description, didst thou see our Sove raigne Sophime? Hath Distinction gotten Ambiguities Linsie woolsie Coate? or Ambiguity Distinctions party-colour'd Cloak? My cunning is quite stagger'd; I know not whether I should beleeve mine eyes or mine eares. Doth your feeling serve you any better? Oh, is it you? No wonder I mistooke Ambiguity. They say a man may know the Divell by his cloven Foote; I am sure one may know thee by thy double hand. Why double hand? I hope I have not foure hands. Nay, thou hast but one hand rather; thou art Ambo-dexter. Is not that best? So Plato would have his Citizens. But he would not have them double tongu'd, as you are. Then bee like Scaliger and , who had foure and twenty tongues should have had no place in his Common-wealth. There is great difference. They many waies could speake one thing, thou one way speak'st many things. That's a signe my words are most significant, which is no small commendation. Right, if the signification be single and true. Why not double and true? That's impossible. O grosse! what truer than the Oracles, which deliver'd their mindes even with my voice? and who more trusted, whose words cost more, than our common Lawyers, who for their facility in double dealing, and speaking on both sides, are called the Oracles of the City? But tell me, sawest thou my new disguised Master Sophime? I prethee, how cam'st thou by this Cloake? Thou answer'st not what I aske thee. Nor doest thou aske what I intend to answer thee. But see here comes mad Discourse, he will make us admirable sport. Well, I will not come neare him if he be mad. Nor I, if he were in his wits. CErtaine 'tis so; nay I will maintaine it, as long as I have any breath; for I am neither in Delos, nor in the floating Islands of Scotland. 'Twere sitter you were in the Island of Anticyra. Nor am I in a ship, that I should thinke the Earth moves. If you be not, you deserve to be in the ship of fooles. No, no, 'tis even so; the Earth is turn'd about, his sphaericall forme is apt for such a motion. You are monstrously deceiv'd, 'tis nothing but the house goes round with you. Againe, the Heavens are of a duller mettall, nothin, but blew Marble. I'le goe talke with him. My Lord , what Paradox is this, are the Heavens made of Marble. Doest thou doubt of that? why, in a cleare day thou may'st see it plaine; and when it raines, those drops are nothing else, but such as fall from the sweating stone. Somewhat it was, that in the time of , and as Livy reports, in the 200. yeare of Rome, it rained.