Dekker, Thomas / Middleton, Thomas · published 1639 · first performed or written 1639 [c.1617-1639] (Annals) tragedy · Queen Anne's Men (?) T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.89 · 531 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Oh I felt no quick till now. All witnesses to this were but dead flesh I was insensible of all but this. Would I had given my Kingdom so conditioned That thou hadst ne'er confessed it. Now I stand by the deed, see all in Action, The close conveyance, cunning passages, The Artful fetch, the whispering close disguising; The hour, the Banquet, and the bawdy Tapers; All stick in mine eye together; yet thou shalt live. Torment me not with life, it asks but death. Oh hadst thou not confessed? hadst thou no sleight? Where was thy cunning there? I see it now in thy confession. Thou shalt not die as long as this is meat, Thou killed'st a Buck which thou thyself shalt eat. Dear sir? Here's deer struck dead with thy own hand, 'tis Venison for thy own tooth, thou know'st the relish A dearer place hath been thy Taster; hoa, Sertorio! Lodovico Here sir. Drag hence that body, see it quartered straight, No living wrath can I extend upon't, Else torments, horrors, Gibbets, racks and wheels Had with a thousand deaths presented him, Ere he had tasted one; yet thou shalt live. Here, take this Taper lighted, kneel, and weep, I'll try which is spent first, that of thine eye, I'll provide food for thee, thou shalt not die. If there be hell for sins that men commit, Marry a strumpet and she keeps the pit. I feared this misery long before it came, My ominous dreams, and fearful dreadfulness Promised this issue long before 'twas borne. Yonder she kneels, little suspecting me The neat discoverer of her Venery. I were full safe had I Roxano's life Which in this stream I fish for; how now Lady; So near the earth suits not a living Queen. Under the earth were safer and far happier. What is't that can drive you to such discomforts! To prize your glories at so mean a Rate? The treachery of my servants, good my Lord; Dare they prove treacherous? most ignoble Vassals, To the sweet peace of so divine a Mistress? I'm sure one Villain, whom I dearly loved, Of whom my trust had made Election chief, Perfidiously betrayed me to the fury Of my tempestuous unappeased Lord. Let me but know him, that I may bestow My service to your Grace upon his heart And thence deserve a Mistress like yourself. Oh me, too soon behold him. Madam, stand by, let him not see the light. Now I expect reward. He dies were he my kinsman for that guilt, Though 'twere as far to's heart as 'tis to th' hilt. Ha? what was that? there's a reward with a vengeance. Fall villain, for betraying of thy Lady, Such things must never creep about the earth To poison them right use of service— a Trencher! This is some poor revenge, thanks good my Lord, Into that cave with him from whence he rose Not long since and betrayed me to the King. O villain, in, and overtake thy soul. Here's a perplexed breast, let that warm steel Perform but the like service upon me, And live the rarest friend to a queen's wish.
nodes 1416–1483 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 24 of 28 in this edition
Length
531 words · 723 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.893 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T7 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Oh I felt no quicke till now. All witnesses to this were but dead flesh I was insensible of all but this. Would I had given my Kingdome so condition'd That thou hadst nere confessed it. Now I stand by the deed, see all in Action, The close conveyance, cunning passages, The Artfull fetch, the whisperlng close disguising; The houre, the Banquet, and the baudy Tapers▪ All sticke in mine eye together; yet thou shalt live. Torment me not with life, it askes but death. Oh hadst thou not confest? hadst thou no sleight? Where was thy cunning there? I see it now in thy confession. Thou shalt not dye as long as this is meate, Thou kill'dst a Bucke which thou thy selfe shalt eate. Deare sir? Here's Deere strucke dead with thy owne hand, Tis Venison for thy owne tooth, thou know'st the rellish A dearer place hath beene thy Taster; hoa, Sertorio! Lodovico Here sir. Drag hence that body, see it quartered streight, No living wrath can I extend upon't, Else torments, horrors, Gibbets, rackes and wheeles Had with a thousand deaths presented him, Ere he had tasted one; yet thou shalt live. Heere, take this Taper lighted, kneele, and weepe, Ile try which is spent first, that of thine eye, Ile provide foode for thee, thou shalt not dye. If there be hell for sinnes that men commit, Marry a strumpet and she keepes the pit. I feard this misery long before it came, My ominous dreames, and fearefull dreadfulnesse Promis'd this issue long before twas borne. Yonder she kneeles, little suspecting me The neate discoverer of her Venery. I were full safe had I Roxano's life Which in this streame I fish for; how now Lady; So nere the earth suites not a living Queene. Vnder the earth were safer and farre happier. What is't that can drive you to such discomforts▪ To prize your glories at so meane a Rate? The trechery of my servants, good my Lord; Dare they prove trecherous? most ignoble Vassals, To the sweete peace of so divine a Mistresse? I'me sure one Villaine, whom I dearely lov'd, Of whom my trust had made Election chiefe, Perfideously betray'd me to the fury Of my tempestuous unappeased Lord. Let me but know him, that I may bestow My service to your Grace upon his heart And thence deserve a Mistresse like your selfe. Oh me, too soone behold him. Madam, stand by, let him not see the light. Now I expect reward. He dyes were he my kinseman for that guilt, Though twere as farre to's heart as tis to th' hilt. Ha? what was that? there's a reward with a vengeance. Fall villaine, for betraying of thy Lady, Such things must never creepe about the earth To poyson thē right use of service— a Trecher! This is some poore revenge, thankes good my Lord, Into that cave with him from whence he rose Not long since and betray'd me to the King. O villaine, in, and overtake thy soule. Here's a perplexed brest, let that warme steele Performe but the like service upon me, And live the rarest friend to a Queenes wish.