Lower, William · published 1639 · first performed or written 1639 [c.1622-1639] (Annals) not in BritDrama T3 Sickness, physic and doctors typicality 0.82 · 461 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T3: doctor, master, cure, disease, pray, physic, physician, mr, sick, lady.
It is more easy To stop the current of a swelling river, Or to remove a mountain from his place, Than to divert my mind from this, whereupon It doth so firmly fix, therefore kind Sir Send me forthwith by this my maid (for now The time fits right) this excellent receipt. Your will shall be obeyed, mine shall give place. Come maiden will you go? Dispatch her to me With all the haste you can, in the mean time I'll rest me on my bed, and never rise Until I see Amandus with mine eyes This short, or rather this long time I have To breathe the air of woe (for life is tedious To those that take no pleasure but in death) Shall be employed wholly in meditation, How sweetly I shall pass unto my friend, And come unto him as in sacrifice, Mine altar smoking incense and perfume. Doctor and Maid again. madam, I'm come myself to do the deed, Doubting the maid should fail in my directions. Most welcome, sacred priest, for that's the title Your office now requires, because you are To sacrifice me to Amandus' shrine A spotless Virgin; nay delay no time, But presently about it, light the fire Whilst I attend the sweet ascending flame Here in my bed with longing expectation To wrap my body round, dispatch I pray. 'tis kindled, Madam, and a cloud of fume Shrouds you from sight. I smell a heavenly vapour Assaulting my weak breath, now Prince I come, Beloved Prince thy dear Phoenicia comes, Be ready to receive her, for her spirit Ascends up in this smoky sacrifice. She's dead Sir, for the sweetness of the fume Hath smothered her senses. 'Twas her pleasure She would not be dissuaded from her purpose. I must be gone, here is no safe abiding. I dare not stay here neither, though her letter Be a sufficient warrant for our lives; I'll leave it on the bed, because the King May find it if he chance to enter in. How sweet my daughter sleeps and how her breath Perfumes the chamber o'er like Arabs gums, I'll wake my darling with a father's kiss, She sleeps too long; how's this? her lips are cold, Her cheeks are pale, ay me, I fear she's sick, I cannot feel her pulse, nor yet perceive The passage of her breath; O heavens, she's dead. A Doctor there with speed, my daughter dear, Speak to thy aged father: O she's gone. What say you master Doctor? is there hope To call back life again? My gracious Sovereign, 'Tis too far fled to be revoked, the art O Aesculapius could doe nothing in't, Nor all the power of physic, nor the force Of medicine can help.
nodes 2705–2767 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 45 of 46 in this edition
Length
461 words · 592 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T3 — Sickness, physic and doctorscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.823 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T3 · seed 44: T4 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
It is more easie To stopp the current of a swelling river, Or to remove a mountaine from his place, Then to divert my minde from this, whereupon It doth so firmly fixe, therefore kinde Sir Send me forthwith by this my maide (for now The time fits right) this excellent receit. Your will shall be obey'd, mine shall give place. Come maiden will you goe? Dispatch her to me With all the hast you can, in the meane time I'le rest me on my bed, and never rise Vntill I see Amandus with mine eyes This short, or rather this longe time I have To breath the aire of woe (for life is tedious To those that take no pleasure but in death) Shall be imploy'd wholy in meditation, How sweetly I shall passe unto my friend, And come unto him as in sacrifice, Mine altar smoaking incense and perfume. Doctor and Maide againe. Madame, I'm come my selfe to doe the deed, Doubting the maide should faile in my directions. Most welcome, sacred priest, for that's the title Your office now requires, because you are To sacrifice me to Amandus shrine A spotlesse Virgin; nay delay no time, But presently about it, light the fire Whilst I attend the sweet asending flame Here in my bed with longing expectation To wrap my body round, dispatch I pray. T'is kindled, Madam, and a cloud oume Shroudes you from sight. I smell a heavenly vapour Assaulting my weake breath, now Prince I come, Beloved Prince thy deare Phaenicia comes, Be ready to recive her, for her spirit Ascends up in this smoaky sacrifice. She's dead Sir, for the sweetnesse of the fume Hath smothered her sences. 'Twas her pleasure She would not be disswaded from her purpose. I must be gone, here is no safe abiding. I dare not stay here neither, though her ltter Be a sufficient warrant for our lives; I'le leave it on the bed, because the King May finde it if he chance to enter in. How sweet my daughter sleeps and how her breath Perfumes the chamber o're like Arabs gummes, I'le wake my darling with a fathers kisse, She sleeps too long; ow's this? her lips are cold, Her cheeks are pale, aye me, I feare she's sicke, I cannot feele her pulse, nor yet perceive The passage of her breath; O heavens, she's dead. A Doctor there with speed, my daughter deare, Speake to thy aged father: O shee's gone. What say you master Doctor? is there hope To call backe life againe? My gracious Soveraigne, 'Tis too farre fled to be revok't, the art O Aesculapius could doe nothing in't, Nor all the power of physicke, nor the force Of medicine can helpe.