Richards, Nathaniel · published 1640 · first performed or written 1635 [1634-1636] (Annals) tragedy · King's Revels Company T36 Hell, Furies and the language of punishm typicality 0.85 · 459 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
I do begin to melt. heaven's blessings on thee. And hell's curse on thee; 'tis high time to speak, O be yourself divinest fair on earth, This idle superstitious lecturing Proceeds of malice; what? to make you child And slave to her desires. O impious devil. No more, live and be thankful. Ha, how's that? Live and be thankful; am I then contemned Is all my labour in a moment lost. Live and be thankful; sure I do but dream, It cannot be, nature against itself Should so rebel; O fool, fool that I am With vain hope thus to play the flatterer. Mors erumnatum quies; mors omnibus finis. Dissolve the glassy pearls of mine eyes, That Niobe-like I may consume in tears, And nevermore behold day light again. Pish, all this is but talk; and talk I must, Fly from me soul and turn my earth to dust. Must I then live to see my daughter's shame, Crack, crack poor heart; stern death let fly thy dart, Send my sad soul to the Elizium shades That there it might drink Lethe, and forget It ever lived in this mortality. Parcae dispatch; when, when I say; no, no, Then will I act Medea's murdering part Upon my stain of blood▪ that gods and men May sit and laugh, and plaudite my revenge. Ye dismal sisters of the fatal night, Rise, rise, and dance hells round lays for joy, Rhamnusia finds employment for you all. Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow. Note with your grim aspects the courts of Kings, See how the politic statesman for his ends, Sits hammering mischief; and how Toadlike swells Bombast with treasons riches; see there's lust, Brave Madam, lust temptations painted whore Divinely worshipped by the bastard brood Of knaves and fools. Ye dread and ireful furies is't not true. Why then employ your burning whips of steel, Lash with eternal lashes, there, there, there, Excellent Furies how you do excel, So, so, so, so, 'tis holy day in hell. O what a fiery combat feels my soul, The Genius good and bad that weights on man, Shakes natures frame, trembles this Microcosm, There virtue pleads for sleeping innocence, For love, true love, chaste thoughts, and virtuous acts Which entertained within a constant breast Makes man triumphant crowned immortal blessed. But O the ponderous plummets of black vice, Suppress those pure imaginations, Which break like lightning only for a flash, Wanting the true material to impel, And to continue this false clock of life From its exorbitant course; such like are Majestic title, and the Empress, That unpeered excellence, bewitching dalliance▪ Soul of temptation sweet, so charms all sense, Virtue I loathe, like politic states whose good Depends on ill, work their attempts in blood.
seed 43: T32 · seed 44: T26 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I doe begin to melt. Heavens blessings on thee. And hells curse on thee; tis high time to speak, O be your selfe divinest faire on earth, This idle superstitious lecturing Proceeds of malice; what? to make you childe And slave to her desires. O impious devill. No more, live and be thankfull. Ha, howes that? Live and be thankfull; am I then contemn'd Is all my labour in a moment lost. Live and be thankfull; sure I doe but dreame, It cannot be, naure against it selfe Should so rebell; O foole, foole that I am With vaine hope thus to play the flatterer. Mors eumnaum quies; mors omnibus finis. Dissolve the glassie pearles of mine eyes, That Nobe-like I may consume in teares, And nevermore behold da light agen. Pish, all this is but talke; and talke I must, Fly from me soule and turne my earth to dust. Must I then live to see my daughters shame, Crack, crack poore heart; sterne death let fly thy dart, Send my sad soule to the Elzium shades That there it might drinke Lethe, and forget It ever liv'd in this mortallitie. Parcae dispatch; when, when I say; no, no, Then will I act Medeas murd'ring part Vpon my staine of blood▪ that gods and men May sit and laugh, and plaudite my revenge. Ye dismall sisters of the fatall night, Rise, rise, and dance hells rounde laies for joy, Rhamnsia finds imployment for you all. Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow. Note with your grim aspects the courts of Kings, See how the politicke statesman for his ends, Sits hammering mischiefe; and how Toad-like swels Bombaste with treasons riches; see ther's lust, Brave Madam, lust temptations painted whore Divinely worshipt by the bastard brood Of knaves and fooles. Ye dread and irefull furies i'ft not true. Why then imploy your burning whips of steele, Lash with eternall lashes, there, there, there, Excellent Furies how you doe excell, So, so, so, so, tis holy day in hell. O what a fiery combate feeles my soule, The Genius good and bad that waights on man, Shakes natures frame, trembles this Microcosme, There vertue pleads for sleeping innocence, For love, true love, chast thoughts, and vertuous acts Which entertain'd within a constant brest Makes man triumphant crown'd immortall blest. But O the pondrous plummets of blacke vice, Suppresse those pure imaginations, Which breake like lightning onely for a flash, Wanting the true materiall to impell, And to continue this false clocke of life From its exorbitant course; such like are Majesticke title, and the Empresse, That unpeer'd excellence, bewitching dalliance▪ Soule of temptation sweete, so charmes all sense, Vertue I loath, like politick states whose good Depends on ill, worke their attempts in blood.