The Ladies' Privilege (The Lady's Privilege) · chunk 5 of 31
Glapthorne, Henry · published 1640 · first performed or written 1637 [1637-1640] (Annals) not in BritDrama · before the Court unassigned nearest T16 Gallantry: ladies, lordships and complim · 483 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T16: lady, madam, gentleman, lordship, ladies, honour, mistress, sweet, court, servant.
Good Madam gravity, Keep your devices for your Chamber Lords, That dance to ladies' shadows; pray be gone, We need not your society— Sabelli Put to the door, and then be gone— Chrisea The modest Turtles which In view of other more lascivious Birds Exchange their innocent loves in timorous sighs, Do when alone most prettily convert Their chirps to billing; and with feathered arms Encompass mutually their gaudy necks. You would infer that we Should in their imitation spend this time Intended for a conference which concerns us Nearer than Compliment. Why my Chrisea, We may entwine as freely, since our loves Are not at age yet to conceive a sin, Thine being new borne, and mine too young to speak A lawless passion, for my services Pay me with priceless treasure of a kiss, While from the balmy fountains of thy lips Distils a moisture precious as the Dew, The amorous bounty of the morn Casts on the Roses cheek: what wary distance Do you observe? speak, and enrich my ears With accents more harmonious than the Larks When she sings Hymns to Harvest. Sure my Lord Y'ave studied Compliment; I thought the war Had taught men resolution, and not language. Oh you instruct me justly, I should rather Have ta'en the modest Privilege of your lip, And then endeavoured to repay the grace With my extremest eloquence. You mistake me. Remit my ignorance, and let me read The mystery of thy language in thy looks, In which are lively Characters of love Writ in the polished tablets of thy cheeks: Which seem to vary colours, like the Clouds When they presage a storm; and those bright eyes Dart unaccustomed beams, which shine as anger Flashed from their fiery motion. You misconstrue The intention of my looks, I am not angry Though much distempered. At what, by whom? Lives there a creature so extremely bad Dares discompose your patience? speak, reveal The monster to me; were he fenced with flames, Or locked in Bulwarks of congested ye: And all the fiends stood sentinels to guard The passage, I would force it to his heart, Through which the mounting violence of my rage Should pierce like lightning. I believe That in some trivial quarrel to redeem My fame, should scandal touch it, you would fight Perhaps to show your valour: But I have A task to enjoin me, which my fears possess me, You dare not venture to accept. By truth You wrong my faith and courage to suspect me Of so extreme a Cowardice: have I stood the heat Of Battles till upon the mountainous piles Of slaughtered Carcases, the souls which left 'em Seemed to ascend to Heaven: that your suspicion Should taint my honour with this base revolt? This is not noble in you. Do not rage, When you shall hear it, you will then confess Your confident error.
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)
Good Madam gravity, Keep your devices for your Chamber Lords, That dance to Ladies shadowes; pray be gone, We need not your society—Sabelli Put to the doore, and then be gone—Chrisea The modest Turtles which In view of other more lascivious Birds Exchange their innocent loves in timerous sighes, Do when alone most prittily convert Their chirps to billing; and with feather'd armes Encompasse mutually their gawdy neckes. You would inferre that we Should in their imitation spend this time Intended for a conference which concernes us Neerer then Complement. Why my Chrisea, We may entwine as freely, since our loves Are not at age yet to conceive a sinne, Thine being new borne, and mine too young to speake A lawlesse passion, for my services Pay me with pricelesse treasure of a kisse, While from the balmy fountaynes of thy lips Distils a moisture precious as the Dew, The amorous bounty of the morne Casts on the Roses cheeke: what wary distance Do you observe? speake, and enrich my eares With accents more harmonious then the Larks When she sings Hymns to Harvest. Sure my Lord Y'ave studied Complement; I thought the warre Had taught men resolution, and not language. Oh you instruct me justly, I should rather Have tane the modest Priviledge of your lip, And then endeavor'd to repay the grace With my extreamest eloquence. You mistake me. Remit my ignorance, and let me read The mystery of thy language in thy lookes, In which are lively Characters of love Writ in the polish'd tablets of thy cheekes: Which seeme to vary colours, like the Clouds When they presage a storme; and those bright eyes Dart unaccustom'd beames, which shine as anger Flash'd from their fiery motion. You misconster The intention of my lookes, I am not angry Though much distemper'd. At what, by whom? Lives there a creature so extreamly bad Dares dis-compose your patience? speake, reveale The monster to me; were he fenc'd with flames, Or lock'd in Bulwarkes of congested yee: And all the feinds stood Centinels to guard The passage, I would force it to his heart, Through which the mounting violence of my rage Should peirce like lightning. I beleeve That in some triviall quarrell to redeeme My fame, should scandall touch it, you would fight Perhaps to shew your valour: But I have A taske to enjoyne me, which my feares possesse me, You dare not venture to accept. By truth You wrong my faith and courage to suspect me Of so extreame a Cowardize: have I stood the heat Of Battailes till upon the mountainous piles Of slaughter'd Carcasses, the soules which left em Seem'd to ascend to Heaven: that your suspition Should taint my honour with this base revolt? This is not noble in you. Doe not rage, When you shall heare it, you will then confesse Your confident errour.