The Ladies' Privilege (The Lady's Privilege) · chunk 13 of 31
Glapthorne, Henry · published 1640 · first performed or written 1637 [1637-1640] (Annals) not in BritDrama · before the Court unassigned nearest T48 Addressing a lady: love, desire and inti · 509 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T48: lady, love, heart, fair, eyes, la, lord, tears, fie, face.
Bid me first renounce My allegiance to my honour, sell my faith I owe my Native Country: my Vitelli I feel an humour in my brain, which strives For passage at mine eyes, wilt see me weep? Consider friend, denying my request Thou dost undo a Lady, who may claim The privilege of all hearts: deprivest the world Of such a gem, that should old nature strive To frame her second, it would quite exhaust Her glorious treasury, then in her ruin: My life and honour's forfeited, think this, And were thy heart obdurate as a rock Of Adamant, this thought joined with my tears Would sooner than the blood of Goats dissolve it To gentle softness. Your eyes are moving advocates, they speak Such an o'erflowing Language, that my love Then in its own cause a most partial Judge, Allows my mercy freedom to pronounce Sentence on your side: you have prevailed, I'll serve Chrisea, as her pleasure shall Dispose my will and fortune. I begin to feel my spirits quicken, and my blood Receive its noble temper; dear Vitelli, Thy nobleness does prompt thee to an act Shall write thy friendship higher in the lists Of sacred amity, than mother's loves. Go to my best Chrisea, she expects To know by thee the truth of my success, Tell her I am more happy in her bliss, Than if I had enjoyed her constant love: So leave me love, I may perhaps transgress Manhood again, and shouldst thou see me weep Twice, thou wouldst judge my former flood of tears A feigned passion. Your Genius guard you; thus I apply Balm to his wounds, while I do bleeding die. Noble General, I come to gratulate the happy choice Y'ave made in fair Chrisea; she's a Lady, That though she were a stranger to my blood, My judgement would allow as rich a virtue As ever glorified the sex. 'Twould be a sacrilegious error not to admit Your Character for truth, but in our loves A thousand hidden causes do produce Alternate changes, my return has settled My thoughts on new resolves, and I must suit My affections to them. How? perhaps because You are returned triumphant with your bays, Growing upon your brow, you do reject The love before you sued for, 'tis not noble So to abase a Lady, whose bright fame, Although untainted as a Crystal rock, Must pass a popular censure, if you, who Did with such earnestness pretend her match Should on the sudden scorn it. I'm not bound To give you reasons why; but know my mind, Which your contesting cannot alter's fixed On what I have related. I must then tell you You do defame the opinion of that worth The world does credit in you: this affront, Should all her other friends sit idle gazers On her disgrace, should stir me to attempt An ample satisfaction from your heart, Though you had multitudes of greater glories Heaped on your head, or were defenced with legions To affright me from the adventure.
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)
Bid me first renounce My allegeance to my honour, sell my faith I owe my Native Country: my Vitelli I feele an humour in my braine, which strives For passage at mine eyes, wilt see me weepe? Consider friend, denying my request Thou dost undoe a Lady, who may claime The priviledge of all hearts: depriv'st the world Of such a jemme, that should old nature strive To frame her second, it would quite ex haust Her glorious treasury, then in her ruine: My life and honour's forfeited, think this, And were thy heart obdurate as a rocke Of Adamant, this thought joyn'd with my teares Would sooner than the blood of Goats dissolve it To gentle softnesse. Your eyes are moving advocates, they speake Such an o're-flowing Language, that my love Then in its owne cause a most partiall Judge, Allowes my mercy freedome to pronounce Sentence on your side: you have prevail'd, Ile serve Chrisea, as her pleasure shall Dispose my will and fortune. I beginne to feele my spirits quicken, and my blood Receive its noble temper; deare Vitelli, Thy noblenesse does prompt thee to an act Shall write thy friendship higher in the lists Of sacred amity, than mothers loves. Goe to my best Chrisea, she expects To know by thee the truth of my successe, Tell her I am more happy in her blisse, Than if I had enjoy'd her constant love: So leave me love, I may perhaps transgresse Man-hood agen, and shouldst thou see me weepe Twice, thou wouldst judge my former flood of teares A feigned passion. Your Genius guard you; thus I apply Balme to his wounds, while I doe bleeding dye. Noble Generall, I come to gratulate the happy choyse Y'ave made in faire Chrisea; she's a Lady, That though she were a stranger to my blood, My judgement would allow as rich a vertue As ever glorifi'd the sexe. 'Twould be a sacrilegious errour not to admit Your Character for truth, but in our loves A thousand hidden causes doe produce Alternate changes, my returne has setled My thoughts on new resolves, and I must suite My affections to them. How? perhaps because You are return'd triumphant with your bayes, Growing upon your brow, you doe reject The love before you su'd for, tis not noble So to abase a Lady, whose bright fame, Although untainted as a Christall rocke, Must passe a popular censure, if you, who Did with such earnestnesse pretend her match Should on the suddaine scorne it. I'me not bound To give you reasons why; but know my mind, Which your contesting cannot alter's fixt On what I have related. I must then tell you You doe defame the opinion of that worth The world does credit in you: this affront, Should all her other friends sit idle gazers On her disgrace, should stirre me to attempt An ample satisfaction from your heart, Though you had multitudes of greater glories Heap'd on your head, or were defenc'd with legions To affright me from the adventure.