The Ladies' Privilege (The Lady's Privilege) · chunk 22 of 31
Glapthorne, Henry · published 1640 · first performed or written 1637 [1637-1640] (Annals) not in BritDrama · before the Court unassigned nearest T1 Death, grief and revenge · 488 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
This is a sweetness Which I could wish you, what has begot This strange desertion of your faith, true love, Being once received into the soul converts Into its very essence, does become The same eternal substance, can you then Tear from the tender Cabinet of your breast Your very heart? this cruelty exceeds The depth of tyranny, but est assured, If Doria suffer by your proud contempt, I'm freed then from my promise, and will sooner Warm an empoisoning Scorpion in my arms, Then yield my meanest thought to you who are By evident circumstance, though not by fact, My friend the general's murderess. This Vitelli Is not a means to win me to your friend, But more avert me from him, it inflames My mind with holier fire to Court your love; There is an evident beauty in your soul, Equal to truest honour, I will cherish This bravery in you, if your masculine fancy Engages you thus constant, to a friend, You'll be a loyal husband, fare you well, Be still thus noble, and be happy. My sister Has lost all sense of pity; dear Vitelli, There is no wretchedness oppressing earth Equal to ours, love thus the Tyrant plays, Afflicting innocence by unusual ways. 'tis like yourself my noble Lord, but see The Duke approaching, let your soul expect An equal hearing. Bear back, room for the Duke and Senate, what Cuckold's that would have his Coxcomb broke? bear back there. Cite in the prisoner. he's here my Lord. I'm sorry that You for whose head the gratitude of the state Decreed triumphant bays should be enforced To stand here a delinquent, but the law Must as a straight and uncorrupted stream Enjoy its usual freedom, my Lords, We are not met here to arraign a prisoner, Whose guilt does speak his sentence, but a person Not only most unblemished in his fame, But one to whom our country owes its life: Who with his dearest blood has balmed the wounds Which mischief's giant-off-springs, raising war, Cut in the bosom of the commonwealth. We all confess his worth. Yet this brave youth, This patron of our liberty, all his honours, His blood and titles, his defensive bays (That would have guarded his victorious front From blasts of lightning) laid aside, is come To tender satisfaction to the laws, He has offended, and since judgement is The immediate act of Justice, it must pass To save impartial censure on his life, As on the wretched'st malefactors; for His former merits cannot take away His present fault; for who ere is guilty Undoes the privilege of his desert and blood; For if great men offending pass unpunished, The common people who do use to sin, By their example fearless, will run on Into licentious wickedness. Your grace delivers The intention of the state, no oracle Could have explained the meaning of our laws With more integrity.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
This is a sweetnesse Which I cold wish you, what has begot This strange desertion of your faith, true love, Being once receiv'd into the soule converts Into its very essence, does become The same eternall substance, can you then Teare from the tender Cabinet of your brest Your very heart? this cruelty exceeds The depth of tyranny, but est assur'd, If Doria suffer by your proud contempt, I'me freed then from my promise, and will sooner Warme an empoysoning Scorpion in my armes, Then yeeld my meanest thought to you who are By evident circumstance, though not by fact, My friend the Generalls murdresse. This Vitelli Is not a meanes to winne me to your friend, But more avert me from him, it inflames My minde with holier fire to Court your love; There is an evident beauty in your soule, Equall to truest honor, I will cherish This bravery in you, if your masculine fancy Engages you thus constant, to a friend, You'l be a loyall husband, fare you well, Be still thus noble, and be happy. My sister Has lost all sence of pitty; deere Vitelli, There is no wretchednesse oppressing earth Equall to ours, love thus the Tyrant playes, Afflicting innocence by unusuall waies. Tis like your selfe my noble Lord, but see The Duke approaching, let your soule expect An equall hearing. Beare backe, roome for the Duke and Senate, what Cuckold's that would have his Coxcombe broake? beare backe there. Cite in the prisoner. Hee's here my Lord. I'me sorry that You for whose head the gratitude of the state Decreed triumphant bayes should be enforc'd To stand here a delinquent, but the law Must as a streight and uncorrupted streame Enjoy its usuall freedome, my Lords, We are not met here to arraigne a prisoner, Whose guilt does speake his sentence, but a person Not only most unblemish'd in his fame, But one to whom our country owes its life: Who with his dearest blood has balm'd the wounds Which michiefes giant-off-springs, raysing warre, Cut in the bosome of the common-wealth. We all confesse his worth. Yet this brave youth, This patron of our liberty, all his honours, His blood and titles, his defensive bayes (That would have guarded his victorious front From blasts of lightning) laid aside, is come To tender satisfaction to the lawes, He has offended, and since judgement is The immediate act of Justice, it must passe To save impartiall censure on his life, As on the wretched'st malefactors; for His former merits cannot take away His present fault; for who ere is guilty Vndoes the priviledge of his desert and blood; For if great men offending passe unpunish'd, The common people who doe use to sinne, By their example fearelesse, will runne on Into licencious wickednesse. Your grace delivers The intension of the state, no oracle Could have explain'd the meaning of our lawes With more integrity.