Hercules Oetaeus (Hercules on Mount Oeta) (Seneca's Tenth Tragedy) · chunk 18 of 44
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.82 · 516 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
The shirt with Nessus' bane imbrued no sooner hence was sent, And wretched woman that I am tooth closet straight I went. (My mind mistrusts I know not what, and treason doth surmise) And Nessus by the heat bewrayed, that fainted was the blood: The God foreshowed that here the force of all the treason stood: For by good hap the foamy gleed no foggy cloud doth dim. But with full power of burning beams he shined blazing brim. Scant yet I can for feeble fear unlock my fastened jaws, The scorching heat doth dry away, and up by force it draws The soaked blood that being laid amid the frying flame And boiling heat of shining son did shrink before the same: Wherein the shirt was steeped, and all the royal rob imbrued: I cannot show the villainy wherewith it was endued: For as the Eastern wind doth force the winter snow to melt, Or lukewarm South when in the spring from Mimas mount they swelled As Lucas else that fronters on Ionian sea, a land Doth break the wave the beaten surge lies foaming on the strand Or by the warmth of heavenly heat the frankincense doth drop So all the venom wastes away, and melteth every crop. And while I wonder still hereon the wonder shrinks away But with a froth it spots the ground, and there the poison lay, It rots the cloth: my woman bollen and swelled doth follow me, And shakes her head. my son as one astonished I see: And hying hither all in haste declare what news ye bring. GO mother go, seek out aloof if place of biding dwell Beyond the ground both gulf and stars beyond both heaven and hell, Fly mother far beyond the bounds of Hercules his toil A mischief great I know not what within my breast doth boil: Unto the royal temples of dame Juno's triumph high These will allow the sanctuary though other it deny What heavy hap is it that may annoy my guiltless ghost Oh mother, O that diamond of the world that pillar post Whom fate as Ioues lieutenant hear have placed for the nonce Is dead: and Nessus burning bane devours Hercles' bones The daunter of the brutish beasts he conquering knight before Is conquered now: he mourns, he walls, what ask ye any more We wretches love the order of our wretchedness to hear, Tell me the state now of our stock what countenance doth it bear: O stock, O silly wretched stock now shall I be esteemed, A widow now, a cost of now, and now a beggar deemed. Thou dost not languish all alone for Hercules yes dead: For whom the eyes of all the world have cause their tears to shed. Count not thy fate allotted thee alone: now all our kind Do howl and mourn for him whom thou bewailest in thy mind, Thou sufferest grief, the smart whereof belongs to every land Although the sour taste thereof first happen to thy hand Thou careful caitiff dost not wail for Hercules alone.
seed 43: T17 · seed 44: T19 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
The ſhirt with Neſſus ban imbrewde no ſouer hence was ſnt, And wretched woman that I am toth cloſet ſtrayght I went. (My mynd miſtruſts I knowe not what, and treaſon dath ſurmyſe) And Neſſus by the heate bewrayed, that faynted was the bloud: The God foreſhewed that here the force of all the treaſon ſtoode: For by good hap the fomy glede no foggy clowde doth dim. But with ful power of burning beames he ſhyned blaſing brim. Scant yet I can for feeble feare vnlocke my faſtned wes, The ſcorching heate doth dye away, and vp by force it drawes The ſoaked bloud that beyng layed amid the frying flame And boyling heate of ſhyning ſonne did ſhrinke before the ſame: Wherein the ſhyrt was ſteept, and all the royall robe imbrewde: I cannot ſhew the villany wherwith it was indewde: For as the Eaſterne wynd doth force the winter ſnow to melt, Or lukewarme South when in the ſpring frō Mimas mount they ſwelt As Lucas els that fronters on Ionian ſea, a land Doth breake the waue the beaten ſurge lies foaming on the ſtrand Or by the warmth of heauenly heat the frankinſence doth drop So all the venim waſtes away, and melteth euery croppe. And while I wonder ſtil hereon the wonder ſhrynkes away But with a froath it ſpoes the ground, and there the poyſon lay, It rotts the cloth: my woman boalne and ſweld doth follow me, And ſhakes her head▪ my ſonne as one aſtoniſhed I ſee: And hying hether all in haſt declare what newes ye bring. GO mother goe, ſeeke out aloofe yf place of bydyng dwell Beyond the ground both goulfe and ſtarres beyond both heauen and hell, Flye mother far beyond the boundes of Hercules his toyle A miſchiefe great I know not what within my breaſt doth boyle: Unto the royall temples of dame Iunoes tryumph hie Theſe will allow the ſanctuary though other it denye What heauy hap is it that may annoy my guiltleſſe ghoſt Oh mother, O that diamond of the world that piller poſt Whom fate as Ioues lieuetenaunt heare haue placed for the nones Is dead: and Neſſus burning bane deuouers Hercles boanes The daunter of the brutiſh beaſtes he conquering knight before Is conquerd now: he mournes, he walles, what aſke ye any more We wretches loue the order of our wretchednes to heare, Tell me the ſtate now of our ſtocke what countnance doth it beare: O ſtock, O ſylly wretched ſtocke now ſhal I be eſteemd, A widdow now, a coſt of now, and now a beggar deemd. Thou doſt not languiſh all alone for Hercules yes dead: For whom the eyes of all the world haue cauſe their teares to ſhed. Count not thy fate allotted thee alone: now all our kind Do howle and mourne for him whom thou beway leſt in thy minde, Thou ſuffreſt greefe, the ſmart wherof belonges to euery land Although the ſower aſt therof firſt happen to thy hade Thou careful caytiffe doſt not wayle for Hercules alone.