Hercules Oetaeus (Hercules on Mount Oeta) (Seneca's Tenth Tragedy) · chunk 22 of 44
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.84 · 493 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
Yea though it be to death, I follow will my Hercules He hath both life and breath When he perceived him overmatched he hastened his decay. Wilt thou forego thy son, and eke prevent thy dying day? herself hath lived long enough who buried hath her child. And wilt thou follow on to death thy spouse yea Ladies mild Before their husbands use to die. thyself thou dost accuse Of guilt if thou condemn thyself. No guilty one doth use To take revengement of themselves. But those are pardoned still That do offend of ignorance and not of peevish will Who will condemn the deed he doth? Each man doth seek to shun His lot when spite of frowning fate against him seems to run. And he for whom thou languishest, with arrow slow his wife Hight Megara, and did destroy his tender children's life. whenas a brainsick beast in hand he tossed his knarly mace, That squeezed the snake in Lerna lake before his father's face. He played thrice the murderer, himself yet he forgave And for the heinous guilt he did when frenzy made him rave He purged himself in Cynips spring toward the Southern pole And in the water bathed his hand again to make him hole. Now whether wilt thou caitiff wretch, why dost thou damn thy hands In condemnation of these the ghost of Hercles' stands. I mean to plague the treachery. Your Hercules well I know, Perhaps he will be hear again and master all his woe: Then shall your slaked grief unto yobr Hercules give place. They say the serpent's poison doth devour him apace The poison of his wicked wile his lusty limbs destroys. And think ye it to be the serpent's bane that him annoys, That he cannot escape who bore the brunt of it alive, And how to pare of Hydra's heads he could full well contrive whenas the victor stood with grinning teeth amid the mood, And all his body slavered foul with venomous spit and blood, And shall the Centaur Nessus' gore against the man prevail That made thy pithy strength itself of Nessus for to quail. In vain ye rescue her that is of purpose set to die Therefore I have determined with myself this life to fly And long enough he lived hath that may with Hercles' die. I do beseech thee humbly for this grey and hoary head, And for these paps that as thy Mother have thee nourished, Remove the fervent fits that cage within thy boiling breast, And suffer not these desperate thoughts of death in thee to rest. Who would persuade a wretch to live. He hath a cruel heart? And though that death be unto me a great and grievous smart: Yet unto other some it is an easing of their pain. O wretch excuse thy handy work, and say at last again, 'tis ignorance that did the deed, and not the wilful Wife.
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)
Yea though it be to death, I follow wil my Hercules He hath both life and breath When he perceaued him ouermatcht he haſtned his decay. Wilt thou forgoe thy ſonne, and eake preuent thy dying day? Her ſelfe hath liued long ynough who buryed hath her childe. And wilt thou follow on to death thy ſpouſe yea Ladies mild Before their huſbandes vſe to dye. Thy ſelfe thou doſt accuſe Of guylt if thou cōdemne thy ſelfe. No gylty one doth vſe To take reuengemente of themſelues. But thoſe are pardoned That do oftend of ygnoraunce and not of peuiſh wil Who wil condemne the deede hee doth? Ech man doth ſeeke to ſhun His lot when ſpite of frowning fate againſt him ſeemes to runne. And he for whom thou languiſheſt, with arrow ſlow his wyfe Hight Megara, and did deſtroy his tender childrens life. When as a braynſicke beaſt in hand he toſt his knarrye mace, That ſqueaſde the ſnake in Lerna lake before his fathers face. He played thryſe the murtherer, himſelfe yet he forgaue And for the haynous gylt hee did when frenzy made him raue He purgde himſelfe in Cynips ſpring toward the Southerne poale And in the water bath'd his hand againe to make him hoale. Now whether wilt thou caytiffe wretch, why doſt thou dam thy handes In condemnation of theſe the ghoſt of Hercles ſtandes. I meane to plague the treachery. Your Hercules wel I know, Perhap he wil be heare agayne and mayſter al his woe: Then ſhall your ſlaked greefe vnto yobr Hercules geue place. They ſay the ſerpents poyſon doth deuowen him apace The poyſon of his wicked Wyle his luſty lims deſtroyes. And think yee it to bee the ſerpents bane that him annoyes, That hee cannot eſcape who bare the brunt of it aliue, And how to pare of Hydraes heads he coulde full well contryue When as the victour ſtoode with grinning teath amid the moode, And all his body ſlauerde fowle with venomous ſpit and bloude, And ſhall the Centaur Neſſus goare agaynſt the man preuayle That made thy pithy ſtrength it ſelfe of Neſſus for to quayle. In vayne yee reſcue her that is of purpoſe ſet to dye Therefore I haue determinde with my ſelfe this lyfe to flye And long inough hee lyued hath that may with Hercles dye. I doe beſeech thee humbly for this gray and hoary head, And for theſe pappes that as thy Mother haue thee nouriſhed, Remove the feruent ſits that cage within thy boyling breaſt, And ſuffer not theſe deſpret thoughtes of death in thee to reſt. Who woulde perſwade a wretch to liue. He hath a cruell heart? And though that death be vnto me a great and grieuous ſmart: Yet vnto other ſome it is an eſing of their payne. O wreatch excuſe thy handy worke, and ſay at laſt agayne, T'is ignoraunce that did the deede, and not the willfull Wyfe.