Hercules Oetaeus (Hercules on Mount Oeta) (Seneca's Tenth Tragedy) · chunk 24 of 44
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.83 · 459 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
I pray you mother spare yourself, forgive your fatal lot, If ye offend of ignorance, than blame deserve ye not If thou regard true honesty, thy wretched mother slay. Why trembleth thus thy fearful hand, why lookest thou away? Such sin shallbe a sacrifice why dastard dost thou fear? I spoiled thy father Hercules, this hand, this hand aleare Hath murdered him whereby I have done thee a more despite, Then joy I did, in that my womb did bring thee first to light. If yet thou know not how to kill, then practise first on me. If as thou like within my throat thy blade shall sheathed be Or if to paunch thy mother soon thou mean to take in hand To yield her dreadless ghost to thee thy mother still shall stand, It shall not wholly be thy deed, by thee it shall be done, And caused by my will to be. Art thou Alcides soon And all afraid? so shall thou never great exploits achieve Nor pass the world such feats of arms and sleights for to contrive. If any monster should be bred thy father's courage show, And to it with unfearful arm, lo overcharged with woe My breast lies bare unto thy hand. Strike, I thy guilt forgive The fiends infernal for their sin thy soul shall never grieve. What yerking noise is this we hear, what hag here have we found That bears about her writhe locks these ugly adders wound, And one her irksome temples twain her blackish sins do wag. Why chase ye me with burning brands Megaera filthy hag Alcides can but vengeance ask, and that I will him get But have the judges dire of hell for it in counsel set But of the dreadful dungeon doors I see th'unfolding leaves What ancient sire is he that on his tatred shoulder heaves unwieldy stone that born tooth top again doth downward reel Or what is he that sprawls his limbs upon the whirling wheel Lo hear stood ugly Tisiphon with stern and ghastly face, And did demand with steaming eyes the manner of the case. O spare thy stripes Megaera spare, and with thy brands away, Th'offence I did was meant in love, but whether do I sway The ground doth sink, the roof doth crack, whether went this raging rout, Now all the world with gazing eyes stand staring me about On every side the people grudge and call for their defence. Be good to me O nations whither, shall I get me hence? Death only is my load of rest there may my sorrows bide I do protest the fiery wheels that Phoebus chariot guide. That hear I die and leave the world, there's Hercles' yet behind.
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)
I pray you mother ſpare your ſelfe, forgeue your fatal lot, If ye offend of ygnoraunce, then blame deſerue yee not If thou regard true honeſty, thy wretched mother ſlay. Why trembleth thus thy feareful hand, why lokeſt thow away? Such ſinne ſhalbe a ſacrifyce why daſtard doſt thou feare? I ſpoylde thy father Hercules, this hand, this hand aleare Hath murdred him wherby I haue done thee a more deſpyte, Then ioy I did, in that my wobe did bring thee firſt to light. If yet thou know not how to kill, then practiſe fyrſt on mee. If as thou like within my throate thy blade ſhal ſheathed be Or if to paunch thy mother ſoone thou meane to take in hand To yeeld her dreadleſſe ghoſt to thee thy mother ſtill ſhall ſtande, It ſhall not wholly be thy deede, by thee it ſhall be done, And cauſed by my wil to be. Art thou Alcides ſoon And all affrayd? ſo ſhal thou neuer great exployts atchieue Nor paſſe the worlde ſuch feats of armes and ſleightes for to contriue. If any monſter ſhould be bred thy fathers courage ſhew, And to it with vnfeareful arme, loe ouerchargde with woe My breaſt lies bare vnto thy hand. Stryke, I thy gylt forgeue The fendes infernall for their ſinne thy ſoule ſhal neuer greeue. What yerking noyſe is this we heare▪ what hagge here haue we fownd That beares aboute her writhen lockes theſe vgly adders wound, And one her yrkſome temples twayne her blackyſh innes do wagge. Why chaſe ye mee with burning brandes Megera filthy hagge▪ Alcides can but vengeance aſke, and that I wil him get But haue the iudges dyre of hell for yt in counſell ſet But of the dreadful dongeon dores I ſee thunfoulding leaues What auncient ſier is he that on his tatred ſhoulder heaues Th'un weiloy ſtone that borne toth top agayne doth downward reele Or what is e that ſpraules his lims vppon the whirling wheele Lo heare ſtood ougly Tiſiphon with ſterne and ghaſtly face, And did demaunde with ſteaming eies the manner of the caſe. O ſpare thy ſtrypes Megera ſpare, and with thy brandes away, Th'offence I did was ment in loue, but whether do I ſway The groūd doth ſinke, the roofe doth cracke, whether went this raging route, Now al the world with gaſing eyes ſtand ſtaring me about On euery ſide the people grudge and call for their defence. Be good to me O nations whither, ſhall I get mee hence? Death onely is my loade of reſt there may my ſorrowes byde I do proteſt the fiery wheeles that Phoebus charyot guide. That heare I dye and leaue the worlde, thers Hercles yet behynde.