Hercules Oetaeus (Hercules on Mount Oeta) (Seneca's Tenth Tragedy) · chunk 26 of 44
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.80 · 513 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
Retire, retire thy breathing breasts, O Titan blazing bright, Unfold thy misty mantle black of dim and darksome Night: And dash this dreary day wherein I Hercules must die. With blemish black of filthy fog defile the grisly sky: Prevent my stepdame's naughty mind. Now should I have resigned, (O Father) my inheritance of Pluto's dungeon blind Heaven frames should here & there be burst, & either pole should crack Why sparest thou the stars and least thy Hercles' go to wrack? Now Ioue look round about the heavens, and if thou can espy On giant heave the Thessail cliffs against th'assaulted sky Unburdened be Enceladus of hugy Osir hill, And hurled be on Hercules the mighty mountain still Proud Pluto shall unbar the gates of black and glummy cave Yet maugre all their might (o Father Ioue) I will thee save From fury of thy foes, and set thee up again in skies, Yet lo Ioue, lo, her that on earth thy thunderdint supplies, And for to be lieutenant of thy bolts on earth was borne, Is sent to burning Limbo lake in torments to be torn The stern Enceladus again in ramping rage shall rise And hurl the weight (that now doth crowd him down) against the skies, Thus by my death they shall presume to conquer heaven all But ere that day upon my corpse compel the heavens to fall Break down, break down, the welkin that thou sufferest to decay, O son of thunder thumping Ioue no shadows do thee fray, Now Ossa mount of Thessalie shall Pelion hill down crush And Athos piled on Pindus' top his bushy head shall push Among the starry skies thereby above the craggy rocks. Typhoëus up shall climb, and thump with store of batt'ring knocks Iuarmen stone in tyrrhene sea from thence eke shall he beat The smoky forge of Aetna mount, that glows with stewing heat Enceladus not overthrown yet with the thunder crack Shall hew the mountain side in twain, and truss it on his back The signs of heaven shall follow thee. and go with thee to wrack I that returned from dens of death, and Stygian stream defied And ferried over Lethe's lake, and dragged up, chained, and tyde The triple headed mastiff hound, when Titan's team did start So at the ugly sight that he fell almost from his cart. even I whose pith the kingdoms three of God's full well have known Lo yet mine end I daunted am by death and overthrown But yet no bloody blade against my rived rib doth crash It is no rock that unto death my bruised bones doth pash Nor as it were with O sir hill that cloven were in twain, Nor with the sway of all the mountain falling am I slain. The glaring eyed giant grim doth not now squeeze my corpse With poise of Pindus roch and thus not feeling enemies force I conquered am and yet alas this coarsie frets me more O feeble force of man: he whom no might could match before
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)
REtyre, retyre thy breathing breaſtes, O Titan blaſing bright, Vnfold thy myſty mantle blacke of dim and darkeſome Night: And daſh this dreary day wherin I Hercules muſt die. With blemiſhblack of filthy fogge defyle the grieſly ſkye: Pre en my ſtepdames naughty mynd. Now ſhould I haue reſignde, (O Father) my inheritaunce of Plutoes dungeon blynd Heauen frames ſhould here & there be braſt, & eyther poale ſhould crack Why ſpareſt thou the ſtarres and leſt thy Hercles go to wracke? Now Ioue loke round aboute the heauens, and if thou can eſpye On gyant heaue the Theſſaill cliues agaynſt thaſſalted ſkye Vnburdned be Enceladus of hugye Oſir hill, And hurled be on Hercules the mighty mountayne ſtill Prowde Pluto ſhall vnbarre the gates of blacke and glummy caue Yet maugre all their might (o Father Ioue) I wil thee ſaue From fury of thy oes, and ſet thee vp agayne in ſkyes, Yet lo Ioue, loe, her that on earth thy thunderdint ſupplies, And for to be liuetenaunt of thy boultes on earth was borne, Is ſent to burning Limbo lake in tormentes to be torne The ſterne Enceladus agayne in ramping rage ſhal ryſe And hurle the weighte (that now doth crode him downe) againſt the ſkies, Thus by my death they ſhal preſume to conquer heauen all But ere that day vppon my corſe compel the heauens to fall Breake downe, breake downe, the welkin that thou ſuffreſt to decay, O ſonne of thunder thumping Ioue no ſhadowes do thee fray, Now Oſſa mount of Theſſalie ſhal Pelion hill downe cruſh And Athos pilde on Pindus toppe his buſhy hed ſhall puſh Among the ſtarry ſkes therby aboue the craggy rockes. Typhoëus vp ſhal clyme, and thumpe with ſtore of batryng knockes Iuarmen ſtone in Tyrren ſea from thence eake ſhall he beat The ſmoaky forge of Aetna mount, that glowes with ſtewing heate Enceladus not ouerthrowne yet with the thunder cracke Shal hew the mountayne ſyde in twayne, and truſſe it on his backe The ſignes of heauen ſhal follow thee▪ and goe with thee to wracke I that returnde from dennes of death, and Stigian ſtreame defyed And ferryed ouer Lethes lake, and dragd vp, chaind, and tyde The tryple headded maſtiffe hownd, when Tytans teeme did ſtart So at the ougly ſight that he fel almoſt from his cart. Euen I whoſe pith the kingdomes three of Gods ful wel haue knowne Lo yet myne end I daunted am by death and ouerthrowne But yet no bloudy blade agaynſt my riued rybbes doth craſh It is no rock that vnto death my bruſed bones doth paſh Nor as it were with O ſir hill that clouen were in twayne, Nor with the ſway o all the mountayne falling am I ſlayne. The glaring eyed giant grym doth not now ſqueaze my coarſe With paiſe of Pindus roch and thus not feling enmyes force I conquerd am and yet alas this coarſie frets me more O feeble force of man: he whom no might could match before