Hercules Oetaeus (Hercules on Mount Oeta) (Seneca's Tenth Tragedy) · chunk 27 of 44
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.90 · 512 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
Withouten any conquest made doth end his latter day, Without exploit or feat of arms myself I pass away. O mighty umpire of the world and all ye Ghosts above That witness how in quarrel good my right hand ever strove O all ye lands, O earth alas, may it your mercy please To spoil the spiteful sting of death that daunts your Hercules Fie fie, what shame is it to us what filthy fate we have? A woman proud shall boast her bane brought Hercles' to his grave Then what are they whose mortal maim Alcides' weapon gave If thus with sway invincible my fatal wheel do run And need must on this shameful rock my fatal twist be spun: As by a woman's cursed hand my blood should thus be shed Yet Juno's malice might have poured this vengeance on my head, So might a woman's deadly band have brought me to my beer: But pet a woman wellding sway amid the welkin clear But this seemed overproud attempt for Gods to take in hand The papless dame in Scythia borne where pight on high doth stand The appletree whereon the underpropped poles do sway. It might as well have been her hap to take my breath away, What woman's might may master me Queen Juno's hateful foe Fie stepdame fie the fouler shame by this to thee doth grow? Why dost thou triumph in this day? why did dame Tellus breed Such perilous bugs thy humour rank of colour hot to feed? A mortal woman's peevish spite doth pass thy rancour rough, Thou sayst thou cannot have revenge on Hercules enough Then are we twain that pass thy power the Gods may blush for shame? To see their malice overmatched by such a mortal dame. Would God the ramping lions paw that noyed Neme wood, Had filled his greedy munching jaws with plenty of my blood: Or while the twining snakes had hemmed me in by hundreds thick, Why might not Hydra swallow up my wrinched body quick? Why was it not the centaurs hap my silly flesh to gnaw? Or that I bound on Tantalus' rock should gape with greedy jaw? In vain to catch the fleeting food when deep from Tartar soil, Where at the Gods aggrized were, I did purloin the spoil. And from the dark infernal Styx I got again to light, Or Ditis' dungeon all the stops and stays I conquered quite. Death shrank from me in every place that I a noble knight At length might end my days in shame, and in dishonour spoiled Oh Ioue the creatures terrible thou know'st that I have foiled The threefold shapen mastiff cur whom up I dragged in chain, He starring from the sunward could not hale me back again. The shepherds churlish rabble that aloof in Iber he Under the Spanish fervent clime could never master me. Nor serpents twain that unto me in tender cradle crept. ay woe is me that valiant death so oft I overleapt: What honour shall I die withal?
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)
Withouten any conqueſt made doth end his latter day, Without exployt or feat of armes my ſelfe I paſſe away. O mighty vmpier of the world and all ye Ghoſtes aboue That witnes how in quarell good my right hand euer ſtroue O all ye landes, O earth alas, may it your mercy pleaſe To ſpoyle the ſpiteful ſting of death that dauntes your Hercules Fy fye, what ſhame is it to vs what filthy fate we haue? A woman prowde ſhall boaſt her bane brought Hercles to his graue Then what are they whoſe mortall mayme Alcides weapon gaue If thus with ſway inuincible my fatal wheele do run And neede muſt on this ſhameful rocke my fatall twiſt be ſpunne: As by a womans curſed hand my bloud ſhould thus be ſhed Yet Iunoes mallice migh haue powrd this vengeance on my head, So might a womans deadly band have brought me to my beere: But pet a woman wellding ſway amid the welkin cleare But this ſeemde ouerprowde attempt for Gods to take in hand The paples dame in Scithia borne where pight on hie oh s;tand The Apeltree whereon the vnderpropped poales do ſway▪ It might as wel haue bene her hap to take my breath away, What womans might may maiſter me Queene Iunoes hatefull foe Fye ſtepdame fye the fowler ſhame by this to thee doth grow? Why doſt thou triumph in this day? why did dame Tellus breede Such parlous bugges thy humour ranck of colour hoate to feede? A mortall womans peauiſhe ſpight doth paſſe thy rancour rough, Thou ſayſt thou cannot haue reuenge on Hercules inough Then are wee twayne y• paſſe thy power the Gods may bluſhe for ſham? To ſee their mallice ouermacht by ſuch a mortall dame. Would God the ramping Lyons pawe that noyed Neme woode, Had fillde his greedy mounching Iawes with plenty of my bloude: Or while the twining ſnakes had hembde mee in by hundreds thick, Why might not Hydra ſwallow vp my wrinched body quick? Why was it not the centaures hap my ſilly fleſh to gnawe? Or that I bounde on Tantalls rocke ſhoulde gape with greedy Iawe? In vayne to catch the fleeting foode when deepe from Tartar ſoyle, Where at the Gods aggrized were, I did purloyne the ſpoyle. And from the darck infernall Styx I got agayne to light, Or Ditis dungeon all the ſtops and ſtayes I conquerde quight. Death ſhranke from mee in euery place that I a noble knight At length might ende my dayes in ſhame, and in diſhonour ſpoylde Oh Ioue the creatures terrible thou knowſt that I haue foylde The threefolde ſhapen maſtiffe curre whom vp I draggde in chayne, Hee ſtarring from the ſunnewarde could not hale mee back agayne. The ſheepherdes churliſhe rabble that aloofe in Iber hee Vnder the Spaniſhe feruent clyme coulde neuer maiſter mee. Nor ſerpents twayne that vnto mee in tender cradell creapt. Aye woe is mee that valiant death ſo oft I ouerleapt: What honour ſhall I dye withall?