Hercules Oetaeus (Hercules on Mount Oeta) (Seneca's Tenth Tragedy) · chunk 31 of 44
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.87 · 468 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
Where shall I wretched mother of Alcides wish to be? Where is my child? where is my son? If sight deceive not me With gasping mouth, and panting heart lo where he sprawling lies. Where as (alas) in raging heart of boiling fits he fries, He groves, all is dispatched, dear child let me Alcides mine Embrace thy pining limbs: with kiss enfolded my arms in thine Where are the limbs? where is the neck that bore the skies alone? What thus hath mangled thee that all thy corpse is waste and gone? I am your Hercles' mother dear, whom thus ye see here lost. Acknowledge me all though God knows I seem but as a ghost. Why do you turn your face away and mourning visage mild. Are ye ashamed that Hercules should counted be your child? What world hath bred this uncouth bug? what land engendered it? Or else what monstrous mischief may on thee triumphing sit? Who is't that conquers Hercules? By treason of his Wife Thou seest how wretched Hercules do lose his loathed Life. To overthrow my Hercules, what treason hath the might? That which a wrathful Dame doth seek to case her of her spite. How hath this pestilence gotten to thy Limbs and bleeding bones? acp-p a shirt the woman had conveyed it for the nonce. Where is the shirt for nothing but thy naked corpse I see? The vesture by the poison rank devoured is with me. And can such poison be contrived? I think within my guts, That hideous Hydra hissing Snake his sloughy body puts, A thousand plagues of Lerna Pool within my Bowels ramps: What raging dear is this that drives up all Sicilia damps? What Clime of Hell forbids the day to pass the boiling zone? O Maies amid the greedy gulfs and pools let me be thrown. What Ister can my Carcase cool? no not the Ocean main Of these my stewing vapours may the raging quench again? (All moisture of my limbs in these my fits are fried away) The juice will soon be soaked up, what precedent of hell Let me return from under ground again with Ioue to dwell He ought to have retained me still, receive me once again Into thy dungeon dark that hell may in this pickle plain Behold the man that conquered it, no booty bring I will Away with me: why dost thou quake for fear of Hercles' still. Set on me death courageously for now I may be killed Now stint thy tender tears that down thy checks so long have trilled, And master this thy malady compel thy sorrows sloupe. And show that in these plunging pangs Alcides did not droop, And as it hath been raised thy guise force death and hell to shrink.
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)
Where ſhall I wretched mother of Alcides wiſhe to bee? Where is my chylde? where is my ſonne? If ſight deceaue not mee With gaſping mouth, and panting heart loe where hee ſprawling lyes. Where as (alas) in raging heart of boyling fits hee fryes, Hee groues, all is diſpacht, deare childe let mee Alcides myne Embrace thy pining lims: with kiſſe enfoulde my armes in thyne Where are the lims? where is the neck that bare the ſkies alone? What thus hath mangled thee that all thy corps is waſte and gone? I am your Hercles mother deare, whom thus yee ſee here loſt. Acknowledge mee all though God knowes I ſeeme but as a ghoſt. Why doe you turne your face away and mourning viſage mylde. Are yee aſhamde that Hercules ſhould counted bee your chylde? What world hath bred this vncouth bug? what land engendred it? Or els what monſtrous miſchiefe may on thee triumphing ſit? Who iſt that conquers Hercules? By treaſon of his Wyfe Thou ſeeſt how wretched Hercules do leeſe his lothed Lyfe. To ouerthrow my Hercules, what treaſon hath the might? That which a wrathfull Dame doth ſeeke to caſe her of her ſpight. How hath this peſtilence gotten to thy Lims and bleeding bones? Ito a Shyrt the woman had conuayde it for the nonce. Where is the Shyrt for nothing but thy naked coips I ſee? The veſture by the poyſon ranke deowred is with mee. And can ſuch poyſon be contriued? I thinke within my guts, That hideous Hydra hiſſing Snake his ſlowghy body puts, A thouſand plagues of Lerna Poole within my Bowelles rampes: What raging deare is this that driues vp all Sicilia dampes? What Eme of Hell forbids the day to paſſe the boyling one? O Maes amid the greedy gulphes and pooles let me be throwne. What Iſter can my Carkas coole? no not the Ocean mayne Of theſe my ſtewing vapours may the raging quench agayne? (Al moyſture of my limmes in theſe my fits are fryde away) The iuyce wil ſone be ſoaked vp, what preſident of hel Let me returne from vnder grounde agayne with Ioue to dwell He ought to haue retaynd me ſtill, receiue me once agayne Into thy dungeon darke that hel may in this pickle playne Behold the man that conquerd yt, no booty bringe I will Away with me: why doſt thou quake for feare of Hercles ſtill. Set on me death coragiouſly for now I may be kilde Now ſtint thy tender tears that down thy checkes ſo long haue trild, And mayſter this thy mallady compell thy ſorrowes ſloupe. And ſhew that in theſe plunging panges Alcides did not droupe, And as it hath bene caſt thy guyſe force death and hel to ſhrike.