Lyly, John · published 1584 · first performed or written c.1583 (Annals) comedy · Children of the Chapel (first) (Oxford's Boys) · before the Court T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs typicality 0.84 · 498 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
O Cupid too unkind, to make me so kind, that almost I transgress the modesty of my kind. I was blind, and could not see mine arrow. How came it to pass, thou didst hit my heart? That came by the nature of the head, which being once let out of the bow, can find none other lighting place but the heart. Be not dismayed, Phao shall yield. If he yield, then shall I shame to embrace one so mean if not, die: because I cannot embrace one so mean. Thus do I find no mean. Well, I will work for thee. Farewell. Farewell sweet Venus, and thou Cupid, which art sweetest in thy sharpness. Cupid, what hast thou done put thine arrows in Phao's eyes, and wounded thy mother's heart? You gave him a face to allure, then why should not I give him eyes to pierce? O Venus, un happy Venus, who in bestowing a benefit upon a man, hast brought a bane unto a Goddess. What perplexities dost thou feel? O fair Phao, and therefore made fair to breed in me a frenzy? O would that when I gave thee golden locks to curl thy head, I had shackled thee with iron locks on thy feet. And when I nursed thee Sapho with lettuce, would it had turned to hemlock, Have I brought a smooth skin over thy face to make a rough scar in my heart? and given thee a fresh colour like the damask rose, to make mine pale like the stained Turkey. O Cupid, thy flames with Psyche's were but sparks, and my desires with Adonis but dreams, in respect of these unacquainted torments. Laugh Iuno, Venus is in love, but Iuno shall not see with whom, lest she be in love. Venus belike is become stale. Sapho forsooth because she hath many virtues, therefore she must have all the favours. Venus waxeth old: and then she was a pretty wench, when Iuno was a young wife, now crows foot is on her eye, and the black ox hath trod on her foot. But were Sapho never so virtuous, doth she think to contend with Venus to be as amorous? Yield Phao, but yield to me Phao, I entreat where I may command, command thou, where thou shouldest entreat. In this case Cupid what is thy counsel, Venus must both play the lover & the dissembler, & therefore the dissembler, because the Lover. You will ever be playing with arrows, like children with knives, & then when you bleed, you cry, go to Vulcan, entreat by prayers, threaten with blows, woo with kisses, ban with curses, try all means to rid these extremities. To what end? That he might make me new arrows: for nothing can root out the desires of Phao, but a new shaft of inconstancy, nor any thing turn Sappho's, but a new arrow of disdain. And then they disliking one the other, who shall enjoy Phao but Venus?
nodes 421–434 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 20 of 27 in this edition
Length
498 words · 660 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.843 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T21 · seed 44: T24 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
O Cupid too vnkinde, to make me so kind, that almost I transgresse the modestie of my kinde. I was blind, and could not see mine arrow. How came it to passe, thou didst hit my hearte? That came by the nature of the head, which be ing once let out of the bowe, cā finde none other lighting place but the heart. Be not dismaide, Phao shall yeelde. If hee yeelde, then shal I shame to embrace one so meane if not, die: because I cannot embrace one so meane. Thus doe I finde no meane. Well, I will worke for thee. Farewell. Farewell sweet Venus, and thou Cupid, which art sweetest in thy sharpenesse. Cupid, what haste thou done put thine arrowes in Phaoes eies, and wounded thy mothers heart? You gaue him a face to allure, then why should not I giue him eies to pearce? O Venus, vn happy Venus, who in bestowinge a benefit vpon a man, haste brought a bane vnto a Goddesse. What perplexities dost thou feele? O faire Phao, and therefore made faire to breede in me a frenzie? O would that when I gaue thee golden locks to curle thy head, I had shackled thee with yron lockes on thy feete. And when I noursed thee Sapho with lettice, woulde it had turned to hemlocke, Haue I brought a smooth skin ouer thy face to make a rough scarre in my heart? and giuen thee a fresh colour like the damask rose, to make mine pale like the stained Turkie. O Cupid, thy flames with Psyches were but sparks, and my desires with Adonis but dreames, in respecte of these vnacquainted tormentes. Laugh Iuno, Venus is in loue, but Iuno shall not see with whom, least shee be in loue. Venus belike is become stale. Sapho forsooth because she hath many vertues, therfore she must haue all the fauours. Venus waxeth old: and then she was a pretie wench, when Iuno was a young wife, nowe crowes foote is on her eie, and the blacke oxe hath troad on her foote. But were Sapho neuer so vertuous, doth she thinke to contend with Venus to be as amorous? Yeelde Phao, but yeeld to me Phao, I entreate where I may commaund, commaunde thou, where thou shouldest entreate. In this case Cupid what is thy coūsell, Venus must both play the louer & the dissembler, & therfore the dissembler, because the Louer. You will euer be playing with arrows, like childrē with kniues, & thē when you bleede, you cry, go to Vulcan, entreat by praiers, threatē with blowes, wowe with kisses, banne with curses, trie al meanes to rid these extremities. To what end? That he might make mee new arrowes: for nothing can roote out the desires of Phao, but a new shafte of inconstancie, nor any thing turne Saphoeshart, but a new arrow of disdaine. And then they dislyking one the other, who shall inioy Phao but Venus?