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 0.69 · 472 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
I will follow thy counsel. For Venus, though she be in her latter age for years: yet is she in her Nonage for affections. When Venus ceaseth to love, let love cease to rule. But come, let us to Vulcan. What dreams are these Mileta? and can there be no truth in dreams? yea, dreams have their truth. methought I saw a Stock dove or woodquist, I know not how to term it, that brought short straws to build his nest in a tall cedar, where, whiles with his bill he was framing his building, he lost as many feathers from his wings, as he laid straws in his nest: yet scambling to catch hold to harbour in the house he had made, he suddenly fell from the bough where he stood. And then pitifully casting up his eyes, he cried in such terms (as I imagined) as might either condemn the nature of such a tree, or the daring of such a mind. Whilst he lay quaking upon the ground, & I gazing one the cedar, I might perceive Ants to breed in the rind coveting only to hoard, & caterpillars to cleave to the leaves, labouring only to suck, which caused more leaves to fall from the tree, then there did feathers before from the dove. methought Mileta, I sighed in my sleep, pitying both the fortune of the bird, & the misfortune of the tree but in this time quills began to bud again in the bird, which made him look as though he would fly up, and then wished I that the body of the tree would bow, that he might but creep up the tree, then and so. heigh, ho. And so what? Nothing Mileta: but, and so I waked. But did nobody dream but I? I dreamed last night, but I hope dreams are contrary, that holding my head over a sweet smoke, all my hair blazed on a bright flame. methought Ismena cast water to quench it: yet the sparks fell on my bosom, and wiping them away with my hand, I was all in a gore blood, till one with a few fresh flowers staunched it. And so stretching myself as stiff I started, it was but a dream. It is a sign you shall fall in love with hearing fair words. Water signifieth counsel, flowers death. And nothing can purge your loving humour but death. You are no interpreter: but an interpreter, harping always upon love, till you be as blind as a harper. I remember last night but one, I dreamed mine eye tooth was loose, & that I thrust it out with my tongue. It foretelleth the loss of a friend: and I ever thought thee so full of prattle, that thou wouldest thrust out the best friend with the tattling.
nodes 435–443 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 21 of 27 in this edition
Length
472 words · 598 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.693 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I will follow thy counsell. For Venus, though she be in her latter age for yeares: yet is she in her Nonage for affections. When Venus ceaseth to loue, let loue cease to rule. But come, let vs to Vulcan. What dreames are these Mileta? and can there be no trueth in dreams? yea, dreams haue their trueth. Me thought I saw a Stock doue or woodquist, I knowe not how to tearm it, that brought short strawes to build his neast in a tall Caedar, where, whiles with his bill hee was framing his buylding, he lost as many fethers from his wings, as he laid strawes in his neast: yet scambling to catch hold to harbor in the house he had made, he so denly fell from the bough where he stoode. And thē pitifully casting vp his eies, he cried in such tearmes (as I imagined) as might either cōdemne the nature of such a tree, or the daring of such a minde. Whilest he lay quaking vpō the ground, & I gazing one the Caeder, I might perceiue Antes to breede in the rinde coueting only to hoord, & caterpillers to cleaue to the leaues, labouring only to suck, which caused mo leaues to fall frō the tree, thē there did feathers before frō the doue. Me thought Mileta, I sighed in my sleepe, pittying both the fortune of the bird, & the misfortun of the tree but in this time quils began to bud againe in the bird, which made him looke as though he would flie vp, and then wished I that the body of the tree woulde bowe, that hee might but creepe vp the tree, then and so▪ Hey, ho. And so what? Nothing Mileta: but, and so I waked. But did no bodie dreame but I? I dreamed last night, but I hope dreames are contrary, that holding my heade ouer a sweete smoke, al my haire blazd on a bright flame. Me thought Ismena cast water to quench it: yet the sparks fell on my bosom, and wiping them away with my hand, I was all in a gore bloud, till one with a few fresh flowers staunched it. And so stretching my self as stif I started, it was but a dream. It is a signe you shall fall in loue with hearinge faire words. Water signifieth counsell, flowers death. And nothing can purge your louing humour but death. You are no interpreter: but an interprater, harping alwaies vpon loue, till you be as blind as a Harpar. I remember last night but one, I dreamed mine eie tooth was lose, & that I thrust it out with my tonge. It foretelleth the losse of a friende: and I euer thought thee so full of prattle, that thou wouldest thrust out the best friend with the tatling.