1 The Troublesome Reign of King John · chunk 11 of 29
Anonymous · published 1611 · first performed or written 1591 (Annals) history · Queen Elizabeth's Men T10 England and France: war, embassy and pea typicality 0.79 · 511 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T10: france, french, england, king, lord, english, edward, talbot, peace, lords.
You men of Angior, and as I take it my loyal subjects, I have summoned you to the walls: to dispute on my right, were to think you doubtful therein, which I am persuaded you are not. In few words, our brother's son, backed with the king of France, have beleaguered your town upon a false pretended title to the same: in defence whereof I your liege Lord have brought our power to fence you from the Usurper, to free your intended servitude, and utterly to supplant the foemen, to my right and your rest. Say then, who keep you the town for? For our lawful King. I was no less persuaded: then in God's name open your gates, and let me enter. And it please your Highness we control not your title, neither will we rashly admit your entrance: if you be lawful King, with all obedience we keep it to your use, if not King, our rashness to be impeached for yielding, without more considerate trial: we answer not as men lawless, but to the behoof of him that proves lawful. I shall not come in then? No my Lord, till we know more. Then hear me speak in the behalf of Arthur son of Geffrey, elder brother to Iohn, his title manifest, with out contradiction, to the crown & kingdom of England, with Angiers, & divers towns on this side the sea: will you acknowledge him your liege Lord, who speaketh in my word, to entertain you with all favours, as beseemeth a King to his subjects, or a friend to his well-willers: or stand to the peril of your contempt, when his title is proved by the sword. We answer as before, till you have proved one right, we acknowledge none right, he that tries himself our Sovereign; to him will we remain firm subjects, and for him, and in his right we hold our town, as desirous to know the truth, as loath to subscribe before we know: more than this we cannot say, & more than this we dare not do. Then Iohn I defy thee, in the name and behalf of Arthur Plantagenet, thy king and cousin, whose right and patrimony thou detainest, as I doubt not, ere the day end, in a set battle make thee confess; whereunto, with a zeal to right, I challenge thee. I accept thy challenge, and turn the defiance to thy throat. And art thou gone misfortune haunt thy steps, And chill cold fear assail thy times of rest. Morpheus leave here thy silent Eban cave, Besiege his thoughts with dismal fantasies, And ghastly objects of pale threatening Mors. Affright him every minute with stern looks, Let shadow temper terror in his thoughts, And let the terror make the coward mad, And in his madness let him fear pursuit, And so in frenzy let the peasant die. Here is the ransom that allays his rage, The first freehold that Richard left his son: With which I shall surprise his living foes, As Hector's statue did the fainting Greekes.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 581–604 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 11 of 29 in this edition
Length
511 words · 655 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T10 — England and France: war, embassy and peacecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.789 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T8 · seed 44: T8 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
You men of Angiors, and as I take it my loiall ſubiects, I haue ſummoned you to the walls: to diſpute on my right, were to thinke you doubtfull therein, which I am perſwaded you are not. In few words, our brothers ſonne, backt with the king of France, haue beleagred your towne vpon a falſe pretended title to the ſame: in defence wherof I your liege Lord haue brought our power to fence you from the Vſurper, to free your intended ſeruitude, and vtterly to ſupplant the foemen, to my right and your reſt. Say then, who keepe you the towne for? For our lawfull King. I was no leſſe perſwaded: then in Gods name open your gates, and let me enter. And it pleaſe your Highnes we comptroll not your title, neither will wee raſhly admit your entrance: if you be lawfull King, with all obedience we keep it to your vſe, if not King, our raſhnes to be impeached for yeelding, without more conſiderate triall: wee anſwere not as men lawleſſe, but to the behoofe of him that prooues lawfull. I ſhall not come in then? No my Lord, till we know more. Then heare me ſpeak in the behalfe of Arthur ſon of Geffrey, elder brother to Iohn, his title manifeſt, with out contradiction, to the crowne & kingdom of England, with Angiers, & diuers townes on this ſide the ſea: wil you acknowledge him your liege Lord, who ſpeaketh in my word, to entertain you with all fauors, as beſeemeth a King to his ſubiects, or a friend to his welwillers: or ſtand to the peril of your contēpt, whē his title is proued by the ſword. We anſwer as before, till you haue proued one right, we acknowledge none right, he that tries himſelfe our Soueraigne; to him wil we remaine firme ſubiects, and for him, and in his right we hold our towne, as deſirous to know the truth, as loth to ſubſcribe before we know: more than this we cannot ſay, & more than this we dare not do. Then Iohn I defie thee, in the name and behalfe of Arthur Plantaginet, thy king and couſin, whoſe right and patrimony thou detaineſt, as I doubt not, ere the day end, in a ſet battel make thee confeſſe; whereunto, with a zeale to right, I challenge thee. I accept thy challenge, and turne the defiance to thy throat. And art thou gone misfortune haunt thy ſteps, And chill cold feare aſſaile thy times of reſt. Morpheus leaue here thy ſilent Eban caue, Beſiege his thoughts with diſmall fantaſies, And ghaſtly obiects of pale threatning Mors. Affright him euery minute with ſtearne lookes, Let ſhadow temper terror in his thoughts, And let the terror make the coward mad, And in his madneſſe let him feare purſuit, And ſo in frenſie let the peaſant die. Here is the ranſome that allaies his rage, The firſt freehold that Richard left his ſonne: With which I ſhall ſurprize his liuing foes, As Hectors ſtatue did the fainting Greekes.