Tancred and Gismund (Gismond of Salerne) · chunk 22 of 29
Wilmot, Robert / Hatton, Christopher / Noel, HenryAl., G.Stafford, Roderick · published 1591 · first performed or written 1567 [1567-1568; revised 1591] (Annals) tragedy · before the Court unassigned nearest T36 Hell, Furies and the language of punishm · 505 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
What mean these questions? whether tend thes words? Resolve us maidens, & release our fears. whatever news thou bring'st, discover them, Detain us not in this suspicious dread, The thought whereof is greater than the woe. O whither may I cast my looks? to heaven? Black pitchy clouds from thence rain down revenge The earth shall I behold? stained with the gore Of his heart blood that dide most innocent. Which way soe'er I turn mine eyes, methinks His butchered corpse stands staring in my face. We humbly pray thee to forbear these words So full of terror to our maiden hearts: The dread of things unknown breeds the suspect Of greater dread, until the worst be known. Tell therefore what hath chanced, and whereunto This bloody cup thou holdest in thy hand. Since so is your request that I shall do, Although my mind so sorrowful a thing Repines to tell, and though my voice eschews To say what I have seen: yet since your will So fixed stands to hear for what I rue, Your great desires I shall herein fulfil. First by Salerne City, amids the plain, There stands a hill, whose bottom huge and round, Thrown out in breadth, a large space doth contain And gathering up in height small from the ground Still less and less it mounts: there sometime was A goodly tower upreared, that flowered in fame While fate and fortune served, but time doth pass, And with his sway suppresseth all the same: For now the walls be evened with the plain. And all the rest so foully lies defaced: As but the only shade doth there remain Of that which there was built in time forepast: And yet that shows what worthy work tofore Hath there been reared: one parcel of that tower Yet stands, which eating time could not devour: A strong turret compact of stone and rock: Huge without, but horrible within: To pass to which by force of handy stroke A crooked strait is made, that enters in And leads into this ugly loathsome place. Within the which carved into the ground A deep dungeon there runs of narrow space Dreadful and dark, where never light is found: Into this hollow cave, by cruel hest Of king Tancred, were divers servants sent To work the horror of his furious breast, Erst nourished in his rage, and now stern bent, To have the same performed: I woeful man Amongst the rest, was one to do the thing That to our charge so straightly did belong, In sort as was commanded by the king. Within which dreadful prison when we came, The noble County Palurin that there Lay chained in gives, fast fettered in his bolts, Out of the dark dungeon we did uprear And haled him thence into a brighter place, That gave us light to work our tyranny. But when I once beheld his manly face, And saw his cheer, no more appalled with fear, Of present death, than he whom never dread
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)
What mean these questiōs? whether tend thes words? Resolue vs maidens, & release our fears. What euer newes thou bring'st, discouer them, Deteine vs not in this suspicious dread, ''The thought whereof is greater then the woe. O whither may I cast my lookes? to heauen? Blackpitchy clouds from thence rain down ruenge The earth shal I behold? stainde with the gore Of his heart bloud that dide most innocent. Which way so ere I turn mine eyes, me thinks His butchered corps stands staring in my face. We humbly pray thee to forbear these words So ful of terror to our mayden hearts: ''The dread of things vnknown breedes the suspect ''Of greater dread, vntil the worst be knowen. Tel therfore what hath chaunst, and whereunto This bloudy cup thou holdest in thy hand. Since so is your request that I shal doe, Although my mind so sorrowful a thing Repines to tell, and though my voice eschewes To say what I haue seene: yet since your will So fixed stands to heare for what I rue, Your great desires I shall herein fulfill. First by Salerne Citie, amids the plaine, There stands a hil, whose bottom huge and round, Throwen out in breadth, a large space doth contain And gathering vp in height small from the grounde Stil lesse and lesse it mounts: there sometime was A goodly towre vpreard, that flowrde in fame While fate and fortune seru'd, but time doth passe, And with his sway suppresseth all the same: For now the walles be euened with the plaine. And all the rest so fowly lies defast: As but the only shade doth there remaine Of that which there was built in time forepast: And yet that shewes what worthy work tofore Hath there been reard: one parcel of that towre Yet stands, which eating time could not deuoure: A str ong turret compact of stone and rock: Hugie without, but horrible within: To passe to which by force of handy stroke A crooked straite is made, that enters in And leades into this vgly loathsome place. Within the which carued into the ground A deep dungeon there runnes of narrow space Dreadful and darke, where neue light is found: Into this hollow caue, by cruel hest Of king Tancred, were diuers seruants sent To worke the horror of his furious brest, Earst nourisht in his rage, and now sterne bent, To haue the same performde: I woful man Amongst the rest, was one to do the thing That to our charge so straitly did belong, In sort as was commanded by the king. Within which dreadful prison when we came, The noble Countie Palurin that there Lay chain'd in giues, fast fettered in his bolts, Out of the darke dungeon we did vpreare And hal'd him thence into a brighter place, That gaue vs light to worke our tyrannie. But when I once beheld his manly face, And saw his cheare, no more appauld with feare, Of present death, then he whom neuer dread