Lyly, John · published 1592 · first performed or written 1585 [1583-1585] (Annals) comedy · Children of Paul's (first) (?) · before the Court T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs typicality 0.79 · 503 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
How now? what new conceits, what strange contraries breed in thy mind? is thy Diana become a Venus, thy chaste thoughts turned to wanton looks, thy conquering modesty to a captive imagination? Beginnest thou with Piralis to die in the air and live in the fire, to leave the sweet delight of hunting, and to follow the hot desire of love? O Telusa, these words are unfit for thy sex being a virgin, but apt for thy affections being a Lover. And can there in years so young, in education so precise, in vows so holy, and in a heart so chaste, enter either a strong desire, or a wish, or a wavering thought of love? Can Cupid's brands quench Vesta's flames, and his feeble shafts headed with feathers, pierce deeper the Diana's arrows headed with steel? Break thy bow Telusa that seekest to break thy vow, and let those hands that aimed to hit the wild Hart, scratch out those eyes that have wounded thy tame heart. O vain and only naked name of Chastity, that is made eternal, and perish by time: holy, and is infected by fancy: divine, and is made mortal by folly. virgin's hearts I perceive are not unlike Cotton trees, whose fruit is so hard in the bud, that it soundeth like steel, and being ripe, poureth forth nothing but wool, and their thoughts like the leaves of Lunary, which the further they grow from the Sun, the sooner they are scorched with his beams. O Melebeus, because thou art fair, must I be fickle, and false my vow because I see thy virtue? Fond girl that I am to think of love, nay vain profession that I follow to disdain love, but here cometh Eurota, I must now put on a red mask and blush, lest she perceive my pale face and laugh. Telusa, Diana bid me hunt you out, & saith that you care not to hunt with her, but if you follow any other Game than she hath roused, your punishment shall be to bend all our bows, and weave all our strings. Why look ye so pale, so sad, so wildly. Eurota the Game I follow is the thing I fly: my strange disease my chief desire. I am no Oedipus to expound riddles, and I muse how thou canst be Sphinx to utter them. But I pray thee Telusa tell me what thou ailest, if thou be sick, this ground hath leaves to heal: if melancholy, here are pastimes to use: if peevish, wit must wean it, or time, or counsel. If thou be in love (for I have heard of such a beast called love) it shall be cured, why blushest thou Telusa? To hear thee in reckoning my pains to recite thine own. I saw Eurota how amorously you glanced your eye on the fair boy in the white coat, and how cunningly (now that you would have some talk of love) you hit me in the teeth with love.
nodes 173–177 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 11 of 27 in this edition
Length
503 words · 649 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.793 (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)
HOwe nowe? what newe conceits, vvhat strange contraries breede in thy minde? is thy Diana become a Venus, thy chast thoughts turnd to wanton lookes, thy conquering modestie to a captiue imagination? Beginnest thou with Piralis to die in the ayre and liue in the fire, to leaue the sweete delight of hunting, and to followe the hote desire of loue? O Telusa, these words are vnfit for thy sexe beeing a virgine, but apt for thy affections being a Louer. And can there in yeeres so young, in education so precise, in vowes so holy, and in a hart so chaste, enter eyther a strong desire, or a wish, or a wauering thought of loue? Can Cupids brands quench Vestas flames, and his feeble shafts headed with feathers, pearce deeper the Dianaes arrowes headed with steele? Breake thy bowe Telusa that seekest to breake thy vowe, and let those hands that aymed to hit the wilde Hart, scratche out those eyes that haue wounded thy tame hart. O vaine and onely naked name of Chastitie, that is made eternall, and perish by time: holy, and is infected by fancy: diuine, and is made mortall by folly. Virgins harts I perceiue are not vnlike Cotton trees, whose fruite is so hard in the budde, that it soundeth like steele, and beeing rype, poureth forth nothing but wool, and theyr thoughts like the leaues of Lunary, which the further they growe from the Sunne, the sooner they are scorched with his beames. O Melebeus, because thou art fayre, must I be fickle, and false my vowe because I see thy vertue? Fonde gyrle that I am to thinke of loue, nay vaine profession that I follow to disdaine loue, but heere commeth Eurota, I must nowe put on a redde maske and blushe, least she perceiue my pale face and laugh. Telusa, Diana bid me hunt you out, & saith that you care not to hunt with her, but if you followe any other Game then she hath rowsd, your punishment shall be to bend all our bowes, and weaue al our strings. Why looke ye so pale, so sad, so wildly. Eurota the Game I follow is the thing I flye: my strange disease my chiefe desire. I am no Oedipus to expound riddles, and I muse how thou canst be Sphinx to vtter them. But I pray thee Telusa tell mee what thou aylest, if thou be sicke, this ground hath leaues to heale: if melancholie, heere are pastimes to vse: if peeuish, wit must weane it, or time, or counsell. Yf thou be in loue (for I haue heard of such a beast called loue) it shall be cured, why blushest thou Telusa? To heare thee in reckoning my paines to recite thine owne. I saw Eurota howe amorouslie you glaunced your eye on the faire boy in the white coate, and howe cunninglie (now that you would haue some talke of loue) you hit me in the teeth with loue.