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 0.82 · 522 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
It is a bad cloth Tityrus that will take no colour, and a simple Father that can use no cunning, you make the people believe that you wish well, when you practise nothing but ill, wishing to be thought religious towards the Gods, when I know you deceitful towards men. You cannot overreach me Tityrus, overshoot yourself you may. It is a wily Mouse that will breed in the cat's ear, and he must halt cunningly, that will deceive a Cripple. Did you ever see me kiss my Daughter? you are deceived, it was my wife. And if you thought so young a piece unfit for so old a person, and therefore imagined it to be my child, not my spouse, you must know that silver hairs delight in golden locks, and the old fancies crave young Nurses, and frosty years must be thawed by youthful fierce. But this matter set aside, you have a fair daughter Tityrus, and it is pity you are so fond a Father. You are both either too fond or too froward: for whilst you dispute to save your Daughters, we neglect to prevent our destruction. Come let us away and seek out a sacrifice. we must sift out their cunning, and let them shift for themselves. Come Cupid to your task. First you must undo all these lovers knots, because you tied them. If they be true love knots, 'tis unpossible to unknit them, if false, I never tied them. Make no excuse but to it. Loue knots are tied with eyes, and cannot be undone with hands, made fast with thoughts, and cannot be unloosed with fingers, had Diana no task to set Cupid to but things impossible, I will to it. Why how now? you tie the knots faster. I cannot choose, it goeth against my mind to make them lose. Let me see, now 'tis unpossible to be undone. It is the true love knot of a woman's heart, therefore cannot be undone. That falls in sunder of itself. It was made of a man's thought which will never hang together. You have undone that well. ay, because it was never tide well. To the rest, for she will give you no rest. These two knots are finely untied. It was because I never tide them, the one was knit by Pluto, not Cupid, by money, not love, the other by force, not faith, by appointment, not affection. Why do you lay that knot aside. For death. Why? Because the knot was knit by faith, and must only be unknit of death. Why laugh you? Because it is the fairest and the falsest, done with greatest art and least truth, with best colours, and worst conceits. Who tide it? A man's tongue. Why do you put that in my bosom? Because it is only for a Woman's bosom. Why what is it? A woman's heart. Come let us go in, and tell that Cupid hath done his task, stay you behind Larissa, and see he sleep not, for Love will be idle, and take heed you surfeit not, for love will be wanton.
nodes 286–315 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 19 of 27 in this edition
Length
522 words · 666 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.823 (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)
It is a bad cloth Tyterus that will take no colour, and a simple Father that can vse no cunning, you make the people beleeue that you wish well, when you practise nothing but ill, wishing to be thought religious towards the Gods, when I knowe you deceitful towards men. You cannot ouer-reach me Tyterus, ouershoote your selfe you may. It is a wilie Mouse that will breede in the Cats eare, and hee must halt cunninglie, that will deceiue a Cripple. Did you euer see me kisse my Daughter? you are deceiued, it was my wife. And if you thought so young a peece vnfit for so old a person, and therefore imagined it to be my childe, not my spouse, you must knowe that siluer haires delight in golden lockes, and the olde fancies craue young Nurses, and frostie yeeres must bee thawed by youthfull fyers. But this matter set aside, you haue a faire daughter Tyterus, and it is pittie you are so fond a Father. You are bothe eyther too fonde or too froward: for whilst you dispute to saue your Daughters, we neglect to preuent our destruction. Come let vs away and seeke out a sacrifice. Wee must sift out their cunning, and let them shift for themselues. Come Cupid to your taske. First you must vndoe all these Louers knots, because you tyed them. If they be true loue knots, tis vnpossible to vnknit them, if false, I neuer tied them. Make no excuse but to it. Loue knots are tyde with eyes, and cannot be vndoone with hands, made fast with thoughts, and cannot be vnlosed with fingers, had Diana no taske to set Cupid to but things impossible, I wil to it. Why how now? you tie the knots faster. I cannot chuse, it goeth against my mind to make them loose. Let me see, nowe tis vnpossible to be vndoone. It is the true loue knotte of a womans hart, therefore cannot be vndoone. That fals in sunder of it selfe. It was made of a mans thought which will neuer hang together. You haue vndoone that well. I, because it was neuer tide well. To the rest, for shee will giue you no rest. These two knots are finely vntide. It was because I neuer tide them, the one was knit by Pluto, not Cupid, by money, not loue, the other by force, not faith, by appointment, not affection. Why doe you lay that knot aside. For death. Why? Because the knot was knit by faith, and must onely be vnknit of death. Why laugh you? Because it is the fairest and the falsest, doone with greatest arte and least trueth, with best collours, and worst conceits. VVho tide it? A mans tongue. Why doe you put that in my bosome? Because it is onely for a Womans bosome. Why what is it? A womans hart. Come let vs goe in, and tell that Cupid hath doone his taske, stay you behind Larissa, and see hee sleepe not, for Loue will be idle, and take heede you surfette not, for loue will be wanton.