Lyly, John · published 1592 · first performed or written 1589 (Annals) comedy · Children of Paul's (first) · before the Court T35 Fools, wit and railing typicality 0.76 · 542 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T35: fool, wit, aristippus, achilles, wise, fools, patroclus, thersites, master, men.
GEntlemen, so nice is the world, that for apparel there is no fashion, for Music no instrument, for diet no delicate, for plays no invention but breedeth satiety before noon, and contempt before night. Come to the Tailor, he is gone to the Painters, to learn how more cunning may lurk in the fashion, then can be expressed in the making. Ask the Musicians, they will say their heads ache with devising notes beyond Ela. inquire at Ordinaries, there must be salads for the Italian; picktooths for the Spaniard; pots for the German; porridge for the Englishman. At our exercises, Soldiers call for Tragedies, their object is blood: Courtiers for Comedies, their subject is love: Countrymen for pastorals, Shepherds are their Saints. Traffic and travel hath woven the nature of all Nations into ours, and made this land like Arras, full of device, which was Broadcloth, full of workmanship. Time hath confounded our minds, our minds the matter, but all cometh to this pass, that what heretofore hath been served in several dishes for a feast, is now minced in a charger for a Gallimaufry. If we present a mingle-mangle, our fault is to be excused, because the whole world is become an Hodgepodge. we are jealous of your judgements, because you are wise; of our own performance, because we are unperfect; of our author's device, because he is idle. Only this doth encourage us, that presenting our studies before Gentlemen, though they receive an inward mislike, we shall not be hissed with an open disgrace. Stirps rudis urtica est: stirps generosa, rosa. MIdas, where the Gods bestow benefits they ask thanks, but where they receive good turns they give rewards. Thou hast filled my belly with meat, mine ears with music, mine eyes with wonders. Bacchus of all the Gods is the best fellow, and Midas amongst men a king of fellows. All thy grounds are vineyards, thy corn grapes, thy chambers sellers, thy household stuff standing cups: and therefore ask any thing it shallbe granted. Wouldest thou have the pipes of thy conducts to run wine, the udders of thy beasts to drop nectar, or thy trees to bud ambrosia? Desirest thou to be fortunate in thy love, or in thy victories famous, or to have the years of thy life as many as the hairs on thy head? Nothing shallbe denied, so great is Bacchus, so happy is Midas. Bacchus, for a king to beg of a God it is no shame, but to ask with advise, wisdom; give me leave to consult: lest desiring things above my reach, I be fired with Phaeton: or against nature, & be drowned with Icarus: & so perishing, the world shall both laugh and wonder, crying, Magnis tamen excidit ausis. Consult, Bacchus will consent. Now my Lords, let me hear your opinions, what wish may make Midas most happy, and his Subjects best content? Were I a king I would wish to possess my mistress, for what sweetness can there be found in life, but love? whose wounds the more mortal they are to the heart, the more immortal they make the possessors: and who knoweth not that the possessing of that must be most precious, the pursuing whereof is so pleasing.
nodes 0–9 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 1 of 30 in this edition
Length
542 words · 738 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T35 — Fools, wit and railingcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.762 (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)
GEntlemen, so nice is the world, that for apparrel there is no fashion, for Musick no instrument, for diet no delicate, for playes no inuention but breedeth sacietie before noone, and contempt before night. Come to the Tayler, hee is gone to the Paynters, to learne howe more cunning may lurke in the fashion, then can bee expressed in the making. Aske the Musicions, they will say their heads ake with deuising notes beyonde Ela. Enquire at Ordinaries, there must be sallets for the Italian; picktooths for the Spaniard; pots for the German; porridge for the Englishman. At our exercises, Souldiers call for Tragedies, their obiect is bloud: Courtiers for Commedies, their subiect is loue: Countriemen for Pastoralles, Shepheards are their Saintes. Trafficke and trauell hath wouen the nature of all Nations into ours, and made this land like Arras, full of deuise, which was Broade-cloth, full of workemanshippe. Time hath confounded our mindes, our mindes the matter, but all commeth to this passe, that what heretofore hath beene serued in seuerall dishes for a feaste, is now minced in a charger for a Gallimaufrey. If wee present a mingle-mangle, our fault is to be excused, because the whole worlde is become an Hodge-podge. Wee are ielous of your iudgementes, because you are wise; of our owne performance, because we are vnperfect; of our Authors deuice, because he is idle. Onelie this doeth encourage vs, that presenting our studies before Gentlemen, thogh they receiue an inward mislike, wee shall not be hist with an open disgrace. Stirps rudis vrtica est: stirps generosa, rosa. MIdas, where the Gods bestowe benefits they aske thankes, but where they receiue good turns they giue rewards. Thou hast filled my belly with meate, mine eares with musicke, mine eies with wonders. Baccnus of all the Gods is the best fellow, and Midas amongst men a king of fellows. All thy grounds are vineyards, thy corne grapes, thy chambers sellers, thy houshold stuffe standing cuppes: and therfore aske any thing it shalbe graunted. Wouldest thou haue the pipes of thy conducts to run wine, the vdders of thy beasts to drop nectar, or thy trees to bud ambrosia? Desirest thou to be fortunate in thy loue, or in thy victories famous, or to haue the yeres of thy life as many as the haires on thy head? Nothing shalbe denied, so great is Bacchus, so happie is Midas. Bacchus, for a king to begge of a God it is no shame, but to aske with aduise, wisdom; geue me leaue to consult: least desiring things aboue my reach, I bee fiered with Phaeton: or against nature, & be drowned with Icarus: & so perishing, the world shal both laugh and wonder, crying, Magnis tamen excidit ausis. Consult, Bacchus will consent. Now my Lords, let me heare your opinions, what wish may make Mydas most happie, and his Subiects best content? Were I a king I would wish to possesse my mistresse, for what sweetnes can there be found in life, but loue? whose wounds the more mortall they are to the heart, the more immortal they make the possessors: and who knoweth not that the possessing of that must bee most pretious, the pursuing whereof is so pleasing.