Greene, Robert · published 1594 · first performed or written 1589 [1586-1590] (Annals) comedy · Queen Elizabeth's Men T56 Magic, spells and conjuring typicality 0.72 · 471 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T56: magic, faustus, charms, charm, conjure, spirits, skill, ho, power, spells.
Bacon we hear, that long we have suspect, That thou art read in Magic's mystery, In Piromancie to divine by flames, To tell by Hydromantic, ebbs and tides, By Aeromancie, to discover doubts, To plain out questions, as Apollo did. Well master Burden, what of all this? Marie sir he doth but fulfil by rehearsing of these names the Fable of the Fox and the grapes, that which is above us, pertains nothing to us. I tell thee Bacon, Oxford makes report, Nay England, and the court of Henry says, Thart making of a brazen head by art, Which shall unfold strange doubts and aphorisms, And read a lecture in Philosophy, And by the help of Devils and ghastly fiends, Thou meanest ere many years or days be past, To compass England with a wall of brass. And what of this? What of this master, why he doth speak mystically, for he knows if your skill fail to make a brazen head, yet mother water strong ale will fit his turn to make him have a coppernose. Bacon we come not grieving at thy skill, But ioieng that our Academy yields A man supposed the wonder of the world, For if thy cunning work these miracles, England and Europe shall admire thy fame, And Oxford shall in characters of brass, And statues, such as were built up in Rome, Eternize Friar Bacon for his art. Then gentle Friar, tell us thy intent. Seeing you come as friends unto the friar Resolve you doctors, Bacon can by books, Make storming Boreas' thunder from his cave, And dim fair Luna to a dark Eclipse, The great arch-ruler, potentate of hell, Trembles, when Bacon bids him, or his fiends, Bow to the force of his Pentageron. What art can work, the frolic friar knows, And therefore will I turn my Magic books, And strain out Necromancy to the deep, I have contrived and framed a head of brass, (I made Belzephon hammer out the stuff) And that by art shall read Philosophy, And I will strengthen England by my skill, That if ten Caesars lived and reigned in Rome, With all the legions Europe doth contain, They should not touch a grass of English ground, The work that Ninus reared at Babylon, The brazen walls framed by Semiramis, Carved out like to the portal of the sun, Shall not be such as rings the English strand: From Dover to the market place of Rie. Is this possible? I'll bring ye to or three witnesses. What be those? Marry sir three or four as honest devils, and good companions as any be in hell. No doubt but magic may do much in this, For he that reads but Mathematic rules, Shall find conclusions that avail to work, Wonders that pass the common sense of men.
nodes 150–206 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 4 of 32 in this edition
Length
471 words · 621 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T56 — Magic, spells and conjuringcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.721 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T45 · seed 44: T51 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Bacon we hear, that long we haue ſpect, That thou art read in Magicks myſerie, In Piromancie to diuine by flames, To tell by Hadromaticke, ebbes and tides, By Aeromancie, to diſcouer doubts, To plaine out queſtions, as Apollo did. Well maiſter Bden, what of all this? Marie ir he doth but fulfill by rehearſing of theſ names the Fable of the Fox and the gpes, that which is abou vs, pertains nothing to vs. I tell thee Bacon, Oxford makes report, Nay England, and the court of Henrie ſaies, Thart making of a brazen head by art, Which ſhall vnfold ſtrang doubts and Aphoriſme, And read a lecture in Philoſophie, And by the helpe of Diuels and ghaſtly fiends, Thou meanſt ere many yeares or daies be paſt, To compaſſe England with a wall of braſſe. And what of this? What of this maiſter, why he doth ſpeak myſtically, for he knowes if your skill faile to make a brazen head, yet mother waters ſtrong ale will it his turne to make him haue a coppernoſe. Bacon we come not greeuing at thy skill, But ioieng that our Academi yeelds A man ſuppoſde the woonder ofthe world, For if thy cunning worke theſe myracles, England and Europe ſhall admire thy fame, And Oxford ſhall in characters of braſſe, And ſtatues, ſuch as were built vp in Rome, Eternize Frier Bacon for his art. Then gentle Frier, tell vs thy intent. Seeing you come as friends vnto the frier Reſolue you doctors, Bacon can by bookes, Make ſtorming Boreas thunder from his caue, And dimme faire Luna to a darke Eclipſe, The great arch-ruler, potentate of hell, Trembles, when Bacon bids him, or his fiends, Bow to the force of his Pentageron. What art can worke, the frolicke frier knowes, And therefore will I turne my Magicke bookes, And ſtraine out Nigromancie to the deepe, I haue contrivd and framde a head of braſe, (I made Belcephon hammer ut the ſtuffe) And that by art ſhall read Philoſophie, And I will ſtrengthen England by my skill, That if ten Caeſars livd and raigd in Rome, With all the legions Europe doth containe, They ſhould not touch a graſſe of Engliſh ground, The worke that Ninus reard at Babylon, The brazen walles framde by Semiramis, Carued out like to the portall of the ſunne, Shall not be ſuch as rings the Engliſh ſtond: From Douer to the market place of Ri. Is this poſsible? Ile bring ye to or three witneſſes. What be thoſe? Marry ir three or foure as honeſt diuels, and good companions as any be in hell. No doubt but magicke may doe much in this, For he that reades but Mathematicke rules, Shall finde concluſions that auaile to worke, Wonder that paſſe the common ſenſe of men.