Greene, Robert · published 1630 · first performed or written 1589 [1586-1590] (Annals) comedy · Queen Elizabeth's Men T56 Magic, spells and conjuring typicality 0.73 · 472 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T56: magic, faustus, charms, charm, conjure, spirits, skill, ho, power, spells.
Bacon, we hear, that song we have suspect, That thou art read in magic's mystery, In Pyromancy, to divine by flames, To tell by hydromantic, ebbs and tides, By Aeromancy, to discover doubts, To plain out questions, as Apollo did. Well Master Burden, what of all this? marry sir, he doth but fulfil by rehearsing of these names, the Fable of the Fox & 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 meanst ere many years or days be passed, 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 Waters' strong Ale will fit his turn to make him have a copper nose. Bacon, we come not grieving at thy skill, But joying 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 Belcephon 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 Rye. Is this possible? I'll bring ye two 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.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 150–206 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 4 of 33 in this edition
Length
472 words · 624 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T56 — Magic, spells and conjuringcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.735 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
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 heare, that ſong we haue ſuſpect, That thou art read in Magicks myſtery, In Piromancy, to diuine by flames, To tell by Hadromaticke, ebbes and tides, By Aeromancy, to diſcouer doubts, To plaine out queſtions, as Apollo did. Well Maſter Burden, what of all this? Mary ſir, he doth but fulfill by rehearſing of theſe names, the Fable of the Fox & the Grapes, that which is aboue vs, pertaines nothing to vs. I tell thee Bacon, Oxford makes report, Nay England, and the Court of Henry ſayes, Thart making of a brazen head by Art, Which ſhall vnfold ſtrange doubts and Aphoriſmes, And read a Lecture in Philoſophy, And by the helpe of Deuils and ghaſtly fiends, Thou meanſt ere many yeeres or dayes be paſt, To compaſſe England with a wall of braſſe. And what of this? What of this, Maſter? why he doth ſpeake myſtically, for he knowes if your skill faile to make a brazen head, yet Mother Waters ſtrong Ale will fit his turne to make him haue a copper noſe. Bacon, we come not greeuing at thy skill, But ioying that our Academy yeelds A man ſuppos'd the wonder of the world, For if thy cunning worke theſe miracles, England and Europe ſhall admire thy fame, And Oxford ſhall in characters of braſſe, And ſtatues, ſuch as were built vp in Rome, Eternize Fryer Bacon for his Art. Then gentle Fryer, tell vs thy intent. Seeing you come as friends vnto the Fryer, 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 Fryer knowes, And therefore will I turne my Magicke bookes, And ſtraine out Nigromancie to the deepe, I haue contriu'd and fram'd a head of braſſe, (I made Belcephon hammer out the ſtuffe) And that by Art ſhall read Philoſophy, And I will ſtrengthen England by my skill, That if ten Caeſars liu'd and raign'd 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 walls fram'd by Semiramis, Carued out like to the portall of the Sunne, Shall not be ſuch as rings the Engliſh ſtrond: From Douer to the market place of Rye. Is this poſſible? Ile bring ye two or three witneſſes. What be thoſe? Marry ſir, three or foure as honeſt Deuils, and good companions as any be in hell. No doubt but Magicke may doe much in this, For he that reads but Mathemoticke rules, Shall finde concluſions, that auaile to worke Wonders that paſſe the common ſence of men.