Peele, George · published 1595 · first performed or written 1590 [c.1588-1594] (Annals) romance · Queen Elizabeth's Men unassigned nearest T22 Shepherds, flocks and Pan · 521 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T22: shepherd, pan, shepherds, love, sheep, flocks, fair, shepherdess, swain, away.
Now sit thee here & tell a heavy tale. Sad in thy mood, and sober in thy cheer, Here sit thee now and to thyself relate, The hard mishap of thy most wretched state. In Thessalie I lived in sweet content, Until that Fortune wrought my overthrow; For there I wedded was unto a dame, That lived in honour, virtue, love, and fame: But Sacrapant that cursed sorcerer, Being besotted with my beauteous love: My dearest love, my true betrothed wife, Did seek the means to rid me of my life. But worse than this, he with his chanting spells, Did turn me straight unto an ugly Bear; And when the sun doth settle in the west, Than I begin to don my ugly hide: And all the day I sit, as now you see, And speak in riddles all inspire with rage, Seeming an old and miserable man: And yet I am in April of my age. See where Venelia my betrothed love, Runs madding all enraged about the woods; All by his cursed and enchanting spells. But here comes Lampriscus my discontented neighbour. How now neighbour, you look toward the ground as well as I, you muse on something. Neighbour on nothing, but on the matter I so often moved to you: if you do any thing for charity, help me; if for neighbourhood or brotherhood, help me: never was one so cumbered as is poor Lampriscus: and to begin, I pray receive this pot of Honey to mend your fare. Thanks neighbour, set it down, Honey is always welcome to the Bear. And now neighbour let me here the cause of your coming. I am (as you know neighbour) a man unmarried, and lived so unquietly with my two wives, that I keep every year holy the day wherein I buried them both; the first was on saint Andrew's day; the other on saint Luke's. And now neighbour, you of this country say, your custom is out: but on with your tale neighbour. By my first wife, whose tongue wearied me alive, and sounded in my ears like the clapper of a great Bell, whose talk was a continual torment to all that dwelled by her, or lived nigh her, you have heard me say I had a handsome daughter. True neighbour. she it is that afflicts me with her continual clamours, and hangs on me like a burr: poor she is, and proud she is, as poor as a sheep new shorn, and as proud of her hopes, as a Peacock of her tail well grown. Well said Lampriscus, you speak it like an Englishman. As cursed as a wasp, and as froward as a child new taken from the mother's teat, she is to my age, as smoke to the eyes, or as vinegar to the teeth. Holily praised neighbour, as much for the next. By my other wife I had a daughter, so hard favoured, so foul and ill faced, that I think a grove full of golden trees; and the leaves of Rubies and Diamonds, would not be a dowry answerable to her deformity.
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)
Now sit thee here & tel a heauy tale. Sad in thy moode, and sober in thy cheere, Here sit thee now and to thy selfe relate, The hard mishap of thy most wretched state. In Thessalie I liu'd in sweete content, Vntill that Fortune wrought my ouerthrow; For there I wedded was vnto a dame, That liu'd in honor, vertue, loue, and fame: But Sacrapant that cursed sorcerer, Being besotted with my beauteous loue: My deerest loue, my true betrothed wife, Did seeke the meanes to rid me of my life. But worse than this, he with his chanting spels, Did turne me straight vnto an vgly Beare; And when the sunne doth settle in the west, Then I begin to don my vgly hide: And all the day I sit, as now you see, And speake in riddles all inspirde with rage, Seeming an olde and miserable man: And yet I am in Aprill of my age. See where Venelya my betrothed loue, Runs madding all inrag'd about the woods; All by his curssed and inchanting spels. But here comes Lampriscus my discontented neighbour. How now neighbour, you looke towarde the ground aswell as I, you muse on something. Neighbour on nothing, but on the matter I so often mooued to you: if you do any thing for charity, helpe me; if for neighborhood or brotherhood, helpe me: neuer was one so combered as is poore Lampryscus: and to begin, I pray receiue this potte of Honny to mend your fare. Thankes neighbor, set it downe, Honny is alwaies welcome to the Beare. And now neighbour let me heere the cause of your comming. I am (as you knowe neighbour) a man vnmaried, and liued so vnquietly with my two wiues, that I keepe euery yeare holy the day wherein I buried thē both; the first was on saint Andrewes day; the other on saint Lukes. And now neighbour, you of this country say, your custome is out: but on with your tale neighbour. By my first wife, whose tongue wearied me aliue, and sounded in my eares like the clapper of a great Bell, whose talke was a continuall torment to all that dwelt by her, or liued nigh her, you haue heard me say I had a handsome daughter. True neighbour. Shee it is that afflictes me with her continuall clamoures, and hangs on me like a Burre: poore shee is, and proude shee is, as poore as a sheepe new shorne, and as proude of her hopes, as a Peacock of her taile well growne. Well said Lampryscus, you speake it like an Englishman. As curst as a waspe, and as frowarde as a childe new taken from the mothers teate, shee is to my age, as smoake to the eyes, or as vinegar to the teeth. Holily praised neighbour, as much for the next. By my other wife I had a daughter, so hard fauoured, so foule and ill faced, that I thinke a groue full of golden trees; and the leaues of Rubies and Dyamonds, would not bee a dowrie aunswerable to her deformitie.