Anonymous · published 1596 · first performed or written 1594 [Oct 23] (Annals) tragicomedy · Admiral's (Nottingham's) Men T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.71 · 501 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Thou dost demean too much intemperance, Thou foolish man arise, do not slain the badge of age And wisdom by misgovernment: Our senators in Venice are well schooled in such haps, And can doom of things, not by thy tears, Or sorrow working words, But by the truth and estimate of acts, Thou sayest that Lelio slew Sempronio, But that assertion Seruio must not serve, To prove him guilty in these reverend ears. What proofs produceth Seruio to the state, To prove Lord Lelio guilty of the murder, When as through Venice nothing was more found, Then faithful friendship plighted twixt them twain. That love which was twixt them before, Doth make the murder far more monstrous, But princes, in a word, behold the man That saw the murder and can witness it, Examine him, and let his proofs prevail. Lords, let not Lelios' honour blear your eyes, Speak sirrah, Did Lelio kill Sempronio. And shall please your honours grace and worships I for fault of a better shepherd to Lord Seruio here, And upon a time, let me see, O 'twas yesterday, when my master's sheep & I were at breakfast together I saw Lelio and Sempronio fight so long, That Lelio thrust his sword into Sempronios belly, Whereupon he died, and it shall please your worshipful worships, All this will I be forsworn to, with my neighbour Menalchus & good man Coridon, & the rest that followed the cry, with Slip my dog & others forsooth. This homely tale doth savour of truth. Truth soundeth sweetly in a silly tongue. Craft often lurketh in a shepherds coat. Sir you do abuse our profession, For Craft, goodman Coridon's dog Near wore coat nor breeches, I'll stand to it. My Lord and father, break contention off, The proofs are found, then let it not be said, Your mightiness should be miscarried, By contradiction of two Senators. My son, my silence tells me many things, By it I find the depth of each man's drift, And gathering things by certain circumstance, Am better able to discern the truth, Lords take your places, and resolve on this, That Lelio by approved truth is found To be the murderer of Sempronio, His lands and goods be seized to public use, We doom him dead. Besides, whatever man Can bring his head unto the Senate house, Shall have a thousand crowns for recompense, Paid him forth of our treasury, Further, least private friends should succour him, We do enact that whatsoever man, Shall dare conceal or hide the murderer, Shall be banished, and his goods confiscate. Senators allow you this. justice this sentence great Venetian Duke. Remit thou yet thy stern austerity, Most mighty prince, and be not so severe, Though Lelio by the law do merit death, There is no law that may defraud his wife, Or leave his daughter without maintenance, O grant thou this just favour mighty Duke, That they may keep possession of his house, Although the commonwealth command his goods.
nodes 136–200 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 3 of 26 in this edition
Length
501 words · 682 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.707 (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)
Thou doeſt demeane too much intemperance, Thou fooliſh man ariſe, do not ſtain the badge of age And wiſedome by miſgouernment: Our ſenators in Venice are well ſchoold in ſuch haps, And can doome of things, not by thy teares, Or ſorrow working wordes, But by the truth and eſtimate of acts, Thou ſayſt that Lelio ſlew Sempronio, But that aſſertion Seruio muſt not ſerue, To proue him guiltie in theſe reuerend eares. What proofes produceth Seruio to the ſtate, To proue Lord Lelio guiltie of the murther, When as through Venice nothing was more found, Then faithfull friendſhip plighted twixt them twain. That loue which was twixt them before, Doth make the murther farre more monſtrous, But princes, in a word, behold the man That ſawe the murder and can witnes it, Examine him, and let his proofes preuaile. Lords, let not Lelios honor bleare your eies, Speake ſirrha, Did Lelio kill Sempronio. And ſhal pleaſe your honors grace and worſhips I for fault of a better ſhepheard to Lord Seruio heere, And vpon a time, let me ſee, O twas yeſterday, when my maſters ſheep & I were at breakfaſt together I ſawe Lelio and Sempronio fighting ſo long, That Lelio thruſt his ſword into Sempronios belly, Whereupon he died, and it ſhall pleaſe your worſhipfull worſhips, All this wil I be forſworne to, with my neighbor Menalchus & good man Coridon, & the reſt that followed the crie, with Slip my dog & others forſoth. This homely tale doth ſauor of truth. Truth ſoundeth ſweetly in a ſilly tong. Craft often lurketh in a ſhepheards coate. Sir you do abuſe our profeſsion, For Craft, goodman Coridons dog Nere wore coate nor breeches, Ile ſtand to it. My Lord and father, breake contention off, The proofes are found, then let it not be ſayde, Your mightines ſhould be miſcarried, By contradiction of two Senators. My ſonne, my ſilence tels me many things, By it I finde the deapth of each mans drifte, And gathering things by certaine circumſtance, Am better able to diſcerne the truth, Lordes take your places, and reſolue on this, That Lelio by approued truth is found To be the murtherer of Sempronio, His lands and goods be ſiez'd to publike vſe, We doome him dead. Beſides, whateuer man Can bring his head vnto the Senate houſe, Shall haue a thouſand crownes for recompence, Paid him forth of our treaſurie, Further, leaſt priuate friends ſhould ſuccor him, We do enact that whatſoeuer man, Shall dare conceale or hide the murtherer, Shall be baniſht, and his goods confiſcat. Senators allow you this. Iuſtice this ſentence great Venetian Duke. Remit thou yet thy ſterne auſteritie, Moſt mightie prince, and be not ſo ſeuere, Though Lelio by the lawe do merit death, There is no lawe that may defraud his wife, Or leaue his daughter without maintenance, O grant thou this iuſt fauor mightie Duke, That they may keepe poſſeſsion of his houſe, Although the common-wealth command his goods.