Anonymous · published 1596 · first performed or written 1594 [Oct 23] (Annals) tragicomedy · Admiral's (Nottingham's) Men T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.79 · 490 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
I cry in all men's ears with eager words, That many seek their danger by despair, That many die for murders yet undone, I speak to thee, alas that men were wise, To know their good, as their infirmity. Tell me Lelio, what moveth thee free from justice hands To seek out death with desperate intent? That which would move the best and wisest man Had he but self same causes as I had. Discourse and let these aged fathers know them all. What shall they know, in knowing my mishap, That will not mollify their marble minds, Who first having slain his dearest friend? Next caused his father's banishment, And last his wife to live in misery, And would not seek ease for their disgrace, First pay his slaughtered friend with dearest blood, Next call his father home from banishment, And seeing his wife and daughter once oppressed, To get endowment and relief for both: But all my hope is lost, I die in vain, Which yields a double torment to my pain. Give sentence Prince, delay not by my death, To rid me from a world of miseries. Law must have course, though pity plead for thee: Scribe read the sentence. Whereas by sufficient testimony & public confession Lord Lelio is found guilty for the murder of Sempronio, It is adjudged and ratified by the noble Duke of Venice, And the most worthy Senators his assistants, That for his offence in public place of justice, Lord Lelio shall lose his head. Seruio take the brief, see execution done. Stay cruel man, trained up in cruelty, Annetta woeful wife, with earnest tears, Publish some sorrow for her zealous mind: Great judges of the state, hear me but speak: Pity for Lelio, grant my husband life. It may not be, justice will have no pause. Yet mercy Prince, should moderate the Laws. Who spares the guilty, anymates the bad. Who spareth none, doth hate to justice add. Pity with justice never well agrees. Yes when it moderates severe decrees. What cause of plea hath this audacious maid? Such cause as virtuous men may wonder at: I claim the pension of a thousand crowns, For I my Lords present my father's head. I claim a revocation noble Lords, For Brishio, for he doth merit it, By sending Lelio home to you alive, And tendering him to justice by our means. So than unless you ratify your laws, And call my father home from banishment, And pay the thousand Crowns to Lucida. Ad this to your justice cruel Lords: That both the wife and daughter may be lead, To die with him that doth unjustly die. Seruio presented Lelio unto us, And he deserves the pension of the state. Lelio discovered unto us, And we deserve the pension of the state. Lelio first discovered unto us, And we deserve the pension of the state: He to endow me, sought his danger forth.
nodes 1302–1366 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 22 of 26 in this edition
Length
490 words · 638 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.790 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T7 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I cry in all mens eares with egar words, That many ſeeke their danger by diſpayre, That many die for murders yet vndone, I ſpeake to thee, alas that men were wiſe, To know their good, as their infirmitie. Tell me Lelio, what moueth thee free from Iuſtice hands To ſeeke out death with deſperate intent? That which would moue the beſt and wiſeſt man Had he but ſelfe ſame cauſes as I had. Diſcourſe and let theſe aged fathers know them all. What ſhall they know, in knowing my miſhappe, That will not molifie their marble mindes, Who firſt hauing ſlayne his deareſt friend? Next cauſed his fathers baniſhment, And laſt his wife to liue in miſery, And would not ſeeke eaſe for their diſgrace, Firſt pay his ſlaughtered friend with deareſt blood, Next call his father home from baniſhment, And ſeeing his wife and daughter once oppreſt, To get indowment and reliefe for both: But all my hope is loſt, I die in vaine, VVhich yeelds a double torment to my payne. Giue ſentence Prince, delay not by my death, To rid me from a world of miſeries. Law muſt haue courſe, though pittie plead for thee: Scribe read the ſentence. VVhereas by ſufficient teſtimonie & publicke confeſſiō Lord Lelio is founde guilty for the murder of Sempronio, It is adiudged and ratified by the noble Duke of Venice, And the moſt worthy Senators his aſſiſtantes, That for his offence in publicke place of Iuſtice, Lord Lelio ſhall looſe his head. Seruio take the briefe, ſee execution doone. Stay cruell man, traynd vp in cruelty, Annetta wofull wife, with earneſt teares, Publiſh ſome ſorrow for her zealous minde: Great Iudges of the ſtate, heare me but ſpeake: Pyttie for Lelio, grant my husband life. It may not be, Iuſtice will haue no pauſe. Yet mercy Prince, ſhould moderate the Lawes. VVho ſpares the guyltie, anymates the bad. VVho ſpareth none, doth hate to Iuſtice adde. Pittie with Iuſtice neuer wel agrees. Yes when it moderates ſeuere decrees. VVhat cauſe of plea hath this audacious mayde? Such cauſe as vertuous men may wonder at: I clayme the penſion of a thouſand crownes, For I my Lords preſent my fathers head. I clayme a reuocation noble Lords, For Briſhio, for he doth merit it, By ſending Lelio home to you aliue, And tendring him to Iuſtice by our meanes. So then vnleſſe you ratifie your lawes, And call my father home from baniſhment, And pay the thouſand Crownes to Lucida. Ad this to your Iuſtice cruell Lords: That both the wife and daughter may be lead, To die with him that doth vniuſtly die. Seruio preſented Lelio vnto vs, And hee deſerues the penſion of the ſtate. Lelio diſcouered vnto vs, And we deſerue the penſion of the ſtate. Lelio firſt diſcouered vnto vs, And we deſerue the penſion of the ſtate: He to indow me, ſought his danger forth.