The Love of King David and Fair Bathsheba · chunk 3 of 30
Peele, George · published 1599 · first performed or written 1594 [1593-1594] (Annals) biblical play; history · Queen Elizabeth's Men (?) unassigned nearest T17 Eastern conquest: Persians, Turks and so · 451 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T17: tamburlaine, persian, cyrus, king, mahomet, arms, mighty, assyrian, thousand, army.
Too near my lord was your unarmed heart, When furthest off my hapless beauty pierced, And would this dreary day had turned tonight, Or that some pitchy cloud had cloaked the Sun, Before their lights had caused my lord to see His name disparaged, and my chastity. My love, if want of love have left thy soul, A sharper sense of Honour then thy King, (For love leads Princes sometimes from their seats,) As erst my heart was hurt, displeasing thee, So come and taste thy ease, with easing me. One medicine cannot heal our different harms. But rather make both rankle at the bone, Then let the King be cunning in his cure, lest flattering both, both perish in his hand. Leave it to me my dearest Bethsabe, Whose skill is conversant in deeper cures, And Cusay hast thou to my servant Ioab, Commanding him to send Urias home With all the speed can possibly be used. Cusay will fly about the king's desire. Courage ye mighty men of Israel, And charge your fatal instruments of war Upon the bosoms of proud Ammon's sons, That have disguised your king's Ambassadors, Cut halfe their beards, and half their garments off, In spite of Israel, and his daughter's sons, Ye fight the holy battles of Iehoua, King David's God, and ours and Iacobs God That guides your weapons to their conquering strokes, Order your footsteps, and directs your thoughts To stratagems that harbour victory: He casts his sacred eyesight from on high, And sees your foes run seeking for their deaths, Laughing their labours and their hopes to scorn, While twixt your bodies, and their blunted swords, He puts on armour of his honours proof, And makes their weapons wound the senseless winds. Before this city Rabath we will lie, And shoot forth shafts as thick and dangerous As was the hail that Moses mixed with fire, And threw with fury round about the fields Devouring Pharaoh's friends, and Egypt's fruits. First mighty captains, Ioab and Abisay, Let us assault and scale this kingly Tower, Where all their conduits and their fountains are, Then we may easily take the city too. Well hath Urias counselled our attempts, And as he spoke us, so assault the Tower, Let Hanon now the king of Ammon's son, Repulse our conquering passage if he dare. What would the shepherds dogs of Israel Snatch from the mighty issue of King Ammon, The valiant Amonnes, and haughty Syrians? 'tis not your late successive victories, Can make us yield, or quail our courages, But if ye dare assay to scale this Tower, Our angry swords shall smite ye to the ground, And venge our losses on your hateful lives.
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)
Too neere my lord was your vnarmed heart, When furthest off my haplesse beautie pierc'd, And would this drerie day had turnd to night, Or that some pitchie cloud had clok'd the Sun, Before their lights had caus'd my lord to see His name disparag'd, and my chastitie. My loue, if want of loue haue left thy soule, A sharper sence of Honor then thy King, (For loue leads Princes sometimes from their seats,) As erst my heart was hurt, displeasing thee, So come and tast thy ease, with easing me. One medicine cannot heale our different harmes. But rather make both ranckle at the bone, Then let the King be cunning in his cure, Least flattering both, both perish in his hand. Leaue it to me my deerest Bethsabe, Whose skill is conuersant in deeper cures, And Cusay hast thou to my seruant Ioab, Commanding him to send Vrias home With all the speed can possibly be vsed. Cusay will flie about the Kings desire. Courage ye mightie men of Israel, And charge your fatall instruments of war Vpon the bosomes of prowd Ammons sonnes, That haue disguisd your Kings Embassadors, Cut halfe their beards, and halfe their garments off, In spight of Israel, and his daughters sonnes, Ye fight the holy battels of Iehoua, King Dauids God, and ours and Iacobs God That guides your weapons to their conquering strokes, Orders your footsteps, and directs your thoughts To stratagems that harbor victorie: He casts his sacred eiesight from on high, And sees your foes run seeking for their deaths, Laughing their labours and their hopes to scorne, While twixt your bodies, and their blunted swords, He puts on armor of his honors proofe, And makes their weapons wound the sencelesse winds. Before this citie Rabath we will lie, And shoot forth shafts as thicke and dangerous As was the haile that Moises mixt with fire, And threw with furie round about the fields Deuouring Pharoes friends, and Egypts fruits. First mighty captaines, Ioab and Abisay, Let vs assault and scale this kingly Tower, Where all their conduits and their fountaines are, Then we may easily take the citie too. Well hath Vrias counseld our attempts, And as he spake vs, so assault the Tower, Let Hanon now the king of Ammons sonne, Repulse our conquering passage if he dare. What would the shepheards dogs of Israel Snatch from the mighty issue of King Ammon, The valiant Amonnes, and haughty Syrians? Tis not your late successiue victories, Can make vs yeeld, or quaile our courages, But if ye date assay to scale this Tower, Our angrie swords shall smite ye to the ground, And venge our losses on your hatefull liues.