The Love of King David and Fair Bathsheba · chunk 21 of 30
Peele, George · published 1599 · first performed or written 1594 [1593-1594] (Annals) biblical play; history · Queen Elizabeth's Men (?) T5 Christian faith, sin and salvation typicality 0.73 · 510 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T5: god, christ, david, sin, holy, israel, lord, mercy, sins, faith.
The man of Israel, that hath ruled as King, Or rather as the Tyrant of the land, Bolstering his hateful head upon the throne, That God unworthily hath blessed him with, Shall now I hope, lay it as low as hell, And be deposed from his detested chair. O that my bosom could by nature bear, A sea of poison to be powered upon His cursed head that sacred balm hath graced, And consecrated King of Israel: Or would my breath were made the smoke of hell, Infected with the sighs of damned souls, Or with the reeking of that serpent's gorge, That feeds on adders, toads, and venomous roots, That as I opened my revenging lips To curse the shepherd for his Tyranny, My words might cast rank poison to his pores, And make his swollen and rankling sinews crack, Like to the combat blows that break the clouds, When Ioues stout champions fight with fire, See where he cometh, that my soul abhors. I have prepared my pocket full of stones To cast at him, mingled with earth and dust, Which bursting with disdain, I greet him with. Come forth thou murderer and wicked man, The Lord hath brought upon thy cursed head The guiltless blood of Saul and all his sons, Whose royal throne thy baseness hath usurped, And to revenge it deeply on thy soul, The Lord hath given the kingdom to thy son, And he shall wreak the traitorous wrongs of Saul, Even as thy sin hath still importuned heaven, So shall thy murders and adultery Be punished in the sight of Israel, As thou deservest with blood, with death, and hell. Why doth his dead dog curse my lord the King, Let me alone to take away his head. Why meddleth thus the son of Zervia To interrupt the action of our God? Semei useth me with this reproach, Because the Lord hath sent him to reprove The sins of David, printed in his brows, With blood that blusheth for his conscience guilt, Who dares then ask him why he curseth me? If then thy conscience tell thee thou hast sinned, And that thy life is odious to the world, Command thy followers to shun thy face, And by thyself here make away thy soul, That I may stand and glory in thy shame. I am not desperate Semei like thyself, But trust unto the covenant of my God, Founded on mercy with repentance built, And finished with the glory of my soul. A murderer, and hope for mercy in thy end Hate and destruction sit upon thy brows To watch the issue of thy damned ghost, Which with thy latest gasp they'll take and tear, Hurling in every pain of hell a piece. Hence murderer, thou shame to Israel, Foul lecher, drunkard, plague to heaven and earth. What is it piety in David's thoughts, So to abhor from laws of policy In this extremity of his distress, To give his subjects cause of carelessness, Send hence the dog with sorrow to his grave.
seed 43: T4 · seed 44: T5 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
The man of Israel, that hath rul'd as King, Or rather as the Tyrant of the land, Bolstering his hatefull head vpon the throne, That God vnworthily hath blest him with, Shall now I hope, lay it as low as hell, And be depos'd from his detested chaire. O that my bosome could by nature beare, A sea of poyson to be powr'de vpon His cursed head that sacred baulme hath grac'd, And consecrated King of Israel: Or would my breath were made the smoke of hell, Infected with the sighs of damned soules, Or with the reeking of that serpents gorge, That feeds on adders, toads, and venomous roots, That as I opened my reuenging lips To curse the sheepeheard for his Tyrannie, My words might cast rancke poyson to his pores, And make his swolne and ranckling sinewes cracke, Like to the combat blowes that breake the clouds, When Ioues stout champions fight with fire, See where he commeth, that my soule abhors. I haue prepard my pocket full of stones To cast at him, mingled with earth and dust, Which bursting with disdaine, I greet him with. Come forth thou murtherer and wicked man, The Lord hath brought vpon thy cursed head The guiltlesse bloud of Saule and all his sonnes, Whose royall throne thy basenesse hath vsurpt, And to reuenge it deepely on thy soule, The Lord hath giuen the kingdome to thy sonne, And he shall wreake the traitrous wrongs of Saule, Euen as thy sinne hath still importund heauen, So shall thy murthers and adulterie Be punisht in the sight of Israel, As thou deserust with bloud, with death, and hell. Why doth his dead dog curse my lord the King, Let me alone to take away his head. Why medleth thus the son of Zeruia To interrupt the action of our God? Semei vseth me with this reproch, Because the Lord hath sent him to reproue The sinnes of Dauid, printed in his browes, With bloud that blusheth for his conscience guilt, Who dares then aske him why he curseth me? If then thy conscience tell thee thou hast sind, And that thy life is odious to the world, Command thy followers to shun thy face, And by thy selfe here make away thy soule, That I may stand and glorie in thy shame. I am not desperate Semei like thy selfe, But trust vnto the couenant of my God, Founded on mercie with repentance built, And finisht with the glorie of my soule. A murtherer, and hope for mercie in thy end Hate and destruction sit vpon thy browes To watch the issue of thy damned ghost, Which with thy latest gaspe theile take and teare, Hurling in euery paine of hell a peece. Hence murtherer, thou shame to Israel, Foule letcher, drunkard, plague to heauen and earth. What is it pietie in Dauids thoughts, So to abhorre from lawes of pollicie In this extremitie of his distresse, To giue his subiects cause of carelesnesse, Send hence the dog with sorrow to his graue.