The Love of King David and Fair Bathsheba · chunk 23 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 0.75 · 506 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T5: god, christ, david, sin, holy, israel, lord, mercy, sins, faith.
Not that fair hair with which the wanton winds Delight to play, and loves to make in curl, Wherein the Nightingales would build their nests, And make sweet bowers in every golden tress, To sing their lover every night asleep. O spoil not Ioab, Ioues fair ornaments, Which he hath sent to solace David's soul. The best ye see (my lords) are swift to sin, To sin our feet are washed with milk of Roes, And dried again with coals of lightning. O Lord thou seest the proudest sins, poor slave, And with his bridle, pull'st him to the grave, For my sake then spare lovely Absalon. we will my lord for thy sake favour him. Now hath Achitophel ordered his house, And taken leave of every pleasure there, Hereon depends Achitophel's delights, And in this circle must his life be closed. The wise Achitophel, whose counsel proved Ever as sound for fortunate success, As if men asked the Oracle of God, Is now used like the fool of Israel, Then set thy angry soul upon her wings, And let her fly into the shade of death, And for my death, let heaven for ever weep, Making huge floods upon the land I leave, To ravish them, and all their fairest fruits. Let all the sighs I breathed for this disgrace, Hang on my hedges like eternal mists, As mourning garments for their masters death. Ope earth, and take thy miserable son Into the bowels of thy cursed womb, Once in a surfeit thou didst spew him forth, Now for fell hunger suck him in again, And be his body poison to thy veins, And now thou hellish instrument of heaven, Once execute th'arrest of Ioues just doom, And stop his breast that curseth Israel. Now for the crown and throne of Israel, To be confirmed with virtue of my sword, And writ with David's blood upon the blade, Now Ioue let forth the golden firmament, And look on him with all thy fiery eyes, Which thou hast made to give their glories light, To show thou lovest the virtue of thy hand, Let fall a wreath of stars upon my head, Whose influence may govern Israel, With state exceeding all her other Kings. Fight lords and captains, that your sovereign's face May shine in honour brighter than the sun, And with the virtue of my beauteous rays, Make this fair land as fruitful as the fields, That with sweet milk and honey overflowed. God in the whiffing of a pleasant wind, Shall march upon the tops of Mulberry trees, To cool all breasts that burn with any griefs, As whilom he was good to Moses' men. By day the Lord shall sit within a cloud, To guide your footsteps to the fields of joy, And in the night a pillar bright as fire Shall go before you like a second sun, Wherein the essence of his godhead is, That day and night you may be brought to peace, And never swerve from that delightsome path,
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)
Not that fair haire with which the wanton winds Delight to play, and loues to make curle, Wherein the Nightingales would build their nests, And make sweet bowers in euery golden tresse, To sing their louer euery night asleepe. O spoile not Ioab, Ioues faire ornaments, Which he hath sent to solace Dauids soule. The best ye see (my lords) are swift to sinne, To sinne our feet are washt with milke of Roes, And dried againe with coales of lightening. O Lord thou seest the prowdest sinnes, poore slaue, And with his bridle, pulst him to the graue, For my sake then spare louely Absalon. Wee will my lord for thy sake fauour him. Now hath Achitophel orderd his house, And taken leaue of euery pleasure there, Hereon depends Achitophels delights, And in this circle must his life be closde. The wise Achitophel, whose counsell prou'd Euer as sound for fortunate successe, As if men askt the Oracle of God, Is now vsde like the foole of Israel, Then set thy angrie soule vpon her wings, And let her flie into the shade of death, And for my death, let heauen for euer weepe, Making huge flouds vpon the land I leaue, To rauish them, and all their fairest fruits. Let all the sighs I breath'd for this disgrace, Hang on my hedges like eternall mists, As mourning garments for their maisters death. Ope earth, and take thy miserable sonne Into the bowels of thy cursed wombe, Once in a surfet thou diddest spue him forth, Now for fell hunger sucke him in againe, And be his bodie poyson to thy vaines, And now thou hellish instrument of heauen, Once execute th'arrest of Ioues iust doome, And stop his breast that curseth Israel. Now for the crowne and throne of Israel, To be confirmd with vertue of my sword, And writ with Dauids bloud vpon the blade, Now Ioue let forth the golden firmament, And looke on him with all thy fierie eyes, Which thou hast made to giue their glories light, To shew thou louest the vertue of thy hand, Let fall a wreath of starres vpon my head, Whose influence may gouerne Israel, With state exceeding all her other Kings. Fight lords and captaines, that your soueraignes face May shine in honour brighter then the sunne, And with the vertue of my beautious raies, Make this faire land as fruitfull as the fields, That with sweet milke and hony ouerflow'd. God in the whissing of a pleasant wind, Shall march vpon the tops of Mulberie trees, To coole all breasts that burne with any greefes, As whylome he was good to Moyses men. By day the Lord shall sit within a cloud, To guide your footsteps to the fields of ioy, And in the night a piller bright as fire Shall goe before you like a second sunne, Wherein the essence of his godhead is, That day and night you may be brought to peace, And neuer swarue from that delightsome path,