Jonson, Ben · published 1600 · first performed or written 1599 (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T9 Theatre talk: prologues, poets and playe typicality 0.75 · 480 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T9: play, stage, poet, prologue, author, wit, plays, muse, scene, players.
Look through and through me; I pursue no favour: Only vouchsafe me your attentions, And I will give you music worth your ears. O how I hate the monstrousness of time, Where every servile imitating spirit, (Plagued with an itching leprosy of wit) In a mere halting fury, strives to fling His ulcerous body in the Thespian spring, And straight leaps forth a Poet; but as lame As Vulcan, or the founder of Cripplegate. In faith this Humour will come ill to some, You will be thought to be too peremptory. This Humour? good; and why this Humour, Mitis? Nay do not turn, but answer. Answer? what? I will not stir your patience, pardon me, I urged it for some reasons, and the rather To give these ignorant wellspoken days Some taste of their abuse of this word Humour. O do not let your purpose fall, good Asper, It cannot but arrive most acceptable, Chiefly to such as have the happiness Daily to see how the poor innocent word Is racked, and tortured. I; I pray you proceed. Ha? what? what is 't? For the abuse of Humour. O, I crave pardon, I had lost my thoughts. Why Humour (as 'tis ens) we thus define it To be a quality of air or water, And in itself holds these two properties, Moisture and Fluxure: As for demonstration, Pour water on this floor, 'twill wet and run, Likewise the air (forced through a horn or trumpet) Flows instantly away, and leaves behind A kind of dew; and hence we do conclude, That whatsoe'er hath fluxure and humidity, As wanting power to contain itself, Is Humour: so in every human body The choler, melancholy, phlegm, and blood, By reason that they flow continually In some one part, and are not continent, Receive the name of Humours. Now thus far It may by Metaphor apply itself Unto the general disposition, As when some one peculiar quality Doth so possess a man, that it doth draw All his affects, his spirits, and his powers In their confluctions all to run one way, This may be truly said to be a Humour, But that a Rook in wearing a pied feather, The cable hatband, or the three-piled ruff, A yard of shoe-tie, or the Switzers knot On his French garters, should affect a Humour, O, 'tis more than most ridiculous. He speaks pure truth: now if an Idiot Have but an Apish or Fantastic strain, It is his Humour. Well I will scourge those apes, And to these courteous eyes oppose a mirror As large as is the stage whereon we act, Where they shall see the Time's deformity, Anatomized in every Nerve and sinew, With constant courage, and contempt of fear. Asper (I urge it as your friend) take heed, The days are dangerous, full of exception, And men are grown impatient of reproof.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T15 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Looke through and through me; I pursue no fauor: Onely vouchsafe me your attentions, And I will giue you musicke worth your eares. O how I hate the monstrousnesse of time, VVhere every servile imitating spirit, (Plagu'd with an itching leprosie of wit) In a meere halting furie, striues to fling His vlc'rous bodie in the Thespian spring, And streight leap's forth a Poet; but as lame As Vulcane, or the founder of Criplegate. In faith this Humor will come ill to some, You will be thought to be too peremptorie. This Humor? good; and why this Humour, Mitis? Nay doe not turne, but answere. Answere? what? I will not stirre your patience, pardon mee, I vrg'd it for some reasons, and the rather To give these ignorant well-spoken daies Some tast of their abuse of this word Humor. O doe not let your purpose fall, good Asper, It cannot but arriue most acceptable, Cheefely to such as have the happinesse Daily to see how the poore innocent word Is rackt, and tortur'd. I; I pray you proceed. Ha? what? what is 't? For the abuse of Humor. O, I craue pardon, I had lost my thoughts. VVhy Humor (as 'tis ens) we thus define it To be a qualitie of aire or water, And in it selfe holds these two properties, Moisture and Fluxure: As for demonstration, Poure water on this floore, 'twill wet and runne, Likewise the aire (forc't through a horne or trumpet) Flowes instantly away, and leaves behind A kind of dew; and hence we doe conclude, That what soe're hath fluxure and humiditie, As wanting power to containe it selfe, Is Humor: so in euery humane bodie The choller, melancholy, flegme, and bloud, By reason that they flow continually In some one part, and are not continent, Receiue the name of Humors. Now thus farre It may by Metaphore applie it selfe Vnto the generall disposition, As when some one peculiar qualitie Doth so possesse a man, that it doth draw All his affects, his spirits, and his powers In their confluctions all to runne one way, This may be truly said to be a Humor, But that a Rooke in wearing a pied feather, The cable hatband, or the three-pild ruffe, A yard of shoe-tie, or the Switzers knot On his French garters, should affect a Humour, O, 'tis more than most ridiculous. He speakes pure truth: now if an Ideot Have but an Apish or Phantasticke straine, It is his Humour. VVell I will scourge those apes, And to these courteous eies oppose a mirror As large as is the stage whereon we act, VVhere they shall see the times deformitie, Anatomiz'd in every Nerve and sinew, VVith constant courage, and contempt of feare. Asper (I urge it as your friend) take heed, The daies are dangerous, full of exception, And men are growne impatient of reproofe.