Shakespeare, William · published 1600 · first performed or written 1596 [1594-1596] (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs typicality 0.87 · 486 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
That very time, I saw (but thou couldst not) Flying between the cold Moon and the earth, Cupid, all armed: a certain aim he took At a fair Vestal, throned by west, And loosed his love-shaft smartly, from his bow, As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts: But, I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft Quenched in the chaste beams of the watery Moon: And the imperial Votress passed on, In maiden meditation, fancy free. Yet marked I, where the bolt of Cupid fell. It fell upon a little western flower; Before, milk white; now purple, with loves wound, And maidens call it, Love in idleness. Fetch me that flower: the herb I showed thee once. The juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid, Will make or man or woman madly dote, Upon the next live creature that it sees. Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again E'er the Leviathan can swim a league. I'll put a girdle, round about the earth, in forty minutes. Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania, when she is a sleep, And drop the liquor of it, in her eyes: The next thing than she, waking, looks upon (Be it on Lion, Bear, or Wolf, or Bull, On meddling Monkey, or on busy Ape) She shall pursue it, with the soul of love. And ere I take this charm, from of her sight (As I can take it with another herb) I'll make her render up her Page, to me. But, who comes here? I am invisible, And I will overhear their conference. I love thee not: therefore pursue me not▪ Where is Lysander, and fair Hermia? The one I'll stay: the other stayeth me. Thou toldst me, they were stolen unto this wood: And here am I, and wood, within this wood: Because I cannot meet my Hermia. Hence, get the gone, and follow me no more. You draw me, you hard hearted Adamant: But yet you draw not Iron. For my heart Is true as steel. Leave you your power to draw, And I shall have no power to follow you. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or rather do I not in plainest truth, Tell you I do not, not I cannot love you? And even, for that, do I love you, the more: I am your Spaniel: and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you. Use me but as your Spaniel: spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me: only give me leave (Unworthy as I am) to follow you. What worse place can I beg, in your love (And yet, a place of high respect with me) Then to be used as you use your dog. Tempt not, too much, the hatred of my spirit. For I am sick, when I do look on thee. And I am sick, when I look not on you.
nodes 447–505 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 9 of 33 in this edition
Length
486 words · 658 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.870 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T21 · seed 44: T24 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
That very time, I saw (but thou could'st not) Flying betweene the colde Moone and the earth, Cupid, all arm'd: a certaine aime he tooke At a faire Vestall, throned by west, And loos'd his loue-shaft smartly, from his bowe, As it should pearce a hundred thousand hearts: But, I might see young Cupids fiery shaft Quencht in the chast beames of the watry Moone: And the imperiall Votresse passed on, In maiden meditation, fancy free. Yet markt I, where the bolt of Cupid fell. It fell vpon a little westerne flower; Before, milke white; now purple, with loues wound, And maidens call it, Loue in idlenesse. Fetch mee that flowre: the herbe I shewed thee once. The iewce of it, on sleeping eyeliddes laide, Will make or man or woman madly dote, Vpon the next liue creature that it sees. Fetch mee this herbe, and be thou here againe Ere the Leuiathan can swimme a league. Ile put a girdle, roūd about the earth, in forty minutes. Hauing once this iuice, Il watch Titania, when she is a sleepe, And droppe the liquor of it, in her eyes: The next thing then she, waking, lookes vpon (Be it on Lyon, Beare, or Wolfe, or Bull, On medling Monky, or on busie Ape) She shall pursue it, with the soule of Loue. And ere I take this charme, from of her sight (As I can take it with another herbe) Ile make her render vp her Page, to mee. But, who comes here? I am inuisible, And I will ouerheare their conference. I loue thee not: therefore pursue me not▪ Where is Lysander, and faire Hermia? The one Ile stay: the other stayeth me. Thou toldst me, they were stolne vnto this wood: And here am I, and wodde, within this wood: Because I cannot meete my Hermia. Hence, get the gone, and follow mee no more. You draw mee, you hard hearted Adamant: But yet you draw not Iron. For my heart Is true as steele. Leaue you your power to draw, And I shall haue no power to follow you. Doe I entise you? Doe I speake you faire? Or rather doe I not in plainest truthe, Tell you I doe not, not I cannot loue you? And euen, for that, do I loue you, the more: I am your Spaniell: and, Demetrius, The more you beat mee, I will fawne on you. Vse me but as your Spaniell: spurne me, strike mee, Neglect mee, loose me: onely giue me leaue (Vnworthie as I am) to follow you. What worser place can I begge, in your loue (And yet, a place of high respect with mee) Then to be vsed as you vse your dogge. Tempt not, too much, the hatred of my spirit. For I am sick, when I do looke on thee. And I am sick, when I looke not on you.