The Merchant of Venice (The Jew of Venice) · chunk 23 of 43
Shakespeare, William · published 1619 · first performed or written 1596 [1596-1598] (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men unassigned nearest T4 Love-longing and the lover's complaint · 502 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T4: love, heart, sweet, loves, fair, phillis, eyes, beauty, amyntas, lovers.
Away then, I am locked in one of them, If you do love me, you will find me out. Nerrissa and the rest, stand all aloof, Let music sound while he doth make his choice, Then if he lose, he makes a swanlike end, Fading in music. That the comparison May stand more proper, my eye shall be the stream And watery deathbed for him: he may win, And what is music then? Then music is Even as the flourish, when true subjects bow To a new crowned Monarch: Such it is, As are those dulcet sounds in break of day, That creep into the dreaming bridegrooms ear, And summon him to marriage. Now he goes With no less presence, but with much more love Then young Alcides, when he did redeem The virgin tribute, paid by howling Troy, To the sea-monster: I stand for sacrifice, The rest aloof are the Dardanian wives, With bleared visages come forth to view The issue of th'exploit: go Hercules, Live thou, I live with much more dismay To view the fight, than thou that makest the fray. Tell me where is fancy bred, Or in the heart, or in the head? How begot, how nourished? It is engendered in the eye, With gazing fed, and fancy dies: In the cradle where it lies, Let us all ring Fancies knell. I'll begin it. Ding, dung, bell. Ding, dung, bell. So may the outward shows be least themselves The world is still deceived with ornament. In Law, what plea so tainted and corrupt, But being seasoned with a gracious voice, Obscures the show of evil. In religion What damned error but some sober brow Will bless it, and approve it with a text, Hiding the grossness with fair ornament: There is no voice so simple, but assumes Some of virtue on his outward parts; How many cowards whose hearts are all as false As stairs of sand, wear yet upon their chins The beards of Hercules, and frowning Mars, Who inward searched, have livers white as milk, And these assume but valour's excrement, To render them redoubted. Look on beauty, And you shall see 'tis purchased by the weight, Which therein works a miracle in nature, Making them lightest that wear most of it: So are those crisped snaky golden locks Which maketh such wanton gambols with the wind, Upon supposed fairness, often known To be the dowry of a second head, The skull that bred them in the sepulchre. Thus ornament is but the guiled shore To a most dangerous sea: the beauteous scarf veiling an Indian beauty; In a word, The seeming truth which cunning times put on To entrap the wisest. Therefore thou gaudy gold, Hard fool for Midas, I will none of thee, Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge tween man and man: but thou, thou meager lead, Which rather threatenest than dost promise aught, Thy paleness moves me more than eloquence, And here choose I, joy be the consequence.
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)
Away then, I am lockt in one of them, If you do loue me, you will finde me out. Nerriſſa and the reſt, ſtand all aloofe, Let muſicke ſound while he doth make his choiſe, Then if he loſe, he makes a Swan-like end, Fading in muſicke. That the compariſon May ſtand more proper, my eye ſhall be the ſtreame And watry death-bed for him: he may win, And what is muſicke then? Then muſicke is Euen as the flouriſh, when true ſubiects bow To a new crownd Monarch: Such it is, As are thoſe dulcet ſounds in breake of day, That creepe into the dreaming Bridegroomes eare, And ſummon him to marriage. Now he goes With no leſſe preſence, but with much more loue Then young Alcides, when he did redeeme The virgin tribute, payd by howling Troy, To the ſea-monſter: I ſtand for ſacrifice, The reſt aloofe are the Dardanian wiues, With bleared viſages come foorth to view The iſſue of th'exploit: Goe Hercules, Liue thou, I liue with much more diſmay To view the fight, then thou that mak'ſt the fray. Tell me where is fancy bred, Or in the heart, or in the head? How begot, how nouriſhed? It is engendered in the eye, With gazing fed, and Fancie dies: In the cradle where it lyes, Let vs all ring Pancies knell. Ile begin it. Ding, dong, bell. Ding, dong, bell. So may the outward ſhowes be leaſt thēſelues The world is ſtill deceiu'd with ornament. In Law, what plea ſo tainted and corrupt, But being ſeaſon'd with a gracious voice, Obſcures the ſhow of euill. In religion What damned error but ſome ſober brow Will bleſſe it, and approue it with a text, Hiding the groſenes with faire ornament: There is no voice ſo ſimple, but aſſumes Some of vertue on his outward parts; How many cowards whoſe hearts are all as falſe As ſtaiers of ſand, weare yet vpon their chins The beards of Hercules, and frowning Mars, Who inward ſearcht, haue lyuers white as milke, And theſe aſſume but valours excrement, To render them redoubted. Looke on beauty, And you ſhall ſee tis purchaſt by the weight, Which therein works a miracle in nature, Making them lighteſt that weare moſt of it: So are thoſe criſped ſnaky golden locks Which maketh ſuch wanton gambals with the wind, Vpon ſuppoſed faireneſſe, often knowne To be the dowry of a ſecond head, The skull that bred them in the Sepulcher. Thus ornament is but the guiled ſhore To a moſt dangerous ſea: the beautious ſcarſe Vailing an Indian beauty; In a word, The ſeeming truth which cunning times put on To intrap the wiſeſt. Therefore thou gaudy gold, Hard foole for Midas, I will none of thee, Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge Tweene man and man: but thou, thou meager lead, Which rather threatneſt then doſt promiſe ought, Thy paleneſſe moues me more then eloquence, And heere chooſe I, ioy be the conſequence.