The Merchant of Venice (The Jew of Venice) · chunk 24 of 43
Shakespeare, William · published 1619 · first performed or written 1596 [1596-1598] (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T48 Addressing a lady: love, desire and inti typicality 0.87 · 526 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T48: lady, love, heart, fair, eyes, la, lord, tears, fie, face.
How all the other passions fleet to air, As doubtful thoughts, and rash embraced despair: And shyddring fear, and greene-eyed jealousy. O love be moderate, allay thy ecstasy, In measure range thy joy, scant this excess, I feel too much thy blessing, make it less, For fear I surfeit. What find I here? Fair Portia's counterfeit. What demi God Hath come so near creation? Move these eyes? Or whither riding on the ball's of mine Seem they in motion? Hear are severed lips Parted with sugar breath, so sweet a bar Should sunder such sweet friends: here in her hairs The painter plays the Spider, and hath woven A golden mesh t'entrap the hearts of men Faster than gnats in cobwebs, but her eyes, How could he see to do them? Having made one, Methinks it should have power to steal both his, And leave itself unfurnished: yet look how far The substance of my praise doth wrong this shadow In underprizing it, so far this shadow Doth limp behind the substance. Here's the scroll, The continent and summary of my fortune. You that choose not by the view, Chance as fair, and choose as true: Since this fortune falls to you, Be content, and seek no new. If you be well pleased with this, And hold your fortune for your bliss, Turn you where your Lady is, And claim her with a loving kiss. A gentle scroll: fair Lady, by your leave, I come by note to give, and to receive; Like one of two contending in a prize, That thinks he hath done well in people's eyes; Hearing applause and universal shout, Giddy in spirit, still gazing in a doubt, Whether those pearls of praise be his or no. So thrice fair Lady, stand I even so, As doubtful whether what I see be true, Until confirmed, signed, ratified by you. You see me Lord Bassanio where I stand, Such as I am; though for myself alone I would not be ambitious in my wish, To wish myself much better, yet for you, I would be trebled twenty times myself, A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times More rich, that only to stand high in your account, I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends, Exceed account: but the full sum of me Is sum of something; which to term in gross, Is an unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpractised, Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn: happier than this, She is not bred so dull, but she can learn; Happiest of all, is that her gentle spirit Commits itself to yours, to be directed As from her Lord, her governor, her King. Myself, and what is mine, to you and yours Is now converted. But now I was the Lord Of this fair mansion, master of my servants, Queen o'er myself; and even now, but now, This house, these servants, and this same myself Are yours, my Lord, I give them with this ring, Which when you part from, lose, or give away, Let it presage the ruin of your love, And be my vantage to exclaim on you.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 1086–1153 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 24 of 43 in this edition
Length
526 words · 680 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T48 — Addressing a lady: love, desire and intimacyreviewed — decision pending · typicality 0.874 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T31 · seed 44: T44 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
How all the other paſſions fleet to ayre, As doubtfull thoughts, and raſh imbrac'd deſpaire: And ſhyddring feare, and greene-eyed iealouſie. O loue be moderate, allay thy extaſie, In meaſure range thy ioy, ſcant this exceſſe, I feele too much thy bleſſing, make it leſſe, For feare I ſurfet. What finde I heere? Faire Portias counterfeit. What demy God Hath come ſo neere creation? moue theſe eyes? Or whither riding on the ball's of mine Seeme they in motion? Heere are ſeuerd lips Parted with ſuger breath, ſo ſweet a barre Should ſunder ſuch ſweet friends: heere in her haires The painter playes the Spider, and hath wouen A golden meſh t'intrap the hearts of men Faſter then gnats in cobwebs, but her eyes, How could he ſee to do them? hauing made one, Me-thinks it ſhould haue power to ſteale both his, And leaue it ſelfe vnfurniſht: yet looke how farre The ſubſtance of my praiſe doth wrong this ſhadow In vnderprizing it, ſo farre this ſhadow Doth limpe behind the ſubſtance. Heer's the ſcroule, The continent and ſummary of my fortune. You that chooſe not by the view, Chance as faire, and chooſe as true: Since this fortune fals to you, Be content, and ſeeke no new. If you be well pleas'd with this, And hold your fortune for your bliſſe, Turne you where your Lady is, And claime her with a louing kiſſe. A gentle ſcroule: Faire Lady, by your leaue, I come by note to giue, and to receiue; Like one of two contending in a prize, That thinks he hath done well in peoples eyes; Hearing applauſe and vniuerſall ſhout, Giddy in ſpirit, ſtill gazing in a doubt, Whether thoſe pearles of praiſe be his or no. So thrice faire Lady, ſtand I euen ſo, As doubtfull whether what I ſee be true, Vntill confirm'd, ſign'd, ratified by you. You ſee me Lord Baſſanio where I ſtand, Such as I am; though for my ſelfe alone I would not be ambitious in my wiſh, To wiſh my ſelfe much better, yet for you, I would be trebled twenty times my ſelfe, A thouſand times more faire, ten thouſand times More rich, that onely to ſtand high in your account, I might in vertues, beauties, liuings, friends, Exceed account: but the full ſumme of me Is ſumme of ſomething; which to terme in groſſe, Is an vnleſſon'd gyrle, vnſchool'd, vnpractiſed, Happy in this, ſhe is not yet ſo old But ſhe may learne: happier then this, She is not bred ſo dull, but ſhe can learne; Happieſt of all, is that her gentle ſpirit Commits it ſelfe to yours, to be directed As from her Lord, her Gouernor, her King. My ſelfe, and what is mine, to you and yours Is now conuerted. But now I was the Lord Of this faire manſion, maſter of my ſeruants, Queene ore my ſelfe; and euen now, but now, This houſe, theſe ſeruants, and this ſame my ſelfe Are yours, my Lord, I giue them with this ring, Which when you part from, loſe, or giue away, Let it preſage the ruine of your loue, And be my vantage to exclaime on you.