The Merchant of Venice (The Jew of Venice) · chunk 9 of 42
Shakespeare, William · published 1623 · first performed or written 1596 [1596-1598] (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T19 Virtue, Fortune and Vice as abstractions typicality 0.74 · 538 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T19: virtue, fortune, virtues, honour, fame, vice, envy, world, pride, great.
In terms of choice I am not solely led By nice direction of a maiden's eyes: Besides, the lottrie of my destiny Bore me the right of voluntary choosing: But if my Father had not scanted me, And hedged me by his wit to yield myself His wife, who wins me by that means I told you, Yourself (renowned Prince) than stood as fair As any comer I have looked on yet For my affection. Even for that I thank you, Therefore I pray you lead me to the Caskets To trie my fortune: By this Sytas That slew the Sophy, and a Persian Prince That won three fields of Sultan-Solyman, I would ore-stare the sternest eyes that look: Outbrave the heart most daring on the earth: Pluck the young sucking Cubs from the she Bear, Yea, mock the Lion when he rores for pray To win the Lady: But alas, the while If Hercules and Lichas play at dice Which is the better man, the greater throw May turn by fortune from the weaker hand: So is Alcides beaten by his rage, And so may I, blind fortune leading me Miss that which one unworthier may attain, And die with grieving. You must take your chance, And either not attempt to choose at all, Or swear before you choose, if you choose wrong Never to speak to Lady afterward In way of marriage, therefore be advised. Nor will not, come bring me unto my chance. First forward to the temple, after dinner Your hazard shall be made. Good fortune then, To make me blessed or cursed'st among men. Certainly, my conscience will serve me to run from this Iew my Master: the fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, saying to me, Iobbe, Launcelet Iobbe, good Launcelet, ongood Iobbe, or good Launcelet Iobbe, use your legs, take the start, run away: my conscience says no; take heed honest Launcelet, take heed honest Iobbe, or as aforesaid honest Launcelet Iobbe, do not run, scorn running with thy heels; well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack, fia says the fiend, away says the fiend, for the heavens rouse up a brave mind says the fiend, and run; well, my conscience hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me: my honest friend Launcelet, being an honest man's soone, or rather an honest woman's son, for indeed my Father did something smack, something grow too; he had a kind of taste; well, my conscience says Lancelet budge not, budge says the fiend, budge not says my conscience, conscience say I you counsel well, fiend say I you counsel well, to be ruled by my conscience I should stay with the Iew my Master, (who God bless the mark) is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Iew I should be ruled by the fiend, who saving your reverence is the devil himself: certainly the Iew is the very devil incarnation, and in my conscience, my conscience is a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Iew; the fiend gives the more friendly counsel: I will run fiend, my heels are at your commandment, I will run.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 389–426 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 9 of 42 in this edition
Length
538 words · 711 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T19 — Virtue, Fortune and Vice as abstractionsreviewed — decision pending · typicality 0.737 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T13 · seed 44: T16 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
In tearmes of choiſe I am not ſolie led By nice direction of a maidens eies: Beſides, the lottrie of my deſtenie Bare me the right of voluntarie chooſing: But if my Father had not ſcanted me, And hedg'd me by his wit to yeelde my ſelfe His wife, who wins me by that meanes I told you, Your ſelfe (renowned Prince) than ſtood as faire As any commer I haue look'd on yet For my affection. Euen for that I thanke you, Therefore I pray you lead me to the Caskets To trie my fortune: By this Sytas That ſlew the Sophie, and a Perſian Prince That won three fields of Sultan-Solyman, I would ore-ſtare the ſterneſt eies that looke: Out-braue the heart moſt daring on the earth: Plucke the yong ſucking Cubs from the ſhe Beare, Yea, mocke the Lion when he rores for pray To win the Ladie: But alas, the while If Hercules and Lychas plaie at dice Which is the better man, the greater throw May turne by fortune from the weaker hand: So is Alcides beaten by his rage, And ſo may I, blinde fortune leading me Miſſe that which one vnworthier may attaine, And die with grieuing. You muſt take your chance, And either not attempt to chooſe at all, Or ſweare before you chooſe, if you chooſe wrong Neuer to ſpeake to Ladie afterward In way of marriage, therefore be aduis'd. Nor will not, come bring me vnto my chance. Firſt forward to the temple, after dinner Your hazard ſhall be made. Good fortune then, To make me bleſt or curſed'ſt among men. Certainely, my conſcience will ſerue me to run from this Iew my Maiſter: the fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, ſaying to me, Iobbe, Launcelet Iobbe, good Launcelet, ongood Iobbe, or good Launcelet Iobbe, vſe your legs, take the ſtart, run awaie: my conſcience ſaies no; take heede honeſt Launcelet, take heed honeſt Iobbe, or as afore-ſaid honeſt Launcelet Iobbe, doe not runne, ſcorne running with thy heeles; well, the moſt coragious fiend bids me packe, fia ſaies the fiend, away ſaies the fiend, for the heauens rouſe vp a braue minde ſaies the fiend, and run; well, my conſcience hanging about the necke of my heart, ſaies verie wiſely to me: my honeſt friend Launcelet, being an honeſt mans ſoone, or rather an honeſt womans ſonne, for indeede my Father did ſomething ſmack, ſomething grow too; he had a kinde of taſte; wel, my conſcience ſaies Lancelet bouge not, bouge ſaies the ſiend, bouge not ſaies my conſcience, conſcience ſay I you counſaile well, fiend ſay I you counſaile well, to be rul'd by my conſcience I ſhould ſtay with the Iew my Maiſter, (who God bleſſe the marke) is a kinde of diuell; and to run away from the Iew I ſhould be ruled by the fiend, who ſauing your reuerence is the diuell himſelfe: certainely the Iew is the verie diuell incarnation, and in my conſcience, my conſcience is a kinde of hard conſcience, to offer to counſaile me to ſtay with the Iew; the fiend giues the more friendly counſaile: I will runne fiend, my heeles are at your commandement, I will runne.