Lyly, John · published 1601 · first performed or written 1590 [c.1588-1590] (Annals) pastoral; comedy · Children of Paul's (first) T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs typicality 0.77 · 516 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Ah cruel Erisychthon, that not only defacest these holy trees, but murderest also this chaste nymph. Nymph or goddess it skilleth not, for there is none that Erisychthon careth for, but Erisychthon: let Ceres the Lady of your harvest revenge when she will, nay when she dares, and tell her this, that I am Erisychthon. Thou art none of the gods. No, a contemner of the gods. And hopest thou to escape revenge being but a man? Yea, I care not for revenge being a man and Erisychthon. Come, let us to Ceres and complain of this unacquainted and incredible villain; if there be power in her deity, in her mind pity, or virtue in virginity, this monster cannot escape. Doth Erisychthon offer force to my Nymphs, and to my deity disgrace? Have I stuffed his barns with fruitful grain, and doth he stretch his hand against me with intolerable pride? So it is, Ceres, thine eyes may witness what thy Nymphs have told, here lieth the tree hacked in pieces, and the blood scarce cold of the fairest virgin. If this be thy cruelty, Cupid, I will no more hallow thy temple with sacred vows: if thy cankered nature, Erisychthon, thou shalt find as great misery, as thou showest malice: I am resolved of thy punishment, and as speedy shall be my revenge, as thy rigour barbarous. Tirtenae, on yonder lull where never grew grain nor lease, where nothing is but barrenness and coldness, fear and paleness, lieth famine, go to her, and say that Ceres commandeth her to gnaw on the bowels of Erisychthon, that his hunger may be as unquenchable as his fury. I obey, but how should I know her from others? Thou canst not miss of her, if thou remember but her name; and that canst thou not forget, for that coming near to the place, thou shalt find gnawing in thy stomach. she lieth gaping, and swalloweth 'nough but air; her face pale and so lean, that as easily thou mayest, through the very skin behold the bone, as in a glass thy shadow; her hair long, black and shaggy; her eyes sunk so far into her head, that she looketh out of the nape of her neck; her lips white and rough; her teeth hollow and red with rustiness; her skin so thin, that thou mayest as lively make an Anatomy of her body, as she were cut up with Chirurgeons; her maw like a dry bladder, her heart swollen big with wind, and all her bowels like snakes working in her body. This monster when thou shalt behold, tell her my mind, and return with speed. I go, fearing more the sight of famine, than the force. Take thou these few cares of corn, but let not famine so much as smell to them; and let her go aloof from thee: Now shall Erisychthon see that Ceres is a great goddess, as full of power as himself of pride; and as pitiless, as he presumptuous; how think you Ladies, is not this revenge apt for so great injury?
nodes 46–57 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 5 of 21 in this edition
Length
516 words · 713 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.773 (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)
Ah cruel Erisicthon, that not onely defacest these holy trees, but murtherest also this chast nimph. Nimph or goddesse it skilleth not, for there is none that Erisicthon careth for, but Erisicthon: let Ceres the Lady of your haruest reuenge when shee will, nay when shee dares, and tell her this, that I am Erisicthon. Thou art none of the gods. No, a contemner of the gods. And hopest thou to escape reuenge being but a man? Yea, I care not for reuenge beeing a man and Erisicthon. Come, let vs to Ceres and complaine of this vnacquainted and incredible villaine; if there bee power in her deitie, in her mind pittie, or vertue in virginitie, this monster cannot escape. Doth Erisicthon offer force to my Nymphs, and to my deitie disgrace? Haue I stuffed his barnes with fruitfull graine, and doth hee stretch his hand against me with intolerable pride? So it is, Ceres, thine eyes may witnesse what thy Nymphes haue told, heere lyeth the tree hackt in peeces, and the bloud scarce cold of the fairest virgine. If this bee thy crueltie, Cupid, I will no more hallow thy temple with sacred vowest thy cankred nature, Erisicthon, thou shalt find as great miserie, as thou shewest malice: I am resolued of thy punishment, and as speedie shall bee my reuenge, as thy rigour barbarous. Tirtenae, on yonder lull where neuer grew graine nor lease, where nothing is but barrenesse and coldnesse, feare and palenesse, lyeth famine, goe to her, and say that Ceres commaundeth her to gnaw on the bowels of Erisicthon, that his hunger may bee as vnquenchable as his furie. I obey, but how should I know her from others? Thou canst not misse of her, if thou remember but her name; and that canst thou not forget, for that comming neere to the place, thou shalt find gnawing in thy stomacke. Shee lyeth gaping, and swalloweth noughe but ayre; her face pale and so leane, that as easily thou maiest, through the verie skinne behold the bone, as in a glasse thy shadow; her haire long, blacke and shaggie; her eyes sunke so farre into her head, that shee looketh out of the nape of her necke; her lips white and rough; her teeth hollow and red with rustinesse; her skin so thin, that thou maiest as liuely make an Anatomie of her body, as shee were cut vp with Chirurgiōs; her maw like a drie bladder, her heart swone bigge with wind, and all her bowels like snakes working in her body. This monster when thou shalthehold, tell her my mind, and returne with speed. I goe, fearing more the sight of famine, then the force. Take thou these few cares of corne, but let not so much as smell to them; and let her goe aloose from thee: Now shall Erisicthon see that Ceres is a great goddesse, as full of power as himselfe of pride; and as pittilesse, as he presumptuous; how thinke you Ladies, is not this reuenge apt for o great iniurie?