Lyly, John · published 1601 · first performed or written 1590 [c.1588-1590] (Annals) pastoral; comedy · Children of Paul's (first) unassigned nearest T4 Love-longing and the lover's complaint · 485 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T4: love, heart, sweet, loves, fair, phillis, eyes, beauty, amyntas, lovers.
Time shall bring to pass, that Nisa shall confess there is love. Then also will love make me confess, that Nisa is a fool. Is it folly to love, which the God's account honourable, and men esteem holy? The gods make any thing lawful, because they be gods, and men honour shadows for substance, because they are men. Both gods and men agree that love is a consuming of the heart, and restoring a bitter death in a sweet life. God's do know, and men should, that love is a consuming of wit, and restoring of folly, a staring blindness, and a blind gazing. Wouldst thou allot me death? No, but discretion. Yield some hope. Hope to despair. Not so long as Nisa is a woman. Therein, Ramis, you show yourself a man. Why? In flattering yourself, that all women will yield. All may. Thou shalt swear that we cannot. I will follow thee, and practise by denials to be patient, or by disdaining die, and so be happy. Though thou hast overtaken me in love, yet have I overtaken thee in running: fair Celia, yield to love, to sweet love. Montanus, thou art mad, that having no breath almost in running so fast, thou wilt yet spend more in speaking so foolishly: yield to love! cannot, or if I do, to thy love I will not. The fairest Wolf chooseth the foulest, if he be faithfullest, and he that endureth most grief, nor he that hath most beauty. If my thoughts were wolvish, thy hopes might be as thy comparison is, beastly. I would thy words were, as thy looks are, lovely. I would thy looks were, as thy affection is, blind. Fair faces should have smooth hearts. Fresh flowers have crooked roots. Women's beauties will wain, and then no art can make them fair? Men's follies will ever wax, and then what reason can make them wise? To be amiable and not to love, is like a painted Lady, to have colours, and no life. To be amorous, and not lovely, is like a pleasant fool full of words, and no deserts. What call you deserts, what lovely? No lovelier thing than wit, no greater desert than patience. Have not I an excellent wit? If thou think so thy self, thou art an excellent fool. Fool? No, Celia, thou shalt find me as wise, as I do thee proud, and as little to digest thy taunts, as thou to brook my love. I thought, Montanus, that you could not deserve, when I told you what it was, Patience. Sweet Celia, I will be patient and forget this. Then want you wit, that you can be content to be patient. A hard choice, if I take all well, to be a fool, if find fault, than to want patience. The fortune of love, and the virtue is neither to have success, nor mean. Farewell.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T3 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Time shall bring to passe, that Nisa shall confesse there is loue. Then also will loue make me confesse, that Nisa a foole. Is it folly to loue, which the gods accompt honourable, and men esteeme holy? The gods make any thing lawfull, because they be gods, and men honour shadowes for substance, because they are men. Both gods and men agree that loue is a consuming of the heart, and restoring a bitter death in a sweete life. Gods doe know, and men should, that loue is a consuming of wit, and restoring of folly, a staring blindnesse, and a blind gazing. Wouldst thou allot me death? No, but discretion. Yeeld some hope. Hope to dispaire. Not so long as Nisa is a woman. Therein, Ramis, you shew your selfe a man. Why? In flattering your selfe, that all women wil yeeld. All may. Thou shalt sweare that we cannot. I will follow thee, and practise by denials to bee patient, or by disdaining die, and so be happie. Though thou hast ouer-taken me in loue, yet haue I ouer-taken thee in running: faire Celia, yeelde to loue, to sweete loue. Montanus, thou art mad, that hauing no breath almost in running so fast, thou wilt yet spend more in speaking so foolishly: yeeld to loue! cannot, or if I doe, to thy loue I will not. The fairest Wolfe chuseth the foulest, if he bee faithfullest, and he that indureth most griefe, nor hee that hath most beautie. If my thoughts were woluish, thy hopes might be as thy comparison is, beastly. I would thy words were, as thy lookes are, louely. I would thy lookes were, as thy affection is, blind. Faire faces should haue smoothe hearts. Fresh flowres haue crooked rootes. Womens beauties will waine, and then no art can make them faire? Mens follies will euer waxe, and then what reason can make them wise? To be amiable and not to loue, is like a painted Lady, to haue colours, and no life. To bee amorous, and not louely, is like a pleasant foole full of words, and no deserts. What call you deserts, what louely▪ No louelier thing then wit, no greater desert then patience. Haue not I an excellent wit? If thou thinke sothy selfe, thou art an excellent foole. Foole? No, Celia, thou shalt find me as wise, as I doe thee proud, and as little to disgest thy taunts, as thou to brooke my loue. I thought, Montanus, that you could not deserue, when I told you what it was, Patience. Sweete Celia, I will be patient and forget this. Then want you wit, that you can be content to be patient. A hard choyse, if I take all well, to be a foole, if find fault, then to want patience. The fortune of loue, and the vertue is neither to haue successe, nor meane. Farewel.