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 0.84 · 482 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Coy Celia, bred up in skoftes! Wauering, yet wittie Niobe, but are wee all mo Yea, and met withal, if your fortunes be answerable to mine, for I find my Mistress immovable, and the hope I have is to despair. Mine in pride intolerable, who biddeth me look for no other comfort then contempt. Mine is best of all, and worst, this is my hope, that either she will have many or none. I fear our fortunes cannot thrive, for Erisychthon hath felled down the holy tree of Ceres, which will increase in her choler, and in her nymphs cruelty: let us see whether our Garlands be there which we hanged on that tree, and let us hang ourselves upon another. A remedy for love irremovable, but I will first see whether all those that love Niobe, do like in the mean season I will content myself with my share. Here is the tree. O mischief scarce to be believed, in possible to be pardoned! Pardoned it is not, for Erisychthon perisheth with famine, and is able to starve those that look on him. Here hang our Garlands, something is written, read mine. Cedit amor rebus, res age, tutus eris. And mine. Sat mihi si facies, sit bene nota mihi. Now for myself, Victoriatecum stabit scilicet. You see their posies is as their hearts; and their hearts as their speeches, cruel, proud and wavering: let us all to the Temple of Cupid, and entreat his favour, if not to obtain their loves, yet to revenge their hates, Cupid is a kind god, who knowing our unsported thoughts, will punish them, or release us. we will study what revenge to have, that our pains proceeding of our own minds, than plagues may also proceed from theirs. Are you all agreed? I consent; but what if Cupid deny help? Then he is no god. But if he yield, what shall we ask? Revenge. Then let us prepare ourselves for Cupid's sacrifice. Come, Protea, dear daughter, that name must thou buy too dear, necessity causeth thee to be sold, nature must frame thee to be contented. Thou seest in how short a space I have turned all my goods into my guts, where I feel a continual fire, which nothing can quench, my famine increaseth by eating, resembling the Sea which receiveth all things, and cannot be filled: life is sweet, hunger sharp, between them the contention must be short, unless thou, Protea, prolong it. I have acknowledged my offence against Ceres, make amends, I cannot, for the gods holding the balance in their hands, what recompense can equally weigh with their punishments? Or what is he that having but one ill thought of Ceres, that can raze it with a thousand dutiful actions? such is the difference, that none can find defence: this is the odds, we miserable, and men, they immortal, and gods.
nodes 180–200 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 10 of 21 in this edition
Length
482 words · 656 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.840 (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)
Coy Celia, bred vp in skoftes! Wauering, yet wittie Niobe, but are wee all mo Yea, and met withall, if your fortunes be answerable to mine, for I find my Mstris immoueable, and the hope I haue is to despaire. Mine in pride intolerable, who biddeth me looke for no other comfort then contempt. Mine is best of all, and worst, this is my hope, that either shee will haue many or none. I feare our fortunes cannot thriue, for Erisicthon hath felled downe the holy tree of Ceres, which will encrease in her choler, and in her Nymphes crueltie: let vs see whether our Garlands bee there which we hanged on that tree, and let vs hang our selues vpon another. A remedie for loue irremoueable, but I will first see whether all those that loue Niobe, do like in the meane season I will content my selfe with my share. Here is the tree. O mischiefe scarce to be beleeued, in possible to be pardoned! Pardoned it is not, for Erisicthon perisheth with famine, and is able to starue those that looke on him. Here hang our Garlands, something is written, read mine. Cedit amor rebus, res age, tutus eris. And mine. Sat mihi si facies, sit bene nota mihi. Now for my selfe, Victoriatecum stabit scilicet. You see their posies is as their hearts; and their hearts as their speeches, cruell, proud and wauering: let vs all to the Temple of Cupid, and intreate his fauour, if not to obtaine their loues, yet to reuenge their hates, Cupid is a kinde god, who knowing our vnsported thoughts, will punish them, or release vs. Wee will studie what reuenge to haue, that our paines proceeding of our owne minds, then plagues may also proceed from theirs. Are you all agreed▪ I consent; but what if Cupid denie helpe? Then he is no god. But if he yeeld, what shall we aske? Reuenge. Then let vs prepare our selues for Cupids sacrifice. Come, Protea, deare daughter, that name must thou buy too deare, necessitie causeth thee to be sold, nature must frame thee to be contented. Thou seest in how short a space I haue turned all my goods into my guts, where I feele a continuall fire, which nothing can quench, my famine increaseth by eating, resembling the Sea which receiueth all things, and cannot bee filled: life is sweete, hunger sharpe, betweene them the contention must bee short, vnlesse thou, Protea, prolong it. I haue acknowledged my offence against Ceres, make amends, I cannot, for the gods holding the ballance in their hands, what recompence can equally weigh with their punishments? Or what is hee that hauing but one ill thought of Ceres, that can race it with a thousand dutifull actions? such is the difference, that none can find defence: this is the ods, we miserable, and men, they immortall, and gods.