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 · 487 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Sure I am, they have gentlemen's goods. This is the Temple of our great god, let us offer our sacrifice. I am ready. And I. Cupid, thou god of love, whose arrows have pierced our hearts, give ear to our plaints. If you come to Cupid, speak boldly, so must lovers, speak faithfully, so must speeders. These ever burning Lamps, are signs of my never to be quenched flames; this bleeding heart, in which yet sticks the head of the golden shaft, is the lively picture of inward torments: mine eyes shall bedew thine Altars with tears, and my sighs cover thy Temple with a dark smoke, pity poor Ramis. With this distaff have I spun, that my exercises may be as womanish as my affections, and so did Hercules: and with this halter will I hang myself, if my fortunes answer not my deserts, and so did Iphis. To thee, divine Cupid, I present not a bleeding, but a bloodless heart, dried only with sorrow, and worn with faithful service. This picture Toffer, carved with no other instrument than Love; pity poor Montanus. This fan of Swans and Turtles feathers, is token of my truth and jealousy: jealousy, without which love is dotage, and with which love is madness, without the which love is lust, and with which love is folly. This heart, neither bleeding nor bloodless, but swollen with sighs, I offer to thy godhead, protesting, that all my thoughts are as my words without lust; and all my love, as my fortune without sweetness. This Garland of flowers, which hath all colours of the Rainbow, witnesseth that my heart hath all torments of the world: pity poor Silvestris. I accept your offers not without cause, and wonder at your loves, not without pleasure: but be your thoughts as true as your words? Thou Cupid, that givest the wound, knowest the heart, for as impossible it is to conceal our affections, as to resist thy force. I know, that where mine arrow lighteth, there breedeth love, but shooting every minute a thousand shafts, I know not on whose heart they light, though they fall on no place but hearts. What are your mistresses? Ceres' maidens: mine most cruel, which she calleth constancy. Mine most fair, but most proud. Mine most witty, but most wavering. Is the one cruel, th'other coy, the third inconstant? Too cruel. Too coy. Too fickle. What do they think of Cupid? One saith he hath no eyes, because he hits he knows not whom. Th'other, that he hath no ears, to hear those that call. The third, that he hath no nose, for savours are not found of lovers. All, that he hath no taste, because sweet and sour is all one. All, that he hath no sense, because pains are pleasures, and pleasures pains, All, that he is a foolish god, working without reason, and suffering the repulse without regard.
nodes 229–254 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 12 of 21 in this edition
Length
487 words · 653 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.843 (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)
Sure I am, they haue Gentlemens goods. This is the Temple of our great god, let vs offer our sacrifice. I am readie. And I. Cupid, thou god of loue, whose arrowes haue pierced our hearts, giue eare to our plaints. If you come to Cupid, speake boldly, so must louers, speake faithfully, so must speeders. These euer burning Lampes, are signes of my neuer to be quenched flames; this bleeding heart, in which yet stickes the head of the golden shaft, is the liuely picture of inward torments: mine eyes shall bedewe thine Altars with teares, and my sighes couer thy Temple with a darke smoake, pittie poore Ramis. With this distaffe haue I spun, that my exercises may bee as womanish as my affections, and so did Hercules: and with this halter will I hang my selfe, if my fortunes answere not my deserts, and so did Iphis. Yo thee, diuine Cupid, I present not a bleeding, but a bloudlesse heart, dried onely with sorrow, and worne with faithfull seruice. This picture Toffer, carued with no other instrument then Loue; pittie poore Montanus. This fanne of Swans and Turtles feathers, is token of my truth and iealousie: iealousie, without which loue is dotage, and with which loue is madnesse, without the which loue is lust, and with which loue is folly. This heart, neither bleeding nor bloudlesse, but wolne with sighes, I offer to thy godhead, protesting, that all my thoughts are as my words without lust; and all my loue, as my fortune without sweetnesse. This Garland of flowers, which hath all colours of the Rainebowe, witnesseth that my heart hath all torments of the world: pittie poore Silvestris. I accept your offers not without cause, and wonder at your loues, not without pleasure: but bee your thoughts as true as your words? Thou Cupid, that giuest the wound, knowest the heart, for as impossible it is to conceale our affections, as to resist thy force. I know, that where mine arrowe lighteth, there breedeth loue, but shooting euerie minute a thousand shafts, I know not on whose heart they light, though they fall on no place but hearts. What are your mistresses? Ceres maidens: mine most cruell, which shee calleth constancie. Mine most faire, but most proud. Mine most wittie, but most wauering. Is the one cruell, th'other coye, the third inconstant? Too cruell. Too coye. Too fickle. What do they thinke of Cupid? One saith hee hath no eyes, because he hits hee knowes not whome. Th'other, that he hath no eares, to heare those that call. The third, that he hath no nose, for sauours are not found of louers. All, that hee hath no taste, because sweete and sower is all one. All, that hee hath no sence, because paines are pleasures, and pleasures paines, All, that he is a foolish god, working without reason, and suffering the repulse without regard.