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 0.86 · 491 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Dare they blaspheme my godhead, which Ioue doth worship, Neptune reverence, and all the gods tremble at? To make them love, were a revenge too gentle for Cupid: to make you hate, a recompense too small for lovers. But of that anon: what have you used in love? All things that may procure love, gifts, words, oaths, sighs, and swoonings. What said they of gifts? That affection could not be bought with gold, What of words? That they were golden blasts, out of Leaden bellows. What of oaths? That Iupiter neuer sware true to Iu. What of sighs? That deceit kept a forge in the hearts of fools. What of swoonings? Nothing, but that they wished them deaths. What reasons gave they, not to love? Women's reasons, they would not, because they would not. Well, then shall you see Cupid requite their reasons with his rigour. What punishment do you desire, that Cupid will deny? Mine being so hard as stone, would I have turned to stone, that being to lovers pitiless, she may to all the world be senseless. Mine being so fair and so proud, would I have turned into some flower, that she may know beauty is as fading as grass, which being fresh in the morning, is withered before night. Mine divine, Cupid, whose affection nothing can make stayed, let her be turned to that Bird, that liveth only by air, and dieth if she touch the earth, because it is constant. The bird of Paradise, Cupid, that drawing in her bowels nothing but air, she may know her heart fed on nothing but fickleness. Your revenges are reasonable, and shall be granted. Thou Nisa, whose heart no tears could pierce, shalt with continual waves be wasted: in stead of thy fair hair, shalt thou have green moss, thy face of flint, because thy heart is of marble, thine ears shall be holes for fishes, whose ears were more deaf than fishes. Thou Celia whom beauty made proud, shalt have the fruit of beauty, that is, to fade whiles it is flourishing, and to blast before it is blown. Thy face, as fair as the Damask rose, shall perish like the Damask rose, the canker shall eat thee in the bud, and every little wind blow thee from the stalk, and then shall men in the morning wear thee in their Hats, and at night cast thee at their heels. Thou Niobe, whom nothing can please (but that which most displeaseth Cupid, inconstancy) shalt only breath and suck air for food, and wear feathers for silk, being more wavering than air, and lighter than feathers. This will Cupid do. Therefore, when next you shall behold your Ladies, do but send a faithful sigh to Cupid, and there shall arise a thick mist which Proserpine shall send, and in the moment you shall be revenged, and they changed, Cupid prove himself a great god, and they peevish girls.
nodes 255–273 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 13 of 21 in this edition
Length
491 words · 654 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.856 (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)
Dare they blaspheme my god-head, which Ioue doth worship, Neptune reuerence, and all the gods tremble at? To make them loue, were a reuenge too gentle for Cupid: to make you hate, a recompence too smal for louers. But of that anon: what haue you vsed in loue? All things that may procure loue, giftes, words, othes, sighs, and swounings. What said they of gifts? That affection could not bee bought with gold, What of words? That they were golden blastes, out of Leaden bellowes. What of othes? That Iupiter neuer sware true to Iu. What of sighes? That deceipt kept a forge in the hearts of fooles. What of swounings? Nothing, but th they wished them deathes. What reasons gaue they, not to loue? Womens reasons, they would not, because they would not. Well, then shall you see Cupid requite their reasons with his rigour. What punishment doe you desire, that Cupid will denie? Mine being so hard as stone, would I haue turned to stone, that being to louers pittlesse, shee may to all the world be sencelesse. Mine being so faire and so proud, would I haue turned into some flower, that shee may know beautie is as fading as grasse, which being fresh in the morning, is withered before night. Mine diuine, Cupid, whose affection nothing can make staied, let her be turned to that Bird, that ueth only by ayre, and dieth if shee touch the earth, because it is constant. The bird of Paradise, Cupid, that drawing in her bowels nothing but ayre, shee may know her heart fed on nothing but ficklenesse. Your reuenges are reasonable, and shall bee graunted. Thou Nisae, whose heart no teares could pearce, shalt with continuall waues be wasted: in stead of thy faire haire, shalt thou haue greene mose, thy face of flt, because thy heart is of marble, thine eares shall bee holes for fishes, whose eares were more deafe then fishes. Thou Celia whome beautie made proud, shalt haue the fruite of beautie, that is, to fade whiles it is flourishing, and to blast before it is blowne. Thy face, as faire as the Damaske rose, shall perish like the Damaske rose, the canker shall eate thee in the bud, and euerie little wind blow thee from the stalke, and then shall men in the morning weare thee in their Hats, and at night cast thee at their heeles. Thou Niobe, whome nothing can please (but that which most displeaseth Cupid, inconstancie) shalt only breathe and sucke ayre for foode, and weare feathers for silke, beeing more wauering then ayre, and lighter then feathers. This will Cupid doe. Therefore, when next you shall behold your Ladies, doe but send a faithfull sigh to Cupid, and there shall arise a thicke mist which Proserpine shall send, and in the moment you shall be reuenged, and they chaunged, Cupid proue himselfe a great god, and they peeuish girles.