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 · 505 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Nor I Cupid: well could I content myself to bud in the Summer, and to die in the Winter: for more good cometh of the Rose, then can by love: when it is fresh, it hath a sweet favour, love a sour taste: the Rose when it is old, loseth not his virtue; love when it is state waxeth loathsome. The Rose distilled with fire yieldeth sweet water: love in extremities kindles jealousies: in the Rose however it be, there is sweetness; in love nothing but bitterness. If men look pale, and swear, & sigh, then forsooth women must yield, because men say they love, as though our hearts were tied to their tongues, and we must choose them by appointment, ourselves feeling no affection, and so have our thoughts bound prentices to their words: turn me again. Yield I will not. Which way shalt thou turn thyself, since nothing will turn her heart? Die, Montanus, with shame and grief, and both infinite. Nor I Cupid: let me hang always in the air, which I found more constant than men's words: happy Niobe, that touched not the ground where they go, but always holding thy beak in the air, didst never turn back to behold the earth. In the heavens I saw an orderly course, in the earth nothing but disorderly love, and peevishness: turn me again, Cupid, for yield I will not. I would myself were stone, flower, or fowl, seeing that Nisa hath a heart harder than stone, a face fairer than the Rose, and a mind lighter than feathers. What have we here? Hath punishment made you perverse? Ceres, I vow here by my sweet mother Venus, that if they yield not, I will turn them again, not to flowers, or stones, or birds, but to monsters, no less filthy to be seen, than to be named hateful: they shall creep that now stand, and be to all men odious, and be to themselves (for the mind they shall retain) loathsome. My sweet Nymphs, for the honour of your sex, for the love of Ceres, for regard of your own country, yield to love, yield, my sweet Nymphs, to sweet love. Shall I yield to him that practised my destruction, and when his love was hottest, caused me to be changed to a rock? Nisa, the extremity of love is madness, and to be mad is to be senseless, upon that Rock did I resolve to end my life: fair Nisa, forgive him thy change, that for himself provided a harder chance. Shall I yield to him, that made so small account of my beauty, that he studied how he might never behold it again? Fair Lady, in the Rose did I always behold thy colour, and resolved by continual gazing to perish, which I could not do when thou wast in thine own shape, thou wast so coy and swift in flying from me. Shall I yield to him that caused me have wings, that I might fly farther from him.
nodes 405–415 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 20 of 21 in this edition
Length
505 words · 648 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.844 (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)
Nor I Cupid: well could I content my selfe to bud in the Summer, and to die in the Winter: for more good commeth of the Rose, then can by loue: when it is fresh, it hath a sweete fauour, loue a sowre taste: the Rose when it is old, loseth not his vertue; loue when it is state waxeth loathsome. The Rose distilled with fire yeeldeth sweere water: loue in extremities kindles iealousies: in the Rose how euer it be, there is sweetnes; in loue nothing but bitternesse. If men looke pale, and sweare, & sigh, then forsooth women must yeeld, because men say they loue, as though our hearts were tied to their tongues, and we must chuse them by appointment, our selues feeling no affection, and so haue our thoughtes bound prentises to their words: turne me againe. Yeeld I will not. Which way shalt thou turne thy selfe, since nothing will turne her heart? Die, Montanus, with shame and griefe, and both infinite. Nor I Cupid: let me hang alwayes in the ayre, which I found more constant then mens words: happie Niobe, that touched not the ground where they goe, but alwayes holding thy beake in the ayre, didst neuer turne backe to behold the earth. In the heauens I saw an orderly course, in the earth nothing but disorderly loue, and preuishnesse: turne me againe, Cupid, for yeeld I will not. I would my selfe were stone, flower, or fowle, seeing that Nisa hath a heart harder then stone, a face fairer then the Rose, and a mind lighter then feathers. What haue we here? Hath punishment made you peruerse? Ceres, I vowe here by my sweete mother Venus, that if they yeeld not, I will turne them againe, not to flowers, or stones, or birds, but to monsters, no lesse filthie to be seene, then to bee named hatefull: they shall creepe that now stand, and be to all men odious, and bee to themselues (for the mind they shall retaine) loathsome. My sweete Nymphs, for the honor of your sex, for the loue of Ceres, for regard of your own countrie, yeeld to loue, yeeld, my sweete Nymphes, to sweete loue. Shall I yeeld to him that practised my destruction, and when his loue was hotest, caused me to bee chaunged to a rocke? Nisa, the extremitie of loue is madnesse, and to be mad is to bee sencelesse, vpon that Rocke did I resolue to end my life: faire Nisa, forgiue him thy chaunge, that for himselfe prouided a harder chaunce. Shall I yeeld to him, that made so small accompt of my beautie, that he studied how he might neuer behold it againe? Faire Ladie, in the Rose did I alwayes behold thy colour, and resolu'd by continuall gazing to perish, which I could not doe when thou wast in thine owne shape, thou wast so coy and swift in flying from me. Shall I yeeld to him that caused me haue wings, that I might flie farther from him.