Cynthia's Revels, or The Fountain of Self-Love · chunk 9 of 66
Jonson, Ben · published 1616 · first performed or written 1600 [1600-1601] (Annals) satire · Children of the Chapel (second) unassigned nearest T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs · 469 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Know you from whom you fly? or whence? Hence. This is somewhat above strange! a Nymph of her feature, and lineament, to be so preposterously rude! well, I will but cool myself at yon spring, and follow her. Nay, than I am familiar with the issue: I'll leave you too. I am a Rhinoceros, if I had thought a creature of her symmetry, could have dared so improportionable, and abrupt a digression. Liberal, and divine fount, suffer my profane hand to take of thy bounties. By the purity of my taste, here is most ambrosiac water; I will sup of it again. By thy favour, sweet fount. See, the water (a more running, subtle, and humorous Nymph than she) permits me to touch, and handle her. What should I infer? If my behaviours had been of a cheap or customary garb; my accent, or phrase vulgar; my garments trite; my countenance illiterate; or unpractised in the encounter of a beautiful and brave-attired piece; then I might (with some change of colour) have suspected my faculties: but (knowing myself an offence so sublimated, and refined by travel; of so studied, and well exercised a gesture; so alone in fashion; able to tender the face of any statesman living; and to speak the mere extraction of language; one that hath now made the sixth return upon venture; and was your first that ever enriched his country with the true laws of the duello; whose optics have drunk the spirit of beauty, in some eight score and eighteen princes' courts, where I have resided, and been there fortunate in the amours of three hundred forty and five ladies (all nobly, if not princely descended) whose names I have in catalogue; to conclude, in all so happy, as even admiration herself doth seem to fasten her kisses upon me: Certes, I do neither see, nor feel, nor taste, nor savour the least steam, or fume of a reason, that should invite this foolish fastidious Nymph, so peevishly to abandon me. Well, let the memory of her fleet into air; my thoughts and I am for this other element, water. WHat! the well-dieted AMORPHUS become a water-drinker? I see he means not to write verses then. No, CRITES? why? Because— Nec placere diu, nec vivere carmina possunt, quae scribuntur aquae potoribus. What say you to your HELICON? O, the MUSES well! that's ever excepted. Sir, your MUSES have no such water, I assure you; your nectar, or the juice of your nepenthe is nothing to it; 'tis above your metheglin, believe it. Metheglin! what's that, sir? may I be so audacious to demand? A kind of greek wine I have met with, sir, in my travails: it is the same that DEMOSTHENES usually drunk, in the composure of all his exquisite, and mellifluous orations.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Know you from whom you flie? or whence? Hence. This is somewhat aboue strange! a Nymph of her feature, and lineament, to be so preposterously rude! well, I will but coole my selfe at you' spring, and follow her. Nay, then I am familiar with the issue: I'le leaue you too. I am a Rhinoceros, if I had thought a creature of her symmetry, could haue dar'd so improportionable, and abrupt a digression. Liberall, and diuine fount, suffer my prophane hand to take of thy bounties. By the puritie of my taste, here is most ambrosiacke water; I will sup of it againe. By thy fauour, sweet fount. See, the water (a more running, subtile, and humorous Nymph then shee) permits me to touch, and handle her. What should I inferre? If my behauiours had beene of a cheape or customarie garbe; my accent, or phrase vulgar; my garments trite; my countenance illiterate; or vnpractiz'd in the encounter of a beautifull and braue-attir'd peece; then I might (with some change of colour) haue suspected my faculties: but (knowing my selfe an offence so sublimated, and refin'd by trauell; of so studied, and well exercis'd a gesture; so alone in fashion; able to tender the face of any states-man liuing; and to speake the mere extraction of language; one that hath now made the sixth returne vpon venter; and was your first that euer enricht his countrey with the true lawes of the duello; whose optiques haue drunke the spirit of beautie, in some eight score and eighteen Princes courts, where I haue resided, and beene there fortunate in the amours of three hundred fortie and fiue ladies (all nobly, if not princely descended) whose names I haue in catalogue; to conclude, in all so happy, as euen admiration her selfe doth seeme to fasten her kisses vpon me: Certes, I doe neither see, nor feele, nor taste, nor sauour the least steame, or fume of a reason, that should inuite this foolish fastidious Nymph, so peeuishly to abandon me. Well, let the memorie of her fleet into aire; my thoughts and I am for this other element, water. WHat! the wel-dieted AMORPHVS become a water-drinker? I see he meanes not to write verses then. No, CRITES? why? Because—Nec placere diu, nec viuere carmina possunt, quae scribuntur aquae potoribus. What say you to your HELICON? O, the MVSES well! that's euer excepted. Sir, your MVSES haue no such water, I assure you; your nectar, or the iuyce of your nepenthe is nothing to it; tis aboue your metheglin, beleeue it. Metheglin! what's that, sir? may I be so audacious to demand? A kind of greeke wine I haue met with, sir, in my trauailes: it is the same that DEMOSTHENES vsually drunke, in the composure of all his exquisite, and mellifluous orations.