Cynthia's Revels, or The Fountain of Self-Love · chunk 22 of 66
Jonson, Ben · published 1616 · first performed or written 1600 [1600-1601] (Annals) satire · Children of the Chapel (second) T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs typicality 0.78 · 514 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
No, sir, we are going in quest of a strange fountain, lately found out. By whom? My master, or the great discoverer, AMORPHUS. Thou hast well entitled him, COS, for he will discover all he knows. ay, and a little more too, when the spirit is upon him. O, the good travailing gentleman yonder has caused such a drought i' the presence, with reporting the wonders of this new water, that all the ladies, and gallants, lie languishing upon the rushes, like so many pounded cattle i' the midst of harvest, sighing one to another, and gasping, as if each of them expected a cock from the fountain, to be brought into his mouth: and (without we return quickly) they are all (as a youth would say) no better than a few trouts cast ashore, or a dish of eels in a sandbag. Well then, you were best dispatch, and have a care of them. Come, CUPID, thou and I'll go peruse this dry wonder. SIt, let not this discountenance, or Disgallant you a whit: you must not sink under the first disaster. It is with your young grammatical courtier, as with your neophyte-player, a thing usual to be daunted at the first presence, or interview: you saw, there was HEDON, and ANAIDES, (far more practised gallants then yourself) who were both out, to comfort you. It is no disgrace, no more, than for your adventurous reveller, to fall by some inauspicious chance in his galliard, or for some subtle politic, to undertake the bastinado, that the state might think worthily of him, and respect him as a man well beaten to the world. What! hath your tailor provided the property (we spoke of) at your chamber, or no? I think he has. Nay (I entreat you) be not so flat, and melancholic. Erect your mind: you shall redeem this with the courtship I will teach you against afternoon. Where eat you today? Where you please, sir, anywhere, I. Come, let us go and taste some light dinner, a dish of sliced caviar, or so, and after, you shall practise an hour at your lodging, some few forms that I have recalled. If you had but so far gathered your spirits to you, as to have taken up a rush (when you were out) and wagged it thus, or cleansed your teeth with it: or but turned aside, and feigned some business to whisper with your page, till you had recovered yourself, or but found some slight stain in your stocking, or any other pretty invention (so it had been sudden,) you might have come off with a most clear, and courtly grace. A poison of all, I think I was forespoke, I. No, I must tell you, you are not audacious enough, you must frequent ordinaries, a month more, to initiate yourself: In which time, it will not be amiss, if (in private) you keep good your acquaintance with CRITES, or some other, of his poor coat; visit his lodging secretly, and often: become an earnest suitor to hear some of his labours.
nodes 494–507 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 22 of 66 in this edition
Length
514 words · 692 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.779 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T21 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
No, sir, we are going in quest of a strange fountayne, lately found out. By whom? My master, or the great discouerer, AMORPHVS. Thou hast well intitled him, COS, for hee will discouer all hee knowes. I, and a little more too, when the spirit is vpon him. O, the good trauailing gentleman yonder has caus'd such a drought i' the presence, with reporting the wonders of this new water▪ that all the ladies, and gallants, lie languishing vpon the rushes, like so many pounded cattle i' the midst of haruest, sighing one to another, and gasping, as if each of them expected a cocke from the fountayne, to bee brought into his mouth: and (without we returne quickly) they are all (as a youth would say) no better then a few trowts cast a-shore, or a dish of eeles in a sand-bagge. Well then, you were best dispatch, and haue a care of them. Come, CVPID, thou and I'le goe peruse this drie wonder. SIt, let not this dis-countenance, or dis-gallant you a whit: you must not sinke vnder the first disaster. It is with your young grammaticall courtier, as with your neophyte-player, a thing vsuall to bee daunted at the first presence, or enter-view: you saw, there was HEDON, and ANAIDES, (farre more practis'd gallants then your selfe) who were both out, to comfort you. It is no disgrace, no more, then for your aduentrous reueller, to fall by some in-auspicious chance in his galliard, or for some subtile politique, to vnder-take the bastinado, that the state might thinke worthily of him, and respect him as a man well beaten to the world. What! hath your taylor prouided the propertie (wee spake of) at your chamber, or no? I thinke he has. Nay (I intreat you) be not so flat, and melancholique. Erect your mind: you shall redeeme this with the courtship I will teach you against after-noone. Where eate you to day? Where you please, sir, any where, I. Come, let vs goe and taste some light dinner, a dish of slic'd cuiare, or so, and after, you shall practise an houre at your lodging, some few formes that I haue recall'd. If you had but so farre gathered your spirits to you, as to haue taken vp a rush (when you were out) and wagg'd it thus, or clensd your teeth with it: or but turn'd aside, and fain'd some businesse to whisper with your page, till you had recouer'd your selfe, or but found some slight staine in your stocking, or any other prettie inuention (so it had beene sodaine,) you might haue come off with a most cleere, and courtly grace. A poyson of all, I thinke I was forespoke, I. No, I must tell you, you are not audacious inough, you must frequent ordinaries, a moneth more, to initiate your selfe: In which time, it will not bee amisse, if (in priuate) you keepe good your acquaintance with CRITES, or some other, of his poore coate; visite his lodging secretly, and often: become an earnest suter to heare some of his labours.