Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1603 (Annals) tragedy T25 Kings, power and law: political sententi typicality 0.82 · 520 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T25: feare, kings, power, princes, lawes, loue, state, downe, honor, men.
They who themselves too much esteem, And vainly vilipend their foe, Oft find not fortune as they deem, And with their treasure would redeem Their error past; bebold even so Our King of blame doth worthy seem, His adversary who did scorn And thought who in his name did go, The laurel should have worn, His triumphs to adorn, But he with shame hath shorn The fruits of folly ever ripe with woe: An enemy (if it be well advised) Though seeming weak,) should never be despis But what? the Minions of our Kings Who speak at large, and are believed, Dare brag of many mighty things, As they could fly, though wanting wings, And deeds by words might be achieved; But time at length their lies to light, Their Sovereign to confusion brings: Yet Sovereign to confusion brings: But charm their Prince's sight, And make what's wrong, seem right, Thus ruin they his might: That when he would, he cannot be relieved, More Kings in chambers fall by flatteries charms, Then in the field by th' adversaries Arms. Lo, though the success hath approved What Charidemus had foreshown, Yet with his words no man was moved, For good men first must be removed, Before their worth can well be known; The King would hear but what he loved, And what him pleased not, did despise, So were the better sort o'erthrown, And Sycophants unwise, Who could the truth disguise, Were suffered high to rise, That him who raised them up, they might cast down: Thus Princes will not hear, though some deceive them, Things as they are, but as themselves conceive them. BEhold, the heavens with a benign aspect, To prosper this brave enterprise intent, And with propitious Stars seem to direct This great beginning to a glorious end. Who would be famous, must of force aspire, All those (astorished) who my Troops do view, Doubt of these two, which most they should admire, My coming, or my conquering with so few; So mighty minds whilst for great actions bend, Force fortune oft to favour them in all, Where breasts more base divining bad event, Through superstitious fears procure their fall. O how I wonder, when I call to mind That monstrous camp, which not so much as doubted, Dim seemed the sun, while as their armour shined, Men had not heard the thunder, whilst they shouted. Avant-couroures advanced to examine, W en they so mean my numbers had perceived, Did think them small to satisfy the famine That their huge host of slaughter had conceived, And yet in end this proved a poisoned food, Which of their own to their confusion yields, Huge mounts of murdered corpses; and seas of blood: Unburied bodies buried all the fields. So now, that few whom they contemned so far, (See how mortality itself deceives) Have quite o'ermatched their multitudes in war; And made the world near waste to people graves. Then, dear Parmenio, since the fates afford So fair an entry to our first designs, Let us go follow (lanterned by the sword,) That fortune which the heavens our hopes assigns.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 204–277 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 4 of 35 in this edition
Length
520 words · 675 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T25 — Kings, power and law: political sententiaecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.817 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T25 · seed 44: T6 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
They who themſelves too much eſteeme, And vainely vilipend their foe, Oft finde not fortune as they deeme, And with their treaſure would redeeme Their errour paſt; bebold even ſo Our King of blame doth worthy ſeeme, His adverſary who did ſcorne And thought who in his name did goe, The laurell ſhould have worne, His triumphs to adorne, But he with ſhame hath ſhorne The fruits of folly ever ripe with woe: "An enemy (if it be well advis'd) ("Though ſeeming weake,) ſhould never be deſpis But what? the Minions of our Kings Who ſpeake at large, and are beleev'd, Dare brag of many mighty things, As they could flye, though wanting wings, And deeds by words might be atchiev'd; But time at length their lies to light, Their Soveraigne to confuſion brings: Yet Soveraigne to confuſion brings: But charme their Princes ſight, And make what's wrong, ſeeme right, Thus ruine they his might: That when he would, he cannot be reliev'd, "Moe Kings in chambers fall by flatteries charms, "Then in the field by th' adverſaries Armes. Loe, though the ſucceſſe hath approv'd What Charidemus had fore-ſhowne, Yet with his words no man was mov'd, "For good men firſt muſt be remov'd, "Before their worth can well be known; The King would heare but what he lov'd, And what him pleas'd not, did deſpiſe, So were the better ſort o'rethrowne, And Sycophants unwife, Who could the truth diſguiſe, Were ſuffered high to riſe, That him who rais'd them up, they might caſt downe: "Thus Princes will not heare, though ſome deceive them, "Things as they are, but as themſelves conceive them. BEhold, the heavens with a benigne aſpect, To proſper this brave enterpriſe intend, And with propitious Starres ſeeme to direct This great beginning to a glorious end. "Who would be famous, muſt of force aſpire, All thoſe (aſtoriſh'd) who my Troupes doe view, Doubt of theſe two, which moſt they ſhould admire, My comming, or my conquering with ſo few; "So mighty mindes whilſt for great actions bent, "Force fortune oft to favour them in all, "Where breſts more baſe divining bad event, "Through ſuperſtitious feares procure their fall. O how I wonder, when I call to minde That monſtrous campe, which not ſo much as doubted, Dimme ſeem'd the ſunne, while as their armour ſhin'd, Men had not heard the thunder, whilſt they ſhouted. Avant-couroures advanced to examine, W en they ſo meane my numbers had perceiv'd, Did thinke them ſmall to ſatisfie the famine That their huge hoſt of ſlaughter had conceiv'd, And yet in end this prov'd a poyſon'd food, Which of their owne to their confuſion yeelds, Huge mounts of murthered corpes; and ſeas of bloud: Unburied bodies buried all the fields. So now, that few whom they contemn'd ſo farre, (See how mortality it ſelfe deceives) Have quite o're-match'd their multitudes in warre; And made the world neere waſte to people graves. Then, deare Parmenio, ſince the fates afford So faire an entry to our firſt deſignes, Let us goe follow (lantern'd by the ſword,) That fortune which the heavens our hopes aſſignes.