Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1603 (Annals) tragedy T25 Kings, power and law: political sententi typicality 0.86 · 522 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.
That damned wretch up with Ambition blown, Then whilst be turns the wheel about, Thrown high, and low, within, without, In striving for the top is tumbling down. Those who delight in climbing high, Oft by a precipice do dye, So do the Stars skie-climbing worldlings flout; But this disease is fatal to a Crown: Kings, who have most, would most augment their bounds, And if they be not all, they cannot be, Which to their damage commonly redounds, The weight of too great states themselves confounds. The mighty toiling to enlarge their state, Themselves exceedingly deceive, In hazarding the thing they have For a felicity which they conceive; Though their Dominions they increase, Yet their desires grow never less, For though they conquer much, yet more they crave, Which fatal Fortune doth attend the great, And all the outward pomp that they assume Doth but with shows disguise the Minds distress; And who to conquer all the earth presume, A little earth shall them at last consume. And if it fortune that they die in peace, (A wonder wondrous rarely seen) Who conquer first, heavens find a mean To raze their Empire, and ofttimes their race, Who coming to the Crown with rest, And having all in peace possessed, Do strait forget what bloody broils have been, Ere first their Fathers could attain that place; As Seas do flow and ebb, States rise, and fall, And Princes when their actions prosper best, For fear their greatness should oppress the small, As of some hated, envied are of all. We know what end the mighty Cyrus made, Whom whilst he strived to conquer still, A woman (justly grieved) did kill, And in a bloody vessel rolled his head, Then said (whilst many wondering stood) Since thou didst famish for such food, Now quench thy thirst of blood with blood at will; Some who succeeded him, since he was dead, Have reigned a space with pomp, and yet with pain, Whose glory now can do to us no good; And what so long they laboured to obtain, All in an instant must be lost again. Lo, Darius once so magnified by fame, By one whom he contemned overcome, For all his bravery now made dumb, With downcast eyes must signify his shame; Who puffed up with ostentive pride, Think Fortune bound to serve their side, Can never scape, to be the prey of some; Such spend their prosperous days, as in a dream, And as it were in Fortune's bosom sleeping, Then in a dull security abide, And of their doubtful state neglect the keeping, Whilst fearful ruin comes upon them creeping. Thus the vicissitude of worldly things Doth oft to us itself detect, When heavenly powers exalt, deject, Confirm, confound, erect, and ruin Kings. So Alexander mighty now, To whom the vanquished world doth bow, With all submission, homage, and respect, Doth fly a borrowed flight with Fortune's wings; Nor enters he his dangerous course to ponder; Yet if once Fortune bend her cloudy brow, All those who at his sudden success wonder, May gaze as much to see himself brought under.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 516–587 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 9 of 35 in this edition
Length
522 words · 681 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T25 — Kings, power and law: political sententiaecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.862 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T25 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
That damned wretch up with Ambition blowne, Then whil'ſt be turnes the wheele about, Throwne high, and low, within, without, In ſtriving for the top is tumbling downe. "Thoſe who delight in climbing high, "Oft by a precipice do dye, So do the Starres skie-climbing worldlings ſlout; But this diſeaſe is fatall to a Crowne: Kings, who have moſt, would moſt augment their bounds, And if they be not all, they cannot be, Which to their damage commonly redounds, "The weight of too great ſtates themſelves confounds. "The mighty toyling to enlarge their ſtate, "Themſelves exceedingly deceive, "In hazarding the thing they have "For a felicity which they conceive; "Though their Dominions they encreaſe, Yet their deſires grow never leſſe, "For though they conquer much, yet more they crave, "Which fatall Fortune doth attend the great, "And all the outward pompe that they aſſume "Doth but with ſhows diſguiſe the Minds diſtreſſe; "And who to conquer all the earth preſume, "A little earth ſhall them at laſt conſume. And if it fortune that they dye in peace, (A wonder wondrous rarely ſeene) Who conquer firſt, heavens finde a meane To raze their Empire, and oft-times their race, Who comming to the Crowne with reſt, And having all in peace poſſeſt, Do ſtraight forget what bloudy broyles have beene, Ere firſt their Fathers could attaine that place; "As Seas do flow and ebbe, States riſe, and fall, "And Princes when their actions proſper beſt, "For feare their greatneſſe ſhould oppreſſe the ſmall, "As of ſome hated, envied are of all. We know what end the mighty Cyrus made, Whom whil'ſt he ſtriv'd to conquer ſtill, A woman (juſtly griev'd) did kill, And in a bloudy veſſell roll'd his head, Then ſaid (whil'ſt many wondring ſtood) Since thou didſt famiſh for ſuch food, Now quench thy thirſt of bloud with blond at will; Some who ſucceeded him, ſince he was dead, Have raign'd a ſpace with pompe, and yet with paine, Whoſe glory now can do to us no good; And what ſo long they labour'd to obtaine, All in an inſtant muſt be loſt againe. Loe, Darius once ſo magnified by fame, By one whom he contemn'd o're-come, For all his bravery now made dombe, With down-caſt eyes muſt ſignifie his ſhame; Who puft up with oſtentive pride, Thinke Fortune bound to ſerve their ſide, Can never ſcape, to be the prey of ſome; Such ſpend their proſp'rous dayes, as in a dreame, And as it were in Fortunes boſome ſleeping, Then in a dull ſecurity abide, And of their doubtfull ſtate neglect the keeping, Whil'ſt fearfull ruine comes upon them creeping. Thus the viciſsitude of worldly things Doth oft to us it ſelfe detect, When heavenly pow'rs exalt, deject, Confirme, confound, erect, and ruine Kings. So Alexander mighty now, To whom the vanquiſh'd world doth bow, With all ſubmiſsion, homage, and reſpect, Doth flie a borrow'd flight with Fortunes wings; Nor enters he his dangerous courſe to ponder; Yet if once Fortune bend her cloudy brow, All thoſe who at his ſudden ſucceſſe wonder, May gaze as much to ſee himſelfe brought under.