Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1603 (Annals) tragedy T38 Death, parting and grief at court typicality 0.83 · 485 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T38: queen, king, death, dead, heart, life, die, lord, royal, news.
Go presently, and every thing prepare, As best becomes the military form. THIS look alas, hath charged my soul with fears: Speak, for my life doth on thy lips depend, Thy countenance (ah) a doleful copy bears Of some sad summons to denounce my end. Starve not my ears, which famish for thy words, Though they when swallowed may but make me burst. The message (madame) which my soul affords Must once be known, and once known still accursed. Be not a niggard of ill news. And why? Fame will tell all the world. But first to you. Tell soon. Your son is dead. Then let me die. Her joys and pleasures all are perished now. Why opens not the Earth strait to devour A hopeless caitive who all good hath lost? The longer that I live, my grief grows more, As but to mischief borne, kept to be crossed; Would God this mass where misery remains, A weight of Earth from sight of men might keep; Or that the Seas all raging through the plains Would make my tomb amidst their tumid deep. O Alexander! hast thou robbed his life, Yet entertained me still in hope to find him? Why didst thou not first kill this poor old wife, Who was not worthy to have lived behind him? That I should live till thou my Son hadst slain, Was all thy kindness for this cause employed? You wrong that Prince, for he with haste in vain Came him to help whom others had destroyed. What impious thoughts durst dream so vile a deed, A monarches murder, Asia's glories end? Two whom he raised did his confusion breed, He found his friend his foe, his foe a friend. Tell on thy message, messenger of death, And load my mind with mountains of distress, That tears may drown my sight, sighs choke my breath, Whilst sorrow all my senses doth possess. When Alexander (who at peace repined) Did (save submission) hold all offers vain, Bend of stern Mars to try the doubtful mind; A general muster Darius did ordain, And (in one battle bend to venture all) He caused his will be publicly proclaimed, Whilst two vile Traitors did conspire his fall, Who Bessus and Narbazanes were named; Those two in council did discover first Some portion of the poison of their heart, Which caused the king suspect, but not the worst, Yet with a sword he sought to make them smart. But having scaped what first was feared from rage, They seemed so much their error to lament, His indignation that they did assuage, (False hypocrites) pretending to repent. Whilst Artabazus as an honest man Who judged of others by his upright mind, (No fraud conceived) sought more to scape then scan, What they with craft to compass Crowns designed. A mind sincere is ever least suspicious: These think all faulty, who themselves are vicious.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 1905–1968 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 31 of 35 in this edition
Length
485 words · 614 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T38 — Death, parting and grief at courtcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.825 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
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)
Goe preſently, and every thing prepare, As beſt becomes the military forme. THIS looke alas, hath charg'd my ſoule with feares: Speak, for my life doth on thy lippes depend, Thy count'nance (ah) a dolefull copie beares Of ſome ſad ſummons to denounce my end. Starve not my eares, which famiſh for thy words, Though they when ſwallow'd may but make me burſt. The meſſage (madame) which my ſoule affords Muſt once be knowne, and once knowne ſtill accurſt. Be not a niggard of ill newes. And why? Fame will tell all the world. But firſt to you. Tell ſoone. Your ſonne is dead. Then let me die. Her joyes and pleaſures all are periſh'd now. Why opens not the Earth ſtraight to devoure A hopeleſſe caitive who all good hath loſt? The longer that I live, my griefe growes more, As but to miſchiefe borne, kept to be croſt; Would God this maſſe where miſerie remaines, A weight of Earth from ſight of men might keepe; Or that the Seas all raging through the plaines Would make my tombe amid'ſt their tumid deepe. O Alexander! haſt thou rob'd his life, Yet entertain'd me ſtill in hope to finde him? Why did'ſt thou not firſt kill this poore old wife, Who was not worthie to have liv'd behind him? That I ſhould live till thou my Sonne had'ſt ſlaine, Was all thy kindneſſe for this cauſe imploi'd? You wrong that Prince, for he with haſt in vaine Came him to helpe whom others had deſtroi'd. What impious thoughts durſt dreame ſo vile a deed, A monarchs murther, Aſia's glories end? Two whom he rais'd did his confuſion breed, He found his friend his foe, his foe a friend. Tell on thy meſſage, meſſenger of death, And loade my minde with mountaines of diſtreſſe, That tears may drowne my ſight, ſighs choake my breath, Whilſt ſorrow all my ſences doth poſſeſſe. When Alexander (who at peace repin'd) Did (ſave ſubmiſſion) hold all offers vaine, Bent of ſterne Mars to try the doubtfull minde; A generall muſter Darius did ordaine, And (in one battell bent to venture all) He caus'd his will be publikely proclaim'd, Whilſt two vile Traitours did conſpire his fall, Who Beſſus and Narbazanes were nam'd; Thoſe two in councell did diſcover firſt Some portion of the poiſon of their heart, Which caus'd the king ſuſpect, but not the worſt, Yet with a ſword he ſought to make them ſmart. But having ſcap'd what firſt was fear'd from rage, They ſeem'd ſo much their errour to lament, His indignation that they did aſſwage, (Falſe hypocrits) pretending to repent. Whilſt Artabazus as an honeſt man Who judg'd of others by his vpright minde, (No fraud conceav'd) ſought more to ſcape then ſcan, What they with craft to compaſſe Crownes deſign'd. A mind ſincere is ever leaſt ſuſpitious: "Theſe think all faultie, who themſelves are vitious.