Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) tragedy unassigned nearest T19 Virtue, Fortune and Vice as abstractions · 502 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T19: virtue, fortune, virtues, honour, fame, vice, envy, world, pride, great.
If you at Court to credit would arise, You must not seek by truth to gain renown, But sometime must applaud what you despise, And smile in show whilst in effect you frown. From hence in haste I will myself retire, I hate Courts slavery, it my freeness scorns, Nor am I one whom Croesus doth desire, Since I detest what him (he thinks) adorns; O how light Fortune doth his folly flout, While as he glories in this flying show! With greedy harpies hedged in round about, Which gape to be made rich by his overthrow. Not all the wealth that his great kingdom shows, Can make me from my resolution shrink; Nor can the terror of a Tyrant's blows Enforce my tongue to speak more than I think; Nothing so much as doubts doth vex the mind, Whilst anxious thoughts to fix nowhere can come, Yet every one the way to rest may find, A resolution all things doth overcome. And since my thoughts in Innocency rest, No outward war can inward peace surprise, What can imagied be to brave a breast, That both doth death, and poverty despise? OF all the Creatures bred below, We must call Man most miserable, Who all his time is never able To purchase any true repose; His very birth may well disclose What miseries his bliss o'erthrow: For, first (when borne) he cannot know, Who to his state is friend or foe, Nor how at first he may stand stable, But even with cries, and tears, doth show What dangers do his life enclose; Whose griefs are sure, whose joys a fable; Thus still his days in dolour so He to huge perils must expose; And with vexation lives, and dies with woe, Not knowing whence he came, nor where to go. Then whilst he holds this lowest place, O! how uncertain is his state? The subject of a constant fate, To figure forth inconstancy, Which ever changing as we see, Is still a stranger unto peace: For if man prosper but a space, With each good success fond bold, And puffed up in his own conceit, He but abuses Fortune's grace; And when that with adversity His pleasure's treasures end their date, And with disasters are controlled, Strait he begins for grief to dye: And still the top of some extreme doth hold, Not suffering Summers' heat, nor Winter's cold▪ His state doth in most danger stand, Who most abounds in worldly things, And scares too high with Fortune's wings, Which carry up aspiring minds, To be the object of all winds; The course of such when rightly scanned, (Whilst they cannot themselves command) Transported with a● empty name, Oft unexpected ruin brings; There were examples in this Land, How worldly bliss the senses blinds, From which at last oft trouble springs, He who presumes upon the same, Hid poison in his pleasure finds; And sailing rashly with the winds of fame, Doth oft times sink down in a Sea of shame.
seed 43: T13 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
If you at Court to credit would ariſe, You muſt not ſeek by truth to gaine renowne, But ſometime muſt applaud what you deſpiſe, And ſmile in ſhow whil'ſt in effect you frowne. From hence in haſte I will my ſelfe retyre, I hate Courts ſlavery, it my freeneſſe ſcornes, Nor am I one whom Croeſus doth deſire, Since I deteſt what him (he thinks) adornes; O how light Fortune doth his folly flout, While as he glories in this flying ſhow! With greedy harpies hedg'd in round about, Which gape to be made rich by his o're-throw. Not all the wealth that his great kingdome ſhows, Can make me from my reſolution ſhrinke; Nor can the terrour of a Tyrants blows Enforce my tongue to ſpeake more then I thinke; Nothing ſo much as doubts doth vex the minde, Whil'ſt anxious thoughts to fix nowhere can come, Yet every one the way to reſt may finde, A reſolution all things doth o're-come. "And ſince my thoughts in Innocency reſt, "No outward warre can inward peace ſurpriſe, "What can imagi'd be to brave a breſt, "That both doth death, and povertie deſpiſe? OF all the Creatures bred below, We muſt call Man moſt miſerable, Who all his time is never able To purchaſe any true repoſe; His very birth may well diſcloſe What miſeries his bliſſe o're-throw: For, firſt (when borne) he cannot know, Who to his ſtate is friend or foe, Nor how at firſt he may ſtand ſtable, But even with cryes, and teares, doth ſhow What dangers do his life encloſe; Whoſe griefes are ſure, whoſe joyes a fable; Thus ſtill his dayes in dolour ſo He to huge perils muſt expoſe; And with vexation lives, and dyes with woe, Not knowing whence he came, nor where to go. Then whil'ſt he holds this loweſt place, O! how uncertaine is his ſtate? The ſubject of a conſtant fate, To figure forth inconſtancy, Which ever changing as we ſee, Is ſtill a ſtranger unto peace: "For if man proſper but a ſpace, "With each good ſucceſſe fondly bold, "And puft up in his owne conceit, "He but abuſes Fortunes grace; "And when that with adverſity "His pleaſures treaſures end their date, "And with diſaſters are controll'd, "Straight he begins for griefe to dye: "And ſtill the top of ſome extreame doth hold, "Not ſuffering Summers heat, nor Winters cold▪ "His ſtate doth in moſt danger ſtand, "Who moſt abounds in worldly things, "And ſcares too high with Fortunes wings, "Which carry up aſpiring mindes, "To be the object of all windes; The courſe of ſuch when rightly ſcan'd, (Whiſt they cannot themſelves command) Tranſported with a empty name, Oft unexpected ruine brings; There were examples in this Land, How worldly bliſſe the ſenſes blindes, From which at laſt oft trouble ſprings, He who preſumes upon the ſame, Hidde poyſon in his pleaſure findes; And ſayling raſhly with the windes of fame, Doth oft times ſinke downe in a Sea of ſhame.