Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) tragedy T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.78 · 503 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
When great winds blow the fire, the smoke worst vents; Whilst generous fury did disguise my grief, I ran transported with a mighty rage, Bent (by revenge, or death to get relife) A tragic actor for a bloody stage: For I was come no sooner to the place, Whereas I thought the Murderer to have found, But I did meet (O ruin and disgrace!) Too dear a friend to catch and enemy's wound; Ah! passions dimmed mine eyes, wrath led my hand, I was no more myself, Grief had me killed; The first by Night, who did before me stand, (As one whose breast with rage Allecto filled) By chance encountering, ere he spoke a word, I bathed his bosom with a crimson flood, And in his breast did drown the cruel sword, That in another's body drank my blood; But when a Torch had partly robbed the night, Proud of supposed revenge (ah bitter gain) I saw, I knew, black knowledge, cruel sight, My brother was the man, whom I had slain; O bitter loss, which nothing can repair! My soul with tow such monstrous deeds annoyed, Grief, rage, spite, shame, amazement, and despair, Galled, tossed, burned, dashed, astonished, and destroyed; The thought of my offence doth grieve me most, Yet am I sometime by love's verdict cleansed; And strait my brother's violated ghost, By dreadful dreams doth brag to be revenged. Now whilst this great disaster did occur, What had the author of your anguish done? He having heard this lamentable stir, Who self-accusing thoughts convicted soon, Strait (wounded by a wonderful remorse) Led by mad love, or desp'rate fear to death, He bent to follow her, or dreading worse, (Stabbed by himself) died to defraud my wrath. Those strange mishaps your enemies eyes must weet, And force compassion from your greatest foe, Since many monstrous circumstances meet To make a horrid harmony in woe; But what doth touch one's self, most force doth find, For ills when felt, then heard, grief more abounds; This ecstasy hath so o'erwhelmed my mind, A melancholy huge all mirth confounds; Yet such disasters past, we must omit, At least no more immoderately lament, And as for those which are but coming yet, Use ordinary means them to prevent. No wonder (Sir) though by all means you strive, From dangerous actions Atis to restrain. I will unto his youth attendance give, Which in my age may guerdoned be again, If it be possible for mortal states To strive against the Stars, and be more strong; I Fortune must unarm, and cross the fates, By barring both all means to do me wrong: I have commanded under pain of death, That no such weapon be within my walls, As I supposed extinguish might his breath, To scape a storm which oft by Fortune falls; He to frequent the field must oft defer; And without guards his lodging never leave; Lo where with Countrymen he doth confer, We will go try what they of him would have.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 973–1037 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 16 of 46 in this edition
Length
503 words · 666 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.775 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
"When great windes blow the fire, the ſmoak worſt vents; Whil'ſt generous furie did diſguiſe my griefe, I ranne tranſported with a mighty rage, Bent (by revenge, or death to get relife) A tragicke actor for a bloudy ſtage: For I was come no ſooner to the place, Whereas I thought the Murtherer to have found, But I did meet (O ruine and diſgrace!) Too deare a friend to catch and enemies wound; Ah! paſſions dimn'd mine eyes, wrath led my hand, I was no more my ſelfe, Griefe had me kill'd; The firſt by Night, who did before me ſtand, (As one whoſe breaſt with rage Alecto fill'd) By chance encount'ring, ere he ſpake a word, I bath'd his boſome with a crimſon floud, And in his breaſt did drowne the cruell ſword, That in anothers body drank my bloud; But when a Torch had partly rob'd the night, Proud of ſuppoſ'd revenge (ah bitter gaine) I ſaw, I knew, black knowledge, cruell ſight, My brother was the man, whom I had ſlaine; O bitter loſſe, which nothing can repaire! My ſoule with tow ſuch monſtrous deeds annoy'd, Griefe, rage, ſpite, ſhame, amazement, and deſpaire, Gall'd, toſſ'd, burn'd, daſh'd, aſtoniſh'd, and deſtroy'd; The thought of my offence doth grieve me moſt, Yet am I ſometime by loves verdict cleanſ'd; And ſtraight my brothers violated ghoſt, By dreadfull dreames doth bragge to be reveng'd. Now whil'ſt this great diſaſter did occurre, What had the author of your anguiſh done? He having heard this lamentable ſtirre, Who ſelf-accuſing thoughts convicted ſoone, Straight (wounded by a wonderfull remorſe) Led by mad love, or deſp'rate feare to death, He bent to follow her, or dreading worſe, (Stab'd by himſelfe) dy'd to defraud my wrath. Thoſe ſtrange miſhaps your enemies eyes muſt weet, And force compaſſion from your greateſt foe, Since many monſtrous circumſtances meet To make a horrid harmony in woe; "But what doth touch ones ſelfe, moſt force doth finde, "For ills when felt, then heard, griefe more abounds; This extaſie hath ſo o're-whelm'd my minde, A melancholy huge all mirth confounds; "Yet ſuch diſaſters paſt, we muſt omit, "At leaſt no more immoderately lament, "And as for thoſe which are but comming yet, Uſe ordinary meanes them to prevent. No wonder (Sir) though by all means you ſtrive, From dangerous actions Atis to reſtraine. I will unto his youth attendance give, Which in my age may guerdon'd be againe, If it be poſſible for mortall ſtates To ſtrive againſt the Starres, and be more ſtrong; I Fortune muſt unarme, and croſſe the fates, By barring both all meanes to do me wrong: I have commanded under paine of death, That no ſuch weapon be within my walls, As I ſuppos'd extinguiſh might his breath, To ſcape a ſtorme which oft by Fortune falls; He to frequent the field muſt oft deferre; And without guards his lodging never leave; Loe where with Countrey-men he doth conferre, We will go try what they of him would have.