Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) tragedy T17 Eastern conquest: Persians, Turks and so typicality 0.80 · 489 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T17: tamburlaine, persian, cyrus, king, mahomet, arms, mighty, assyrian, thousand, army.
The most imperious of the powers above, Who vows and offerings of the world exacts; He all his time in state did terror breath, Borne to acquaint the world with war and dearth, Whilst fertile still in misery and death, Two fatal furies that afflict the earth; Yet since his course (the world's first plague) was past, When his proud race had many ages reigned, That Empire too did perish at the last, And what it lost, by martial Medes was gained; This was the cause of that great kingdom's fall; A Prince who could not judge of Princely parts, With loss of Sceptre, honour, life, and all, To buy base joys, sold all his Subjects hearts; To that disastered Monarchies decay, Th' aspiring Persians purpose to succeed: But I intent their lofty course to stay, And that in time, ere that it throughly speed; The Persians once the Lydians force must prove, And O! who knows but that it is ordained At the tribunal of the States above, That I should reign where famous Ninus reigned? This all the host of heaven ofttimes foretells, To this the Gods of Greece my mind have moved, And he that in Arabia's desert dwells, By his response this enterprise approved. Thus still in love with what we mind to do, What we affect, we fairest still conceive, This feeds our humour, whilst (selfe-flatterers) lo, To show our wit, we would ourselves deceive; Vain hopes so mask all doubts, you cannot spy What secret danger this design doth bear; But whilst well viewed with an indifferent eye, There want not grounds, where foresight may find fear: You unadvis'dly purpose to pursue A barbarous people opposite to peace, Who but by robbery to their greatness grew, And would for each light cause, the wars embrace; No dainty silks, dipped in Assyrian die, Do deck their bodies, to abase their minds: Skins reft from beasts them cloath, who danger ply, Not moved by flattering Suns, nor bragging winds; They simply feed, and are not grieved each day, With stomachs clody, decocting diverse meats, They far not as they would, but as they may, Of judgement sound, not carried with conceits. Those ancient customs which they strictly hold, Make all things easy, that they feel no pain, This cools the summer's heat, kills winter's cold: This makes the Rivers dry, the Mountains plain. They whose ambition poverty did bound, Of Lydia's dainties if they once do taste, Will have in hatred strait their barren ground, And all our treasures insolently waste; To govern such, although that we prevail, You shall but buy vexation with your blood, And do yourself, and yours, if fortune fail, From Sovereignty (by time secured) seclude; Yea, though this rash desire your judgement blinds, I for my part must praise the Gods for you, Who have not yet inspired the Persians minds, To waste with war all Lydia long ere now.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 1823–1884 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 29 of 46 in this edition
Length
489 words · 652 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T17 — Eastern conquest: Persians, Turks and soldanscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.803 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T18 · seed 44: T18 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
The moſt imperious of the pow'rs above, Who vowes and offerings of the world exacts; He all his time in ſtate did terrour breath, Borne to acquaint the world with warre and dearth, Whil'ſt fertile ſtill in miſery and death, Two fatall furies that afflict the earth; Yet ſince his courſe (the worlds firſt plague) was paſt, When his proud race had many ages raign'd, That Empire too did periſh at the laſt, And what it loſt, by martiall Medes was gain'd; This was the cauſe of that great kingdomes fall; A Prince who could not judge of Princely parts, With loſſe of Scepter, honour, life, and all, To buy baſe joyes, ſold all his Subjects hearts; To that diſaſtred Monarchies decay, Th' aſpiring Perſians purpoſe to ſucceed: But I intend their lofty courſe to ſtay, And that in time, ere that it throughly ſpeed; The Perſians once the Lydians force muſt prove, And O! who knowes but that it is ordain'd At the tribunall of the States above, That I ſhould raigne where famous Ninus raign'd? This all the hoſte of heaven oft-times foretels, To this the Gods of Greece my minde have mov'd, And he that in Arabia's deſart dwels, By his reſponſe this enterpriſe approv'd. Thus ſtill in love with what we minde to doe, "What we affect, we faireſt ſtill conceive, "This feeds our humour, whil'ſt (ſelfe-flatterers) loe, "To ſhew our wit, we would our ſelves deceive; "Vaine hopes ſo maske all doubts, you cannot ſpy "What ſecret danger this deſigne doth beare; "But whil'ſt well view'd with an indifferent eye, "There want not grounds, where fore-ſight may find feare: "You unadvis'dly purpoſe to purſue "A barbarous people oppoſite to peace, "Who but by robbery to their greatneſſe grew, "And would for each light cauſe, the warres embrace; "No dainty ſilkes, dipt in Aſſyrian dye, "Doe decke their bodies, to abaſe their mindes: "Skinnes reft from beaſts them cloath, who danger ply, "Not mov'd by flattering Sunnes, nor bragging windes; "They ſimply feed, and are not griev'd each day, "With ſtomackes clody, decocting divers meates, "They fare not as they would, but as they may, "Of judgement ſound, not carried with conceits. "Thoſe ancient cuſtomes which they ſtrictly hold, "Make all things eaſie, that they feele no paine, "This cooles the ſummers heate, kils winters cold: "This makes the Rivers dry, the Mountaines plaine. "They whoſe ambition poverty did bound, "Of Lydia's dainties if they once doe taſte, "Will have in hatred ſtraight their barren ground, "And all our treaſures inſolently waſte; "To governe ſuch, although that we prevaile, "You ſhall but buy vexation with your bloud, "And doe your ſelfe, and yours, if fortune faile, "From Soveraignty (by time ſecur'd) ſeclude; Yea, though this raſh deſire your judgement blindes, I for my part muſt praiſe the Gods for you, Who have not yet inſpir'd the Perſians mindes, To waſte with warre all Lydia long ere now.