Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) tragedy T17 Eastern conquest: Persians, Turks and so typicality 0.82 · 493 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.
I'll raise a Pyramid of Croesus' spoils, Where of their worth each part shall be comprised, But how to do in these tumultuous broils, Now time requires that you were well advised: Your adversary doth attend your will; This haughty Town for fear to fall doth bow, And therefore pardon, ransom, quite, or kill, Do what you please, none can control us now. As for old Croesus, I am else resolved, He with some captives whom I keep in store Shall have their bodies by the fire dissolved, As offerings to the Gods whom I adore. My Soldiers' pains this City shall defray, Since by their means it hath been gained for us, I yield it unto them, as their just prey, Who taste the sweetness of their travels thus; Of other things we shall so well dispose That our renown through all the world shall shine, Till Cyrus' name give terror to all those, Who dare against his Sovereignty repine. AH! to what part shall I my steps address, Of bondage base the burden to eschew? Lo, desolation, ruin, and distress With horror do my native home pursue; And now poor Country, take my last farewell, Farewell all joy, all comfort, all delight. What heavy tidings hast thou now to tell, Who tearest thy garments thus? what forced thy flight? I tell the wrack of us, and all who live Within the circuit of this wretched soil. A hideous shout we heard the City give, Have foes prevailed, do they her beauty spoil? They may it spoil. And is our Sovereign slain? No, but scarce 'scaped doth live in danger still. Then let our minds no more in doubt remain, And must we yield to that proud Strangers will? You know how Croesus at advantage lay, Still seeking means to curb the Persians pride, And how th' Assyrians had assigned a day When led by him, they battle would abide; But Cyrus having heard how that they would Against his State so great an army bring, Strait raising forces, providently bold, Prevents, invades, o'ercomes, and takes our King. This shows a Captain both expert and brave, Who wisely doth advise, perform with speed, No circumstance (friend) unrelated leave, Which with our Kings did our confusion breed. When Croesus saw that Cyrus came so soon, He stood a while with a distracted mind, Yet what time would permit, left nought undone, But made his musters, marched his foe to find. Our stately troops that for rich arms excelled, And with umbragious feathers fanned the air, With insolency, not with courage swelled, A triumph dreamed, scarce how to fight took care. The Lydian horsemen never stained, but true, And for their worth, through all the world renowned, Them chief Cyrus laboured to subdue, And this device for that effect was found: Untrussing all their baggage by the way Each of the Camels for his charge did bear A grim-faced Groom, who did himself array
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 2458–2521 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 39 of 46 in this edition
Length
493 words · 643 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T17 — Eastern conquest: Persians, Turks and soldanscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.820 (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)
I'le raiſe a Pyramide of Croeſus ſpoils, Where of their worth each part ſhall be compris'd, But how to do in theſe tumultuous broils, Now time requires that you were well adviſ'd: Your adverſary doth attend your will; This hauty Towne for feare to fall doth bow, And therefore pardon, ranſome, quite, or kill, Do what you pleaſe, none can controll us now. As for old Croeſus, I am elſe reſolv'd, He with ſome captives whom I keep in ſtore Shall have their bodies by the fire diſſolv'd, As offerings to the Gods whom I adore. My Souldiers paines this City ſhall defray, Since by their meanes it hath beene gain'd for us, I yeeld it unto them, as their juſt prey, Who taſte the ſweetneſſe of their travels thus; Of other things we ſhall ſo well diſpoſe That our renowne through all the world ſhall ſhine, Till Cyrus name give terror to all thoſe, Who dare againſt his Soveraignty repine. AH! to what part ſhall I my ſteps addreſſe, Of bondage baſe the burden to eſchue? Loe, deſolation, ruine, and diſtreſſe With horrour do my native home purſue; And now poore Countrey, take my laſt farewell, Farewell all joy, all comfort, all delight. What heavy tydings haſt thou now to tell, Who tear'ſt thy garments thus? what forc'd thy flight? I tell the wracke of us, and all who live Within the circuit of this wretched ſoile. A hideous ſhout we heard the Citie give, Have foes prevail'd, do they her beauty ſpoile? They may it ſpoile. And is our Soveraigne ſlaine? No, but ſcarce ſcap't doth live in danger ſtill. Then let our mindes no more in doubt remaine, And muſt we yeeld to that proud Strangers will? You know how Croeſus at advantage lay, Still ſeeking meanes to curbe the Perſians pride, And how th'Aſſyrians had aſſign'd a day When led by him, they battell would abide; But Cyrus having heard how that they would Againſt his State ſo great an armie bring, Straight raiſing forces, providently bold, Prevents, invades, o're-comes, and takes our King. This ſhews a Captaine both expert and brave, "Who wiſely doth adviſe, performe with ſpeed, No circumſtance (friend) unrelated leave, Which with our Kings did our confuſion breed. When Croeſus ſaw that Cyrus came ſo ſoone, He ſtood a while with a diſtracted minde, Yet what time would permit, left nought undone, But made his muſters, march'd his foe to finde. Our ſtately troups that for rich armes excell'd, And with umbragious feathers fann'd the aire, With inſolency, not with courage ſwell'd, A triumph dream'd, ſcarce how to fight took care. The Lydian horſe-men never ſtain'd, but true, And for their worth, through all the world renown'd, Them chiefly Cyrus labour'd to ſubdue, And this device for that effect was found: Untruſſing all their baggage by the way Each of the Camels for his charge did beare A grim-fac'd Groome, who did himſelfe array