Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) tragedy T17 Eastern conquest: Persians, Turks and so typicality 0.66 · 491 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.
With what in Persia horsemen use to wear; To them th'infantry did follow next, A solid squadron like a brazen wall; But those in whom all confidence was fixed, The brave Cavalry came last of all, Then Cyrüs by the raines his Courser took, And bravely mounted, holding out his hands With an assured, and imperious look Went kindling courage through the flaming bands? He them desired, who at death's game would strive To spare none of their foes in any form; But as for Croesus to take him alive, And keep him captive for a greater storm: Where famous Hellus doth to Hermus' post, To give another both his strength, and name; Our army ran against a greater host, To grace it likewise with our force and same. Each troop a time with equal valour stood, Till giving place at length we took the chase, While as the River ran to hide our blood, But still his borders blushed at our disgrace; For when the Camels to the field were come, Our horses all affrighted at their sight, Ran raging back again, and of them some Disordering ranks, put many to the flight; Yet some who had been used with martial trains The stratagem (though out of time) perceived, And lighting down (red heights raised from green plains) Did vengeance urge of those who them deceived; There whilst the world proved prodigal of breath, The headless tronks lay prostrated in heaps; This field of funerals sacred unto death, Did paint out horror in most hideous shapes: Whilst men unhorsed, horses unmastred, strayed, Some called on those whom they most dearly loved, Some raged, some groaned, some sighed, roared, promised, prayed, As blows, falls, faintness, pain, hope, anguish moved. Those who then scaped (like beasts unto a den) A fortress took where valour none renowns, Walls are for women, and the fields for men, No Town can keep a man, but men keep Towns; And we were scarcely entered at the Ports, When strait the Enemies did the Town enclose, And quickly reared huge artificial Forts, Which did to the besieged more pain impose: All martial Engines were for battery found, At like encounters, which had ear'st prevailed, Whilst both they used the vantage of the ground, And borrowed help from Art, where Nature failed; They always compassing our Trench about, Still where the walls were weak, did make a breach, Which (strait repairing) darts were hurled out, To kill all those who came where we might reach; There all the bolts of death, edged by disdain, Which many curious wits inclined to ill, Whilst kindled by revenge, or hope of gain, Had skill to make, were put in practice still; Yet as we see it ofttimes hath occurred, That in Fame's rolls our fall might be comprised: That side of Sardis, far from all regard, Which doth next Tmolus' lie, thought most secure, Through this presumption, whilst without a guard,
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 2522–2583 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 40 of 46 in this edition
Length
491 words · 656 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T17 — Eastern conquest: Persians, Turks and soldanscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.664 (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)
With what in Perſia horſemen uſe to weare; To them th'infantery did follow next, A ſolid ſquadron like a braſen wall; But thoſe in whom all confidence was fix'd, The brave Cavallery came laſt of all, Then Cyrüs by the raines his Courſer tooke, And bravely mounted, holding out his hands With an aſſured, and imperious look Went kindling courage through the flaming bands? He them deſir'd, who at deaths game would ſtrive To ſpare none of their foes in any forme; But as for Croeſus to take him alive, And keep him captive for a greater ſtorme: Where famous Hellus doth to Hermus poſt, To give another both his ſtrength, and name; Our army ranne againſt a greater hoſt, To grace it likewiſe with our force and ſame. Each troupe a time with equall valour ſtood, Till giving place at length we took the chace, While as the River ranne to hide our bloud, But ſtill his borders bluſh'd at our diſgrace; For when the Camels to the field were come, Our horſes all affrighted at their ſight, Ranne raging backe againe, and of them ſome Diſordering ranks, put many to the flight; Yet ſome who had beene us'd with martiall traines The ſtratagem (though out of time) perceiv'd, And lighting downe (red heights rais'd from green plains) Did vengeance urge of thoſe who them deceiv'd; There whil'ſt the world prov'd prodigall of breath, The headleſſe tronks lay proſtrated in heaps; This field of funerals ſacred unto death, Did paint out horrour in moſt hideous ſhapes: Whil'ſt men unhorſ'd, horſes unmaſtred, ſtray'd, Some call'd on thoſe whom they moſt dearly lov'd, Some rag'd, ſome groan'd, ſome ſigh'd, roar'd, promiſ'd, pray'd, As blows, falls, faintneſſe, paine, hope, anguiſh mov'd. Thoſe who then ſcap'd (like beaſts unto a den) A fortreſſe took where valour none renownes, "Walls are for women, and the fields for men, "No Towne can keep a man, but men keep Townes; And we were ſcarcely entred at the Ports, When ſtraight the Enemies did the Towne encloſe, And quickly rear'd huge artificiall Forts, Which did to the beſieg'd more paine impoſe: All martiall Engines were for battery found, At like encounters, which had ear'ſt prevail'd, Whil'ſt both they us'd the vantage of the ground, And borrow'd help from Art, where Nature fail'd; They alwayes compaſſing our Trench about, Still where the walls were weake, did make a breach, Which (ſtraight repairing) darts were hurled out, To kill all thoſe who came where we might reach; There all the bolts of death, edg'd by diſdaine, Which many curious wits enclin'd to ill, Whil'ſt kindled by revenge, or hope of gaine, Had skill to make, were put in practiſe ſtill; Yet as we ſee it oft-times hath occur'd, That in Fames rolls our fall might be compriſ'd: That ſide of Sardis, farre from all regard, Which doth next Tmolus lye, thought moſt ſecure, Through this preſumption, whil'ſt without a guard,