Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) tragedy T25 Kings, power and law: political sententi typicality 0.83 · 507 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T25: feare, kings, power, princes, lawes, loue, state, downe, honor, men.
Lo! I who late did thunder from a Throne, Am now a wretch whom every one disdains; My treasure, honour, state, and freedom gone; No kind of comfort, no, nor hope remains, And after me, let none whom greatness shrouds, Trust tumid titles, nor ostentive shows: Sails swollen with winds, whilst emulating clouds, That which puffs up, oft at the last o'erthrows. O! had this precious wit enriched my mind, Which by experience I have dearly bought, Whilst fortune was within my Court confined, And that I could not think a bitter thought; Then satisfied with Sovereignty ear'st proved, I had disdained new dangers to embrace, And clothed with majesty, admired, and loved, Had lived with pleasure, and had died in peace. But what more wonderful in any State, Than power (when courted) that is free from pride? But chief those who live securely great, They oft may err, since Fortune is their guide, What could the world afford, or man affect, Which did not smooth my soul, whilst I was such? Whom now the changing world doth quite neglect, By prospr'ing plagued, starved only with too much; Long lulled asleep with scornful Fortune's lies, A slave to pleasure, drowned in base delights, I made a covenant with my wand'ring eyes, To entertain them still with pleasant sights; My heart enjoyed all that was wished of late, Whilst it the height of happiness did cloy, Still served with dainty, but suspected meat, My soul with pleasure sick, was faint for joy; All, which much care what might procure mine ease: (My will divined) obsequiously devised, And who my fancy any way could please, As praised by me, was by all others prized. Save serving me none else could have deserved, Of whom what ever came, was held of weight, My words and looks were carefully observed, And whom I graced, were had in honour strait; For pomp and power, far passing other Kings, Whilst too secure with drowsy thoughts I slumbered, My coffers still were full of precious things, Of which (as wealth least weighed) gold scarce was numbered; I reared rare buildings, all embossed with gold; Made ponds for fishes, forests for wild beasts; And with vain thoughts which could not be controlled, Oft spent the day in sport, the night in feasts. I tossed the Elements with power like Jove's, Drived water up, air down, a pleasant change; For, stately fountains, artificial groves, As common things were not accounted strange. With me (what more could any Monarch crave?) In all the parts of pomp, none could compare: My Minions gallant, Counselors were grave, My guards were strong, my Concubines were fair; Yea, whilst light Fortune my defects supplied, I had all that could breed (as now I find) In others wonder, in the owner pride, So puffing up the flesh to spoil the mind. Thus with delight (long pressing pleasures grapes) With Fortune I carrowsed what men dear hold, But ah! from misery none always escapes, One must be wretched once, or young, or old;
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 2771–2834 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 44 of 46 in this edition
Length
507 words · 687 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T25 — Kings, power and law: political sententiaecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.828 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Loe! I who late did thunder from a Throne, Am now a wretch whom every one diſdaines; My treaſure, honour, ſtate, and freedome gone; No kinde of comfort, no, nor hope remaines, And after me, let none whom greatneſſe ſhrouds, Truſt tumid titles, nor oſtentive ſhows: "Sailes ſwolne with windes, whil'ſt emulating clouds, That which puffes up, oft at the laſt o're-throws. O! had this pretious wit enrich'd my minde, Which by experience I have dearly bought, Whil'ſt fortune was within my Court confin'd, And that I could not thinke a bitter thought; Then ſatisfi'd with Soveraignty ear'ſt prov'd, I had diſdain'd new dangers to embrace, And cloath'd with majeſtie, admir'd, and lov'd, Had liv'd with pleaſure, and had dy'd in peace. "But what more wonderfull in any State, "Then power (when courted) that is free from pride? "But chiefly thoſe who live ſecurely great, "They oft may erre, ſince Fortune is their guide, What could the world afford, or man affect, Which did not ſmooth my ſoule, whil'ſt I was ſuch? Whom now the changing world doth quite neglect, By proſpr'ing plagu'd, ſtarv'd onely with too much; Long lull'd aſleep with ſcornfull Fortunes lyes, A ſlave to pleaſure, drown'd in baſe delights, I made a covenant with my wandring eyes, To entertaine them ſtill with pleaſant ſights; My heart enjoy'd all that was wiſh'd of late, Whil'ſt it the height of happineſſe did cloy, Still ſerv'd with dainty, but ſuſpected meat, My ſoule with pleaſure ſicke, was faint for joy; All, which much care what might procure mine eaſe: (My will divin'd) obſequiouſly deviſ'd, And who my fancy any way could pleaſe, As prais'd by me, was by all others priſ'd. Save ſerving me none elſe could have deſerv'd, Of whom what ever came, was held of weight, My words and looks were carefully obſerv'd, And whom I grac'd, were had in honour ſtraight; For pompe and pow'r, farre paſſing other Kings, Whil'ſt too ſecure with drowſie thoughts I ſlumbred, My coffers ſtill were full of pretious things, Of which (as wealth leaſt weigh'd) gold ſcarce was numbred; I rear'd rare buildings, all emboſt with gold; Made ponds for fiſhes, forreſts for wilde beaſts; And with vain thoughts which could not be controll'd, Oft ſpent the day in ſport, the night in feaſts. I toſſ'd the Elements with power like Ioves, Driv'd water up, aire downe, a pleaſant change; For, ſtately fountains, artificiall groves, As common things were not accounted ſtrange. With me (what more could any Monarch crave?) In all the parts of pompe, none could compare: My Minions gallant, Counſellours were grave, My guards were ſtrong, my Concubines were faire; Yea, whil'ſt light Fortune my defects ſupply'd, I had all that could breed (as now I finde) In others wonder, in the owner pride, So puffing up the fleſh to ſpoyle the minde. Thus with delight (long preſſing pleaſures grapes) With Fortune I carrows'd what men deare hold, But ah! from miſery none alwayes ſcapes, "One muſt be wretched once, or yong, or old;