The True Chronicle of King Leir (King Lear and his Three Daughters) · chunk 4 of 43
Anonymous · published 1605 · first performed or written 1590 [c.1588-1594] (Annals) history · Queen Elizabeth's Men (?) unassigned nearest T33 Fathers, daughters and marriage negotiat · 465 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T33: daughter, marriage, father, love, davus, matter, son, chremes, wife, mother.
Not all the world could lay a better plot, I long till it be put in practice. Perillus, go seek my daughters, Will them immediately come and speak with me. I will, my gracious Lord. Oh, what a combat feels my panting heart, Twixt children's love, and care of Common weal! How dear my daughters are unto my soul, None knows, but he, that knows my thoughts & secret deeds. Ah, little do they know the dear regard, Wherein I hold their future state to come: When they securely sleep on beds of down, These aged eyes do watch for their behalf: While they like wantons sport in youthful toys, This throbbing heart is pierced with dire annoys. As doth the Sun exceed the smallest Star, So much the father's love exceeds the child's. Yet my complaints are causeless: for the world. Affords not children more conformable: And yet, methinks, my mind presageth still I know not what: and yet I fear some ill. Well, here my daughters come me: I have found out A present means to rid me of this doubt. Our royal Lord and father, in all duty, We come to know the tenor of your will, Why you so hastily have sent for us? Dear Gonorill, kind Ragan, sweet Cordella Ye flourishing branches of a Kingly stock, Sprung from a tree that once did flourish green, Whose blossoms now are nipped with Winter's frost, And pale grim death doth wait upon my steps, And summons me unto his next Assizes. Therefore, dear daughters, as ye tender the safety Of him that was the cause of your first being, Resolve a doubt which much molests my mind, Which of you three to me would prove most kind; Which loves me most, and which at my request Will soonest yield unto their father's hest. I hope, my gracious father makes no doubt Of any of his daughter's love to him: Yet for my part, to show my zeal to you, Which cannot be in windy words rehearsed, I prize my love to you at such a rate, I think my life inferior to my love. Should you enjoin me for to tie a millstone About my neck, and leap into the Sea, At your command I willingly would do it: Yea, for to do you good, I would ascend The highest Turret in all Brittany, And from the top leap headlong to the ground: Nay, more, should you appoint me for to marry The meanest vassal in the spacious world, Without reply I would accomplish it: In brief, command whatever you desire, And if I fail, no favour I require. O, how thy words revive my dying soul! O, how I do abhor this flattery! But what sayth Ragan to her father's will?
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)
Not all the world could lay a better plot, I long till it be put in practice. Perillus, go seeke my daughters, Will them immediately come and speak with me. I will, my gracious Lord. Oh, what a combat feeles my panting heart, Twixt childrens loue, and care of Common weale! How deare my daughters are vnto my soule, None knowes, but he, that knowes my thoghts & secret deeds. Ah, little do they know the deare regard, Wherein I hold their future state to come: When they securely sleepe on beds of downe, These aged eyes do watch for their behalfe: While they like wantons sport in youthfull toyes, This throbbing heart is pearst with dire annoyes. As doth the Sun excceed the smallest Starre, So much the fathers loue exceeds the childs. Yet my complaynts are causlesse: for the world. Affords not children more conformable: And yet, me thinks, my mind presageth still I know not what: and yet I feare some ill. Well, here my daughters come me: I haue found out A present meanes to rid me of this doubt. Our royall Lord and father, in all duty, We come to know the tenour of your will, Why you so hastily haue sent for vs? Deare Gonorill, kind Ragan, sweet Cordella Ye florishing branches of a Kingly stocke, Sprung from a tree that once did flourish greene, Whose blossomes now are nipt with Winters frost, And pale grym death doth wayt vpon my steps, And summons me vnto his next Assizes. Therefore, deare daughters, as ye tender the safety Of him that was the cause of your first being, Resolue a doubt which much molests my mind, Which of you three to me would proue most kind; Which loues me most, and which at my request Will soonest yeeld vnto their fathers hest. I hope, my gracious father makes no doubt Of any of his daughters loue to him: Yet for my part, to shew my zeale to you, Which cannot be in windy words rehearst, I prize my loue to you at such a rate, I thinke my life inferiour to my loue. Should you inioyne me for to tye a milstone About my neck, and leape into the Sea, At your commaund I willingly would doe it: Yea, for to doe you good, I would ascend The highest Turret in all Brittany, And from the top leape headlong to the ground: Nay, more, should you appoynt me for to marry The meanest vassayle in the spacious world, Without reply I would accomplish it: In briefe, commaund what euer you desire, And if I fayle, no fauour I require. O, how thy words reuiue my dying soule! O, how I doe abhorre this flattery! But what sayth Ragan to her fathers will?