Thyestes (Seneca's Second Tragedy) · chunk 1 of 24
Heywood, Jasper / Seneca, Lucius Annaeus · published 1581 · first performed or written 1560 (Annals) tragedy T36 Hell, Furies and the language of punishm typicality 0.87 · 554 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
WHAT fury fell enforceth me to flee, th'unhappy seat, That gay and gasp with greedy law, the fleeing food to eat What GOD to Tantalus the bowers where breathing bodies dwell Doth show again? is ought found worse, than burning thirst of hell In lakes allow? or yet worse plague than hunger is there one, In vain that ever gapes for food? shall Sisyphus his stone, That slipper restless rolling poise upon my back be borne. Or shall my limbs with swifter swinge of whirling wheel be torn? Or shall my pains be Tytius' pangs th'increasing liver still, Whose growing guts the gnawing gripes and filthy fowls do fill? That still by night repairs the paunch that was devoured by day, And wondrous womb unwasted lieth a new prepared pray What ill am I appointed for? O cruel judge of sprites, Who so thou be that torments new among the souls delights Still to dispose, ad what thou canst to all my deadly woe, That keeper even of dungeon dark would fore abhor to know. Or hell itself it quake to see: for dread whereof likewise I tremble would, that plague seek out: lo now there doth arise My brood that shall in mischief far the grandsire's gilt out go, And guiltless make: that first shall dare unventured ills to do. whatever place remaineth yet of all this wicked land, I will fill up: and never once while Pelops house doth stand Shall Minos' idle be. Go forth thou detestable sprite And vex the Gods of wicked house with rage of furies might. Let them contend with all offence, by turns and one by one Let swords be drawn: and mean of ire procure there may be none, Nor shame: let fury blind inflame their minds and wrathful will, Let yet the parent's rage endure and longer lasting ill Through children's children spread: nor yet let any leisure be The former faults to hate, but still more mischief new to see, Nor one in one: but ere the guilt with vengeance be acquit, Increase the crime: from brethren proud let rule of kingdom flit To runagates: and swerving state of all unstable things, Let it by doubtful doom be tossed, between th'uncertain kings. Let mighty fall to misery, and miser climb to might, Let chance turn th'empire upsydown both give and take the right. The banished for guilt, when god restore their country shall. Let them to mischief fall a fresh as hateful then to all, As to themselves: let Ire think nought unlawful to be done, Let brother dread the brother's wrath, and father fear the soon, And eke the soon his parent's power: let babes be murdered ill, But worse begot? her spouse betrapped to treasons train to kill, Let hateful wife a wait, and let them bear through seas their war, Let bloodshed lie the lands about and every field afar: And over conquering captains great, of countries far to see, Let lust triumph: in wicked house let whoredom counted he The lightest offence: let trust that in the breasts of brethren breeds, And truth be gone: let not from sight of your so heinous deeds The heavens be hid, about the pole when shine the stars on high, And flames with wonted beams of light do deck the painted skills.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 0–53 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 1 of 24 in this edition
Length
554 words · 715 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T36 — Hell, Furies and the language of punishmentcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.872 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T32 · seed 44: T26 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
WHAT furye fell enforceth mee to fle, th'unhappy ſeat, That gaye and gaſpe with greedye lawe, the fleeyng food to eate What GOD to Tantalus the bowres wher breathing bodyes dwel Doth ſhew agayue? is ought found worſe, then burning thyrſt of hel In lakes alow? or et worſe plague then hunger is there one, In vayne that euer gapes for foode? ſhal Siſyphus his ſtone, That ſlipper reſtles rollyng payſe vppon my backe be borne. Or ſhall my lymmes with ſwifter ſwinge of whirling whele be torne? Or ſhal my paynes be Tytius panges th'encreaſyng liuer ſtill, Whoſe growing guttes the gnawing gripes and tylthy foules do fyll? That ſtyl by nyght repayres the panch that was deuourd by day, And wondrous wombe vnwaſted lieth a new prepared pray What ill am I appoynted for? O cruell iudge of ſprites, Who ſo thou be that tormentes new among the ſowles delytes Stil to diſpoſe, ad what thou canſt to all my deadly woe, That keeper euen of dungeon darke would fore abhorre to knowe. Or hel it ſelfe it quake to ſe: for dread wherof likewyſe I tremble wold, that plague ſeke out: lo now there doth aryſe My broode that ſhal in miſchiefe farre the grandſyers gilt out goe, And gyltles make: that firſt ſhall dare vnuentred ils to do. What euer place remayneth yet of all this wicked land, I wil fill vp: and neuer once while Pelops houſe doth ſtand Shall Minos idle be. Go forth thou deteſtable ſprite And vexe the Goddes of wicked houſe with rage of furyes might. Let them contend with all offence, by turnes and one by one Let ſwordes be drawne: and meane of ire procure there may be none, Nor ſhame: let fury blynd enflame theyr myndes and wrathful will, Let yet the parentes rage endure and longer laſting yll Through childrens children ſpreade: nor yet let any leyſure be The former faws to hate, but ſtill more miſchiefe newe to ſee, Nor one in one: but ere the gylt with vengeance be acquit, Encreaſe the cryme: from brethren proud let rule of kingdom flyt To runnagates: and ſwaruing ſtate of all vnſtable thinges, Let it by doubtfull dome be toſte, betwene thuncertaine kyngs. Let mighty fall to miſery, and myſer clime to might, Let chaunce turne thempyre vpſydowne both geue and take the right. The banyſhed for gylt, whan god reſtore theyr country ſhall. Let them to miſchiefe fall a freſh as hatefull then to all, As to themſelues: let Ire thinke nought vnlawfull to be doon, Let brother dread the brothers wrath, and father feare the ſoon, And eke the ſoon his parents powre: let babes be murdered yll, But worſe begot? her ſpouſe betrapt t treaſons trayne to kyll, Let hatefull wyfe a wayte, and let them beare through ſeas their warre, Let bloodſhed lye the lands about and euery field a farr: And ouer conqueryng captaynes greate, of countreys far to ſee, Let luſt tryumphe: in wicked houſe let whoredome counted he The light'ſt offene: let truſt that in the breaſts of brethren breedes, And truth be gone: let not from ſight of your ſo heynous deedes The heauens be hyd, about the poale when ſhyne the ſtarres on hye, And flames with woonted beames of light doe decke the paynted ſkyls.