Thyestes (Seneca's Second Tragedy) · chunk 5 of 24
Heywood, Jasper / Seneca, Lucius Annaeus · published 1581 · first performed or written 1560 (Annals) tragedy T25 Kings, power and law: political sententi typicality 0.87 · 529 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.
Whom fear doth so compel To praise, the same his foes to be, doth fear enforce agoyne: But who indeed the glory seeks of favour true t'obtain He rather would with hates of each be praised, than tongues of all The truer praise full oft hath happed to meaner men to fall: The false but unto mighty man what nill they let them will. Let first the king will honest things and none the fame dare nill. Where leeful are to him that rules but honest things alone, There rains the king by others leave. And where the shame is none, Nor care of right, faith, piety, nor holiness none stayeth, That kingdom swerves. Such holiness, such piety and faith. Are private goods: let kings run one in that that likes their will. The brother's hurt a mischief count though he be near so ill. It is but right to do to him, that wrong to brother were. What heinous hurt hath his offence let pass to prove? or where Refrained the guilt, thy spouse he stole away for lechery, And reign by stealth: the ancient note and sign of empery, By fraud he got: my house by fraud to vex he never ceased: In Pelops house there fostered is a noble worthy beast The close kept Ramme: the goodly guide of rich and fairest flocks. By whom throughout on every side depend a down the locks Of glittering gold, with fleece of which the new kings wonted were Of Tantal's stock their sceptre's gylt, and mace of might to beat. Of this the owner reigneth he, with him of house so great The fortune fleeth, this sacred Ram aloof in safety shut In secret mead is wont to graze, which stone on every side With rocky wall encloseth round the fatal beast to hide. This beast (adventuring mischief great) adjoining yet for pray My spoused mate, the traitor false hath hence conveyed away From hence the wrongs of mutual hate, and mischief all upspring: In exile wandered he throughout my kingdoms all along: No part of mine remaineth safe to me, from trains of his. My fear deflowered, and loyalty of empire broken is: My house all vexed, my blood in doubt, and nought that trust is in, But brother foe What stay'st thou yet? at length lo now begin. Take heart of Tantalus to thee, to Pelops cast thine eye: To such examples well beseems, I should my hand apply. Tell thou which way were best to bring that cruel head to death. Through pierced with sword let him be slain & yield his hateful breath. Thou speak'st of th'end: but I him would oppress with greater pain. Let tyrants vex with torment more: should ever in my rain Be gentle death? Doth piety in thee prevail no whit? Depart thou hence all piety, if in this house as yet Thou ever wert: and now let all the flock of furies dire, And full of strife Erinys come, and double brands of fire Megaera shaking: for not yet enough with fury great And rage doth burn my boiling breast: it ought to be replete, With monster more.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 218–268 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 5 of 24 in this edition
Length
529 words · 685 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T25 — Kings, power and law: political sententiaecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.866 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T25 · seed 44: T6 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Whom feare doth ſo compell To prayſe, the ſame his foes to bee, doth feare enforce agoyne: But who indeede the glory ſeckes of fauour trew t'obtayne He rather would with hates of each be prayſd, then tounges of all The trewer prayſe ful oft hath hapt to meaner men to fall: The falſe but vnto myghty man what nill they let them will. Let firſt the king will honeſt thinges and none the fame dare nill. Where leeful are to him that rules but honeſt thinges alone, There raynes the kyng by others leaue. And wher y• ſhame is none, Nor care of ryght, fayth, piety, nor holines none ſtayeth, That kingdome ſwarues. Such holines, ſuch piety and fayth. Are priuate goods: let kinges runne one in that that likes their will. The brothers hurt a miſchiefe count though he be nere ſo ill. It is but right to do to hym, that wrong to brother were▪ What heynous hurt hath his offence let paſſe to prue? or where Refraynd the gylt, thy ſpouſe he ſtae away for lechery, And raygne by ſtelth: the auncient note and ſygne of ampery, By frawde he got: my houſe by fraud to vexe he neuer ceaſt: In Pelops houſe there foſtred is a noble worthy beaſt The cloſe kept Ramme: the goodly guyde of rych and fayreſt flockes. By whom throughout on euery ſyde depend a downe the lockes Of glittering gold, with fleece of which the new kinges wonted were Of Tantals ſtocke their ſceptors gylt, and mace of might to beate. Of this the owner raygneth he, with him of houſe ſo great The fortune fleeth, this ſacred Ramme aloofe in ſafety ſhet In ſecret mead is wont to graſe, which ſtone on euery ſyde With rocky wall incloſethe rounde the fatall beaſt to hyde. This beaſt (aduentryng miſchiefe greate) adioyning yet for pray My ſpouſed mate, the traytour falſe hath hence conuayde away From hence the wrongs of mutuall hate, and miſchiefe all vpſyreng: In exile wandred he throughout my kingdomes all along: No part of myne remayneth ſafe to mee, from traynes of hys. My feere deflourde, and loyalty of empyre broken is: My houſe all vext, my bloud in doubt, and naught that truſt is in, But brother foe What ſtayſt thou yet? at length lo now beginne. Take hart of Tantalus to thee, to Pelops caſt thyne eye: To ſuch examples well beſeemes, I ſhould my hand applye. Tell thou which way were beſt to bring that cruell head to death. Through perſt wt ſword let him be ſlayne & yelde his hatefull breath. Thou ſpeak'ſt of th'end: but I him would opres wt greter payne. Let tyrants vexe with torment more: ſhould euer in my rayne Be gentle death? Doth piety in thee preuayle no whit? Depart thou hence all piety, if in this houſe as yet Thou euer wert: and now let all the flocke of furies dyre, And full of ſtrife Erinnis come, and double brands of fyre Megaera ſhaking: for not yet enough with fury great And rage doth burne my boyling breſt: it ought to bee repleate, With monſter more.