Thyestes (Seneca's Second Tragedy) · chunk 11 of 24
Heywood, Jasper / Seneca, Lucius Annaeus · published 1581 · first performed or written 1560 (Annals) tragedy T40 Sin, guilt and violent loss within famil typicality 0.76 · 487 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T40: brother, death, life, die, heaven, sin, live, father, blood, soul.
I follow you. I lead you not. God turn it to the best That well devised is for good: pass forth with cheerful pace. Entrapped in train the beast is caught and in the snare doth fall: Both him, and eke of hated stock with him the offspring all, About the father's side I see: and now in safety stands And surest ground my wrathful hate: now comes into my hands At length Thyestes: yea he comes and all at once to me. I scant refrain myself, and scant may anger bridled be. So when the Bloodhound seeks the beast, by step and quick of scent Draws in the leame, and pace by pace to wind the ways he went, With nose to soil doth hunt, while he the Boar aloof hath found Far of by scent, he yet refrains and wanders through the ground With silent mouth: but when at hand he once perceives the pray, With all the strength he hath he strives, with voice and calls away His lingering master, and from him by force out breaketh he. When Ire doth hope the present blood, it may not hidden be. Yet let it hidden be. behold with ugly hair to sight How irksomely deformed with filth his foulest tace is dight, How loathsome lies his Beard unkempt: but let us friendship fain. To see my brother me delights: give now to me again Embracing long desired for: whatever strife there was Before this time between us twain, forget and let it pass: Fro this day forth let brother's love, let blood, and law of kind Regarded be, let all debate be slaked in either's mind. I could excuse myself, except thou wert as now thou art. But (Atreus) now I grant, the fault was mine in every part: And I offended have in all, my cause the worse to be, Your this days kindness makes: in deed a guilty wight is he, That would so good a brother hurt as you, in any whit. But now with tears I must entreat, and first I me submit. These hands that at thy feet do lie, do thee beseech and pray, That ire and hate be laid aside, and from thy bosom may Be scraped out: and clear forgot. for pledges take thou these O brother dear, these guiltless babes. thy hands yet from my knees Remove, and rather me to take in arms, upon me fall And ye O aids of elders age, ye little infants all, Me clip and coll about the neck: this foul attire forsake, And spare mine eyes that pity it, and fresher vesture take Like mine to see. and you with joy, the half of empery Dear brother take: the greater praise shall come to me thereby, Our father's seat to yield to you, and brother to relieve. To have a kingdom is but chance, but virtue it to give.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 524–572 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 11 of 24 in this edition
Length
487 words · 615 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T40 — Sin, guilt and violent loss within familiescross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.762 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T37 · seed 44: T36 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I follow you. I leade you not. God turne it to the beſt That well deuiſed is for good: paſſe farth with cherefull pace. ENtrapt in trayne the beaſt is caught and in the ſnare doth fall: Both him, and eke of hated ſtocke with him the ofſpryng all, About the fathers ſyde I ſee: and nowe in ſaufety ſtands And ſureſt ground my wrathfull hate: nowe comes into my hands At length Thyeſtes: yea hee comes and all at once to mee. I ſcant refrayne my ſelfe, and ſcant may anger brydled bee. So when the Bloudhound feekes the beaſt, by ſtep and quick of ſent Drawes in the leame, and pace by pace to wynde the wayes hee went, With noſe to ſoyle doth hunt, while he the Boare aloofe hath founde Farre of by ſent, he yet refraynes and wanders through the grounde With ſilent mouth: but when at hand he once perceiues the pray, With all the ſtrength he hath he ſtriues, with voyce and calls away His lingring maiſter, and from him by force out breaketh hee. When Ire doth hope the preſent bloud, it may not hydden bee. Yet let it hydden be. beholde with vgly hayre to ſight How yrkeſomely deform'de with filthe his fowleſt tace is dight, How lothſome lyes his Brarde vnkempt: but let vs friendſhip fayne. To ſee my brother me delights: geue now to me agayne Embracing long deſyred for: what euer ſtryfe there was Before this time betwene vs twayne, forget and let it pas: Fro this day forth let brothers loue, let bloud, and lawe of kinde Regarded be, let all debate be ſlakte in eythers mynde. I coulde excuſe my ſelfe, except thou wert as now thou art. But (Atreus) now I graunt, the faulte was myne in euery part: And I offended haue in all, my cauſe the worſe to bee, Your this dayes kindnes makes: in deede a guilty wight is hee, That would ſo good a brother hurt as you, in any whit. But now with teares I muſt entreate, and firſt I me ſubmit. Theſe handes that at thy feete doe lye, doe thee beſeeche and pray, That yre and hate be layde aſide, and from thy boſome may Be ſcraped out: and cleere forgot. for pledges take thou theſe O brother deere, theſe guiltles babes. thy hands yet from my kneeſe Remoue, and rather me to take in armes, vpon me fall And yee O aydes of elders age, yee litle infants all, Mee clyp and coll about the necke: this fowle attyre forſake, And ſpare myne eyes that pity it, and freſher veſture take Lyke myne to ſee. and you with ioy, the halfe of emperie Deere brother take: the greater prayſe ſhall come to mee thereby, Our fathers ſeate to yelde to you, and brother to releue. To haue a kingdome is but chaunce, but vertue it to geeue.