Marston, John · published 1606 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) comedy · Children of the Queen's Revels · Blackfriars T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs typicality 0.69 · 503 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Let it therefore be the main of our assembly, to survey our old laws, and punish their transgressions, for that continually the complaints of lovers ascend up to our deity, that love is abused, and basely bought and sold, beauty corrupted, affection feigned, and pleasure herself sophisticated. That young Gallants are proud in appetite, and weak in performance, that young Ladies are fantastically inconstant, old Ladies impudently unsatiate: wives complain of unmarried women, that they steal the dews belonging to their sheets: and maids exclaim upon wives, that they unjustly engross all into their own hands, as not content with their own husbands, but also purloining that which should be their comfort: Let us therefore be severe in our justice: And if any of what degree soever have approvedly offended, let him be instantly unpartially arrested and punished, read our statutes. A statute made in the five thousand, four hundred, threescore and three year of the easeful reign of the mighty potent Don Cupid Emperor of sighs, and protestations, great king of kisses: Archduke of dalliance, and sole loved of him, for the maintaining and relieving of his old soldiers, maimed or dismembered in love. Those that are lightly hurt, shame to complain; those that are deeply struck, are past recovery. On to the next. An Act against the plurality of Mistresses. read. Whereas some over amorous and unconscionable covetous young gallants without all grace of Venus, or the fear of Cupid in their minds, have at one time engrossed the care or cures of divers mistresses, with the charge of Ladies, into their own tenure or occupation, whereby their mistresses must of necessity be very ill and unsufficiently served, and likewise many able portly Gallants, live unfurnished of competent entertainment to the merit of their bodies: and whereas likewise some other greedy strangers have taken in the purlieus, outset land, and the ancient commons of our sovereign Liege Don Cupid, taking in his very high ways, and enclosing them, and annexing them to their own Lordships, to the much impoverishing and putting of divers of Cupid's true hearts and loyal subjects, to base and abominable shifts: be it therefore enacted by the sovereign authority and erected ensign of Don Cupid, with the assent of some of the Lords, most of the Ladies, and all the Commons, that what person or persons soever, shall in the trade of honour, presume to wear at one time two ladies' favours, or at one time shall earnestly court two women in the way of marriage, or if any under the degree of a Duke, shall keep above twenty women of pleasure, a Duke's brother fifteen, a Lord ten, a knight or a Pensioner, or both four, a gentleman two. shall ipso facto, be arrested by folly's mace, and instantly committed to the ship of fools, without either bail or mainprize, Millessimo centesimo, quingintesimo, quadragesimo nono. Cupidinis semper unius. Nymphadoro to the bar. Shame a folly, will Fawn now turn an informer? does he laugh at me?
nodes 1284–1291 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 41 of 45 in this edition
Length
503 words · 687 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.690 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T21 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Let it therefore be the maine of our assembly, to suruay our old lawes, and punish their transgressions, for that cō tinually the cōplaints of louers ascend vp to our deity, that loue is abusde, and basely bought and solde, beautie corrupted, affection fainde, and pleasure her selfe sophisticated. That young Gallants are proud in appetite, and weake in performance, that young Ladies are phantastically inconstāt, old Ladies impudently vnsatiate: wiues complaine of vnmarried women, that they steale the dewes belonging to their sheetes: and maides exclaime vppon wiues, that they vniustly ingrosse all into their owne handes, as not content with their owne husbandes, but also purloyning that which shoulde bee their comfort: Let vs therefore be seuere in our iustice: And if any of what degree soeuer haue approuedly offended, let him be instantly vnpartially arrested and punished, reade our statutes. A statute made in the fiue thousand, fowre hundred, threescore and three yeare of the easefull raigne of the mighty potent Don Cupid Emperour of sighes, and protestations, great king of kisses: Archduke of dalliance, and sole lou'de of him, for the maintaining and releeuing of his olde souldiers, maimed or dismembred in loue. Those that are lightlie hurt, shame to complaine; those that are deepely strucke, are past recouerie. On to the next. An Act against the plurality of Mistresses. Reade. Whereas some ouer amorous and vnconscionable couetous young gallants without all grace of Venus, or the feare of Cupid in their mindes, haue at one time ingrossed the care or cures of diuers mistresses, with the charge of Ladies, into their owne tenure or occupation, whereby their mistresses must of necessitie bee very ill and vnsufficiently serued, and likewise many able portly Gallants, liue vnfurnished of competent entertainmēt to the merit of their bodies: and wheras likewise some other greedy strangers haue taken in the purlues, outset land, and the auncient commons of our soueraine Liege Don Cupid, taking in his very high waies, and inclosing thē, and annexing them to their owne Lordships, to the much empouerishing and putting of diuers of Cupids true harts and loiall subiectes, to base and abhominable shifts: Bee it therefore enacted by the soueraigne authority and erected ensigne of Don Cupid, with the assent of some of the Lordes, most of the Ladies, and all the Commons, that what person or persons soeuer, shall in the trade of honor, presume to weare at one time two Ladies fauors, or at one time shall earnestly court two women in the way of marriage, or if any vnder the degree of a Duke, shall keepe aboue twentie women of pleasure, a Dukes brother fifteene, a Lord ten, a knight or a Pentioner, or both fower, a gentleman two. shall ipso facto, bee arrested by follies mace, and instantly committed to the ship of fooles, without either baile or maine-prize, Millessimo centesimo, quingintesimo, quadragesimo nono. Cupidinis semper vnius. Nymphadoro to the barre. Shame afolly, wil Fawne now turn an informer? dos he laugh at me?