Day, John · published 1633 · first performed or written 1606 (Annals) comedy · Children of the Queen's Revels · Blackfriars T9 Theatre talk: prologues, poets and playe typicality 0.84 · 486 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T9: play, stage, poet, prologue, author, wit, plays, muse, scene, players.
Why dost think thy audience like a flock of sheep, that one cannot leap over a hedge, but all the rest will follow? they have more of reason in them then so. Well, I'll sit out the play, an't be but to avoid that sheepish imputation, but see it be bawdy, or by this light I and all my friends will hiss. You should not deal gentlemanlike with us else. THe misery that waits upon the pen Of the best Writers, judge it Gentlemen, Let them express the very soul of wit, And want Opinions voice to countenance it, 'tis like the idle buzzing of a Fly, Herd, not regarded: wretched Poetry! If he write mirth, 'tis ribaldry, and mean, Scorned of chaste ears: If he compose a Scene Of high writ Poesy, fitting a true stage, 'tis counted sustian: If Poetickerage Strike at abuse, or ope the vein of sin, he's strait informed against for libelling. Neither quick mirth, invective, nor high state Can content all, such is the boundless hate Of a confused Audience: Then we That scarcely know the rules of Poesy Cannot scape check. Yet this our comfort is, The wise will smile to hear th'impartial hiss. We neither brag, nor tremble, faint nor entreat, Our merits nothing, yet our hopes are great, Yet this our Author bade me boldly speak, His play shall pass, let Envy swell and break, Detraction he scorns, honours the best, Tanti for hate; thus low to all the rest. WElcome gallants, welcome honoured bloods; the reason that we have unclothed us of our princely government in Arcadia, and have to do with this private retirement here in this desert I'll, you shall find in that schedule, only thus much for public satisfaction: 'tis not strange to you, that the choicest treasure Nature endowed us with, is mined up in the veins of my two daughters: how much their quiet, and the smooth stream of our government in Arcadia, was troubled by the impetuous concourse of untruly suitors, is familiar with your knowledge; this to avoid, I have for my Image there in my absence appointed my brother, and undertook this private retirement. Why my Lord, are you so covetous of your daughter's beauties, that their perfections shall be a means to hinder their preferment? Rather to further it fair Queen: they are the only pearls of our age, and to see them well set in honourable and well-befitting Marriage, is our wishes happiness. To which effect we have sent a general challenge To all the youthful bloods of Africa, That whosoever (borne of princely stem) Dares foot the bosom of this desert I'll, (The stage where I'll perform this lover's prize) And by his wit and active policy, Woo, win, entice, or any way defeat Me of my charge, my daughters of their hearts, Shall with their loves wear my imperial crown Wreath of their conquest.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 37–76 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 3 of 43 in this edition
Length
486 words · 665 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T9 — Theatre talk: prologues, poets and playerscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.841 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T16 · seed 44: T15 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Why doeſt thinke thy audience like a flock of ſheepe, that one cannot leape over a hedge, but all the reſt will follow? they haue more of reaſon in them then ſo. Well, Ile ſit out the play, an't bee but to avoyd that ſheepiſh imputation, but ſee it be baudy, or by this light I and all my friends will hiſſe. You ſhould not deale gentleman-like with us els. THe miſery that waytes upon the pen Of the beſt Writers, iudge it Gentlemen, Let them expreſſe the very ſoule of wit, And want Opinions voice to count'nance it, Tis like the idle buzzing of a Flie, Heard, not regarded: wretched Poetry! If he write mirth, tis ribaldry, and meane, Scorn'd of chaſt eares: If he compoſe a Sceane Of high writ Poeſie, fitting a true ſtage, Tis counted ſuſtian: If Poetickerage Strike at abuſe, or op the veine of ſinne, Hee's ſtraight inform'd againſt for libelling. Neither quicke mirth, invective, nor high ſtate Can content all, ſuch is the boundleſſe hate Of a confuſed Audience: Then we That ſcarcely know the rules of Poeſie Cannot ſcape check. Yet this our comfort is, The wiſe will ſmile to heare th'impartiall hiſſe. We neither bragge, nor tremble, faint nor intreat, Our merits nothing, yet our hopes are great, Yet this our Author bad me boldly ſpeake, His play ſhall paſſe, let Envie ſwell and breake, Detraction he ſcornes, honours the beſt, Tanti for hate; thus low to all the reſt. VVElcome gallants, welcome honor'd bloods; the reaſon that we haue uncloth'd us of our princely government in Arcadia, and haue to doe with this private retirement here in this deſert Ile, you ſhall find in that ſhedule, only thus much for publicke ſatisfaction: Tis not ſtrange to you, that the choiſeſt treaſure Nature indow'd us with, is min'd up in the veines of my two daughters: how much their quiet, and the ſmooth ſtreame of our government in Arcadia, was troubled by the impetuous concourſe of untruely ſuters, is familiar with your knowledge; this to avoid, I haue for my Image there in my abſence appointed my brother, and undertooke this private retirement. Why my Lord, are you ſo covetous of your daughters beauties, that their perfections ſhall bee a meanes to hinder their preferment? Rather to further it faire Queene: they are the only pearles of our age, and to ſee them wel ſet in honourable and well-befitting Marriage, is our wiſhes happineſſe. To which effect we haue ſent a generall challenge To all the youthfull bloods of Affrica, That whoſoever (borne of princely ſtem) Dares foote the boſome of this deſert Ile, (The ſtage where Ile performe this lovers prize) And by his wit and actiue pollicie, Wooe, win, intice, or any way defeate Me of my charge, my daughters of their hearts, Shall with their loues weare my imperiall crowne Wreath of their conqueſt.