Lingua, or The Combat of the Tongue and the Five Senses for Superiority · chunk 28 of 51
Tomkis, Thomas · published 1607 · first performed or written 1607 [1602-1607] (Annals) comedy; allegory unassigned nearest T24 Apollo, Phoebus and the Muses · 509 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T24: apollo, phoebus, midas, muses, ears, play, hedone, gods, siren, time.
Forsooth Narcissus, by the same token he was turned to a Daffodil, & as he died for love of himself, so if you remember there was an old ill-favoured, precious nosed, babber-lipped, beetle-browed, Bleere-eyd, slouch-eared slave that looking himself by chance in a Glass, died for pure hate. By the lip of my-I could live and die with this face. Fie fie Phantastes, so effeminate for shame leave off. Visus your objects I must needs say are admirable if the house & instrument be answerable, let's here therefore in brief your description— Under the forehead of mount Cephalon, That over-peeres the coast of Microcosm, All in the shadow of two pleasant groves, Stand my two mansion houses, both as round As the clear heavens, both twins as like each other▪ As star to star, which by the vulgar sort, For their resplendent composition, Are named the bright eyes of mount Cephalon: With four fair rooms those lodgings are contrived. Four goodly rooms in form most spherical, Closing each other like the heavenly orbs: The first whereof, of Nature's substance wrought, As a strange moat the other to defend, Is trained movable by Art divine: Stirring the whole compacture of the rest, The second chamber is most curiously Composed of burnished, and transparent horn. That's a matter of nothing, I have known many have such bedchambers. It may be so, for I remember being once in the towns Library, I read such a thing, in their great book of monuments called, Cornucopia, or rather their copia-Cornu▪ The three's a lesser room of purest glass, The fourth's smallest, but passeth all the former, In worth of matter built most sumptuously; With walls transparent of pure Crystalline. This the soul's mirror and the bodies guide, loves Cabinet bright beacons of the Realm, Casements of light quiver of Cupid's shafts: Wherein I sit and immediately receive, The species of things corporeal, Keeping continual watch and sentinel; Lest foreign hurt invade our Microcosm, And warning give, (if pleasant things approach) To entertain them, from this coastly room: Leadeth my Lord an entry to your house, Through which I hourly to yourself convey Matters of wisdom by experience bred: Arts first invention, pleasant vision, Deep contemplation, that attires the soul, In gorgeous robes of flowering literature: Then if that Visus have deserved best, Let his victorious brow, with Crown be blessed. Anamnestes, see who's to come next. Presently my Lord. Visus, I wonder that amongst all your objects, you presented us not with Plato's Idea, or the sight of Niniveh, Babtlon, London, or some Sturbridge faire-monsters, they would have done passing well, those motions in my imagination are very delightful. I was loath to trouble your honours with such toys, neither could I provide them in so short a time. We will consider your worth, mean while we dismiss you. Hark, hark, hark, hark, peace, peace, O peace: O sweet, admirable, Swan-like heavenly, hark, O most melli●uous strain, O what a pleasant close was there, O full, most delicate. How now Phantastes, is Auditus mad?
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Forsooth Narcissus, by the same tken he was turn'd to a Daffadill, & as he died for loue of himselfe, so if you remēber there was an old ill-fauoured, precious nosed, babber-lipt, beetle-browed, Bleere-eyd, slouch-eard slaue that looking himselfe by chance in a Glasse, died for pure hate. By the lip of my-I could liue and die with this face. Fie fie Phantastes, so effeminate for shame leaue off. Visus your obiects I must needs say are admirable if the house & instrument bee answerable, letts here therefore in breife your description— Vnder the fore-head of mount Cephalon, That ouer-peeres the coast of Microcome, All in the shaddowe of two pleasant groues, Stand my two mansion houses, both as round As the cleare heauens, both twins as like each other▪ As starre to starre, which by the vulger sort, For their resplendent composition, Are named the bright eyes of mount Cephalon: With foure faire roomes those lodgings are contriued. Foure goodly roomes in forme most sphericall, Closing each other like the heauenly orbes: The first whereof, of Natures substance wrought, As a strange moate the other to defende, Is trained moueable by Art diuine: Stirring the whole compacture of the rest, The second chamber is most curiously Composed of burnisht, and transparent horne. That's a matter of nothing, I haue knowne many haue such bed-chambers. It may be so, for I remember being once in the townes Library, I read such a thing, in their greate booke of monuments called, Cornucopia, or rather their copia-Cornu▪ The third's a lesser roome of purest glasse, The fourth's smallest, but passeth all the former, In worth of matter built most sumptuously; With walls transparent of pure Christaline. This the soules mirrour and the bodies guide, Loues Cabinet bright beacons of the Realme, Casements of light quiuer of Cupids shafts: Wherein I sit and immediatly receiue, The species of things corporeall, Keeping continuall watch and centinell; Least forraine hurt inuade our Microcosme, And warning giue, (if pleasant things approch) To entertaine them, from this coastly roome: Leadeth my Lord an entrie to your house, Through which I hourely to your selfe conuay Matters of wisdome by experience bred: Arts first inuention, pleasant vision, Deepe contemplation, that attires the soule, In gorgeous roabes of flowering literature: Then if that Visus haue deserued best, Let his victorious browe, with Crowne be blest. Anamnestes, see who's to come next. Presently my Lord. Visus, I wonder that amongst all your obiects, you presented vs not with Platoes Idea, or the sight of Niniuie, Babtlon, London, or some Sturbridge faire-monsters, they would haue done passing well, those motions in my immagination are very delightfull. I was loath to trouble your honours with such toies, neither could I prouide them in so short a time. We will consider your worth, meane while wee dismisse you. Hearke, hearke, hearke, hearke, peace, peace, O peace: O sweete, admirable, Swanlike heauenly, hearke, O most melliuous straine, O what a pleasant cloase was there, O full, most delicate. How now Phantasts, is Auditus mad?