Lingua, or The Combat of the Tongue and the Five Senses for Superiority · chunk 37 of 51
Tomkis, Thomas · published 1607 · first performed or written 1607 [1602-1607] (Annals) comedy; allegory unassigned nearest T19 Virtue, Fortune and Vice as abstractions · 523 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T19: virtue, fortune, virtues, honour, fame, vice, envy, world, pride, great.
The instrument of instruments, the hand, Courtesies index, Chamberlain to Nature, The body's Soldier, and mouths Caterer, Psyche's great Secretary, the dumbes eloquence, The blindman's Candle, and his foreheads Buckler, The minister of wrath, and friendship's sign, This is my instrument: nevertheless my power Extends itself, far as our Queen commands, Through all the parts and climes of Microcosm. I am the root of life, spreading my virtue By sinews that extend from head to foot, To every living part. For as a subtle Spider closely sitting, In centre of her web that spreadeth round: If the least Fly but touch the smallest thread, She feels it instantly; so doth myself, Casting my slender nerve and sundry nets, Over every particle of all the body, By proper I kill perceive the difference, Of several qualities, hot, cold, moist and dry; Hard, soft, rough, smooth, clammy and slippery. Sweet pleasure, and sharp pain profitable, That makes us wounded seek for remedy: By these means do I teach the Body fly, From such bad things as may endanger it: A wall of brasle can be no more defence, Unto a town than I to Microcosm? Tell me what sense is not beholding to me, The nose is hot or cold, the eyes do weep: The ears do feel, the taste's a kind of touching, That when I please, I can command them all, And make them tremble when I threaten them: I am the eldest, and biggest of all the rest, The chiesest note, and first distinction, Betwixt a living tree and living beast; For though one hear, and see: and smell: and taste If he wants touch, he is counted but a block? Therefore my Lord grant me the royalty: Of whom there is such great necessity. Tactus stand aside; you sirrah Anamnestes tell the Senses we expect their appearance At your Lordship's pleasure● Though you deserve no small punishment for these uproars, yet at the request of these my asistants I remit it, & by the power of judgement our gracious sovereign Psuche hath given me. Thus I determine of your controversies: hum? By your former objects, instruments and reasons, I conceive the state of 〈◊〉 to be divided into two parts, one of commodity, the other of necessity, both which are either for our Queen or for our country, but as the Soul is more excellent than the Body, so are the Senses that profit the Soul to be estimated before those that are needful for the Body; visus and Auditus serve yourselves, Master Register give me the crown; because it is better to be well, then simply to be, therefore I judge the crown by right to belong to your of the Commodity's part & the rob to you of the Necessity's side; and since you Visus are the author of invention, & you Auditus of increase and addition to the same, seeing it is more excellent to invent, then to augment, I establish you Visus the better of the two, and chief of all the rest, in token whereof, I bestow upon you this crown to wear at your liberty.
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)
The instrument of instruments, the hand, Courtesies index, Chamberlane to Nature, The bodies Souldier, and mouthes Caterer, Psyches great Secretarie, the dumbes eloquence, The blindmans Candle, and his forheads Buckler, The minister of wrath, and friendships signe, This is my instrument: neuerthelesse my power Extends it selfe, farre as our Qeene commands, Through all the parts and climes of Microcosme. I am the roote of life, spreading my vertue By sinewes that extend from head to foote, To euery liuing part. For as a suttle Spider closely sitting, In center of her web that spreddeth round: If the least Flie but touch the smallest thred, Shee feeles it instantly; so doth my selfe, Casting my slender nerue and sundry netts, Ouer uery particle of all the body, By proper I kill perceaue the difference, Of seuerall quallities, hot, cold, moist and drie; Hard, soft, rough, smooth, clammy and slippery. Sweete pleasure, and sharp paine profitable, That makes vs wounded seeke for remedy: By these meanes do I teach the Body flie, From such bad things as may indanger it: A wall of brasle can be no more defence, Vnto a towne then I to Microcosme? Tell me what sence is not beholding to mee, The nose is hot or cold, the cies do weepe: The eares do feele, the tast's a kinde of touching, That when I please, I can command them all, And make them tremble when I threaten them: I am the eldest, and biggest of all the rest, The chiesest note, and first destinction, Betwixt a liuing tree and liuing beast; For though one heare, and see: and smell: and tast If he wants touch, he is counted but a block? Therefore my Lord grant me the royalty: Of whome there is such great necessity. Tactus stand aside; you sirra Anamnestes tell the Senses we expect their appearance At your Lordships pleasure Though you deserue no small punishment for these vp-rores, yet at the request of these my asistants I remit it, & by the power of Iudgement our gratious soueragne Psuche hath geuen mee. Thus I determine of your controuersies: hum? By your former obiects, instruments and reasons, I conceaue the state of to bee deuided into two parts, one of commodity, the other of necessity, both which are either for our Queene or for our country, but as the Soule is more excellent then the Body, so are the Senses that proffit the Soule to be estimated before those that are needefull for the Body; visus and Auditus serue your selues, Maister Register giue me the crowne; because it is better to be well, then simply to be, therfore I iudge the crowne by right to belong to your of the Commodities part & the robe to you of the Necessities side; and since you Visus are the author of inuention, & you Auditus of increase and additiō to the same, seeing it is more excellent to inuent, then to augment, I establish you Visus the better of the two, and cheife of all the rest, in token whereof, I bestowe vpon you this crowne to weare at your liberty.