Hercules Furens (Mad Hercules) (Seneca's First Tragedy) · chunk 15 of 28
Heywood, Jasper / Seneca, Lucius Annaeus · published 1561 · first performed or written 1561 (Annals) tragedy; literary play T7 The Trojan war: conflict and its afterma typicality 0.71 · 554 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T7: hector, troy, achilles, greeks, aeneas, priam, ulysses, troilus, trojan, trojans.
All right of world, and thee likewise I pray that bearst the rain In kingdom wide, and thee, for whom All round about in deign Thy mother throughout Aetna sowght, that secret things allow And hid in ground, it freely may be lawful for to show. The Spartan land a noble top of hill advanceth high, Where Taenarus with woods full ●…hycks the sea doth overlye. The house of hateful Ditis here his mouth doth ●…pen set, And rocks of hill about doth gape, and with a den full great A huge and gaping cleft of grownd●… with jaws full wide doth lie, And way full broad to people all doth spread to pass thereby. Not strait with darkness doth begin The way that blindeth the sight. A little lingering brightness lo behind of late left light, And dubtfull glittering yet of son afflicted falls allow, And mocks the sight: such light is wont undoubtedly to show The dawn of day, or twilight else at edge of evening tide. From hens to hollow places void Are lost the spaces wide, To which needs perish must all kind of men that once are thrown. Nor it a labour is to go, the way itself leads down. As oft the ships against their wills do the toss the swelling surge, So down ward doth that headlong way, and greedy Chaos urge: And back again to draw thy pat●…thee never do permit The sprights who what they catch hold fast. allow within doth flit In channel wide with silent ford the quiet lake of lethe, And cares doth rid: and that theremay to scape again from death No mean be made, with many turns and wyndyngs every way Foldes in his flood. in such sort as with wave unsure doth play Maeander wandering up and down, And yields himself unto, And dowbtfull stands, if he toward bank, or back to spring may go. The soul and filthy peole to see of slow Cocytus lies. On th'one the gripe, on th'other side the mournful owlet cries, And sad luck of th'unhappy Strix likewise resoundeth there. Full uglyelye in shady bows black locks of lethsome hear, Where Taxus tree doth over lean, which holdeth slothful sleep, And hunger sad with famysht law that lies his place to keep, And shame to late doth hide his face that knows what crimes it hath, Both fear, and quaking, funeral, and fretting raging wrath, And mourning dire doth follow on, and trembling pale disease, And boisterous battles set with sword: and hid beyond all these Doth slothful age his lingering pace help forth with staff in hand. Of corn and wine in hell allow is any fertile land? No joyful meads do there bring forth with face so green and fair, Nor yet with gentle Zephyrus wags ripened corn in th'air. Nor any tree hath there such bows as do bring apples out. The barren compass of deep soil full filthy lies about, And withered with eternal drought the loathsome land doth wa●…e And bond full sad of things, and of the worllde the places last: The air unmoved stands, and night sits there full dark to see In slothful world, all things by dread●… full horrible there be. And even far worse than death itself, is place where death doth bide.
seed 43: T12 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
All ryght of worlde, and thee lykewise I pray that bearste the rayne In kyngdome wyde, and thee, for whome All rownde about in dayne Thy mother throughout Aetna sowght, that secret thyngs alowe And hydde in grownde, it freely may bee lawfull for to showe. The Spartane lande a noble toppe of hyll aduaunceth hye, Where Taenarus with woodes full hycks the sea doothe ouerlye. The house of hatefull Ditis here his mowthe doothe pen sette, And rocks of hyll about doothe gape, and with a denne full grette A huge and gapyng clefte of grownd with iawes full wyde doothe lye, And way full broade to people all dothe spredde to passe therby. Not straight with darkenes dothe begynne The way that blyndes the syght. A lyttle lyngryng bryghtnes lo behynde of late lefte lyght, And dubtfull glyttryng yet of sonne afflicted falles alowe, And mocks the syght: suche lyght is woont vndoubtedly to showe The dawne of day, or twylyght els at edge of euenyng tyde. From hens to hollowe places voyde Are loaste the spaces wyde, To whiche needes peryshe must all kynde of men that once are throwne. Nor it a labour is to goe, the waye it selfe leades downe. As ofte the shypps agaynst theyr wylles do the tosse the swellyng surge, So downe warde dothe that hedlong way, and greedy Chaos vrge: And backe agayne to drawe thy pat thee neuer doo permytte The sprights who what they catch hold fast. alowe within doothe flytte In chanell wyde with sylent foorde the quiet lake of lethe, And cares dothe rydde: and that theremay to scape agayne from deathe No meane be made, with many turnes and wyndyngs euery waye Foldes in his floode. in suche sorte as with waue vnsure doothe play Maeander wandryng vp and downe, And yeldes hymselfe vnto, And dowbtfull stands, yf he toward banke, or backe to spryng may go. The soule and fylthy peole to see of slowe Cocytus lyes. On th'one the grype, on th'other syde the mournefull howlet cryes, And sadde lucke of th'unhappy Strix lykewyse resoundeth there. Full vglyelye in shady bowes blacke lockes of lethsome heare, Where Taxus tree dothe ouer leane, whiche holdeth slouthfull sleepe, And hunger sadde with famysht lawe that lyes his place to keepe, And shame to late doth hyde his face that knowes what crimes it hathe, Bothe feare, and quakyng, funerall, and frettyng ragyng wrathe, And mournyng dyre dothe followe on, and tremblyng pale disease, And boystrous battailes set with swoorde: and hydde beyonde all thease Dothe slouthfull age his lyngryng pace healpe foorth with staffe in hande. Of corne and wyne in hell alowe is any fertile lande? No ioyful meades do there bring foorth with face so greene and fayre, Nor yet with gentyll Zephyrus wagges ripened corne in th'ayre. Nor any tree hath there suche bowes as doe bryng apples out. The barrayne compasse of deepe soyle full fylthye lyes about, And withred with eternall drought the lothsome lande dothe wae And bonde full sadde of thyngs, and of the worllde the places laste: The ayre vnmoued stands, and nyght sytts there full darke to see In slouthfull worlde, all thynges by dread full horrible there bee. And euen farre worse then deathe it selfe, is place where deathe doothe byde.