Hercules Furens (Mad Hercules) (Seneca's First Tragedy) · chunk 17 of 28
Heywood, Jasper / Seneca, Lucius Annaeus · published 1561 · first performed or written 1561 (Annals) tragedy; literary play T36 Hell, Furies and the language of punishm typicality 0.81 · 506 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
Ixion rollde on whirling wheel is ●…ost and turned high: Upon the neck o●… Sisyphus the mighty stone doth lie. Amid the lake with thirsty jaws ol●…de Tantalus' therein Pursues the waves, the water stream●… doth wet and wash his ●…hyn, And when to him now otte deceived it doth yet pr●…myse make, Strait ●…ytts the ●…ood: the trute at mouth his famine doth forsake. Eternal food to ●…leeyng ●…owle doth Tityus' heart give s●…yll: And Danaus' daughters ●…oo in vain their water vessels fill. The wicked Cadmus' daughters all go raging every wa●…e: And there doth greedy ravening bird the Phi●…y tables fray. Now of my son declare to me the noble worthy fight. brings he his willing uncles gifts, or Pluto's spoils to sight? A dire and dreadful stone there is the slothful fords fast buy, Where sluggish fret with wave astoond full dull and flow doth lie: This lake a dreadful fellow keeps both of attire and sight, And quaking ghosts doth over bear An aged ugly wight: His beard unkempt, his bosom fowl deformed in filthy wise A knot binds in, full loathsome stand in head his hollows eyes: He ferry man doth steer about his beat with his long ore. He driving now his lyghtned ship of burden toward the shore, Repairs to waves: and then his way Alcides doth require. The flock of ghosts all giving place: Aloud cries Charon dire, What way attemptest thou so bold? thy hastening pace here stay. But natheless Alcmena's son abiding no delay, Even with his own pole bette he doth full tame the shipman make, And climes the ship: the bark that could full many people's take, Did yield to one: he sat, the boat more heavy like to break With shivering joints on eythersyde the lethey flood doth leak. Then tremble all the monsters huge, the centaurs fierce of might, And Lapythes, kindled with much wine to wars and bloody fight. The lowest channels seeking out of Stygian pool a down, His lerney labour sore affright his fertyle heads doth drown. Of greedy Ditis after this doth then the house appear. The fierce and cruel Stygian dog doth fray the spirits there, The which with great and roaring sounds his heads upshaking three, The kingdom keeps: his ugly head with filth full fowl to see The serpent's lick: his hears be fowl with vipers 〈◊〉 among, And at his crooked wrested tail doth hiss & dragon long: Like ire to shape. when him he wy●… his pace that way to take, His bristle hears he lysteth up with fierce up bended snake: And sound sent out he soon perceives in his applied ear, Who even the sprights is woon●…to sent. as soon as stood more near The sonn●… of Ioue, the doubtful dog straight couched down in den, And each of them did fear. behold with doleful barking then The places dumb he makes a dread, the threatening serpent stout Through all the fields about doth hiss: the bawling noise sent out
seed 43: T32 · seed 44: T26 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Ixion rollde on whyrlyng wheele is ost and turned hye: Uppon the necke o Sisyphus the myghty stone dooth lye. Amyd the lake with thyrsty iawes olde Tantalus theryn Pursues the waues, the water stream doothe wette and washe his hyn, And when to hym nowe otte deceyude it doothe yet prmyse make, Straight ytts the ood: the trute at mowth his famyne doothe forsake. Eternall foode to leeyng owle doothe Tityus harte geue syll: And Danaus daughters oo in vayne theyr water vessells fyll. The wycked Cadmus daughters all go ragyng euery wae: And there doothe greedy rauenyng byrde the Phiy tables fraye. Nowe of my sonne declare to me the noble woorthy fyght. Bryngs he his wyllyng vnkles gyfts, or Plutoes spoyles to syght? A dyre and dredfull stone there ys the slouthfull foordes fast bye, Where sluggysh freate with waue astoond full dull and flowe doothe lye: This lake a dredfull fellowe keepes bothe of attyre and syght, And quakyng ghosts doothe ouer beare An aged vgly wyght: His bearde vnkempt, his hosome fowle deformde in fylthy wyse A knotte byndes in, full lothesome stande in head his hollows eyes: He fery man doothe steare aboute his beate with his long ore. He dryuyng nowe his lyghtned shippe of burden towarde the shore, Repaires to waues: and then his way Alcides doothe requyre. The flocke of ghosts all geuyng place: Alowde cries Charon dyre, What way attemptest thou so bolde? thy hastenyng pace here staye. But natheles Alcmenaes sonne abydyng no delaye, Euen with his owne poale bette he doothe full tame the shypman make, And clymes the shippe: the barke that could full many peoples take, Dyd yelde to one: he satte, the boate more heauy lyke to breake With shyueryng ioyntes on eythersyde the lethey floode doothe leake. Then tremble all the monsters huge, the Centaures fierce of myght, And Lapythes, kyndled with muche wyne to warres and blouddy fyght. The lowest chanelles seekyng out of Stygian poole a downe, His lerney labour sore affright his sertyle heddes doothe drowne. Of greedy Ditis after this doothe then the house appere. The fierce and cruell Stygian dogge doothe fraye the spirites there, The whiche with great and roaryng sounds his hedds vpshakyng three, The kyngdome keepes: his ugly head with fylthe full fowle to see The serpentes lycke: his heares be fowle with vypers among, And at his crooked wrested tayle doothe hysse & dragon longe: Like yre to shape. when hym he wy his pace that way to take, His bristle heares he lysteth vp with fierce vp bended snake: And sownde sent out he soone perceyues in his applyed eare, Who euen the sprights is woonto sent. as soone as stoode more neare The sonn of Ioue, the doubtfull dogge strayte couched downe in denne, And eche of them dyd feare. beholde with dolefull barkyng then The places dumme he makes a dred, the threatnyng serpent stoute Through all the fieldes aboute dooth hysse: the bawlyng noyse sent out