Hercules Furens (Mad Hercules) (Seneca's First Tragedy) · chunk 4 of 28
Heywood, Jasper / Seneca, Lucius Annaeus · published 1581 · first performed or written 1561 (Annals) tragedy; literary play T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.67 · 480 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
Do call the light with overturned wain. With marble horse now drawn, his way to high Doth Titan top of Oetha over spread The bushes bright that now with berries be Of Thebes strewed, by day do blush full red. And to return doth Phoebus' sister flee. Now labour hard begins, and every kind Of cares it stirs, the Shepherd doth unfold: His flocks unpenned, do graze their food to find, And nips the grass with hoary frost full cold. At will doth play in open meadow fair The Calf whose brow did dam yet never tear, The empty Kine their udders do repair. And light with course uncertain here and there, In grass full soft the wanton kid he flings. In top of bough doth sit with chanting song, And to the Sun new rose to spread her wings, Bestirs herself her mournful nests among The Nightingale. and doth with birds about Confuse resound with murmur mixedryfe To witness day; his sails to wind set out The shipman doth commit in doubt of life. While gale oswynde the slack sails fills full straight, He leaning over hollow rock doth lie, And either his beguiled hooks doth bait, Or else beholds and feels the prey from high with poised hand. The trembling fish he feels with line extent. This hope to them to whom of hurtless life. Is quiet rest, and with his own content, And little, house, such hope in fields is rife The troublous hopes with rolling whirlwind great, And dreadful fears their ways in cities keep. He proud repair to prince in regal seat, And hard court gates without the rest of sleep Esteems, and endless happiness to hold Doth gather goods, for treasure gaping more, And is full poor amid his heaped gold. The people's favour him (astonished sore) And commons more unconstant than the sea, With blast of vain renown lifts up full proud. He selling at the brawling bar his plea, Full wicked, sets his ires and scolding loud And words to sale, a few hath known of all The careless rest, who mindful how doth flit Swift age away, the time that never shall Return again do hold: while fares permit, At quiet live: the life full quickly glides With hastened course, and with the winged day The wheel is turned of year that headlong slides, The sisters hard perform their tasks always, Nor may again untwist the thread once spun. Yet mankind lo unsure what way to take To meet the greedy destinies doth run And willingly we seek the Stygian lake. too much Alcides thou with stomach stout The sorry sprites of hell dost haste to see. With course prefixed the fares are brought about To none once warned to come may respite be To none to pass their once appointed day, The tomb all people called by death doth hide
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 133–192 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 4 of 28 in this edition
Length
480 words · 620 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T20 — Hercules: labours, suffering and virtuecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.667 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T17 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Do call the light with ouerturned wayne. VVith marble horſe now drawne, hys waye to hye Doth Titan toppe of Oetha ouer ſpred The bushes bright that nowe with berryes bee Of Thebes ſtrewde, by daye do bluſhe full redde. And to returne doth Phabus ſyſter flee. Now labor harde beginnes, and euerye kynde Of cares it ſtyrres, the Shepehearde doth vnfolde: His flockes vnpende, do graſe their foode to fynde, And nippes the graſſe with hoary froſt full colde. At will doth play in open medow faire The Calfe whoſe brow did damme yet neuer teare, The empty Kyne their vdders doe repayre. And lyght with courſe vncertayne here and there, In graſſe full ſoft the wanton kidde hee flynges. In toppe of boughe doth ſitte with chaunting ſonge, And to the Sunne newe roſe to ſpreade her wynges, Beſtirres her ſelfe her mourneful neſtes amonge The Nightingall. and doth with byrdes aboute Confuſe reſound mith murmure mixedryfe To witnes day; his ſayles to wynde ſet out The ſhypman doth committe in doubt of lyfe. VVhyle gale oſwynde the ſlacke ſayles filles full ſtrayte, He leaning ouer hollow rocke doth lye, And either his begiled hookes doth bayte, Or els beholdes and feeles the pray from hye with paiſed hand. The trembling fish he feeles with line extent. This hope to them to whom of hurtles lyfe. Is quiet reſt, and with his owne content, And lytle, houſe, ſuch hope in fieldes is ryfe The troblous hopes with rolling whirlewynd great, And dredful feares their wayes in cityes keepe. He proude repayre to prince in regall ſeate, And hard court gates without the reſt of ſleepe Eſteemes, and endles happynes to hold Doth gather goods, for treaſure gaping more, And is ful pore amid his heaped gold. The peoples fauour him (aſtonied ſore) And commons more vnconſtant then the ſea, VVith blaſt of vayne renoume liftes vp full proude. He ſelling at the brawling barre his plea, Full wicked, ſets his yres and ſcoulding loud And woordes to ſale, a fewe hath knowne of all The careles reſt, who mindfull how doth flitte Swift age away, the tyme that neuer ſhall Returne agayne do holde: while fares permitte, At quiet liue: the lyfe full quickly glydes VVith haſtned courſe, and with the winged day The wheele is turnde of yere that hedlong ſlides, The ſiſters hard perfourme their taſkes alway, Nor may agayne vntwiſt the threede once ſponne. Yet mankind loe vnſure what way to take To meete the greedy deſtenyes dothronne And willingly wee ſeke the Stigian lake. To much Alcides thou with ſtomacke ſtoute The ſory ſprites of hell doſt haſt to ſee. VVith courſe prefixt the fares are brought aboute To none once warnd to come may reſpite bee To none to paſſe their once appointed day, The tombe all people calde by death doth hyde