Hercules Furens (Mad Hercules) (Seneca's First Tragedy) · chunk 12 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 0.80 · 498 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.
Because that stubbornly thou dost refuse my wedding so, And fear a king, thou shalt know what the Sceptres now may do. Embrace thine altars, yet no God shall ever take away Thee from my hands: no not although with world upturned, may Alcides victor yet again to Gods above return. The woods on heaps together cast, let all their temples burn Even thrown upon their heads: his wife, and all his flock at last With underlayed fire, let one wood pile consume and waste. This only boon I father of Alcides ask of thee, Which well may me beseem to crave, that I first slain may hes. Who all appoints with present death to have their punishment, He tyrant wots not how to be: more sundry grieves invent. Restrain the wretched man from death, command that th'happy die. ay, while with beams prepared to burn the pile increaseth high, Will him with vowing sacrifice that rules the seas entreat. Oh chiefest power of Gods, and oh of heavenly things so great The guide, and parent eke, with whose thrown thunderbolts do shake All things human throughout the world of king so cruel slake The wicked hand: but why do I to Gods in vain thus cry? wherever thou be, hear me soon. why start so suddenly The temples thus with moving shaked? Why roareth out the grand? The noise of Hell from bottom deep beneath hath made a sound: we heard are, lo it is the sound of Hercules his pace. O Fortune hating men of stoutest breast, How ill rewards dost thou to good divide? Eurystheus reigns at home in easy rest, Alcmene's son in every battle tried, To Monsters turns his hand that Skies did stay: And cruel Necks cuts of, of hideous Snake, And Apples brings from Sisters mokt away, When once to sleep his watchful Eyes betake, Did Dragon set rich fruit to oversee. He passed the Scythian bowers that stray abroad, And those that in their countries strangers be And hardened top of frozen freate he trod, And silent Sea with banks full dumb about. The Waters hard want there their floods to slow. And there before the Ships full Sails spread out Is worn a path for Sarmates wild to go. The Sea doth stand to move in course again. Now apt to bear the Ship, now horsemen bold The Queen that there doth over Widows rain, That girds her Womb with girth of glittering gold, Her noble spoil from body drawn hath she And shield, and bands of breast as white as snow, Acknowledging the Conqueror with Knee. With what hope drawn to headlong Hell allow, So bold to pass the unreturned ways sawst thou Proserpina's rain of Sicily? With Southern wind, or Western there no seas Arise with wave and swelling Surges high. Not there of Tyndar's stock the double brood Two stars the fearful Ships do aid and guide. With gulf full black doth stand the slothful flood
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 511–564 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 12 of 28 in this edition
Length
498 words · 655 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T20 — Hercules: labours, suffering and virtuecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.799 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T17 · seed 44: T19 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Becauſe that ſtubburnely thou do'ſt refuſe my wedding ſo, And fear'ſte a king, thouſhatt know what the Scepters now may do. Embrace thyne aulters, yet no God ſhall euer take away Thee from my hands: no not although with world vpturned, may Alcides victor yet agayne to Gods aboue returne. The woods on heapes together caſt, let all their temples burne Euen throwne vpon theyr heads: his wyfe, and all his flocke at laſte With vnderlayed fyre, let one wood pyle conſume and waſte. This only bowne I father of Alcides aſke of thee, Which well may me beſeeme to craue, that I fryſt ſlayne may hes. Who all appoyncts with preſent death to haue their puniſhment, He tyrunt wats not how to be: more ſundry greeues inuent. Reſtrayne the wretched man from death, commaunde that th'happy dye. I, while with beames prepar'de to burne the pyle encreaſeth hye, Will him with vowing ſacrifyce that rules the ſeas entreate. Oh chiefeſt powre of Gods, and oh of heauenly things ſo great The guyde, and parent eke, with whoſe throwne thunderbolts do ſhake All things humane throughout the world of king ſo cruell ſlake The wicked hande: but why do I to Gods in vayne thus cry? Where euer thou be, heare me ſoone. why ſtart ſo ſodaynely The temples thus with moouing ſhakte? Why roareth out the graūd? The noyſe of Hell from bottome deepe byueathe hath made a ſound: Wee herde are, loe it is the ſound of Hercules his pace. O Fortune hating men of ſtouteſt breſt, How ill rewards doſt thou to good deuyde? Euryſtheus raynes at home in eaſy reſt, Alcmendes ſonne in euery battayle tryde, To Monſters turnes hys hande that Skyes dyd ſtay: And cruell Neckes cuts of, of hydous Snake, And Apples brynges from Syſters mokt away, When once to ſleepe hys watchefull Eyes beetake, Dyd Dragon ſet ryche fruicte to ouerſee. Hee paſt the Scythian bowres that ſtraye abroade, And thoſe that in their countreys ſtraung ers bee And hardned top of froſen freate hee troade, And ſylent Sea with bankes full dumme about. The Waters hard want there their floudes to ſloe. And there before the Shyps full Sayles ſpred out Is worne a pathe for Sarmates wylde to goe. The Sea doth ſtande to mooue in courſe agayne. Nowe apt to beare the Ship, nowe horſemen bolde The Queene that there doth ouer Wydowes rayne, That gyrds her Wombe wyth gyrth of glittring gold, Her noble ſpoyle from body drawne hath ſhee And ſhyelde, and bandes of breaſt as whyte as ſnowe, Acknowledging the Conquerour with Knee. Wyth what hope drawne to headlong Hell alowe, So bolde to paſſe the vnreturned wayes Saw'ſte thon Proſerpines rayne of Sicylye? Wyth Southern wynde, or Weſtern there no ſeas Aryſe wyth waue and ſwellinge Surges hye. Not there of Tyndars ſtocke the double broode Two ſtarres the fearefull Shyps doe ayde and guide. Wyth gulph full blacke doth ſtande the ſlouthfull floode