Hercules Furens (Mad Hercules) (Seneca's First Tragedy) · chunk 18 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 0.84 · 489 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.
And at his crooked wrested tail doth hiss a Dragon long: Like ire to shape, when him he wist his pace that way to take, His bristle hairs he lifteth up with fierce up bended snake: And sound sent out he soon perceives in his applied ear, Who even the spirits is wont to sent as soon as stood more near The son of love, 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 Of dreadful voice from triple mouth, even spirits that happy be Doth make afraid. from left side then straight way undoth he The cruel jaws, and lions head once slain in Cleon field Against him sets, and cover doth himself with mighty shield. And bearing in his conquering hand a sturdy club of Oak, Now here, now there he rolleth him about with often stroke: His stripes he doubles: he subdued his threats assuaged all, And all his heads the weary dog at once full low let fall, And quite out of the den he fled, full greatly feared (set In regal throne) both king and queen, and bade him to be fet. And me likewise they gave for gift to Hercles' craving me. The monsters heavy necks with hand then stroking down all three, In linked chain he bindeth fast forgetting then his strength The dog the watchful keeper of the kingdom dark at length Layth down his ears full sore afraid: and suffering to be led, And eke acknowledging his lord, following with lowly head, With tail that snakes thereon doth bear he both his sides doth smite. But after that to Taenar mouth we came, and clearness bright Had struck his eyes of light unknown, good stomach yet again He takes although once overcome, and now the happy chain He raging shakes: he had almost his leader plucked from place, And headlong backward drawn to hell, and moved from his pace. And even to my hands Hercles' then his eyes did backward cast, we both with double joined strength the dog out drawn at last For anger wood, and battles yet attempting all in vain, Brought up to world, as soon as he the clear air saw again, And spaces pure of bright fair pole had once beheld with eye, The night arose: his sight to ground he turned by and by, Cast down his eyes, and hateful day forthwith he put to flight, And backward turned away his look, and straight with all his might To th' earth he falls: and underneath the shade of Hercles' then He hid his head. therewith there came a great resort of men With clamour glad, that did the bay about their foreheads bring: And of the noble Hercules deserved praises sing.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 799–841 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 18 of 28 in this edition
Length
489 words · 603 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T20 — Hercules: labours, suffering and virtuecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.837 (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)
And at his crooked wreſted tayle doth hyſſe a Dragon longe: Lyke yre to ſhape, when him he wyſt his pace that way to take, His briſtle hayres he lifteth vp with fierce vp bended ſnake: And ſounde ſent out he ſoone perceyues in his applyed eare, Who euen the ſprits is wont to ſent as ſoone as ſtoode more neare The ſonne of loue, the doubtfull dogge ſtrait couched downe in denne, And eche of them did feare. beholde with dolefull barking then The places dumme he makes a dred, the threatning ſerpent ſtout Through all the fieldes about doth hyſſe: the bawling noyſe ſent out Of dredfull voyce from triple mouth, euen ſprits that happy bee Doth make afrayde. from left ſide then ſtrayte way vndoeth hee The cruell Iawes, and Lyons head once ſlayne in Cleon fielde Agaynſt him ſets, and couer doth himſelfe with mighty ſhielde. And bearing in his conquering hande a ſturdy club of Oke, Nowe here, now there he rolleth him about with often ſtroke: His ſtripes he doubles: he ſubdew'de his threates aſſwaged all, And all his heads the weary dogge at once full lowe let fall, And quite out ot the denn he fled, full greatly feared (ſet In regall throne) both king and queene, and bad him to bee fet. And me likewyſe they gaue for gyft to Hercles crauing me. The monſters heauy neckes with hand then ſtroaking downe all three, In lynked chayne he byndeth faſte forgetting then his ſtrength The dogge the watchefull keeper of the kingdome darke at length Layth downe his eares ull ore affray'de: and ſuffring to be led, And eke acknowledging his lorde, following wyth lowly hed, With tayle that ſnakes theron doth beare he both his ſides doth ſmight. But after that to Taenare mouth we came, and clearenes bright Had ſtrooke his eyes of light vnoknwne, good ſtomacke yet agayne He takes although once ouercome, and now the happy chayne He raging ſhakes: he had almoſt his leader pluckt from place, And headlong backward drawne to hell, and moued from his pace. And euen to my handes Hercles then his eyes did backward caſt, Wee both with double ioyned ſtrength the dogge out drawne at laſt For anger woode, and battells yet attempting all in vayne, Brought vp to world, as ſoone as he the cleere ayre ſawe agayne, And ſpaces pure of bryght fayre poale had once behelde with eye, The nyght aroſe: his ſight to ground he turned by and by, Caſt downe his eyes, and hatefull day forthwith he put to flight, And backward turnd away his looke, and ſtreight with all his might To th' earthe he falles: and vnderneath the ſhade of Hercles then He hyd his head. therewith there came a great reſorte of men With clamour glad, that did the bay about theyr forheads bryng: And of the noble Hercules deſerued prayſes ſing.