Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1607 [1605-1607] (Annals) tragedy T19 Virtue, Fortune and Vice as abstractions typicality 0.73 · 518 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T19: virtue, fortune, virtues, honour, fame, vice, envy, world, pride, great.
Who in the Country leadest a guiltless life! From Fortune's reach retired, obscure, secure, Though not a Queen, yet a contented wife. Thy Mate more dear to thee then is the light, (Though low in state) loves in a high degree, And with his presence still to bless thy sight, Doth scorn great Courts whilst he lives courting thee. And as thou wound'st him not with hid disgrace, He with no jealous thought doth rack thy breast: Thus both lie down to rest, and rise in peace, Then (if they strive) they strive who should love best; What? though thou have not as the mighty ones, Thy neck surcharged with chains (ah chains indeed!) Nor ears weighed down with oriental stones, Nor Robes, whose worth may admiration breed; So want'st thou that which we have ever had, Sad miscontentments, jealousy, and spite; And though thy back be not with purple clad, Thy thoughts are decked with Innocency's white. As birds (whose cage of gold the sight deceives) Do seem to sing, whilst they but wail their state: So, with the mighty matched, (made glorious slaves) We happy seem, whilst we but curse our fate. That bliss whose show in us vain eyes doth please, Makes thee indeed with pleasures spend thy breath, Who liv'st while young in mirth, whilst aged in ease, And knowst not what it is to dye till death; Ah! since I lived, I always did but dye, When seeming happy, then most wretched still; Whilst dazzling with vain pomp each vulgar eye, What strange mishaps did me with anguish fill? The fates with fortune from my birth conspired To make my life, a pattern of their might: For both my parents from the world retired, When I had scarcely looked upon the light: The world may judge how I was justly grieved, Whilst angry Philip sought for my disgrace, (A thing which once I scarce could have believed) And unto Cleopatra gave my place. Then though I long (as desp'rate of relief) For his offence afflicted had my mind, Yet did his sudden death augment my grief: He was my husband, though he was unkind; And when my Sons rare deeds which fame doth sound, The world with wonder, ravished me with joy, Those (as himself) who would all his confound, To compass me, did spite and power employ; Yet stood my courage when my Fortune fell, And still I toiled to persecute his foes, That some might fall down who too much did swell, Their blood in Marble registering my woes. That which I purposed, long so prosp'red too, That some of them did try (by torments strange) All what a woman's just disdain could do, Whilst spurred by jealousy, spite, and revenge: But this Archtraitor, Ruler of the rest, Who thirsts to drink the blood of all our Race, Even then, with us when all succeeded best, Did compass me with ruin and disgrace. Such was the tenor of my Fortune past, Whose least mishap had made another burst: First, orphaned, widowed, and unchilded last, A daughter, wife, and mother, all accursed.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 2369–2431 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 37 of 54 in this edition
Length
518 words · 684 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T19 — Virtue, Fortune and Vice as abstractionsreviewed — decision pending · typicality 0.731 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T13 · seed 44: T16 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Who in the Countrey lead'ſt a guiltleſſe life! From Fortunes reach retyr'd, obſcure, ſecure, Though not a Queene, yet a contented wife. Thy Mate more deare to thee then is the light, (Thongh low in ſtate) loves in a high degree, And with his preſence ſtill to bleſſe thy ſight, Doth ſcorne great Courts whil'ſt he lives courting thee. And as thou wound'ſt him not with hid diſgrace, He with no jealous thought doth rack thy breſt: Thus both lye downe to reſt, and riſe in peace, Then (if they ſtrive) they ſtrive who ſhould love beſt; What? though thou have not as the mighty ones, Thy neck ſurcharg'd with chains (ah chains indeed!) Nor eares weigh'd down with orientall ſtones, Nor Robes, whoſe worth may admiration breed; So want'ſt thou that which we have ever had, Sad miſ-contentments, jealouſie, and ſpite; And though thy back be not with purple clad, Thy thoughts are deck't with Innocencies white. As birds (whoſe cage of gold the ſight deceives) Do ſeeme to ſing, whil'ſt they but waile their ſtate: So, with the mighty match'd, (made glorious ſlaves) We happy ſeeme, whil'ſt we but curſe our fate. That bliſſe whoſe ſhew in us vaine eyes doth pleaſe, Makes thee indeed with pleaſures ſpend thy breath, Who liv'ſt while yong in mirth, whil'ſt ag'd in eaſe, And know'ſt not what it is to dye till death; Ah! ſince I liv'd, I alwayes did but dye, When ſeeming happy, then moſt wretched ſtill; Whil'ſt dazeling with vaine pompe each vulgar eye, What ſtrange miſhaps did me with anguiſh fill? The fates with fortune from my birth conſpir'd To make my life, a patterne of their might: For both my parents from the world retir'd, When I had ſcarcely look'd upon the light: The world may judge how I was juſtly griev'd, Whil'ſt angry Philip ſought for my diſgrace, (A thing which once I ſcarce could have beleev'd) And unto Cleopatra gave my place. Then though I long (as deſp'rate of reliefe) For his offence afflicted had my minde, Yet did his ſudden death augment my griefe: He was my husband, though he was unkinde; And when my Sonnes rare deeds which fame doth ſound, The world with wonder, raviſh'd me with joy, Thoſe (as himſelfe) who would all his confound, To compaſſe me, did ſpite and power imploy; Yet ſtood my courage when my Fortune fell, And ſtill I toil'd to perſecute his foes, That ſome might fall downe who too much did ſwell, Their bloud in Marble regiſtring my woes. That which I purpos'd, long ſo proſp'red too, That ſome of them did try (by torments ſtrange) All what a womans juſt diſdaine could do, Whil'ſt ſpurr'd by jealouſie, ſpite, and revenge: But this Arch-traitour, Ruler of the reſt, Who thirſts to drinke the bloud of all our Race, Even then, with us when all ſucceeded beſt, Did compaſſe me with ruine and diſgrace. Such was the tenor of my Fortune paſt, Whoſe leaſt miſhap had made another burſt: Firſt, orphan'd, widow'd, and unchilded laſt, A daughter, wife, and mother, all accurſt.