Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1607 (Annals) tragedy T2 Roman politics: senate, consuls and civi typicality 0.69 · 480 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T2: rome, caesar, senate, sulla, roman, consul, brutus, romans, men, marius.
Amidst the waves, and in the depths sit down: Their City (spousing Neptune) shall arise, The rarest Commonwealth that ever was, Whose peo; e, if as stout as rich and wise, Might boast to bring miraculous things to pass. Then false Aeneas, though but borne t' obey, Did (of a fugitive) become a King: And some of his near Tiber's streams that stay, Would all the world to their obedience bring. Their ravenous Eagles soaring o'er all lands, By violence a mighty prey have won, That bastard brood of Mars with martial bands, Have conquered both the Mansions of the Sun; Their course by mountains could not be controlled, No; Neptune could not keep his bosom free: The parching heat, nor yet the freezing cold, Their Legions limits no way could decree; Yet, of that City there can come no good, Whose rising walls with more than barbarous rage, The builder first bathed with his brother's blood, Which their prodigious conquests did presage. Oft hath that Town my soul with anguish fi●li'd, Whose newborn state did triumph o'er my wrath, Like my old foe who in his Cradle killed The Serpents which I sent to give him death. By Sabins, Albans, Tuscans, oft assailed, Even in her infancy I tossed Rome's state, Yet still Laomedon's false race prevailed, And angry Iuno could do nought but hate. Then when the gallant Gauls had vanquished Rome, Who basely bought her liberty with gold, A banished man Camillus chanced to come, And her imbalanced state redeemed of old; Great Hannibal our common cause pursued, And made his bands within their bounds remain, With Consuls and with Praetor's blood, imbrued, At Thrasimene, and at Cannas slain; In Romen minds, strange thoughts did doubt infuse, But whilst they feared the taking of their Town, He who could vanquish, victory not use, Was by their brazen fate (when high) thrown down; O what a torrent of Barbarian bands, In inundations once their walls did boast, Whilst Teutons huge, and Cymbers from their Lands, Like Giants marched, a more than monstrous host? But though from parts unknown to ruin Rome, I led those troops which all the word admired, Yet did fierce Marius me with them overcome, And I in vain to venge old wrongs aspired; By means more base I likewise sought her harms, Whilst Ianus Church imported never peace, I raised up abject Spartacus in Arms, Who near eclipsed Rome's glory with disgrace. Though I who all the world for help have sought. From Europe, Africa, and from Asia thus, Gauls, Carthaginians, and the Cymbers brought, Yet did the damage still redound to us: Of heaven and earth I all the powers have proved, And for their wrack have each advantage watched, But they by foreign force cannot be moved: By Romans, Romans only may be matched. And I at last have kindled civil war,
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 119–180 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 3 of 50 in this edition
Length
480 words · 664 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T2 — Roman politics: senate, consuls and civil warcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.688 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T1 · seed 44: T2 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Amidſt the waves, and in the depths ſit downe: Their Citie (ſpouſing Neptune) ſhall ariſe, The rareſt Common-wealth that ever was, Whoſe peo;e, if as ſtout as rich and wiſe, Might boaſt to bring miraculous things to paſſe. Then falſe Aeneas, though but borne t' obey, Did (of a fugitive) become a King: And ſome of his neere Tibers ſtreames that ſtay, Would all the world to their obedience bring. Their ravenous Eagles ſoaring o're all lands, By violence a mighty prey have wonne, That baſtard brood of Mars with martiall bands, Have conquerd both the Manſions of the Sunne; Their courſe by mountaines could not be controld, No; Neptune could not keep his boſome free: The parching heate, nor yet the freezing cold, Their Legions limits no way could decree; Yet, of that City there can come no good, Whoſe riſing walles with more then barbarous rage, The builder firſt bath'd with his brothers bloud, Which their prodigious conqueſts did preſage. Oft hath that Towne my ſoule with anguiſh fili'd, Whoſe new-borne ſtate did triumph o're my wrath, Like my old foe who in his Cradle kill'd The Serpents which I ſent to give him death. By Sabins, Albans, Tuſcans, oft aſſail'd, Even in her infancy I toſs'd Romes ſtate, Yet ſtill Laomedons falſe race prevail'd, And angry Iuno could doe nought but hate. Then when the gallant Gaules had vanquiſh'd Rome, Who baſely bought her liberty with gold, A baniſh'd man Camillus chanc'd to come, And her imballanc'd ſtate redeem'd of old; Great Hanniball our common cauſe purſu'd, And made his bands within their bounds remaine, With Conſuls and with Pretors bloud, imbru'd, At Thraſimene, and at Cannas ſlayne; In Romans mindes, ſtrange thoughts did doubt infuſe, But whilſt they fear'd the taking of their Towne, He who could vanquiſh, victory not uſe, Was by their braſen fate (when high) thrown downe; O what a torrent of Barbarian bands, In inundations once their walles did boaſt, Whilſt Teutons huge, and Cymbers from their Lands, Like Gyants march'd, a more then monſtrous hoſte? But though from parts unknowne to ruine Rome, I led thoſe troupes which all the word admir'd, Yet did fierce Marius me with them o're-come, And I in vaine to venge old wrongs aſpir'd; By meanes more baſe I likewiſe ſought her harmes, Whilſt Ianus Church imported never peace, I rais'd up abject Spartacus in Armes, Who neere eclips'd Romes glory with diſgrace. Though I who all the world for helpe have ſought. From Europe, Africke, and from Aſia thus, Gaules, Carthaginians, and the Cymbers brought, Yet did the dammage ſtill redound to us: Of heaven and earth I all the pow'rs have prov'd, And for their wracke have each advantage watch'd, But they by forraine force cannot be mov'd: By Romans, Romans onely may be match'd. And I at laſt have kindled civill warre,