Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1607 (Annals) tragedy T2 Roman politics: senate, consuls and civi typicality 0.86 · 490 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.
He who to this imagined good, Did through his country's bowels tend, Neglecting friendship, duty, blood, And all on which trust can depend, Or by which love could be conceived, Doth find of what he did attend, His expectations far deceived; For, since suspecting secret snares, His soul hath still of rest been reaved, Whilst squadrens' of tumultuous cares, Forth from his breast extort deep groans: Thus Caesar now of life despairs, Whose lot his hope exceeded once; And who can long well keep an ill won State? Those perish must by some whom all men hate. ARe generous Romans so degenered now, That they from honour have estranged their hands? And, used with burdens, do not blush to bow, Yea (even though broken) shake not off their bands; This glorious work was worthy of your pain, Which now ye may by others dangers have; But what enchants you thus, that ye abstain That which ye should have taken, to receive? Where be those inundations of delight, Which should burst out from thoughts overflowed with joy, Whilst emulous Virtue may your minds incite, That which we give you bravely to enjoy, Or quite conformed unto your former state, Do still your minds of servitude allow, As broken by adversity of late, Not capable of better fortune now? Lo, we who by the Tyrant's favour stood, And grieved but at the yoke which you outraged, Have our advancement, riches, rest, and blood, All liberally for liberty engaged. Thou like thy great Progenitor in this, Hast glory to thyself, t'us freedom brought; Than liberty what greater treasure is? Ought with it much, without it much seems nought: But pardon us (heroic man) though we To high perfection hardly can aspire, Though every man cannot a Brutus bell▪ What none can imitate, all must admire. At this strange course (with too much light made blind) We our opinions must suspend a space, When sudden chances do dismay the mind, The judgement to the Passion first gives place. What wonder now though this most barbarous deed Have with amazement closed your judgement in, Which O (I fear) shall great confusion breed? When Caesar's toils did end, Rome's did begin: The most suspicious minds had not believed, That Romans reverenced for their worth by us, Would have presumed to kill, or to have grieved An hallowed body inhumanely thus; Who would have once but dreamed of such despite? What strange hostility! in time of peace To kill, though not accused, against all right, A sacred man, and in a sacred place? If Caesar as a Citizen had lived, And had by Law decided every strife, Then I would grant those treason had contrived, Who went without a Law to take his life; But to pervert the Laws, subvert the State, If all his travels did directly tend, Then I must say, we did no wrong of late: Why should not Tyrants make a Tragic end?
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 2508–2574 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 40 of 50 in this edition
Length
490 words · 645 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T2 — Roman politics: senate, consuls and civil warcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.859 (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)
He who to this imagin'd good, Did through his countries bowels tend, Neglecting friendſhip, duty, bloud, And all on which truſt can depend, Or by which love could be conceiv'd, Doth finde of what he did attend, His expectations farre deceiv'd; For, ſince ſuſpecting ſecret ſnares, His ſoule hath ſtill of reſt beene reav'd, Whilſt ſquadrens of tumultuous cares, Forth from his breſt extort deep grones: Thus Caeſar now of life deſpaires, VVhoſe lot his hope exceeded once; And who can long well keep an ill wonne State? "Thoſe periſh muſt by ſome whom all men hate. ARe generous Romans ſo degener'd now, That they from honour have eſtrang'd their hands? And, us'd with burdens, do not bluſh to bow, Yea (even though broken) ſhake not off their bands; This glorious worke was worthy of your paine, Which now ye may by others dangers have; But what enchaunts you thus, that ye abſtaine That which ye ſhould have taken, to receive? Where be thoſe inundations of delight, Which ſhould burſt out from thoughts o're-flow'd with joy, Whil'ſt emulous Vertue may your mindes incite, That which we give you bravely to enjoy, Or quite conform'd unto your former ſtate, Do ſtill your mindes of ſervitude allow, As broken by adverſitie of late, Not capable of better fortune now? Loe, we who by the Tyrants favour ſtood, And griev'd but at the yoke which you out-rag'd, Have our advancement, riches, reſt, and bloud, All liberally for liberty engag'd. Thou like thy great Progenitour in this, Haſt glory to thy ſelfe, t'us freedome brought; "Then liberty what greater treaſure is? "Ought with it much, without it much ſeemes nought: But pardon us (heroicke man) though we To high perfection hardly can aſpire, Though every man cannot a Brutus bell▪ "What none can imitate, all muſt admire. At this ſtrange courſe (with too much light made blinde) We our opinions muſt ſuſpend a ſpace, "When ſudden chances do diſmay the minde, "The Iudgement to the Paſſion firſt gives place. What wonder now though this moſt barbarous deed Have with amazement clos'd your judgement in, Which O (I feare) ſhall great confuſion breed? When Caeſars toyls did end, Romes did begin: The moſt ſuſpitious mindes had not beleev'd, That Romans reverenc'd for their worth by us, Would have preſum'd to kill, or to have griev'd An hallow'd body inhumanely thus; Who would have once but dream'd of ſuch deſpight? What ſtrange hoſtilitie! in time of peace To kill, though not accus'd, againſt all right, A ſacred man, and in a ſacred place? If Caeſar as a Citizen had liv'd, And had by Law decided every ſtrife, Then I would grant thoſe treaſon had contriv'd, Who went without a Law to take his life; But to pervert the Laws, ſubvert the State, If all his travels did directly tend, Then I muſt ſay, we did no wrong of late: "Why ſhould not Tyrants make a Tragicke end?