The Masque of Blackness (The Twelfth Night's Revels) · chunk 1 of 3
Jonson, Ben · published 1608 · first performed or written 1605 [Jan 6] (Annals) masque · before the Court unassigned nearest T12 Olympian gods: Jupiter, Juno, Venus and · 493 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T12: iupiter, saturn, iuno, venus, gods, mars, earth, titan, love, fair.
SOund, sound aloud The welcome of the orient Flood, Into the West; Fair, NIGER, k son to great OCEANUS, Now honoured, thus, With all his beauteous race: Who, though but black in face, Yet, are they bright, And full of life, and light. To prove that Beauty best, Which not the colour, but the feature Assures unto the creature. BE silent, now the Ceremonies done. And NIGER, say, how comes it, lovely Son, That thou, the AETHIOPES River, so far East, Art seen to fall into th' extremest West Of me, the King of floods, OCEANUS, And, in mine empire's heart, salute me, thus? My ceaseless current, now amazed stands! To see thy labour, through so many lands, Mix thy fresh billow, with my brackish stream; And, in thy sweetness, stretch thy diadem, To these far distant, and unequalled skies This squared Circle of celestial bodies: Divine OCEANUS, 'tis not strange at all, That (since the immortal souls of creatures mortal, Mix with their bodies, yet reserve for ever A power of separation) I should sever My fresh streams, from thy brackish (like things fixed) Though, with thy powerful saltness, thus far mixed. " Virtue, though chained to earth, will still live free; And Hell itself must yield to industry. But, what's the end of thy Herculean labours, Extended to these calm, and blessed shores? TO do a kind, and careful Father's part, In satisfying every pensive heart Of these my Daughters, my most loved birth: Who though they were the k first formed Dames of earth, And in whose sparkling, and refulgent eyes, The glorious Sun did still delight to rise; Though he (the best judge, and most formal Cause Of all Dames beauties) in their firm hews, draws Signs of his ferventest Love; and thereby shows That, in their black, the perfectest beauty grows; Since the fix't colour of their curled hair, (Which is the highest grace of dames most fair) No cares, no age can change; or there display The fearful tincture of abhorred Grey; Since Death herself (her self being pale & blue) Can never alter their most faithful hue; All which are arguments, to prove, how far Their beauties conquer, in great Beauty's war; And more, how near Divinity they be, That stand from passion, or decay so free. Yet, since the fabulous voices of some few Poor brainsick men, styled Poets, here with you, Have, with such envy of their graces, sung The painted Beauties, other Empires sprung; Letting their loose, and winged fictions fly To infect all climates, yea our purity; As of one n PHAETON, that fired the world And, that, before his heedless flames were hurled About the Globe, the Aethiopes were as fair, As other Dames; now black, with black despair: And in respect of their complexions changed, Are each where, since, for o luckless creatures ranged. Which, when my Daughters heard, (as women are Most jealous of their beauties) fear, and care
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
SOund, sound aloud The welcome of the orient Floud, Into the West; Fayre, NIGER, sonne to great OCEANVS, Now honord, thus, With all his beauteous race: though but black in face, Yet, are they bright, And full of life, and light. To proue that Beauty best, Which not the colour, but the feature Assures vnto the creature. BE silent, now the Ceremonies done. And NIGER, say, how comes it, louely Sonne, That thou, the AETHIOPES Riuer, so farre East, Art seene to fall into th' extreamest West Of me, the King of flouds, OCEANVS, And, in mine Empires heart, salute me, thus? My ceaselesse current, now amazed stands! To see thy labor, through so many lands, Mixe thy fresh billow, with my brackishe streame; And, in thy sweetnesse, stretch thy diademe, To these farre distant, and vn-equall'd skies This squared Circle of coelestiall bodies: Diuine OCEANVS, tis not strange at all, That (since the immortal soules of creatures mortal, Mixe with their bodies, yet reserue for euer A powre of seperation) I should seuer My fresh streames, from thy brackish (like things fixed) Though, with thy powerful saltnes, thus far mixed. " Vertue, though chain'd to earth, will still liue free; " And Hell it selfe must yeeld to industry. BVt, what's the end of thy Herculean labors, Extended to these calme, and blessed shores? TO do a kind, and carefull Fathers part, In satisfiyng euery pensiue heart Of these my Daughters, my most loued birth: Who though they were the first form'd Dames of earth, And in whose sparckling, and refulgent eyes, The glorious Sunne did still delight to rise; Though he (the best Iudge, and most formall Cause Of all Dames beauties) in their firme hewes, drawes Signes of his feruent'st Loue; and thereby shewes That, in their black, the perfectst beauty growes; Since the fix't colour of their curled haire, (Which is the highest grace of dames most faire) No cares, no age can change; or there display The fearefull tincture of abhorred Gray; Since Death hir selfe (hir selfe being pale & blew) Can neuer alter their most faith-full hew; All which are arguments, to proue, how far Their beauties conquer, in great Beauties warre; And more, how neere Diuinity they be, That stand from passion, or decay so free. Yet, since the fabulous voyces of some few Poore brain-sicke men, stil'd Poets, here with you, Haue, with such enuy of their graces, sung The painted Beauties, other Empires sprung; Letting their loose, and winged fictions fly To infect all clymates, yea our purity; As of one PHAETON, that fir'd the world And, that, before his heedles flames were hurld About the Globe, the Aethiopes were as faire, As other Dames; now blacke, with blacke dispaire: And in respect of their complexctions chang'd, Are each where, since, for luckles creatures rang'd. Which, when my Daughters heard, (as women are Most iealous of their beauties) feare, and care