The Masque of Blackness (The Twelfth Night's Revels) · chunk 1 of 2
Jonson, Ben · published 1616 · first performed or written 1605 [Jan 6] (Annals) masque · before the Court unassigned nearest T12 Olympian gods: Jupiter, Juno, Venus and · 457 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T12: iupiter, saturn, iuno, venus, gods, mars, earth, titan, love, fair.
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 satisfying 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 hiewes, 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 her selfe (her selfe being pale and blue) Can neuer alter their most faithfull hiew; All which are arguments, to proue, how far Their beauties conquer, in great beauties warre; And more, how neere Diuinitie they be, That stand from passion, or decay so free. Yet, since the fabulous voices of some few Poore brain-sicke men, stil'd Poets, here with you, Haue, with such enuie of their graces, sung The painted Beauties, other Empires sprung; Letting their loose, and winged fictions flie To infect all clymates, yea our puritie; As of one PHAETON, that fir'd the world And, that, before his heedlesse flames were hurld About the Globe, the Aethiopes were as faire, As other Dames; now blacke, with blacke dispaire: And in respect of their complections chang'd, Are each where, since, for lucklesse creatures rang'd. Which, when my Daughters heard, (as women are Most ielous of their beauties) feare, and care Possess'd them whole; yea, and beleeuing them, They wept such ceaselesse teares, into my streame, That it hath, thus far, ouerflow'd his shore To seeke them patience: who haue since, ere more As the Sunne riseth, chardg'd his burning throne With volleys of reuilings; cause he shone On their scorch'd cheekes, with such intemperate fires, And other Dames, made queenes of all desires. To frustrate which strange error, oft, I sought, (Though most in vaine, against a setled thought As womens are) till they confirm'd at length By miracle, what I, with so much strength Of argument resisted; els they fain'd: For in the Lake, where their first spring they gain'd, As they sate, cooling their soft Limmes, one night, Appear'd a face, all circumfus'd with light; (And sure they saw't, for Aethiopes neuer dreame) Wherein they might decipher through the streame, These words. That they a Land must forthwith seeke, Whose termination (of the Greeke) Sounds TANIA; where bright Sol, that heat Their blouds, doth neuer rise, or set, But in his Iourney passeth by,
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)
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 satisfying 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 hiewes, 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 her selfe (her selfe being pale and blue) Can neuer alter their most faithfull hiew; All which are arguments, to proue, how far Their beauties conquer, in great beauties warre; And more, how neere Diuinitie they be, That stand from passion, or decay so free. Yet, since the fabulous voices of some few Poore brain-sicke men, stil'd Poets, here with you, Haue, with such enuie of their graces, sung The painted Beauties, other Empires sprung; Letting their loose, and winged fictions flie To infect all clymates, yea our puritie; As of one PHAETON, that fir'd the world And, that, before his heedlesse flames were hurld About the Globe, the Aethiopes were as faire, As other Dames; now blacke, with blacke dispaire: And in respect of their complections chang'd, Are each where, since, for lucklesse creatures rang'd. Which, when my Daughters heard, (as women are Most ielous of their beauties) feare, and care Possess'd them whole; yea, and beleeuing them, They wept such ceaselesse teares, into my streame, That it hath, thus far, ouerflow'd his shore To seeke them patience: who haue since, ere more As the Sunne riseth, chardg'd his burning throne With volleys of reuilings; cause he shone On their scorch'd cheekes, with such intemperate fires, And other Dames, made queenes of all desires. To frustrate which strange error, oft, I sought, (Though most in vaine, against a setled thought As womens are) till they confirm'd at length By miracle, what I, with so much strength Of argument resisted; els they fain'd: For in the Lake, where their first spring they gain'd, As they sate, cooling their soft Limmes, one night, Appear'd a face, all circumfus'd with light; (And sure they saw't, for Aethiopes neuer dreame) Wherein they might decipher through the streame, These words. That they a Land must forthwith seeke, Whose termination (of the Greeke) Sounds TANIA; where bright Sol, that heat Their blouds, doth neuer rise, or set, But in his Iourney passeth by,