The Tragedy of Charles Duke of Byron · chunk 31 of 37
Chapman, George · published 1608 · first performed or written 1608 [1607-1608] (Annals) tragedy · Children of the Queen's Revels T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.76 · 466 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
I am bare, What would you have me do? You have not done, Like a good justice; and one that knew He sat upon the precious blood of virtue; Y'ave pleased the cruel King, and have not borne, As great regard to save as to condemn; You have condemned me, my Lord Chancellor, But God acquits me; he will open lay All your close treasons against him, to colour Treasons laid to his truest images; And you my Lord shall answer this injustice, Before his judgement seat: to which I summon In one year and a day your hot appearance; I go before, by men's corrupted domes; But they that caused my death, shall after come By the immaculate justice of the highest. Well, good my Lord, commend your soul to him, And to his mercy, think of that, I pray. Sir, I have thought of it, and every hour, Since my affliction, asked on naked knees Patience to bear your unbelieved Injustice: But you, nor none of you have thought of him, In my eviction: you're come to your benches, With plotted judgements; your linked ears so loud, Sing with prejudicate winds, that nought is heard, Of all, poor prisoners urge 'gainst your award; Passion, my Lord, transports your bitterness, Beyond all colour; and your proper judgement: No man hath known your merits more than I; And would to God your great misdeeds had been, As much undone, as they have been concealed; The cries of them for justice (in desert) Have been so loud and piercing; that they deafened The ears of mercy; and have laboured more, Your judges to compress then to enforce them. We bring you here your sentence, will you read it. For heavens sake, shame to use me with such rigor; I know what it imports, and will not have, Mine ear blown into flames with hearing it; Have you been one of them that have condemned me? My Lord I am your Orator: God comfort you. Good Sir, my father loved you so entirely, That if you have been one, my soul forgives you; It is the King (most childish that he is That takes what he hath given) that injures me: He gave grace in the first draft of my fault, And now restains it: grace again I ask; Let him again vouchsafe it: send to him, A post will soon return: the Queen of England, Told me that if the wilful Earl of Essex, Had used submission, and but asked her mercy, She would have given it, past resumption; She (like a gracious Princess) did desire To pardon him: even as she prayed to God, He would let down a pardon unto her; He yet was guilty, I am innocent: He still refused grace, I importune it.
nodes 1960–2017 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 31 of 37 in this edition
Length
466 words · 595 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.762 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I am bare, What would you haue me do? You haue not done, Like a good iustice; and one that knew He sat vpon the precious bloud of vertue; Y'aue pleasd the cruell King, and haue not borne, As great regard to saue as to condemne; You haue condemn'd me, my Lord Chancelor, But God acquites me; he will open lay All your close treasons against him, to collour Treasons layd to his truest images; And you my Lord shall answere this iniustice, Before his iudgement seate: to which I summon In one yeare and a daie your hot apparanse; I goe before, by mens corrupted domes; But they that caus'd my death, shall after come By the imaculate iustice of the highest. Well, good my Lord▪ commend your soule to him, And to his mercie, thinke of that, I pray. Sir, I haue thought of it, and euery howre, Since my affliction, askt on naked knees Patience to beare your vnbeleeud Iniustice: But you, nor none of you haue thought of him, In my euiction: y'are come to your benches, With plotted iudgements; your linckt eares so lowd, Sing with preiudicate windes, that nought is heard, Of all, pore prisoners vrge gainst your award; Passion, my Lord, transports your bitternes, Beyond all collour; and your propper iudgement: No man hath knowne your merits more then I; And would to God your great misdedes had beene, As much vndone, as they haue beene concealde; The cries of them for iustice (in desert) Haue beene so lowd and piersing; that they deafned The eares of mercie; and haue labord more, Your Iudges to compresse then to enforce them. We bring you here your sentence, will you reade it. For heauens sake, shame to vse me with such rigor; I know what it imports, and will not haue, Mine eare blowne into flames with hearing it; Haue you beene one of them that haue condemn'd me? My Lord I am your Orator: God comfort you. Good Sir, my father lou'd you so entirely, That if you haue beene one, my soule forgiues you; It is the King (most childish that he is That takes what he hath giuen) that iniures me: He gaue grace in the first draught of my fault, And now restaines it: grace againe I aske; Let him againe vouchsafe it: send to him, A post will soone returne: the Queene of England, Told me that if the wilfull Earle of Essex, Had vsd submission, and but askt her mercie, She would haue giuen it, past resumption; She (like a gratious Princesse) did desire To pardon him: euen as she praid to God, He would let doune a pardon vnto her; He yet was guiltie, I am innocent: He still refusd grace, I importune it.