The Atheist's Tragedy, or The Honest Man's Revenge · chunk 30 of 41
Tourneur, Cyril · published 1611 · first performed or written 1611 [1607-1611] (Annals) tragedy · Unknown unassigned nearest T4 Love-longing and the lover's complaint · 494 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T4: love, heart, sweet, loves, fair, phillis, eyes, beauty, amyntas, lovers.
Yes. Now I'll speak it. Th'argument is love. The smallest ornament of thy sweet form (that abstract of all pleasure) can command the senses into passion; and thy entire perfection is my object; yet I love thee with the freedom of my reason. I can give thee reason for my love. Love me; my Lord? I do believe it, for I am the wife of him you love. 'tis true. By my persuasion thou wert forced to marry one, unable to perform the office of a Husband. I was author of the wrong. My conscience suffers under't; and I would disburden it by satisfaction. How? I will supply that pleasure to thee which he cannot. Are y'a devil or a man? A man; and such a man, as can return thy entertainment with as prodigal a body, as the covetous desire of woman ever was delighted with. So, that besides the full performance of thy empty husband's duty; thou shalt have the joy of children to continue the succession of thy blood. For the appetite that steals her pleasure; draws the forces of the body to an united strength; and puts 'em altogether into action; never fails of procreation. All the purposes of Man aim but at one of these two ends; pleasure or profit: And in this one sweet conjunction of our loves. they both will meet. Would it not grieve thee, that a Stranger to thy blood, should lay the first foundation of his house upon the ruins of thy family? Now Heaven defend me! May my memory be utterly extinguished; and the heir of him that was my Father's enemy, raise his eternal monument upon our ruins; ere the greatest pleasure or the greatest profit, ever tempt me to continue it by incest. Incest? Tush. These distances affinity observes; are articles of bondage cast upon our freedoms by our own subjections. Nature allows a general liberty of generation to all creatures else. Shall Man to whose command and use all creatures were made subject be less free than they? O God! is thy unlimited and infinite omnipotence less free because thou dost no ill? or if you argue merely out of Nature; do you not degenerate from that; and are you not unworthy the prerogative of Nature's Masterpiece, when basely you prescribe yourself authority and law from their examples whom you should command? I could confute you; but the horror of the argument confounds my understanding.— Sir, I know, you do but try me in your sons behalf; suspecting that my strength and youth of blood cannot contain themselves with impotence.— Believe me (Sir) I never wronged him. If it be your lust; O quench it on their prostituted flesh, whose trade of sin can please desire with more delight, and less offence.— The poison of your breath; evaporated from so foul a soul; infects the air more than the damps that rise from bodies but half rotten in their graves.
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)
Yes. Now I'le speake it. Th'argument is loue. The smallest ornament of thy sweet forme (that abstract of all pleasure) can command the sences into passion; and thy entire perfection is my obiect; yet I loue thee with the freedome of my reason. I can giue thee reason for my loue. Loue me; my Lord? I doe beleeue it, for I am the wife of him you loue. T'is true. By my perswasion thou wert forc'd to marrie one, vnable to performe the office of a Husband. I was author of the wrong. My conscience suffers vnder't; and I would disburthen it by satisfaction. How? I will supply that pleasure to thee which he cannot. Are y'a diuell or a man? A man; and such a man, as can returne thy entertainment with as prodigall a body, as the couetous desire of woman euer was delighted with. So, that besides the full performance of thy empty Husbands dutie; thou shalt haue the ioy of children to continue the succession of thy bloud. For the appetite that steales her pleasure; drawes the forces of the body to an vnited strength; and puts 'em altogether into action; neuer failes of procreation. All the purposes of Man aime but at one of these two ends; pleasure or profit: And in this one sweet coniunction of our loues. they both will meete. Would it not grieue thee, that a Stranger to thy bloud, should lay the first foundation of his house vpon the ruines of thy family? Now Heau'n defend me! May my memorie be vtterly extinguish'd; and the heire of him that was my Fathers enemie, raise his eternall monument vpon our ruines; ere the greatest pleasure or the greatest profit, euer tempt me to continue it by incest. Incest? Tush. These distances affinitie obserues; are articles of bondage cast vpon our freedomes by our owne subiections. Nature allowes a gen'rall libertie of generation to all creatures else. Shall Man to whose command and vse all creatures were made subiect be lesse free then they? O God! is thy vnlimited and infinite omnipotence lesse free because thou doest no ill? or if you argue meerely out of Nature; doe you not degenerate from that; and are you not vnworthie the prerogatiue of Natures Maister-piece, when basely you prescribe your selfe authoritie and law from their examples whom you should command? I could confute you; but the horrour of the argument confounds my vnderstanding. —Sir, I know, you doe but try me in your Sonnes behalfe; suspecting that my strength and youth of bloud cannot containe themselues with impotence.—Beleeue me (Sir) I neuer wrong'd him. If it be your lust; O quench it on their prostituted flesh, whose trade of sinne can please desire with more delight, and lesse offence.—The poyson of your breath; euaporated from so foule a soule; infects the ayre more then the dampes that rise from bodies but halfe rotten in their graues.