The Golden Age, or The Lives of Jupiter and Saturn · chunk 27 of 36
Heywood, Thomas · published 1611 · first performed or written 1610 [1609-1611] (Annals) classical legend or myth · Queen Anne's Men · Red Bull unassigned nearest T55 Fairies, fairy queens and enchanted desi · 478 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T55: fairy, fairies, oberon, mopsus, queen, land, grace, babylon, mab, thestylis.
That which alone is better than all these, My liberty. Why am I cloistered thus, And kept a prisoner from the sight of man? What hath my innocence and infancy Deserved to be immured in brazen walls? Can you accuse my faith, or modesty? Hath any loose demeanour in my carriage Bred this distrust? hath my eye played the rioter? Or hath my tongue been lavish? have my favours unvirginlike to any been profuse, That it should breed in you such jealousy, Or bring me to this durance? None of these. I love my Danae. But when I record The Oracle, it breeds such fear in me, That makes this thy retainment. The Oracle? Wherein unto the least of all the Gods Hath Danae been unthankful, or profane, To bondage me that am a princess free, And votaress to every deity? I'll tell thee Lady. The unchanging mouth Of Phoebus, hath this Oracle pronounced, That Danae shall in time child such a son That shall Acrisius change into a stone. See your vain fears. What less could Phoebus say? Or what hath Danae's fate deserved in this? To turn you into stone; that's to prepare Your monument, and marble sepulchre. The meaning is, that I a son shall have, That when you die shall bear you to your grave. Are you not mortal? would you ever live? Your father died, and to his Monument You like a mourner did attend his hearse. What you did to your father, let my son Perform to you, prepare your sepulchre. Or shall a stranger bear you to your tomb, When from your own blood you may store a Prince To do those sacred rights: or shall vain fears Cloister my beauty, and consume my years? Our fears are certain, and our doom as fixed As the decrees of Gods. Thy durance here Is with limit endless. Go attend her Unto her chamber, there to live an Ankresse And changeless virgin, to the period Of her last hour. And you, to whom this charge Solely belongs, banish all womanish pity: Be deaf unto her prayers, blind to her tears, Obdure to her relenting passions. Should she (as heaven and th'Oracle forbid) By your corrupting loose that precious Gem We have such care to keep and lock safe up: Your lives are doomed. Be faithful we desire, And keep your bodies from the threatened fire. Heaven be as chary of your highness life, As we of Dana's honour. Now if she be a right woman, she will have a mind only to lose that, which her father hath such care to keep. There is a thing that commonly sticks under a woman's stomach. What do we talking of things? there must be no meddling with things in this place, come let us set our watch, and take our lodgings before the Princess chamber,
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T26 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
That which alone is better then all these, My liberty. Why am I cloyster'd thus, And kept a prisoner from the sight of man? What hath my innocence and infancy Deseru'd to be immur'd in brazen walls? Can you accuse my faith, or modesty? Hath any loose demeanour in my carriage Bred this distrust? hath my eye plaid the rioter? Or hath my tongue beene lauish? haue my fauours Vn-virginlike to any beene profuse, That it should breed in you such ielousie, Or bring me to this durance? None of these. I loue my Danae. But when I record The Oracle, it breeds such feare in me, That makes this thy reteinement. The Oracle? Wherein vnto the least of all the Gods Hath Danae beene vnthankfull, or profane, To bondage me that am a princesse free, And votaresse to euery deity? Il'e tell thee Lady. The vnchanging mouth Of Phoebus, hath this Oracle pronoun'st, That Danae shall in time childe such a sonne That shall Acrisius change into a stone. See your vaine feares. What lesse could Phoebus say? Or what hath Danae's fate deseru'd in this? To turne you into stone; that's to prepare Your monument, and marble sepulcher. The meaning is, that I a sonne shall haue, That when you dye shall beare you to your graue. Are you not mortall? would you euer liue? Your father dy'd, and to his Monument You like a mourner did attend his herse. What you did to your father, let my sonne Performe to you, prepare your sepulcher. Or shall a stranger beare you to your tombe, When from your owne bloud you may store a Prince To do those sacred rights: or shall vaine feares Cloister my beauty, and consume my yeares? Our feares are certaine, and our doome as fix't As the decrees of Gods. Thy durance here Is with limit endlesse. Go attend her Vnto her chamber, there to liue an Ankresse And changelesse virgin, to the period Of her last hower. And you, to whom this charge Solely belongs, banish all womanish pitty: Be deafe vnto her prayers, blinde to her teares, Obdure to her relenting passions. Should she (as heauen and th'Oracle forbid) By your corrupting loose that precious Gemme We haue such care to keepe and locke safe vp: Your liues are doom'd. Be faithfull we desire, And keepe your bodies from the threatned fire. Heauen be as chary of your Highnesse life, As we of Dana's honour. Now if shee bee a right woman, shee will haue a minde onely to loose that, which her father hath such care to keepe. There is a thing that commonly stickes vnder a womans stomacke. What do we talking of things? there must be no medling with things in this place, come let vs set our watch, and take our lodgings before the Princesse chamber,