Norton, Thomas / Sackville, Thomas · published 1565 · first performed or written 1562 [Jan 18] (Annals) tragedy · before the Court T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.83 · 521 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
We like and praise this speedy will in you To work the thing that to your charge we gave Porrex, if we so far should swerve from kind, And from these bounds which laws of Nature sets As thou hast done by vile and wretched deed In cruel murder of thy Brother's life, Our present hand could stay no longer time, But straight should bathe this blade in blood of thee As just revenge of thy detested crime. No. we should not offend the law of kind, If now this sword of ours did slay thee here: For thou hast murdered him whose heinous death Even Nature's force doth move us to revenge By blood again: But justice forceth us To measure Death for Death, thy due desert, Yet sithence thou art our child, and sith as yet In this hard case what word thou canst allege For thy defence, by us hath not been hard We are content to stay our will for that Which justice bids us presently to work: And give the leave to use thy speech at full If aught thou have to lay for thine excuse. Neither O king, I can or will deny But that this hand from Ferrex life hath reft: Which fact how much my doleful heart doth wail Oh would it mought as full appear to sight As inward grief doth power it forth to me, So yet perhaps if ever ruthful heart Melting in tears within a manly breast Through deep repentance of his bloody fact If ever grief, if ever woeful man Might move regreite with sorrow of his fault, I think the torment of my mournful case Known to your grace, as I do feel the same, Would force even wrath herself to pity me. But as the water troubled with the mud Shows not the face which else the eye should see, Even so your Ireful mind with stirred thought, Can not so perfectly discern my cause. But this unhap, amongst so many heaps I must content me with, most wretched man, That to myself I must refer my woe In pining thoughts of mine accursed fact: sithence I may not show here my smallest grief Such as it is, and as my breast endures, Which I esteem the greatest misery Of all mishaps that Fortune now can send. Not that I rest in hope with plaints and tears Should purchase life: for to the Gods I clepe For true record of this my faithful speech, Never this heart shall have the thoughtful dread To die the death that by your grace's doom By just desert, shallbe pronounced to me: Nor never shall this tongue ones spend this speech Pardon to crave, or seek by suit to live: I mean not this as though I were not touched With care of dreadful death, or that I held Life in contempt: but that I know, the mind stoops to no dread, although the flesh be frail, And for my gilt, I yield the same so great As in myself I find a fear to sue For grant of life.
nodes 1070–1131 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 18 of 29 in this edition
Length
521 words · 618 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.828 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T7 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
We like and praiſe this ſpedie wyll in you To worke the thing that to your charge we gaue Porrex, if we ſo farre ſhulde ſwarue from kinde, And frō theſe bounds which lawes of Nature ſets As thou haſt done by vile and wretched deede In cruell murder of thy Brothers life, Our preſent hande coulde ſtaie no lenger tyme, But ſtreight ſhould bathe this blade in bloud of the As iuſt reuenge of thy deteſted cryme. No. we ſhuld not offende the lawe of kinde, If nowe this ſworde of ours did ſlaie thee here: For thou haſt murdered him whoſe heinous death Euen Natures force doth moue vs to reuenge By bloud againe: But Iuſtice forceth vs To meaſure Death for Death, thy due deſerte, Yet ſithens thou art our childe, and ſithe as yet In this harde caſe what worde thou canſt alledge For thy defence, by vs hath not ben harde We are content to ſtaie our wyll for that Whiche Iuſtice biddes vs preſently to worke: And geue the leaue to vſe thie ſpeache at full If ought thou haue to laye for thine excuſe. Neither O kyng, I can or wyll denie But that this hande from Ferrex lyfe hath reft: Which fact how much my doleful hart doth waile Oh would it mought as full appeare to ſight As inwarde griefe doth powre it forth to me, So yet perhappes if euer ruthefull hart Melting in teares within a manlie breaſt Throughe depe repentaunce of his bloudie facte If euer griefe, if euer wofull man Might moue regreite with ſorowe of his fault, I thinke the torment of my mournefull caſe Knowen to your grace, as I do feele the ſame, Woulde force euen wrath her ſelfe to pytie mee. But as the water troubled with the mudde Shewes not the face whiche els the eye ſhulde ſee, Euen ſo your Irefull minde with ſtirred thought, Can not ſo perfectly diſcerne my cauſe. But this vnhappe, emongſt ſo many heapes I muſt content me with, moſt wretched man, That to my ſelfe I muſt referre my woe In pynynge thoughts of myne accurſed facte: Sithens I may not ſhewe here my ſmalleſt griefe Suche as it is, and as my breaſt endures, Whiche I eſteme the greateſt myſerie Of all miſhappes that Fortune nowe can ſende. Not that I reſt in hope with plaints and teares Should purchaſe life: for to the Goddes I clepe For true recorde of this my faithfull ſpeache, Neuer this harte ſhall haue the thoughtfull dreade To die the death that by your Graces dome By iuſt deſarte, ſhalbe pronounced to mee: Nor neuer ſhal this tongue ones ſpend this ſpeche Pardon to craue, or ſeeke by ſute to lyue: I meane not this as though I were not touchde With care of dreadfull death, or that I helde Lyfe in contempt: but that I knowe, the mynde Stoupes to no dreade, although the fleſh be fraile, And for my gilt, I yelde the ſame ſo great As in my ſelfe I finde a feare to ſue For graunte of lyfe.