Heywood, Thomas · published 1613 · first performed or written 1611 [1610-1611] (Annals) classical legend or myth · Queen Anne's Men T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.85 · 511 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
Though I my love mistrust not, yet this counsel I'll not despise: this if my Lord should stray, Shall to my desolate bed teach him the way. After long struggling with Euenus streams, I forced the river bear me on her breast, And land me safely on this further strand, To make an end of what my shaft begun, The life of Nessus, lives the Centaur yet? Behold him grovelling on the senseless earth, His wounded breast transfixed by Hercules. That the luxurious slave were sensible Of torture; not th'infernals with more pangs Could plague the villain than Alcides should. Ixion's bones racked on the torturing wheel Should be a pastime: the three snake-haired sisters, That lash offenders with their whips of steel, Should seem to dally, when with every string They cut the flesh like razors: but the dead we hate to touch, as cowardly and base, And vengeance not becoming Hercules. Come Deianeira, first to consummate Our high espousals in triumphant Thebes, That done, our future labours we'll pursue, And by the assistance of the powers Divine, Strive to act more than Juno can assign. Fair Deianeira unto, Thebes being guided, And Hercules' espousals solemnized. He for his further labours soon provided, As Iuno by Euritius had devised. The Apples of Hesperia first he won, maugre huge Atlas that supports the spheres: And whilst the Giant on his business ran; Alcides takes his place, and proudly bears The heavens huge frame: thence into Scythia hies, And their the Amazonian Baldric gains, By conquering Menalip (a brave prize) The warlike Queen that o'er the Scythians reigns. That he supported heaven, doth well express His astronomic skill, knowledge in stars: They that such practice know, what do they less Than bear heavens weight so of the Lernaean wars. Where he the many-headed Hydra slew, A Serpent of that nature, when his sword Pared off one head, from that another grew. This showed his Logic skill: from every word And argument confuted, there arise From one a multiplicity, therefore we Poets and such as are esteemed wise, Instruct the world by such morality. To conquer Hydra showed his powerful skill In disputation, how to argue well. (By all that understand in custom still) And in this Art did Hercules excel. Now we the Egyptian tyrant must present, Bloody Busiris, a king fell and rude, One that in murder placed his sole content, With whose sad death our first Act we conclude. In Egypt there of long time fell no For which unto the Oracle they sent: Answers returned, that till one stranger slain, Immoved shall be the Marble firmament. Therefore the Tyrant all these strangers kills That enter Egypt, till Alcides came And with the tyrant's bulk the Altar fills: At whose red slaughter fell a plenteous rain. For he that stranger and usurper was, Whose bloody fate the Oracle forespoke. But for a while we let Alcides pass, Whom these of Egypt would their sovereign make, For freeing them from such a tyrant's rage; Now Meleager next must fill our stage.
seed 43: T17 · seed 44: T19 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Though I my loue mistrust not, yet this counsell I'lenot despise: this if my Lord should stray, Shall to my desolate bed teach him the way. After long strugling with Euenus streames, I forc't the riuer beare me on her brest, And land me safely on this further strond, To make an end of what my shaft begunne, The life of Nessus, liues the Centaure yet? Behold him grouelling on the sencelesse earth, His wounded breast transfixt by Hercules. That the luxurious slaue were sencible Of torture; not th'infernals with more pangues Could plague the villaine then Alcides should. Ixions bones rackt on the torturing wheele Should be a pastime: the three snake-hair'd sisters, That lah offenders with their whips of steele, Should seeme to dally, when with euery string They cut the flesh like razors: but the dead Wee hate to touch, as cowardly and base, And vengece not becomming Herculs. Come Deyeira, first to consumate Our high owsals in triumphant Thebes, That don, our future labours wee'le persue, And by the assistance of the powers Diuine, Striue to act more then luno can assigne. Faire Deyaneira vnto, Thees being guided, And Hercules espousals solemnized. Hee for his further labours soone prouided, As Iuno by Euritius had deuised. The Apples of Hesperia first he wan, Mauger huge Atlas that supports the spheares: And whilst the Gyant on his businesse ran; Alcides takes his place, and proudly beares The heauens huge frame: thence into Scithia hies, And their the Amazonian Baldricke gaines, By conquering Menalip (a bre prise) The warlike Quene that re the Scithians raignes. That hee supported heauen, doth well expresse His Astronomicke skill, knowledge in tarres: They that such practise know, what do they lesse Then beare heauens weight so of the Lernean warres. Where he the many-headed Hydra slew, A Serpent of that nature, when his sword Par'd off one head, from that another grew. This shewed his Logick skill: from euery word And argument confuted, there arise From one a multiplicity, therefore we Poets and such as are esteeed wise, Instruct the world by such rality. To conquer Hydra showed his powerfull skill In disputation, how to argue well. (By all that vnderstand in custome still) And in this Art did Hercules excell. Now we the Aegyptian tyrant must present, Bloudy Busiris, a king fell and rude, One that in murder plac't his sole content, With whose sad death our first Act we conclude. In Aegypt there of long time fellnoraine, For which vnto the Oracle they sent: Answeres reurn'd, that till one stranger slaine, Immou'd shall be the Marble frmament. Therefore the Tyrant all these strangers kils That enter Aegypt, till Alcides came And with the tyrants bulke the Altar fils: At whose red slaughter fell a plenteous raine. For he that stranger and vsurper was, Whose bloudy fate the Oracle forespake. But for a while we let Alcides passe, Whom these of Aegypt would their souer aigne make, For freeing them from such a tyrants rage; Now Meleager next must fill our stage.