The Brazen Age (The Age of Brass) · chunk 16 of 40
Heywood, Thomas · published 1613 · first performed or written 1611 [1610-1611] (Annals) classical legend or myth · Queen Anne's Men unassigned nearest T7 The Trojan war: conflict and its afterma · 545 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T7: hector, troy, achilles, greeks, aeneas, priam, ulysses, troilus, trojan, trojans.
Let not even Kings against the Gods contest, Lest in this fall their ruins be expressed. Think Hercules, from cleansing the foul stall And stable of Augeus, in which fed Three hundred Oxen, (never freed at all, Till his arrive) returned where he was bred, To Thebes; there Deianeira him receives With glad embraces, but he stays not long, Iason the Lady of her Lord bereaves: For in the new-rigged Argo, with the young And sprightly Heroes, he at Colchos aims, Where the rich Fleece must publish their high fames. Imagine now these Princes under sail, Steering their course as far as high-reared Troy, Where King Laomedon doth much bewail His daughter, whom a Sea-whale must destroy. Observe this well: for here begins the jar Made Troy racked after in a ten years war. Hesione, this is thy last on earth, Whose fortunes we may mourn, though not prevent: Would Troy, whose walls I did attempt to rear, Had near grown higher than their ground-fills, or In their foundation buried been, and lost, Since their high structure must be thus maintained, With blood of our bright Ladies: Oh Hesione! Th'only remainder of these female dames Begot by us, I must bequeath thy body To be the food of Neptune's monstrous Whale. Had you kept troth and promise with the Gods, This had not chanced: You borrowed of the Priests Of Neptune and Apollo, Sea, and Sun, That quantity of gold, which to this height And spacious compass, hath immured great Troy; But the work finished, you denied to pay The Priests their due, for which enraged Neptune Assembled his high tides, thinking to drown Our lofty buildings, and to ruin Troy: But when the Moon, by which the Seas are governed, Retired his waters by her powerful wane, He left behind him such infectious slime, Which the Sun poisoning by his perceant beams. They by their mutual power, raised a hot plague, To slack this hot pest, Neptune made demand, Monthly a Lady to be choosed by lot, To glut his huge Sea-monster's ravenous jaws: The lot this day fell on Hesione Our beauteous sister. Priam 'tis too true, Till now Laomedon near knew his guilt, Or thought the Gods could punish. Royal father, Mourn not for me, the Gods must be appeased, And I in this am happy, that my death Is made th'atonement 'tween those angry powers And your afflicted people, though my Innocence Never deserved such rigor from the Gods. Come good Anchises, bind me to this rock, And let my body glut th'insatiate fury Of angry Neptune, and th'offended Sun. A more unwilling monster never passed Anchises hand. Now, now the time draws nigh, That my sweet child by Neptune's whale must die, The very thought of it swallows my heart As deep in sorrow, as the monster can Bury my sister. Soft, what clamour's that? A stately ship, well rigged with swelling fails, Enters the harbour, bound (by their report) For Colchos: but when they beheld the shores Covered with multitudes, and spied from far, Your beauteous daughter fastened to the rock, They made to know the cause; which certified, One noble Greek amongst these Heroes stands, And offers to encounter Neptune's whale, And free from death the bright Hesione.
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)
Let not euen Kings against the Gods cotest, Lest in this fall their ruines be exprest. Thinke Hercules, from clensing the fowle stall And stable of Augeus, in which fed Three hundred Oxen, (neuer freed at all, Till his arriue) return'd where he was bred, To Thebes; there Deianeira him receiues With glad imbraces, but he staies not long, Iason the Lady of her Lord bereaues: For in the new-rig'd Argoe, with the yong And sprighly Heroes, he at Colchos aimes, Where the rich Fleece must publish their high fames. Imagine now these Princes vnder saile, Stearing their course as farre as high-rear'd Troy, Where King Laomedon doth much bewaile His daughter, whom a Sea-whale must destroy. Obserue this well: for here begins the iarre Made Troy rack't after in a ten yeares warre. Hesione, this is thy last on earth, Whose fortunes we may mourne, though not preuent: Would Troy, whose walles I did attempt to reare, Had nere growne higher then their ground-fils, or In their soundation buried beene, and lost, Since their high structure must be thus maintain'd, With bloud of our bright Ladyes: Oh Hesione! Th'onely remainder of these female dames Begot by vs, I must be queath thy body To be the food of Neptunes monstrous Whale. Had you kept troth and promise with the Gods, This had not chan't: You borrowed of the Priests Of Neptune and Apollo, Sea, and Sunne, That quantity of gold, which to this height And spacious compasse, hath immur'd great Troy; But the worke finish't, you deny'd to pay The Priests their due, for which inraged Nptune Assembled his high tides, thinking to drowne Our lofty buildings, and to ruine Troy: But when the Moone, by which the Seas are gouern'd, Retir'd his waters by her powerfull wane, He left behind him such infectious slime, Which the Sunne poysoning by his persant beames. They by their mutuall power, rais'd a hot plague, To slacke this hot pest, Neptune made demand, Monthly a Lady to be chus'd by lot, To glut his huge Sea-mosters raueno us iawes: The lot this day fell on Hesione Our beauteous sister. Priam 'tis too true, Till now Laomedon nere knew his guilt, Or thought the Gods could punish. Royall father, Mourne not for me, the Gods must be appeas'd, And I in this am happy, that my death Is made th'attonement 'tweene those angry powers And your afflicted people, though my Innocence Neuer deseru'd such rigor from the Gods. Come good Anchises, binde me to this rocke, And let my body glut th'insatiate fury Of angry Neptune, and th'offended Sunne. A more vnwilling monster neuer past Anchises hand. Now, now the time drawes nye, That my sweet childe by Neptunes whale must dye, The very thought of it swallowes my heart As deepe in sorrow, as the monster can Bury my fister. Soft, what clamor's that? A stately ship, well rig'd with swelling failes, Enters the harbour, bound (by their report) For Colchos but when they beheld the shores Couered with multitudes, and spy'd from farre, Your beauteous daughter fastned to the rocke, They made to know the cause; which certified, One noble Greeke amongst these Heroes stands, And offers to incounter Neptunes whale, And free from death the bright Hesione.