Agamemnon (Seneca's Eighth Tragedy) · chunk 1 of 28
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1566 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy unassigned nearest T36 Hell, Furies and the language of punishm · 474 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
SEparting from the darkened dens which Ditis low doth keep, Lo here I am sent out again from Tartar dungeon ●●pe, Thyestes I, that whether coast to shun do stand in doubt, th'infernal feendes I fly, the ●oalke of earth I chase about. My conscience lo abhors, that I should hither passage make, Appalled sore with fear and dread my trembling sine w● shake: My father's house, or rather yet my brothers I espy, This is the old and antic porch of Pelops progeny. Here first the Greeks on princes heads do place the royal crown, And here in throne aloft they lie, that letteth up and down, With stately Sceptre in their hand, eke here their courts do lie, This is their place of banqueting, return therefore will I. Nay: better were it not to haunt the loathsome Limbo lakes, Where as the stygian porter doth advance with lusty cracks His triple gorge be hung with mane shagg hearye, rusty, black: Where Ixion's carcase linked fa●●, the whirling wheel doth rack, And rolleth still upon himself: where as full oft in vain Much toil is lost, (the tottering stone down tumbling back again) Where growing guts the greedy gripe do gnaw with ravening bits. Where parched up with burning thurst amydd the waves he wytts, And gapes to catch the fleeting flood with hungry chaps beguiled, That pays his painful punishment, whose feare the gods defiled: Yet that old man so steps in years at length by tract of time, How great a part belongs to me and portion of his crime? Account we all the grisly ghosts, whom guilty found of ill, The Gnosian judge in plutoes pytts ●oth tasse in torments still: Thyestes I in dryrye deeds will far surmount the rest, Yet to my brother yield I, (though I gorged my bloody breast, And stuffed have my pawmpred paunch even with my children three, That crammedly with in my rib, and have their tomb in me, The bowels of my swallowed babes, devoured up I have, Nor fickle fortune me alone the father doth deprave, But enterprising greater guilt than that is put in ure, To file my daughters bawdy bed, my lust she doth allure. To speak these words I do not spare, I wrought the heinous deed, That therefore I through all my stock, might parent still proceed. My daughter driven by force of ●a●es and destinies divine, Doth breed young bones, & lades her womb, w ● sinful ●eede of mine. Lo nature changed upside down, and out of order turned This mingle mangle hath she made, (O fact to be forlornly.) A father and a grandsire lo, confusedly I am, My daughters husband both become, and father to the ●ame. Those babes that should my nephews be, when nature rightly runs, She being jumbled doth confound,
seed 43: T30 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
SEparting from ye darkned dens whiche Ditis low doth kepe, Loe here I am sent out again from Tartar dungeon pe, Thystes I, that whether coast to shun do stand in doubt, Thinfernall fendes I flye, the oalke of yearth I chase about. My conscience lo abhors, that I shuld hethr passage make, Appauled sore with feare and dread my tremblyng sine w shake: My fathers house, or rather yet my brothers I espye, This is the ould and antique porch of Pelops progenye. Here first the Grekes on pnces hedds do place the royall crowne, And here in throne aloft they lye, that letteth vp and downe, With statelye Scepter in theyr hand, eake here theyr courtes do lye, This is theyr place of banquetyng, returne therfore will I. Naye: beter were it not to haunt the lothsome Limbo lakes, Wher as the stygion porter doth aduaunce with lustye crakes His tryple gorge be hong with mane shagg hearye, rustie, blacke: Wher Ixions carkas linked fa, the whyrlyng whele doth racke, And rowleth styll vppon him selfe: whear as full oft in vayne Much toyle is lost, (the tottryng stone down tomblyng backe agayne) Whear growing guts the gredie gripe do gnaw with rauenyng bitts. Wher parched vp with burning thur amydd the waues he ytts, And gapes to catche the fletyng flood with hungry chapps beguylde, That paies his painefull punyshment, whose fea the gods defylde: Yet that olde man so step in yeares at length by tract of tyme, How great a parte belonges to me and porcion of his cryme? Account we all the grysly ghostes, whom gyltie found of ill, The Gnosian iudge in plutoes pytts oth tsse in tormentes styll: Thyestes I in dryrye dedes wyll far surmount the rest, Yet to my brother yeld I, (though I gorged my blooddye brest, And stuffed haue my pawmpred panche euen wyth my chyldren three, That crammedly with in my rybbes, and haue theyr tombe in mee, The bowels of my swalowed babes, deuowred vp I haue, Nor fyckle fortune me alone the father doth depraue, But enterprysyng greater gylt then that is put in vre, To fyle my daughters bawdye bed, my lust shee doth alure. To speake these words I do not spare, I wrought the haynous dede, That therfore I through all my stocke, myght parent styll procead. My doughter driuen by force of aes and destenyes deuyne, Doth brede younge bones, & lades her womb, w• synfull eede of mine. Lo nature chaunged vpsyde down, and out of order turnde This myngle mangle hath she made, (O fact to be forlorn.) A father and a grandsyre loe, confusedlye I am, My doughters husband both become, and father to the ame. Those babes yt should my nephewes be, when nature ryghtlye runns, She beinge iumbled doth confounde,