Agamemnon (Seneca's Eighth Tragedy) · chunk 27 of 28
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1566 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T7 The Trojan war: conflict and its afterma typicality 0.74 · 504 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T7: hector, troy, achilles, greeks, aeneas, priam, ulysses, troilus, trojan, trojans.
And if thou do desire to die, the same see you refrain. Lay hands ●irs on this wondrous wretch, whom being carried on, Even to the furthest corner of my jurisdiction Far out beyond Mycenae's land in bonds let her be bound, With darkness dim in hideous hold let her be closed round. This captive spous & wicked quean, the trull of princes bed Shall pay her pains, and suffer death by losing of her head. Come hale her on, that she may follow, that way my spouse is gone, Whose love from me enticed was. Do not thus hale me on. I will before you take the way, these tidings first to tell Unto my country men of Troy beneath in lowest hell. How overquelmed ships each whear are spread the sea● vppone And Micoene country conquered is brought in subjection. He that of thousand captains was grand captain general, Come to as great calamity as Troy itself did fall, Entrapped was by treaytrus train, and whoredom of his wife, And by a gift received of her deprived of his life. Let us not linger: on with me, and thanks I do you give. I joy, that it might be my hap, thus after Troy to live. Go to, prepare thyself to die thou frantic raging wight. The frenzy fits of fury fell on you shall also light. ALas ye hateful hellish hags ye furies foul and fell, Why cause ye rusty rancours rage in noble hearts to dwell● And cankered hate in boiling breasts to grow from age to age? Cold not the grandsires painful pangs the children's wrath assuage? Nor ●a●yne faint of pining paunch, with burning thirst of hell, Amid the blackest stream of sticks where poisoning breaths do well. Where vapours vile parbraking out from dam●ysh miry mud, Increase the pains of Tantalus deserved by guiltless blood. Can not thine own offence suffice Thyestes in thy life, To file thy brother's spousal bed, and to abuse his wife? But after breath from body fled, and life thy limbs hath left, Can not remembrance of revenge out of thy breast be reft? What, yet hast thou not laid thy lips, to cast of Lethe's flood? Now after death why dost thou come to move thy son to blood? Can cruel Ditis' grant to thee thy passport back again? To work this woe upon the world, and make such rigour reign, That Clytemnestra is become the fyfty sister dire Of Danaus' daughters, that did once their husbands death conspire. Lo here how sicle fortune gives but brittle fading joy. Lo, be who late a Conqueror triumphed over Troy. Enduring many sturdy Forms with mighty toil and pain To sow the seed of fame, hath reant small fruit thereof again. When as his honour budding forth with flower began to bloom, (Alas) the stock was hewed down and sent to deadly doom. And they that of his victory and coming home were glad, to sudden mourning change their mirth with heaviness bestead.
seed 43: T12 · seed 44: T11 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
¶And if thou do desyre to dye, the same se you refrayne. Lay hāds irs on this wōdrous wretch, whom beyng caryed on, Euen to the furthest corner of my iurisdiction Far out beyond Mycenas land in bondes let her be bound, With darknes dym in hiddious hold let her be closed round. This captiue spous & wicked queane, the trull of prynces bed Shall pay her paynes, and suffer death by losyng of her hed. Com hale her on, that she may folowe, that way my spouse is gon, Whose loue rom me entised was. ¶Do not thus hale me on. I will before you take the waye, these tydynges fyrste to tell Unto my contrey men of Troy beneath in lowest hell. How ouerquelmed shypps eche whea ar spred the sea vppon And Micoene countrey conquerd is brought in subiection. He that of thousand captaynes was graund captayn generall, Com to as great calamytie as Troy it selfe did fall, Entrapped was by treaytrus trayn, and whordom of his wife, And by a gyft receaued of her depreued of his life. Let vs not linger: on with me, and thankes I do you gyue. I ioy, that it myght be my hap, thus after Troy to lyue. ¶Go to, prepare thy selfe to dye thou frantyque ragyng wyght. ¶The fransy fyts of fury fell on you shall also lyght. ALas ye hatefull ellysh hagges ye furies foule and fell, Why cause ye rusty rancours rage in noble hartes to dwell And cancred hate in boylynge brestes to grow from age to age? Cold not the graūdsyres painful pāges the chyldrens wrath asswage? Nor ayne faint of pynyng paunche, with burnyng thurste of hell, Amid the blackest stream of styckes where poysnyng breathes do well. Where vapors vyle parbrakyng out from damysh myry mud, Encrease the paynes of Tantalus deserued by gyltles blood. Could not thyne owne offence suffyce Thyestes in thy lyfe, To fyle thy brothers spousall bed, and to abuse hys wyfe? But after breath from body fled, and lyfe thy lymbes hath left, Can not remembraunce of reuenge out of thy brest be reft? What, yet hast thou not layd thy lyps, to cast of Lethes flood? Now after death why dost thou come to moue thy sonne to blood? Could cruell Ditis graunt to thee thy pasporte back agayne? To worke thys wo vpon the world, and make such rygour reygne, That Clytemnestr is become the fyfty syster dire Of Danaus doughters, that did once theyr husbandes death conspyre. Lo here how icle fortune gyues but brytle fading ioy. Lo, be who late a Conquerour tryumphed ouer Troy. Enduring many sturdy Formes with mghty toyle and payne To sowe the seede of fame, hath reant small fruite therof againe. When as hys honour budding furth with flowre began to bloome, (Alas) the stock was hewed downe and sent to deadly doome. And they that of hys vyctorie and commyng home were glad, to sodain murning change their mirth with heauynes bestad.