Agamemnon (Seneca's Eighth Tragedy) · chunk 12 of 28
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T7 The Trojan war: conflict and its afterma typicality 0.70 · 475 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T7: hector, troy, achilles, greeks, aeneas, priam, ulysses, troilus, trojan, trojans.
Bless we with burning sacrifice at length this lucky day And eke the Gods though gracious, yet dealing long delay: Declare if that my brother's wife enjoy the victual air And tell me to what kind of Coast my sister doth repair. God grant, & give us better news than this that thou dost crave The heavy hap of fighting floods forbids the truth to have, Our scattered fleet the swelling seas attempts in such a plight, That ship from ship was taken clean out of each other's sight. Atrides in the waters wide turmoiled and straying far More violence by seas sustained then by the bloody war And as it were a conquered man escaping home all weet Now bringeth in his company of such a mighty fleet, A sort of bruised broken barks, beshaken, torn, and rent. Show what unlucky chance it is that hath our navy spent. What storm of seas dispersed hath our Captains hear and there Thou willest me to make report of heavy woeful gear. Thou biddest me most grievous news with tidings good to part: For uttering of this woeful hap my feeble mind doth start. And horribly appalled is with this so monstrous ill. Speak out and utter it: himself with terror he doth fill, Whose heart his own calamity and cark doth loathe to know: The heart whom doubted damage dulls with greater grief doth glow When Trojan buildings blazing bright did burn away and broil, Enkindled first by Greekish brand, they fall to part the spoil: Repairing fast unto the seas again we come aboard, And now the soldiers weary loins were eased of his sword, Their bucklers cast aside, upon the hatches lie above. Their warlike hands in practice put, and Oars learn to move: Each little hindrance seems to much to them in hasty plight, When of recourse the Admiral gave watchword by his light, And trumpet blast began to call our army from delay, The painted Pup with gilded snout did first guide on the way: And cut the course, which following on a thousand ships did rive, Then first a wind with pipling puffs our lancing ships did drive, Which glided down upon our sails the water being calm With breath of western wind so mild scant moved any walm. The shining seas bespread about with ships doth glister bright, And also covered with the same lay hid from Phoebus light: It doth us good to gaze upon the naked shore of Troy: The desert Phrygian plots so bare to view we hop for joy: The youth each one bestirs themselves, and striking altogether, They tough their oars & with their toil they help the wind & weather They tug and cheerly row by course, the spiritng seas up dash, Against the rattling ribs of ships the flapping floods do flash
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 548–591 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 12 of 28 in this edition
Length
475 words · 598 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T7 — The Trojan war: conflict and its aftermathcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.699 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
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)
Bleſſe we with burning ſacrifice at length this lucky day And eke the Gods though gracious, yet dealing long delay: Declare if that my brothers wyfe enioy the vytall ayre And tel me to what kind of Coaſt my ſiſter doth repayre. God graunt, & geue vs better newes then this that thou doſt craue The heauy hap of fyghting flouds forbiddes the truth to haue, Our scattred fleete the ſwelling ſeas attemptes in ſuch a plight, That ſhip from ſhip was taken cleane out of each others ſight. Atrides in the waters wyde torwoyld and ſtraying farre More vyolence by ſeas ſuſtaynd then by the bloudy warre And as it were a conquerd man eſcaping home al weete Now bringeth in his company of ſuch a mighty fleete, A ſort of bruſed broken barkes, beſhaken, torne, and rent. Shew what vnlucky chaunce it is that hath our nauy ſpent. What ſtorme of ſeas diſperſed hath our Captaynes hear and there Thou willeſt me to make report of heauy woful geare. Thou biddeſt me moſt greeuous newes with tydinges good to part: For vttring of this woeful hap my feeble mynd doth ſtart. And horribly appauled is with this ſo monſtruous ill. Speake out and vtter it: himſelfe with terrour he doth fill, Whoſe hart his owne calamity and carke doth loath to know: The hart whom doubted domage dulles with greater griefe doth glow When Troyan buildings blaſing bright did burne away and broyle, Enkindled firſt by Grekiſh brand, they fall to part the ſpoyle: Repayring faſt vnto the ſeas agayne we come aboord, And now the ſouldiers weary loynes were eaſed of his ſword, Their bucklers caſt aſide, vppon the hatches lie aboue. Their warlike handes in practiſe put, and Oers learne to moue: Ech litle hindraunce ſeemes to much to them in haſty plight, When of recourſe the Admirall gaue watchword by his light, And trumpet blaſt beganne to cal our army from delay, The paynted Pup with gilded ſnowt did firſt guyde on the way: And cut the courſe, which following on a thouſand ſhippes did ryue, Then firſt a wynd with pipling puffes our launcing ſhips did dryue, Which glyded downe vpon our ſayles the water beyng calme With breath of weſterne wynd ſo myld ſcant moued any walme. The ſhyning ſeas beſpred about with ſhippes doth gliſter bright, And alſo couerd with the ſame lay hid from Phoebus lyght: It doth vs good to gaſe vppon the naked ſhore of Troy: The deſart Phrygian plots ſo bare to vew we hop for ioye: The yeuth each one beſturres themſelues, and ſtriking altogeather, They tough their oers & with their toyle they helpe the wynd & weather They ug and chearely row by courſe, the ſpiring ſeas vp daſh, Agaynſt the atling ibs of ſhips the flapping floods do flaſh