Agamemnon (Seneca's Eighth Tragedy) · chunk 16 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 0.71 · 481 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.
The Bark with hand he caught, and on itself did ripe it over, Yet Ajax shineth in the flood which darkness blind doth cover. At length attaining to a rock his thundering cracks were these, I conquered have the force of fire and rage of fighting seas, It doth me good, to master thus the anger of the sky, With Pallas wrath, the lightning flames and floods tumulting high. The terror of the warlike god once could not make me fly, The force of Mars and Hector both at once sustained have I. Nor Phoebus darts could me constrain, from him one foot to shoes, All these beside the Phrygians subdued we have, and won. When other Mecocks flings his darts shall I not them withhis stand? Yea, what if Phoebus came himself, to pitch them with his hand? When in his melancholy mood he boasted without mean. Then father Neptune life his heat about the waters clean. The beaten rock with forked mace he undermining pluck From bottom loose, and sunk it down, when down himself he duck. There Ajax lay, by land, by fire, and storm of seas destroyed But we by suffering shipwreck; are with greater plagues annoyed. A subtle shallow flood there is flown on a stony should, Where crafty Caphar out of sight the lurking rocks doth hold, Upon whose sharp and ragged tops the swelling side doth flow, The boiling waves do beat thereon still swaying to and fro: A turrret nodding over it doth hang with falling sway, From whence on either side from height prospect espy we may Two seas: and on this hand the coast where Pelops once did reign, And Isthmus' flood in narrow creak, reculing back again, Doth stop Ionian sea, lest into Hellespont it run, On th'other part is Lemnon flood that fame by bloodshed won. On th'other side Calcedon to one doth stand against this fort, And Aulis I'll that stayed out ships that thither did resort. This Castle here inhabit doth our Palimedes' sire, Whose cursed hand held in the top a brand of flaming fire. That did allure our fleet, to turn on lurking rocks a right, Enticing them with with blaze to come unto the light. All into fitters shaken are the vessels on thee should, But other some do swim, and some upon the rocks are rolled. And other slipping back again so to eschew the Rocks, His bruised ribs, and rattling sides against each other knocks, Whereby the other he doth break, and broken is himself, Then would they launee into the deep, for now they dread the shelf, This peck of troubles chanced to hap in dawning of the day. But when the Gods (besought of us) began the rage to stay, And Phoebus golden beams began a fresh to render light, The doleful day descried all the damage done by night.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 724–767 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 16 of 28 in this edition
Length
481 words · 639 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T7 — The Trojan war: conflict and its aftermathcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.715 (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)
The Barke with hand he caught, and on it ſelfe did rype it ouer, Yet Aiax fhyneth in the floud which darkneſſe blinde doth couer. At length attayning to a rocke his thundring crakes were theſe, I conquered haue the force of fyre and rage of fighting ſeas, It doth mee good, to mayſter thus the anger of the ſkye, With Pallas wrath, the lightning flames and floods tumultyng hye. The terrour of the warlyck god once could not make me flye, The force of Mars and Hector both at once ſuſtaynd haue I. Nor Phoebus dartes could me conſtrayne, from him one foote to ſhoon, All theſe beſide the Phrygians ſubdued we haue, and woon. When other Mecocks flinges his darts ſhall I not them withhis ſtand? Yea, what if Phoebus came himſelfe, to pytch them with his hande? When in hys melancholy moode he boaſted without meane. Then father Neptune lyft his heat about the waters cleane. The beaten rocke with for led mce he vndermyning pluckte From bottom looſe, and ſuncke it downe, when downe himſelfe he ducke. There Aiax lay, by land, by fyre, and ſtorme of ſeas deſtroid But we by ſuffering ſhypwrack; are with greater plagues aoyd. A ſubtyle ſhallow floud there is flowne on a ſtony ſhold, Where crafty Caphar out of ſyght the lurking rocks doth hold, Vppon whoſe ſharpe and ragged tops the ſwelling ſide doth flow, The boyling waues do beat thereon ſtill ſweaing to and fro: A turrret nodding ouer it doth hange with fallyng ſway, From whence on either ſide from height proſpect eſpy wee may Two ſeas: and on this hand the coaſt where Pelops once did raygne, And Iſthmus floud in narrow creeke, reculing back agayne, Doth ſtop Ionian ſea, leaſt into Helleſpont it run, On th'other part is Lemnon floud that fame by bloudſhed woon. On th'other ſide Calcedon to one doth ſtand agaynſt this forte, And Aulis Ile that ſtayde out ſhips that thyther did reſorte. This Caſtell heere inhabyte doth our Palimedes ſier, Whoſe curſed hand helde in the top a brand of flaming fier. That did alure our fleete, to turne on lurking rockes a ryght, Entyſing them with with blaze to come vnto the lyght. All into fitters ſhaken are the veſſels on the ſholde, But other ſome doe ſwym, and ſome vpon the rockes are roulde. And other lipping backe agayne ſo to eſchew the Rocks, His bruſed Ryb, and ratling ſides agaynſt eche other knocks, Whereby the other hee doth breake, and broken is himſelfe, Then woulde they launee into the deepe, for now they dread the ſhelfe, This perk of troubles thauct to hap in dawning of the day. But when the Gods (beought of vs) began the rage to ſtay, And Phoebus golden beames began a freſhe to render lyght, The dolefull day diſcried all the domage done by nyght.