Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1566 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy unassigned nearest T34 Thebes and royal catastrophe: siege, sla · 533 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T34: thebes, antigone, polynices, creon, eteocles, war, theban, gods, dear, country.
Or else to small Hiolcos' town can I return again? Or toil, the gladsome pleasant lands Of Tempe to attain? All places that I opened have Unto thy passage free, I shut them up against myself, now whether sendest thou me? A banished wretch to banishment thou wouldest have incline, Yet to the place of her exile thou canst not her assign. Yet for all that without delay I must depart and go: And why? for sooth the king his son in law commandeth so. Well: nothing will I stand against, with gripes of passing pain Let me be scourged, of my deserts such is the gotten gain. Let Creon in his princely ruff lay to his heavy hands, To whip an whore, in torments sharp, with iron gives, and bands Let her be chained, in hydiouse hole of night for aye her lock: Let her be cloyed with pestering poise of restless rolling rock. Yet lesse than I deserved have, in all this shall I find: O thou uncourteous Gentleman, consider in thy mind The flamye puffs, and fiery gaps of ghastly gaping bull, And Aetes' cattles rich with Fleece of gorgeous golden wool, That went to graze amid so great and mighty fears in feylde, Of uncontrolled nation, whose soil doth armies yield. Revoke to mind the deadly darts of sudden starting foe, when ghastly warriors (Tellus brood) to ground again did go through slaughter red of mutual lance, to this yet further pass, The lurched Fleece of Phrixes' Ram, that all thine errand was. And ugsome Argos slumberless, whom fast I caused to keep His weary watching winking eyes with unacquainted sleep. My brother eke, whose fatal twist of feeble life I shred, And guilt that wrought so many guilts when as with thee I fled. The daughters whom I set on work entrapte in wily train, To slay their sire, that shall not rise to quyckned life again. And how to travel other realms, I set mine own at nought. By that good hope which of thy seed conceived is in thought, Eke by thy stable mansion place, and mighty monsters, that Down beaten for thy health, I caused before thy feet to squat, And by these drudging hands of mine unspared for thy sake, For dread of dangers ouerpast that caused thee to quake, By heavens above, and seas below, that witness bearers be, To knitting of our marriage up, thy mercy veil to me. Of all the heaps of treasure great so far of being fet, Which A●tas savage Scythians did travel for to get, From Ind● where Phoebus scorching blaze doth die the people black. Of all this gold which in our bowers we could not well compack, But tryck and trim we garnished our groves with gold so gay, I banished wretch of all this stuff got nought with me away, Except my brother's slaughtred flesh, yet I employed the same On thee: the cares of countries' health my honesty and shame. My father, and my brother both hath yielded place to ●hee, This is the dowry that thou had my wedded spouse to be. To her whom thou doest abrogate restore her goods again.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Or els to small Hiolcos town can I retourne agayne? Or toyle, y• gladsome pleasant laūds Of Tempe to attayne? All places that I opened haue Unto thy passage free, I shut them vp agaynst my selfe, now whether sendest thou me? A banysht wretche to banyshment thou woldest haue enclyne, Yet to the place of her exyle thou canst not her assygne. Yet for all that wythout delaye I must departe and go: And why? for sothe the kynge his sonne in lawe cōmaundeth so. Well: nothyng wyll I stand agaynste, wyth grypes of passynge payne Let me be scourgde, of my desartes suche is the gotten gayne. Let Creon in hys pryncely ruffe lay to hys heauye handes, To whyp an whore, in torments sharp, wyth iron gyues, and bandes Let her be chaynd, in hydiouse hole of nyght for aye her locke: Let her be cloyed wyth pestryng payse of restlesse rowlyng rocke. Yet less than I deserued haue, in all thys shall I fynde: O thou vncurteous Gentleman, consyder in thy mynde The flamye puffes, and fyrye gaspes of gastly gapyng bull, And Aetas catell ryche wyth Fleece of gorgious golden wooll, That went to graze amyd so great and myghtye feares in feylde, Of vncontrouled nacyon, whose soyle dothe armyes yeilde. Reuoke to mynde the deadly dartes of suddayne startynge foe, when gastly warriours (Tellus broode) to grounde agayne dyd goe through slaughter red of mutual laūce, to thys yet further passe, The lurched Fleece of Phrixes Ramme, that all thyne errand was. And vgsome Argos slumberlesse, whom fast I causde to kepe Hys werye watchyng wynkyng eyes wyth vnaquaynted slepe. My brother eke, whose fatall twyst of feble lyfe I shred, And gylt that wrought so many gyltes when as wyth thee I fled. The doughters whom I set on worke entrapte in wylye trayne, To slaye theyr syre, that shall not ryse to quyckned lyfe agayne. And how to trauell other realmes, I set myne owne at nought. By that good hope whych of thy seede conceaued is in thought, Eake by thy stable mancion place, and myghtie monsters, that Downe beaten for thy health, I causde before thy feete to squat, And by these drudgyng handes of mine vnspared for thy sake, For dread of daungers ouerpas that caused thee to quake, By heauens aboue, and seas belowe, that wytnesse bearers be, To knyttyng of our maryage vppe, thy mercye vayle to me. Of all the heapes of treasure great so far of being fet, Whych Atas sauage Scythians dyd trauell for to get, From Ind where Phaebus scorching blase dothe dye the people blacke. Of all this golde whych in our bowers we could not well compack, But tryck and trym we garnyshed our groues with golde so gaye, I banysht wretche of all thys stuffe gat nought wyth me awaye, Excepte my brothers flaughtred flesh, yet I employed the same On thee: the cares of cuntreys healthe my honestye and shame. My father, and my brother both hath yeilded place to hee, Thys is the dowrye that thou had my wedded spouse o bee. To her whom thou dest abrogate restore her gooddes agayne.