Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1566 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T56 Magic, spells and conjuring typicality 0.82 · 531 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T56: magic, faustus, charms, charm, conjure, spirits, skill, ho, power, spells.
MY shyvering mind amazed is, aghast, and sore dismayed: My chyllysh limbs with quaking cold do tremble all afraid. Such plagues & vengeance is at hand in what exceeding wise Do sharp assaults of greedy grief still more and more arise, And of itself in smothering breast enkyndles greater heat? Oft have I seen how ramping rage hath forced her to fret. With frantickfyts, mad, bedlam wise against the Gods to rail, And eke bewitched gohstes of heaven in plunging plagues to trail: But now Medea beats her busy brain to bring to pass A mischief greater, greater far, then ever any was. Ere while when hence she trypt away astonished so sore, And of her poison closet close she entered had the door: She poureth out her jewels all, abroad to light she brings That which she dreading loathed long, most irksome ugly things: She mumbling conjures up by names of ills the rabble rout, In hugger mugger cowched longe, kept close, unserched out: All pestilent plagues she calls upon, what ever Libie land, In frothy boiling stream doth work, or muddy belching sand: What tearing torments Taurus bredes, with snows unthawed still Where winter flaws, and hoary frost knit hard the craggy hill, She lays her crossing hands upon each monstrous conjured thing, And over it her magic verse with charming doth she sing: A mowsye, rowsye, rusty rout with cankered scales yclad From musty, fusty, dusty dens where lurked long they had, Do ●raull: a walowing carpent huge his cumbrous corpse out drags, In fiery foaming blaring mouth his forked tongue he wags. He stars about with sparkling eyes, if some he might espy, Whom snapping at with stinging spit he might constrain to die: But hearing once the magic verse he hushed as all aghast, His body bollen big, wrapped in lumps ●n twyning knotes he cast. And wambling to and fro his tail in links he rolls it round. Not sharp enough (quoth she) the plagues and tools that hollow ground Engenders for my purpose are, to heaven up will I call, To reach me stronger poison down, to frame my fea● with all. Now is it at the very point, Medea thou assay. To bring about sum farther fetch, then common witches may. Let down, Let down, that sprawling snake that doth his body spread, As doth a running broke abroad his mighty channel shed. Whose swelling knobes of wondrous size boysteus bobbing bumps Doth thump the great & lesser bear that feel his heavy lumps. The bigger bear with golden gleed the greekish fleet doth guide: But by the less the Sidon shypps their passage have espied. He that with pinch of gripping fist doth bruise the adders twain, His strening hard & clasping hand, let him unknitt again. And crush their squeezed venom out, come further thou our charm O slymie serpent Python, whom dame Iuno sent to harm Diana and Apollo both, (those heavenly spirits twain) With whom Latona traveling did groan with pinching pain. O Hydra whom in Lerna pool Alcides gave the foil, And all the noisome vermin vile that Hercules did spoil. Which when on sunder they were cut
nodes 1761–1861 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 21 of 30 in this edition
Length
531 words · 753 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T56 — Magic, spells and conjuringcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.815 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T45 · seed 44: T51 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
MY shyuerynge minde amazed is, agaste, and sore dysmayde: My chyllysh lyms with quakyng colde doe tremble all afrayde. Such plagues & vengeance is at hande in what excedyng wyse Do sharpe assaultes of gredye greife styll more and more aryse, And of it selfe in smotheryng brest enkyndles greater heate? Ofte haue I seene how rampyng rage hath forced her to freate. Wyth frantickfyts, mad, bedlem wise agaynst the Gods to rayle, And eke bewytched gohstes of heauen in plungyng plagues to trayle: But now Medea beates her busie braine to brynge to passe A myscheyfe greater, greater far, then euer any was. Ere whyle when hence she trypt away astonyshed so sore, And of her poyson closset close she entred had the dore: She powreth out her iewels all, abrode to lyght she brynges That which she dreadyng lothed long, moste irksome vglye thynges: She mumblyng coniures vp by names of illes the rable rowte, In hugger mugger cowched longe, kept close, vnserched oute: All pestlent plagues she calles vppon, what euer Libie lande, In frothy boylyng stream doth worke, or muddye belchynge sande: What teryng torments Taurus bredes, wyth snowes vnthawed styll Where winter flawes, and hory froste knyt harde the craggy hyll, She layes her crossynge handes vpon eache monstrus coniurd thynge, And ouer it her magicke verse wyth charmyng dothe she synge: A mowsye, rowsye, rustye route wyth cancred scales ylad From mustye, fustie, dustye dens where lurked longe they had, Do raull: a walowing arpent houge hys combrous corps out draggs, In fierye fomyng blaryng mouthe his forked tongue he wagges. He stares about wyth sparklyng eyes, if som he myght espye, Whom snapping at with stinging spit he myght constrayne to dye: But hearyng once the magycke uerse he husht as all a gast, Hys bodie boalne byg, wrapt in lumps n twynyng knotes he cast. And wamblynge to and fro his tayle in lynkes he rowes it round. Not sharp enough (quoth she) y• plages and tooles that holow grownd Engenders for my purpose ar, to heauen vpp wyll I call, To reache me stronger poyson down, to frame my fea wyth all. Now is it at the verye poynt, Medea thou assaye. To brynge about sum farther fetche, then common wyches maye. Let down, Let down, that sprawlyng snake that doth his bodye spred, As doth a runnyng broke abrode his myghtye chanell shed. Whose swellyng knobes of wondrous sise & boysteus bobbing bumpes Doth thumpe the great & lesser bear that fele his heauye lumpes. The bygger bear with golden glede the greekishe fleete doth guyde: But by the lesse the Sidon shypps their passage haue espied. He that wyth pinche of gripyng fyste doth bruse the adders twayne, His strenyng harde & claspyng hande, let him vnknitt agayne. And crushe thair squeased venom out, com further thou our charme O flymie serpent Python, whom dame Iuno sent to harme Diana and Apollo both, (those heauenly spyrytes twayne) With whom Latona trauelynge did grone wyth pynchyng payne. O Hydra whom in Lerna poole Alcides gaue the foyle, And all the noysom vermen vyle that Hercules did spoyle. Which when on sunder they were cutt