Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T20 Hercules: labours, suffering and virtue typicality 0.67 · 535 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T20: hercules, hercles, ioue, deianeira, alcides, hand, lo, death, skies, hell.
A dreary branch is offered thee from filthy Stigis flood. As is the guise of Bacchus' priests the Coribanthes wood, With naked breast and dugs laid out I'll prick with sacred blade Mine arm, that for the bubbling blood an issue may be made, With trilling streams my purple blood let drop on Th'altar stones. My tender Children's crushed flesh, and broken bruised bones Learn how to brook with hardened heart: in practice put the trade To flourish fierce, and keep a coil, with naked glittering blade: I sprinkled holy water have, the lance once being made, If tired thou complainest that my cries thee overlade, Give pardon to my earnest suit, O Perseus' sister dear, Still Iason is the only cause that urgeth me to rear With squeaking voice thy noisome beams, that sting like shot of bo So season thou those sauced robes to work Creusa's woe, Whert with when she shall prank herself the poison by and by To rot her inward marry out, within her bones may fry, The secret fire blears their eyes with gloss of yellow gold, The which Prometheus gave to me that fire filcher bold. On whom for robbery that he did in heavens above commit, With massy poise great Caucasus th'unwieldy hill doth sit. Where under with unwasted womb he lies, and pays his pain, To feed the cramming foul with gubs of guts that grows again. He taught me with a pretty sleight of cunning, how to hide The strength of fire close kept in, that may not be espied, This lively tinder Mulciber hath forged for my sake, That tempered is with brimstone quick at first touch and take. Eke of my cozen Phaëton a wildfire flake I have His flames the monstrous staghard rough chimaera to me gave, In head and breast a Lion grim, and from the Rump behind He sweeps the flower with lagging Tail of Serpent fierce by kind In rib, and Loins along his paunch yshaped like a Goat. These Fumes that out the Bull parbraked from fiery spewing throat I gotten have and braid it with Medusa's bitter gall Commanding it in secret sort to dusk and cover all: Breath on these venoms Hecate with deadly might inspire, Preserve the touching powder of my secret covert fire, O grant that these my cloaked crafts so may bewitch their Eyes, That likelihood of treason none they may herein surmise: So work that they in handling it may feel no kind of heat: Her stewing breast, her seething veins, let fervent fire fret And force her roasted pining limbs, to drop and melt away, Let smoke her rotten broiling bones: inflame this bride today To cast a light with greater gleed on frizzle blazing hear Then is the shining flame that doth the wedding torches bear. My suit is hard, thrice Hecate a dreadful barking gave From doleful cloud a sacred flash of flamy sparks she drove. Each poisons pride fulfilled is: call forth my children dear, By whom unto the cursed Bride these presents you may bear: Go forth, go forth my little Babes, your mother's cursed fruit, Go, go, employ your pains with bribe and earnest humble suit
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 1199–1248 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 25 of 30 in this edition
Length
535 words · 699 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T20 — Hercules: labours, suffering and virtuecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.666 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T17 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
A drery braunche is offred thee from filthy Stigis flood. As is the guiſe of Bacchus prieſtes the Coribanthes wood, With naked breaſt and dugges layde out Ile pricke with ſacred blad Myne arme, that for the bubling bloude an iſſue may bee made, With trilling ſtreames my purple bloude let drop on Th'aulter ſtones. My tender Childrens cruſſhed fleſhe, and broken brooſed bones Lerne how to brooke with hardned heart: in practiſe put the trade To floriſhe fearce, and keepe a coyle, with naked glittring blade: I ſprinkled holy water haue, the launce once being made, If tyred thou complayneſt that my cryes thee ouerlade, Giue pardon to my erneſt ſuite, O Perſeus ſiſter deare, Still Iaſon is the onely cauſe that vrgeth mee to reare With ſqueking voyce thy noyſome beames, that ſting like ſhot of bo So ſeaſon thou thoſe ſawced robes to worke Creuſas woe, Whert with when ſhee ſhall pranke her ſelfe the poyſon by and by To rot her inward mary out, within her bones may fry, The ſecret fyer bleares their eyes with gloſſe of yeallow golde, The which Prometheus gaue to mee that fyer fylcher bolde. On whom for robbery that he did in heauens aboue commit, With maſſy payſe great Caucaſus th'unweldy hill doth ſit. Where vnder with vnwaſted wombe he lyes, and payes his payne, To feede the crāming foule with gubs of guts that growes agayne. He taught mee with a prety ſleyght of conning, how to hyde The ſtrength of fyer cloſe kept in, may not be eſpyde, This lyuely tinder Mulciber hath forged for my ſake, That tempred is with brymſtone quick at fyrſt touch and take. Eke of my Coſen Phaëton a wyldefyer flake I haue His flames the monſtrous ſtaghard rough Chimera to mee gaue, In head and breaſt a Lyon grim, and from the Rump behynde He ſweepes the flower with lagging Tayl of Serpent fearce by kynde In Rybbes, and Loynes along his paunche yſhaped lyke a Goate. Theſe Fumes that out the Bull perbrakte from fyry ſpewinge throat I gotten haue and brayde it with Meduſas bitter gall Commaunding it in ſecret ſorte to duſke and coer all: Breath on theſe venoms Hecae with deadly myght inſpyre, Preſerue the touching poulder of my ſecret couert fyre, O graunt that theſe my cloked craftes ſo may bewitch theyr Eyes, That lykelyhoode of treaſon none they may heerein ſurmyſe: So worke that they in handling it may feele no kynde of heate: Her ſtewing breaſt, her ſeathing vaynes, let ſeruent fyer freate And force her roſted pyning lymmes, to drop and melt away, Let ſmoke her rotten broyling bones: enflame this bryde to day To caſt a lyght with grater gleede on fryſeled blaſing heare Then is the ſhyning flame that doth the wedding torches beare. My ſuite is harde, thryſe Hecare a dreadfull barking gaue From dolefull cloude a ſacred flaſh of flamy ſparkes ſhee draue. Eche poyſons pryde fulfilled is: call forth my chyldren deare, By whom vnto the curſed Bryde theſe preſentes you may beare: Goe forth, goe forth my lytle Babes, your mothers curſed fruite, Goe, goe, employ your paynes with brybe and earneſt humble ſuite