The Entertainment at Sir Francis Jones's Welcome (Comus the Great Sir of Feasts) (The Servant of Comus) · chunk 1 of 3
Middleton, Thomas · published 1621 · first performed or written 1621 [1620-1621] (Annals) entertainment; civic play T19 Virtue, Fortune and Vice as abstractions typicality 0.73 · 429 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T19: virtue, fortune, virtues, honour, fame, vice, envy, world, pride, great.
FRee Love, full welcome, bounty fair, & clear, E'en as it flows from Heaven, inhabit here, And with your Liberal Virtues bless the year, Make this thy Palace thou smooth youth of Feasts, Comus! and put joy into all the Guests, That they may truly taste in fewest words, Th' Abundant welcome yond Kind Lord affords, Especially to You, above the rest, Of all most worthy to be First and Best; You challenge two Respects, in Brotherhood, one, Which had desert enough came it alone, Without a second Virtue, but to add Unto Your Worthiness, Your Love was clad With Honour, Cost, and Care, and how applied, The late triumphant Day best testified, Stands in no need of my applause and praise, Your Worth can of itself, itself best raise; So much for Noble Action in your Right, Which I presume his goodness will require: Now for Himself, (not far to wade or swim) I borrow of your Honours to fit him, Which both preserves me in my first bounds still, And may agree best with his Love and Will: Behold in this rare Symbol of Renown, The Emblem of all justice, and the Crown The fair reward for't, ever fresh and green; Which imitates those joys Eye hath not seen; These Arms, that for their nakedness resemble E'en Truth itself, no covering, to dissemble, Nor shift for Bribe, but open, plain, and bare, Shows, Men of Power should keep their conscience And were their Acts transparent, without veil (fair Disguise or Vizard, and such never fail; Observe this more, 'tis not one Arm alone That bears this Laurel, but two joined in one, Mercy and justice, the two Props of State, They must be both fixed in the Magistrate; If wanting either, subject to much harm, For he that has but one, has but one Arm; judge then the Imperfection; mark again, They break both through a Cloud; which instructs Men How they should place their Reverence and their Love, Seeing all lawful power, comes from Above; And as the Laurel (which is now your due) Bring due to Honour, therefore most to you, Fears no injurious Weather the Year brings, But spite of Storms looks ever green and springs, Apollo's Tree, which Lightnings never blast, So (Honoured Lord) should burning Malice cast, Her pitchy Fires at your Triumphant State; You are Apollo's Tree, a (Magistrate,) Which no foul Gust of Envy can offend, Nor may it ever to your Lordships End, Health and a Noble Courage bless your Days; To this your worthy Brotherhood, fame and praise
seed 43: T13 · seed 44: T16 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
FRee Loue, full welcome, bounty fayre, & cleere, E'en as it flowes from Heauen, inhabit here, And with your Liberall Vertues bleſſe the yeare, Make this thy Pallace thou ſmooth youth of Feaſts, Comus! and put Ioy into all the Gueſts, That they may truely taſte in feweſt words, Th' Abundant welcome yon'd Kind Lord affords, Eſpecially to You, aboue the reſt, Of all moſt worthy to be Firſt and Beſt; You challenge two Reſpects, in Brotherhood, one, Which had deſert enough came it alone, Without a ſecond Vertue, but to adde Vnto Your Worthineſſe, Your Loue was clad With Honor, Coſt, and Care, and how applide, The late triumphant Day beſt teſtified, Stands in no need of my applauſe and praiſe, Your Worth can of it ſelfe, it ſelfe beſt raiſe; So much for Noble Action in your Right, Which I preſume his goodneſſe will require: Now for Himſelfe, (not far to wade or ſwim) I borrow of your Honours to fit him, Which both preſerues me in my firſt bounds ſtill, And may agree beſt with his Loue and Will: Behold in this rare Symbole of Renowne, The Embleme of all Iuſtice, and the Crowne The faire reward for't, euer freſh and greene; Which imitates thoſe Ioyes Eye hath not ſeene; Theſe Armes, that for their nakedneſſe reſemble E'en Truth it ſelfe, no couering, to diſſemble, Nor ſhift for Bribe, but open, plaine, and bare, Shows, Men of Power ſhould keep their conſcience And were their Acts tranſparēt, without vaile (faire Diſguize or Vizard, and ſuch neuer faile; Obſerue this more, tis not one Arme alone That beares this Laurell, but two ioyn'd in one, Mercy and Iustice, the two Props of State, They muſt be both fixt in the Magiſtrate; If wanting either, ſubiect to much harme, For he that ha's but one, ha's but one Arme; Iudge then the Imperfection; marke agen, They breake both through a Cloud; which inſtructs Men How they ſhould place their Reuerence and their Loue, Seeing all lawfull power, comes from Aboue; And as the Laurell (which is now your due) Bring due to Honour, therefore moſt to you▪ Feares no iniurious Weather the Yeare brings, But ſpite of Storms looks euer greene and ſprings, Apolloes Tree, which Lightnings neuer blaſt, So (Honor'd Lord) ſhould burning Malice caſt, Her pitchy Fires at your Triumphant State; You are Apolloes Tree, a (Magiſtrate,) Which no foule Guſt of Enuy can offend, Nor may it euer to your Lordſhips End, Health and a Noble Courage bleſſe your Dayes; To this your worthy Brotherhood, fame and praiſe