Shakespeare, William · published 1623 · first performed or written 1604 [c.1603-1604] (Annals) tragedy · King's Men T4 Love-longing and the lover's complaint typicality 0.70 · 513 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T4: love, heart, sweet, loves, fair, phillis, eyes, beauty, amyntas, lovers.
It is silliness to live, when to live is torment: and then have we a prescription to dye, when death is our Physician. Oh villainous: I have looked upon the world for four times seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt a Benefit, and an Injury: I never found man that knew how to love himself. Ere I would say, I would drown myself for the love of a Gynney Hen, I would change my Humanity with a Baboon. What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so fond, but it is not in my virtue to amend it. Virtue? A fig, 'tis in ourselves that we are thus, or thus. Our Bodies are our Gardens, to the which, our Wills are Gardiners. So that if we will plant Nettles, or sow Lettuce: Set Hisope, and weed up Time: Supply it with one gender of Herbs, or distract it with many: either to have it sterile with idleness, or manured with Industry, why the power, and Corrigeable authority of this lies in our Wills. If the brain of our lives had not one Scale of Reason, to poise another of Sensuality, the blood, and baseness of our Natures would conduct us to most preposterous Conclusions. But we have Reason to cool our raging Motions, our carnal Stings, or unbitted Lusts: whereof I take this, that you call Love, to be a Sect, or Seyen. It cannot be. It is merely a Lust of the blood, and a permission of the will. Come, be a man: drown thyself? Drown Cats, and blind Puppies. I have professed me thy Friend, and I confess me knit to thy deserving, with Cables of perdurable toughness. I could never better steed thee then now. Put Money in thy purse: follow thou the Wars, defeat thy favour, with an usurped Beard. I say put Money in thy purse. It cannot be long that Desdemona should continue her love to the Moor. Put Money in thy purse: nor he his to her. It was a violent Commencement in her, and thou shalt see an answerable Sequestration, put but Money in thy purse. These Moores are changeable in their wills: fill thy purse with Money. The Food that to him now is as luscious as Locusts, shallbe to him shortly, as bitter as Coloquintida. She must change for youth: when she is sated with his body she will find the errors of her choice. Therefore, put Money in thy purse. If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way then drowning. Make all the Money thou canst: If Sanctimony, and a frail vow, betwixt an erring Barbarian, and super-subtle Venetian be not too hard for my wits, and all the Tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her: therefore make Money: a pox of drowning thyself, it is clean out of the way. Seek thou rather to be hanged in Compassing thy joy, then to be drowned, and go without her. Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on the issue?
seed 43: T2 · seed 44: T3 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
It is ſillyneſſe to liue, when to liue is torment: and then haue we a preſcription to dye, when death is our Phyſition. Oh villanous: I haue look'd vpon the world for foure times ſeuen yeares, and ſince I could diſtinguiſh betwixt a Benefit, and an Iniurie: I neuer found man that knew how to loue himſelfe. Ere I would ſay, I would drowne my ſelfe for the loue of a Gynney Hen, I would change my Humanity with a Baboone. What ſhould I do? I confeſſe it is my ſhame to be ſo fond, but it is not in my vertue to amend it. Vertue? A figge, 'tis in our ſelues that we are thus, or thus. Our Bodies are our Gardens, to the which, our Wills are Gardiners. So that if we will plant Nettels, or ſowe Lettice: Set Hiſope, and weede vp Time▪ Supplie it with one gender of Hearbes, or diſtract it with many: either to haue it ſterrill with idleneſſe, or manured with Induſtry, why the power, and Corrigeable authoritie of this lies in our Wills. If the braine of our liues had not one Scale of Reaſon, to poize another of Senſualitie, the blood, and baſeneſſe of our Natures would conduct vs to moſt prepoſtrous Concluſions. But we haue Reaſon to coole our raging Motions, our carnall Stings, or vnbitted Luſts: whereof I take this, that you call Loue, to be a Sect, or Seyen. It cannot be. It is meerly a Luſt of the blood, and a permiſſion of the will. Come, be a man: drowne thy ſelfe? Drown Cats, and blind Puppies. I haue profeſt me thy Friend, and I confeſſe me knit to thy deſeruing, with Cables of perdurable toughneſſe. I could neuer better ſteed thee then now. Put Money in thy purſe: follow thou the Warres, defeate thy fauour, with an vſurp'd Beard. I ſay put Money in thy purſe. It cannot be long that Deſdemona ſhould continue her loue to the Moore. Put Money in thy purſe: nor he his to her. It was a violent Commencement in her, and thou ſhalt ſee an anſwerable Sequeſtration, put but Money in thy purſe. Theſe Moores are changeable in their wils: fill thy purſe with Money. The Food that to him now is as luſhious as Locuſts, ſhalbe to him ſhortly, as bitter as Coloquintida. She muſt change for youth: when ſhe is ſated with his body ſhe will find the errors of her choice. Therefore, put Money in thy purſe. If thou wilt needs damne thy ſelfe, do it a more delicate way then drowning. Make all the Money thou canſt: If Sanctimonie, and a fraile vow, betwixt an erring Barbarian, and ſuper-ſubtle Venetian be not too hard for my wits, and all the Tribe of hell, thou ſhalt enioy her: therefore make Money: a pox of drowning thy ſelfe, it is cleane out of the way. Seeke thou rather to be hang'd in Compaſſing thy ioy, then to be drown'd, and go without her. Wilt thou be faſt to my hopes, if I depend on the iſſue?