Shakespeare, William · published 1623 · first performed or written 1593 [c.1593-1594] (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men (?) unassigned nearest T49 Wooing a mistress: suitors, go-betweens · 489 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T49: mistress, gentleman, love, lady, woman, pray, gentlewoman, hear, honest, way.
Please it your Grace, there is a Messenger That stays to bear my Letters to my friends, And I am going to deliver them. Be they of much import? The tenure of them doth but signify My health, and happy being at your Court. Nay then no matter: stay with me a while, I am to break with thee of some affairs That touch me near: wherein thou must be secret. 'Tis not unknown to thee, that I have sought To match my friend Sir Thurio, to my daughter. I know it well (my Lord) and sure the Match Were rich and honourable: besides, the gentleman Is full of Virtue, Bounty, Worth, and Qualities Beseeming such a Wife, as your fair daughter: Cannot your Grace win her to fancy him? No, trust me, She is peevish, sullen, froward, Proud, disobedient, stubborn, lacking duty, Neither regarding that she is my child, Nor fearing me, as if I were her father: And may I say to thee, this pride of hers (Upon advice) hath drawn my love from her, And where I thought the remnant of mine age Should have been cherished by her childlike duty, I now am full resolved to take a wife, And turn her out, to who will take her in: Then let her beauty be her wedding dowry: For me, and my possessions she esteems not. What would your Grace have me to do in this? There is a Lady in Verona here Whom I affect: but she is nice, and coy, And naught esteems my aged eloquence. Now therefore would I have thee to my Tutor (For long agone I have forgot to court, Besides the fashion of the time is changed) How, and which way I may bestow myself To be regarded in her sunbright eye. Win her with gifts, if she respect not words, Dumb jewels often in their silent kind More than quick words, do move a woman's mind. But she did scorn a present that I sent her, A woman sometime scorns what best contents her. Send her another: never give her over, For scorn at first, makes after-love the more. If she do frown, 'tis not in hate of you, But rather to beget more love in you. If she do chide, 'tis not to have you gone, For why, the fools are mad, if left alone. Take no repulse, what ever she doth say, For, get you gone, she doth not mean away. Flatter, and praise, commend, extol their graces: Though ne'er so black, say they have Angels faces, That man that hath a tongue, I say is no man, If with his tongue he cannot win a woman. But she I mean, is promised by her friends Unto a youthful Gentleman of worth, And kept severely from resort of men, That no man hath access by day to her. Why then I would resort to her by night.
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)
Pleaſe it your Grace, there is a Meſſenger That ſtayes to beare my Letters to my friends, And I am going to deliuer them. Be they of much import? The tenure of them doth but ſignifie My health, and happy being at your Court. Nay then no matter: ſtay with me a while, I am to breake with thee of ſome affaires That touch me neere: wherein thou muſt be ſecret. 'Tis not vnknown to thee, that I haue ſought To match my friend Sir Thurio, to my daughter. I know it well (my Lord) and ſure the Match Were rich and honourable: beſides, the gentleman Is full of Vertue, Bounty, Worth, and Qualities Beſeeming ſuch a Wife, as your faire daughter: Cannot your Grace win her to fancie him? No, truſt me, She is peeuiſh, ſullen, froward, Prowd, diſobedient, ſtubborne, lacking duty, Neither regarding that ſhe is my childe, Nor fearing me, as if I were her father: And may I ſay to thee, this pride of hers (Vpon aduice) hath drawne my loue from her, And where I thought the remnant of mine age Should haue beene cheriſh'd by her child-like dutie, I now am full reſolu'd to take a wife, And tur her out, to who will take her in: Then let her beauty be her wedding dowre: For me, and my poſſeſſions ſhe eſteemes not. What would your Grace haue me to do in this? There is a Lady in Verona heere Whom I affect: but ſhe is nice, and coy, And naught eſteemes my aged eloquence. Now therefore would I haue thee to my Tutor (For long agone I haue forgot to court, Beſides the faſhion of the time is chang'd) How, and which way I may beſtow my ſelfe To be regarded in her ſun-bright eye. Win her with gifts, if ſhe reſpect not words, Dumbe Iewels often in their ſilent kinde More then quicke words, doe moue a womans minde. But ſhe did ſcorne a preſent that I ſent her, A woman ſomtime ſcorns what beſt cōtents her. Send her another: neuer giue her ore, For ſcorne at firſt, makes after-loue the more. If ſhe doe frowne, 'tis not in hate of you, But rather to beget more loue in you. If ſhe doe chide, 'tis not to haue you gone, For why, the fooles are mad, if left alone. Take no repulſe, what euer ſhe doth ſay, For, get you gon, ſhe doth not meane away. Flatter, and praiſe, commend, extoll their graces: Though nere ſo blacke, ſay they haue Angells faces, That man that hath a tongue, I ſay is no man, If with his tongue he cannot win a woman. But ſhe I meane, is promis'd by her friends Vnto a youthfull Gentleman of worth, And kept ſeuerely from reſort of men, That no man hath acceſſe by day to her. Why then I would reſort to her by night.