Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T19: virtue, fortune, virtues, honour, fame, vice, envy, world, pride, great.
O Happy Age of Gould; happy ' hours; Not for with milk the rivers ran, And honey dropped from every tree; Nor that the Earth bore fruits, and flowers, Without the toil or care of Man, And Serpents were from poison free; Nor for th' Air (ever calm to see) Had quite exiled the lowering Night; Whilst clad in an eternal Spring (Now fiery hot, or else freezing) The cheeks of heaven smil'de with clear light; Nor that the wand'ring Pine of yore Brought neither wars, nor wares from foreign shore; But therefore only happy Days, Because that vain and idle name, That cozening I doll of unrest, (Whom the mad vulgar first did raze, And called it Honour, whence it came To tyrannize o'er every breast,) Was then suffered to molest Poor lovers' hearts with new debate; More happy they, by these his hard And cruel laws, were not debarred Their innate freedom; happy state; The golden laws of Nature, they Found in their breasts; and then they did obey. Amidd the silver streams and flowers, The winged Genii then would dance, Without their bow, without their brand; The Nymphs sat by their Paramours, Whispering love-sports, and dalliance, And joining lips, and hand to hand; The fairest Virgin in the land. Nor scorn'de, nor glor'yed to display Her cheeks fresh roses to the eye, Or open her fair breasts to the day, (Which now adays so vailed lie,) But men and maidens spent free hours In running Rivers, Lakes, or shady Bowers. Thou Honour, thou didst first devise To mask the face of Pleasure thus; Bar water to the thirst of Love, And lewdly didst instruct fair eyes They should be nice, and scrupulous, And from the gazing world remove Their beauties; thy hands new nets wove T'entrap the wild curls, fair dispred To th'open air; thou mad'st the sweet Delights of Love seem thus unmeet; And (teaching how to look, speak, tread,) By thy ill laws this ill haste left, That what was first Loves gift, is now our theft. Nor ought thy mighty working brings, But more annoys, and woe to us; But thou (of Nature and of Love The Lord, and scourge of mighty Kings,) Why dost thou shroud thy greatness thus In our poor cells? hence, and remove Thy power; and it display above. Disturbing great ones in their sleep; And let us meaner men alone T'inioye again, (when thou art gone) And laws of our Forefathers keep. Live we in love, for our life's hours Hast on to death, that all at length devours. Live we while we may; the wain Of Heaven can set, and rise again; But we (when once we looze this light) Must yield us to a never ending 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)
O Happy Age of Gould; happy' houres; Not for with milke the riuers ranne, And hunny dropt from eu'ry tree; Nor that the Earth bore fruits, and flowres, Without the toyle or care of Man, And Serpents were from poyſon free; Nor for th' Ayre (euer calme to ſee) Had quite exil'de the lowring Night; Whilſt clad in an eternall Spring (Now fiery hott, or elſe freezing) The cheekes of heau'n ſmil'de with cleare light; Nor that the wandring Pine of yore Brought neither warres, nor wares from forraine ſhore; But therefore only happy Dayes, Becauſe that vaine and ydle name, That couz'ning I doll of vnreſt, (Whom the madd vulgar firſt did raize, And call'd it Honour, whence it came To tyrannize or'e eu'ry breſt,) Was then ſuffred to moleſt Poore louers hearts with new debate; More happy they, by theſe his hard And cruell lawes, were not debar'd Their innate freedome; happy ſtate; The goulden lawes of Nature, they Found in their breſts; and then they did obey. Amidd the ſiluer ſtreames and floures, The winged Genii then would daunce, Without their bowe, without their brande; The Nymphes ſate by their Paramours, Whiſpring loue-ſports, and dalliance, And ioyning lips, and hand to hand; The faireſt Virgin in the land. Nor ſcorn'de, nor glor'yed to diſplaye Her cheekes freſh roſes to the eye, Or ope her faire breſts to the day, (Which now adayes ſo vailed lye,) But men and maydens ſpent free houres In running Riuers, Lakes, or ſhady Bowres. Thou Honour, thou didſt firſt deuize To maske the face of Pleaſure thus; Barr water to the thirſt of Loue, And lewdly didſt inſtruct faire eyes They ſhould be nyce, and ſcrupulous, And from the gazing world remooue Their beauties; thy hands new netts woue T'intrap the wilde curles, faire diſpred To th'open ayre; thou mad'ſt the ſweet Delights of Loue ſeeme thus vnmeete; And (teaching how to looke, ſpeake, tread,) By thy ill lawes this ill haſt left, That what was firſt Loues gift, is now our theft. Nor ought thy mighty working brings, But more annoyes, and woe to vs; But thou (of Nature and of Loue The Lord, and ſcourge of mighty Kings,) Why do'ſt thou ſhrowde thy greatneſſe thus In our poore cells? hence, and remooue Thy powre; and it diſplay aboue. Diſturbing great ones in their ſleepe; And let vs meaner men alone T'inioye againe, (when thou art gone) And lawes of our Forefathers keepe. Liue we in loue, for our liues houres Haſt on to death, that all at length deuoures. Liue we while we may; the wayne Of Heau'n can ſet, and riſe againe; But we (when once we looze this light) Muſt yeeld vs to a neuer ending Night.