Tasso, Torquato / Reynolds, Henry · published 1628 · first performed or written 1628 (Annals) pastoral T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.79 · 503 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Aminta dead? alas how may that be? Nay how I cannot tell; nor yet am sure Of the deed done; but I believe it firmly. What's this thou tell'st me? alas what might be Th'occasion of Aminta's death? Thy death. Make me conceive thee. Even the heavy news Of thy death, which he heard, and credited, Hath brought him to his end, someway or other. Fie, thou'rt deceived; and this thy thought will be As vain as was the news thou heardst of me; For surely no man will dye willingly. O Silu'ia Silvia, thou dost not feel Nor know what ' love's flame can do, in a breast That is a breast of flesh, and not of flint As thine is; for didst thou but know't, I know Thou wouldst have loved him that loved thee more Than both his eyes; more than his breath and life; I do believe it, nay I'ue seen, and know it. I saw, I saw him when thou fledst from him (Unkind and cruel as thou wert) when he, Even then when thou shouldst rather have embraced Then scorned him so, against his breast had bend His Dart, with full intent to kill himself: Nor any whit repent of the deed, When (stayed by me from farther wounding him) The sharp steel had his garment and his skin Died in his blood, and had pierced through that heart That loyal heart of his, that thou before Hadst wounded worse, had not I held his hand, And saved him all I could: but O alas That slight wound served but as a trial only And small proof of his desp'rate constancy; And but to teach the fatal steel, to do The black deed it was preappointed to. Ay me what's this thou tell'st me? But at last When the news came that thou wert dead, I saw him Sound at the hearing on't, and dye away; And came no sooner to himself again, But furiously he flings away amain; And sure I fear, alas, too sure 'twill prove Has killed himself; Such was his too much grief, and too much love. But hold'st thou this for certain? 'tis too true. Ay me why didst thou not strait follow him? And stay him? ah let's seek, let's find him out; Since from my death, his death's desire is bred, He must live still because I am not dead. Alas I followed him, but he had soon So far outrun me, as I now despair That we shall find him having lost his footing. We must alas we must inquire him out Some way or other speedily, lest he Through our slowness his own murderer be. Belike then (Cruel) th'art but grieved he should Take from thee th'honour of this goodly deed? And wouldst thyself be the brave murderess? Must no hand else but thine, an Actor be In th' execution of this Tragedy? Well, set thy heart at rest; for howso're He dies, thou art his only murderer.
nodes 1523–1586 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 25 of 33 in this edition
Length
503 words · 666 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.790 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Aminta dead? alas how may that be? Nay how I cannot tell; nor yet am ſure Of the deede done; but I beleeue it firmly. What's this thou tell'ſt me? alas what might be Th'occaſion of Aminta's death? Thy death. Make mee conceiue thee. Eu'n the heauy newes Of thy death, which he heard, and credited, Hath brought him to his end, ſome-way or other. Fye, th'art deceiu'd; and this thy thought will be As vaine as was the newes thou heardſt of me; For ſurely no man will dye willingly. O Silu'ia Siluia, thou doſt not feele Nor know what 'loues flame can do, in a breſt That is a breſt of fleſh, and not of flint As thine is; for didſt thou but know't, I know Thou wouldſt haue loued him that lou'd thee more Then both his eyes; more then his breath and life; I do beleeue it, nay I'ue ſeene, and know it. I ſaw, I ſaw him when thou fledst from him (Vnkinde and cruell as thou wert) when he, Eu'n then when thou ſhouldſt rather haue imbrac'd Then ſcorn'd him ſo, againſt his breſt had bent His Dart, with full intent to kill himſelfe: Nor any whit repented of the deede, When (ſtay'd by me from farther wounding him) The ſharpe ſteele had his garment and his skinne Dyed in his bloud, and had pierc'd through that heart That loyall heart of his, that thou before Hadſt wounded worſe, had not I held his hand, And ſau'd him all I could: but O alas That ſlight wound ſeru'd but as a triall only And ſmall proofe of his deſp'rate conſtancie; And but to teach the fatall ſteele, to do The black deede it was preappointed to. Ay mee what's this thou tell'ſt me? But at laſt When the newes came that thou wert dead, I ſaw him Sound at the hearing on't, and dye away; And came no ſooner to himſelfe againe, But furiouſly he flings away amayne; And ſure I feare, alas, too ſure 'twill prooue Has kill'd himſelfe; Such was his too much griefe, and too much loue. But hold'ſt thou this for certaine? Tis too true. Ay me why didſt thou not ſtraite follow him? And ſtay him? ah let's ſeeke, let's finde him out; Since from my death, his deaths deſire is bredd, He muſt liue ſtill becauſe I am not dead. Alas I follow'd him, but he had ſoone So farre outrunne me, as I now despaire That we ſhall finde him hauing loſt his footing. We muſt alas we muſt inquire him out Some way or other speedily, leaſt he Thorough our ſlowneſſe his owne murdrer be. Belike then (Cruell) th'art but grieu'd he ſhould Take from thee th'honour of this goodly deede? And would'ſt thy ſelfe be the braue murdreſſe? Muſt no hand elſe but thine, an Actor be In th' execution of this Tragedy? Well, ſet thy heart at reſt; for howſo're He dyes, thou art his onely murderer.