Gomersall, Robert · published 1628 · first performed or written 1628 [1622-1628] (Annals) tragedy T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.85 · 480 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Is then a time, when all our time is spent That thou of us shouldst fear a punishment? O happy purchased privacy! to have The free possession of an humble grave. wilt poison us from that? why starest thou so? We do not shun a kinsman, but a foe: Believe it Sforza, I am a near ghost, Nor is our kindred by thy murder lost: Raise thy cheered look, see Galeazzo here: Traitor, and coward, does thy faint breast fear The shadow, which is made? or is a soul unclothed of Earth, more abled to control Him that unclothed it! Then I see to die Is more to right, then suffer injury. Know I am still thy Prince, and if that man In such a Miracle of villain can At last be sound, in this thy manhood show That thou dar'st hear thy doom of overthrow. Villain be dumb: we are too tamely mild That deadmen dare affront us, assume flesh, And we will make a second ghost of thee. Thy threats are Air, like us: but to go on In curse; now that thy wisdom hopes upon A joy in unmolested royalty, Now shalt thou have only a certainty Of high unhappiness, and be undone, Losing thy rule no better than 'twas won. Fetters shall bind thy legs, not Crowns thy head, And as a cursed beast is prohibited From common show; so thou, of beasts the worst, Must die imprisoned, and, what's most accurst, Obey, to death, all comforts ta'en away, robbed of the light, and the sweet heaven of day: Then flatter not thy miseries, to know Is not to hinder Fate, fall shalt thou low, Sink to despair, despair to nought, and die, Than lower fall, and then as low as I. Sink into earth, and do not reach thy hell, Prophetic bubble: might thy threats prove true, For we could wish the death that thou foretellest, That our fierce shadow might pursue thee still, To fright thy Ghost to nothing: O weak Heavens! Was this a terror for a man? to send A Bugbear, framed out of the empty Air. This does confirm, not fright us: this might be A terror to my picture, not to me. IT must succeed: Fortune may show her spite, Her power she cannot, in the hour I'm made A PRINCE's Lord, or murderer: I've placed Close at the outward door, Sanseverin, That if success do crown my hopes, his cares May give me safety, with my happiness, That I be not surprised: but if I fail I have in joined him on the noise he hears, Straight to go call the Duke, & enter hither. madam, 'tis done: and now the guilty head (Which whilst it stood, made all to fear their head, Who durst affirm it did usurp a crown,) Most humbly bends, and offers it to you.
nodes 1291–1349 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 20 of 32 in this edition
Length
480 words · 634 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.847 (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)
Is then a time, when all our time is ſpent That thou of vs ſhouldſt feare a puniſhment? O happy purchas'd priuacy! to haue The free poſſeſſion of an humble graue. Wu't poyſon vs from that? why ſtareſt thou ſo? We doe not ſhunne a kinſman, but a foe: Beleeue it Sforza, I am a neer ghoſt, Nor is our kindred by thy murther loſt: Rayſe thy cheer'd looke, ſee Galeazzo here: Traitor, and coward, does thy faint breaſt feare The ſhadow, which is made? or is a ſoule Vncloath'd of Earth, more abled to controle Him that vncloth'd it! Then I ſee to dye Is more to right, then ſuffer iniury. Know I am ſtill thy Prince, and if that man In ſuch a Miracle of villaine can At laſt be ſound, in this thy manhood ſhow That thou darſt heare thy doome of ouerthrow. Villaine be dumbe: we are too tamely mild That deadmen dare affront vs, aſſume fleſh, And we will make a ſecond ghoſt of thee. Thy threats are Ayre, like vs: but to goe on In curſe; now that thy wiſdome hopes vpon A ioy in vnmoleſted royalty, Now ſhalt thou haue onely a certainty Of high vnhappineſſe, and be vndone, Loſing thy rule no better then twas wne. Fetters ſhall bind thy legs, not Crownes thy head, And as a curſt beaſt is prohibited From common ſhew; ſo thou, of beaſts the worſt, Muſt die impriſon'd, and, what's moſt accurſt, Obey, to death, all comforts tane away, Rob'd o the light, and the ſweet heau'n of day: Then flatter not thy miſeries, to know Is not to hinder Fate, fall ſhalt thou low, Sinke to deſpaire, deſpaire to nought, and dy, Then lower fall, and then as low as I. Sinke into earth, and doe not reach thy hell, Propheticke bubble: might thy threats proue true, For we could wiſh the death that thou foretell'ſt, That our firce ſhadow might purſue thee ſtill, To fright thy Ghoſt to nothing: O weake Heau'ns! VVas this a terror for a man? to ſend A Bug-beare, fram'd out of the empty Ayre. This does confirme, not fright vs: this might be A terror to my picture, not to me. IT muſt ſucceed: Fortune may ſhew her ſpite, Her pow'r ſhe cannot, in the houre I'me made A Princes Lord, or murtherer: I'ue plac'd Cloſe at the outward doore, Sanſeuerin, That if ſucceſſe doe crowne my hopes, his cares May giue me ſafety, with my happineſſe, That I be not ſurpris'd: but if I faile I haue in ioyn'd him on the noyſe he heares, Straight to goe call the Duke, & enter hither. Madame, tis done: and now the guilty head (Which whilſt it ſtood, made all to feare their head, Who durſt affirme it did vſurpe a crowne,) Moſt humbly bends, and offers it to you.