Davenant, William · published 1629 · first performed or written 1628 [1626-1629] (Annals) tragedy · Unacted T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.77 · 483 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Hah! was not that a mixture of distilled Venom, which I drunk? 'Twas healthful, as the blood of Grapes to age, And all your faculties do still preserve Their wonted harmony. Sweet spirit, do not riddle thus with Heaven, Nor sport thy soul away. Why didst accuse thyself of stern murder, and pernicious lust; Yet art thus clear from both? 'Twas to enrage your violence, with hope To make you soon my executioner. For hearing you were false, I found no joy In life: your hand hath sealed my wishes. New Arts t'increase my wonder: I'm o'erreached, Where I thought my nature was most skilful! E'en in love! O stay: had not distraction Ceased my memory; I should at first have told you The mistake, by which the sinful Queen And Hermegild betrayed my chaste Honour. named you Hermegild, guilty of that sin? He's then a horrid hypocrite: he did Entice me by a poisonous practice to Contrive your death, but found my nature loyal. New wonders still! I feel the frozen hand of death. Oh! oh! oh! Valdaura! Bride! O noble Girl! Mercy! mercy! Already turned a Ghost! There's rare music Now in heaven, since thou art gone t'increase The sacred Choir. I may behold thee in The purple sky, mixed there with other Stars, But never on this soil again. Be this Thy Tomb awhile. The Curtains softly drawn— Hermegild treacherous! with poison too? That was her word. 'tis fit I seem t' have drunk The medicine up. Good! The rough young Soldier May spy at last these spirits of the Court, That walk in artificial clouds: or if Their high conceptions soar above my reach, Yet they have mortal hearts; such as our own Country steel, may with feeble motion prick, Prick till they groan: for I have now decreed, Whom my dull sense cannot subdue, shall bleed. Shall I belie my own silence? Be sudden in your speech! confirm my words: Then dispose e'en of my wealth and person. I will consent to matrimony; make Any use of this new interest. Sir, you'll forget my merit in this danger? Never.— My Lord, I have discovered all. See, how aguish her guilt hath made her. How she trembles like a frosty Russian On a hill. Nay, Lady, ne'er scatter thus Your wild looks. Confess the truth, and you'll gain Mercy. Valdaura (whose Soul Heaven keep From purging fires) hath told her Lord; the King Knows of his wanton stealth with our good Queen. You were the Instrument that betrayed him To th'mistake, and whose secrecy to doubt But yours, our reason cannot yet inform us. Thus kneeling, I confess with penitence, 'T was I revealed it to the King. Tear forth her eyes, and let her then grope out Her way to hell— Stay, dear madam! Paradine is poisoned, who knows, but she Doth amply share in that guilt too?
nodes 2088–2154 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 31 of 39 in this edition
Length
483 words · 664 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.765 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
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)
Hah! was not that a mixture of diſtill'd Venome, which I drunke? 'Twas healthfull, as the blood of Grapes to age, And all your faculties doe ſtill preſerue Their wonted harmony. Sweet ſpirit, doe not riddle thus with Heauen, Nor ſport thy ſoule away. Why didſt accuſe Thy ſelfe of ſterne murder, and pernicious luſt; Yet art thus cleere from both? 'Twas to inrage your violence, with hope To make you ſoone my executioner. For hearing you were falſe, I found no ioy In life: your hand hath ſeal'd my wiſhes. New Arts t'increaſe my wonder: I'm orereach'd, Where I thought my nature was moſt skilfull! E'en in loue! O ſtay: had not diſtraction Ceaz'd my memory; I ſhould at firſt haue told you The miſtake, by which the ſinfull Queene And Hermegild betray'd my chaſte Honour. Nam'd you Hermegild, guilty of that ſinne? He's then a horrid hypocrite: he did Entice me by a poyſonous practice to Contriue your death, but found my nature loyall. New wonders ſtill! I feele the frozen hand of death. Oh! oh! oh! Valdaura! Bride! Onoble Girle! Mercy! mercy! Already turn'd a Ghoſt! There's rare muſicke Now in heauen, ſince thou art gone t'increaſe The ſacred Quire. I may behold thee in The purple skie, mix'd there with other Starres, But neuer on this ſoile agen. Be this Thy Tombe awhile. The Curtaines ſoftly drawne— Hermegild treacherous! with poyſon too? That was her word. Tis fit I ſeeme t' haue drunke The med'cine vp. Good! The rough young Souldier May ſpie at laſt theſe ſpirits of the Court, That walke in artificiall clouds: or if Their high conceptions ſoare aboue my reach, Yet they haue mortall hearts; ſuch as our owne Country ſteele, may with feeble motion prick, Pricke till they groane: for I haue now decreed, Whom my dull ſenſe cannot ſubdue, ſhall bleed. Shall I belye my owne ſilence? Be ſudden in your ſpeech! confirme my words: Then diſpoſe e'en of my wealth and perſon. I will conſent to matrimony; make Any vſe of this new intereſt. Sir, you'll forget my merit in this danger? Neuer.— My Lord, I haue diſcouer'd all. See, how aguiſh her guilt hath made her. How ſhe trembles like a froſty Ruſſian On a hill. Nay, Lady, nere ſcatter thus Your wilde lookes. Confeſſe the truth, and you'll gaine Mercy. Valdaura (whoſe Soule Heauen keepe From purging fires) hath told her Lord; the King Knowes of his wanton ſtealth with our good Queene. You were the Inſtrument that betray'd him To th'miſtake, and whoſe ſecrecy to doubt But yours, our reaſon cannot yet informe vs. Thus kneeling, I confeſſe with penitence, 'T was I reueal'd it to the King. Teare forth her eies, and let her then grope out Her way to hell— Stay, deare Madame! Paradine is poyſon'd, who knowes, but ſhe Doth amply ſhare in that guilt too?