The Spanish Bawd (Calisto and Meliboea) (Celestina) · chunk 79 of 205
Mabbe, James / Rojas, Fernando de · published 1631 · first performed or written 1631 (Annals) tragicomedy; literary play unassigned nearest T48 Addressing a lady: love, desire and inti · 507 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T48: lady, love, heart, fair, eyes, la, lord, tears, fie, face.
You have punishment, Sir, enough already; for when others take their rest in their beds, thou preparest thyself to suffer thy next day's torment. Be of good courage, Sir. Pluck up your heart: after a Tempest, follows a Calm; afford thy desire some time; take unto thee this Girdle: for if death prevent me not, I will deliver the Owner thereof into thy hands. O new guest! O happy girdle! which haste had such power and worth in thee, as to hedge in that body, and be its enclosure, which myself am not worthy to serve. O ye knots of my passion, it is you that have entangled my desires; Tell me, if thou wert present at that uncomfortable answer of fairest she, whom thou servest, and I adore. And yet the more I torment myself for her sake, mourning and lamenting night and day, the less it avails me, and the less it profits me. It is an old Proverb; He that labours least, oftentimes gets most. But I will make thee by thy labouring, to obtain that which by being negligent, thou shouldst never achieve. For Camora was not won in an hour; yet did not her besiegers for all this despair. No more was Rome built in one day; nor Troy ruined in a year. O unfortunate that I am! For Cities are encircled, and walled in with stones; and stones by stones are easily overthrown. But this my dear Lady hath her heart environed with steel; there is no mettle that can prevail against her; no shot of that force▪ as to make a breach: and should Ladders be reared to scale the walls, she hath eyes which let fly darts of repulsion, and a tongue which dischargeth whole volleys of reproaches, if you once approach, forcing you to stand farther off, and so inaccessible is her Castle, that you cannot come near it by half a league. No more, good Sir, no more; bridle your passion; for the stout courage, and hardy boldness of one man, did get Troy. Doubt not then, but one woman may work upon another, and at last win her unto thee; thou hast little frequented my house, thou art ignorant of my courses, thou know'st not what I can do. Say, Mother, what thou wilt, and I will believe thee, since thou hast brought me so great a jewel, as is this. O thou glory of my soul, and incirler of so incomparable a creature; I behold thee, and yet believe it not. O girdle, girdle, thou lovely lace! Wast thou mine enemy too? Tell me the truth; if thou wert, I forgive thee: For it is proper unto good men, to forgive; but I do not believe it. For hadst thou likewise been my foe, thou wouldst not have come so soon to my hands, unless thou hadst come to disblame and excuse thy doings. I conjure thee, that thou answer me truly, by the virtue of that great power, which thy Lady hath over me.
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)
You haue punishment, Sir, inough already; for when others take their rest in their beds, thou preparest thy selfe to suffer thy next daies torment. Be of good courage, Sir. Plucke vp your heart: after a Tempest, followes a Calme; affoord thy desire some time; take vnto thee this Girdle: for if death preuent mee not, I will deliuer the Owner thereof into thy hands. O new guest! O happy girdle! which hast had such power and worth in thee, as to hedge in that body, and be its inclosure, which my selfe am not worthy to serue. O yee knots of my passion, it is you that haue intangled my desires; Tell me, if thou wert present at that vncomfortable answer of fairest she, whom thou seruest, and I adore. And yet the more I torment my selfe for her sake, mourning and lamenting night and day, the lesse it auailes mee, and the lesse it profits me. It is an old Prouerbe; He that labours least, often-times gets most. But I will make thee by thy labouring, to obtaine that which by being negligent, thou shouldst neuer atchieue. For Camora was not wonne in an houre; yet did not her besiegers for all this despaire. No more was Rome built in one day; nor Troy ruined in a yeere. O vnfortunate that I am! For Citties are incircled, and walled in with stones; and stones by stones are easily ouer-throwne. But this my deare Lady hath her heart inuironed with steele; there is no mettle that can preuaile against her; no shot of that force▪ as to make a breach: and should Ladders bee reared to scale the walls, shee hath eyes which let flye darts of repulsion, and a tongue which dischargeth whole volleis of reproches, if you once approach, forceing you to stand farther off, and so inaccessible is her Castle, that you cannot come neere it by halfe a league. No more, good Sir, no more; bridle your passion; for the stout courage, and hardy boldnesse of one man, did get Troy. Doubt not then, but one woman may worke vpon another, and at last win her vnto thee; thou hast little frequented my house, thou art ignorant of my courses, thou know'st not what I can doe. Say, Mother, what thou wilt, and I will beleeue thee, since thou hast brought me so great a Iewell, as is this. O thou glorie of my soule, and incirler of so incomparable a creature; I behold thee, and yet beleeue it not. O girdle, girdle, thou louely lace! Wast thou mine enemy too? Tell me the truth; if thou wert, I forgiue thee: For it is proper vnto good men, to forgiue; but I doe not beleeue it. For hadst thou likewise beene my foe, thou wouldst not haue come so soone to my hands, vnlesse thou hadst come to disblame and excuse thy doings. I coniure thee, that thou answer mee truely, by the vertue of that great power, which thy Lady hath ouer mee.