Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T22: shepherd, pan, shepherds, love, sheep, flocks, fair, shepherdess, swain, away.
Which is the Shepherd Rhodon? I am the man. Then you are he whom Violetta greets. How fares my sister? This letter shall relate what I can never utter. Pray Iove we have good news, methinks I saw A pallid horror settled in the face Of the sad Messenger: be't good or ill, We are resolved to see it, come what will. I Violetta much distressed By Martagon my mortal foe, Your succour humbly do request, To set me free from servile woe. Our flowers he hath trampled on, Our Gardens turned to thickets wild; Our fields and Meads he hath o'errun, That we are forced to live exiled. We therefore do your aid implore, Us to our freedom to restore. 'Twas for no good, that the late shag haired Comet With his erected staring looks, did overlook Our frighted flocks, who all amazed poor wretches At such a horrid unexpected sight, Ere Hesperus 'gan from the west to peep, Half empty, did retire unto their folds again: Nor were those idle fires which late we saw, Hang like a flaming canopy above us, When we did walk the round about our folds, To keep the werewolf from our Lambs by night. But is't possible that man should be so savage, To vent his rage upon a silly woman? It is no wonder gentle sir at all: For when Prometheus formed his man of clay, 'tis said that he did to his stomach add, The raging fury of a Lion fierce. 'tis true: but histories report that a Lion did, The suppliant Getulian virgin spare; Scorning to make so innocent a creature His prey or quarry. Foul shame and infamy it is, god wot, That manly might should women weak oppose, Whom they by right for life ought to defend. (Rhodon) do thou but say Amen: and I will in An instant raise our spriteful youth, And lead them on with such a vigorous force Against the most unhuman Martagon; That we will pull the Craven from his nest, Disrobing him of all his borrowed plumes, And repossessing Violetta of her own. In actions of such consequence as this, We must not be too precipicious, Mature deliberation must conclude What shall be done in such a main design: The stately Steed that with a full career Attempts to mount the brow of the steep hill, Oft breaks his wind, ere he can reach the height. But the slow snail without or harm, or peril, In time ascends unto the mountain's top, For that true love we owe to Thessaly, In which affection all we are engaged; We by a friendly treaty will endeavour To bring th' usurper to a restitution. But if the Olive branch will do no good, Then let the scourge of war itself disclose; They that our friendship scorn, must be our foes.
nodes 396–460 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 7 of 27 in this edition
Length
476 words · 621 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T22 — Shepherds, flocks and Pancross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.801 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T24 · seed 44: T25 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Which is the Shepheard Rhodon? I am the man. Then you are he whom Violetta greets. How fares my sister? This letter shall relate what I can never utter. Pray Iove we have good newes, me thinks I saw A pallid horrour setl'd in the face Of the sad Messenger: be't good or ill, We are resolu'd to see it, come what will. I Violetta much distrest By Martagon my mortall foe, Your succour humbly doe request, To set me free frrm servile woe. Our flowers he hath trampled on, Our Gardens turn'd to thickets wilde; Our fields and Meads he hath ore-run, That we are forc'd to live exil'd. We therefore doe your aide implore, Vs to our freedome to restore. 'Twas for no good, that the late shag hair'd Comet With his erected staring lookes, did over-looke Our frighted flocks, who all amaz'd poore wretches At such a horrid unexpected sight, Ere Hesperus gan from the west to peepe, Halfe empty, did retire unto their folds againe: Nor were those idle fires which late we saw, Hang like a flaming canopie above us, When we did walke the round about our folds, To keepe the warwolfe from our Lambs by night. But is't possible that man should be so savage, To vent his rage upon a silly woman? It is no wonder gentle sir at all: For when Prometheus form'd his man of clay, Tis said that he did to his stomacke adde, The raging fury of a Lyon fierce. Tis true: but histories report that a Lyon did, The suppliant Getulian virgin spare; Scorning to make so innocent a creature His pray or quarry. Foule shame and infamy it is, god wot, That manly might should women weake oppose, Whom they by right for life ought to defend. (Rhodon) doe thou but say Amen: and I will in An instant raise our spritefull youth, And lead them on with such a vigorous force Against the most unhumane Martagon; That we will pull the Craven from his nest, Disrobing him of all his borrowed plumes, And repossessing Violetta of her owne. In actions of such consequence as this, We must not be too precipicious, Mature deliberation must conclude What shall be done in such a maine designe: The stately Steed that with a full careere Attempts to mount the brow of the steepe hill, Oft breaks his winde, ere he can reach the height. But the slow snayle without or harme, or perill, In time ascends unto the mountaines top, For that true love we owe to Thessaly, In which affection all we are ingag'd; We by a friendly treaty will endevour To bring th' usurper to a restitution. But if the Olive branch will doe no good, Then let the scourge of warre it selfe disclose; They that our friendship scorne, must be our foes.