Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T36: hell, earth, gods, death, ghosts, blood, bloody, heaven, night, ghost.
Creon, Let impious acts Seek for excuses; I nor can, nor will So wrong the cause of heaven and piety, As once to plead a fond excuse for that, Which is my merit, for that act I say Which by direction from the gods themselves I have performed. Is disobedience merit? Or do the gods command subjects to break The laws of Princes? Yes, their wicked laws, Which thwart the will of heaven, the rule of nature, And those pure principles, which human breasts Did at their first original derive From that Celestial essence: Such a law Was this which I have broke, in giving rites Of funeral to Polynices' hearse, My dearest brother, this disobedience Thy servants (durst they speak) would justify; But foreign nations, and all future times In spite of tyrant's threatenings shall commend What I have done, and though I die for this Unjustly now, yet the infernal judges, Whose sentence no mortality can scape, But must to all eternity sustain, Shall from their just unpartial urns bestow Endless rewards beyond my sufferings far. To those infernal judges shalt thou go, And thank my charitable doom, that sends Thy soul to such great happiness, if thou Esteem it happiness, and do not fear What thou wouldst seem to wish. No, tyrant, no; Death cannot prove a punishment to me, Whose life was nought but sorrow; freed from this Unhappy world, in tother I shall come Most wished, and welcome to my father's sight, And that dear brother, for whose sake I die. Thou shalt be banished from the light of day, Nor then shalt thou immediately have power To see that other world thou so desir'st. Ianthus, till our farther pleasure's known Guard safe Argia's person; Aephytus; See present execution done upon Antigone; without the city walls There is a new digged tomb, where never yet Lay any funeral; in that enclose Antigone alive, and bar it fast As thou intend'st to live, there let her pray To those infernal gods she so adores, To keep her there, or take her quickly thence. Oh black accursed doom; oh my sad fate, That must report this news to noble Aemon, And with that breath destroy the best of men. Furies have left their dark abodes, to dwell In human shapes on earth; there could not else Live such a monster, one so opposite To heaven and goodness, as cursed Creon is. Ah dearest, dearest sister, did the fates Differre so long our wished acquaintance here To make us meet so wretchedly at last? Weep not dear sister; your calamity Adds to my sufferings more: why were not all The miseries of Cadmus woeful house Confined within ourselves, and bounded here In fatal Thebes? why spread they so, to make The best of soul's partaker? happy else, And safe for ever had your virtue lived Admired in wealthy Argos, had you ne'er near known the sad affinity of Thebes.
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)
Creon, Let impious acts Seeke for excuſes; I nor can, nor will So wronge the cauſe of heauen and piety, As once to pleade a fond excuſe for that▪ Which is my merit, for that act I ſay Which by direction from the gods themſelues I haue perform'd. Is diſobedience merit? Or do the gods command ſubiects to breake The lawes of Princes? Yes, their wicked lawes, Which thwart the will of heauen, the rule of nature, And thoſe pure principles, which human breaſts Did at their firſt originall deriue From that Celeſtiall eſſence: Such a law Was this which I haue broke, in giuinge rites Of funerall to Polynices hearſe, My deareſt brother, this diſobedience Thy ſeruants (durſt they ſpeake) would iuſtifie; But forreine nations, and all future times In ſpite of tirants threatnings ſhall commend What I haue done, and though I dy for this Vniuſtly now, yet the infernall iudges, Whoſe ſentence no mortality can ſcape, But muſt to all eternity ſuſtaine, Shall from their iuſt vnpartiall vrnes beſtow Endleſſe rewards beyond my ſufferings farre. To thoſe infernall iudges ſhalt thou goe, And thanke my charitable doome, that ſends Thy ſoule to ſuch great happineſſe, if thou Eſteeme it happineſſe, and doe not feare What thou wouldſt ſeeme to wiſh. No, tyrant, no; Death cannot proue a puniſhment to me, Whoſe life was nought but ſorrow; free'd from this Vnhappy world, in t'other I ſhall come Moſt wiſh'd, and welcome to my fathers ſight, And that deare brother, for whoſe ſake I dy. Thou ſhalt be baniſh'd from the light of day, Nor then ſhalt thou immediately haue power To ſee that other world thou ſo deſir'ſt. Ianthus, till our farther pleaſur's knowne Guard ſafe Argiaes perſon; Aephytus; See preſent execution done vpon Antigone; without the city walls There is a new digg'd tombe, where neuer yet Lay any funerall; in that encloſe Antigone aliue, and barre it fast As thou entend'ſt to liue, there let her pray To thoſe infernall gods ſhee ſo adores, To keep her there, or take her quickly thence. Oh black accurſed doome; oh my ſad fate, That muſt report this newes to noble Aemon, And with that breath deſtroy the beſt of men. Furyes haue left their darke abodes, to dwell In human ſhapes on earth; there could not elſe Liue ſuch a monſter, one ſo oppoſite To heauen and goodneſſe, as curſ'd Creon is. Ah deareſt, deareſt ſiſter, did the fates Differre ſo long our wiſht acquaintance heere To make vs meete ſo wretchedly at laſt? Weepe not deare ſiſter; your calamity Adds to my ſufferings more: why were not all The miſeries of Cadmus wofull houſe Confin'd within our ſelues, and bounded here In fatall Thebes? why ſpread they ſo, to make The beſt of ſoules partaker? happy elſe, And ſafe for euer had your vertue liu'd Admir'd in wealthy Argos, had you nere Nere knowne the ſad affinity of Thebes.