Sappho and Phao

Lyly, John, published 1584 · comedy · Boys Professional;Professional

27chunks

13,486words

5topics

56 %unassigned

Metadata

Title	Sappho and Phao
Author	Lyly, John
Publication year (edition)	1584
Genre (British Drama)	comedy
Genre group (comparison)	comedy — from the British Drama label · Annals: comedy;classical legend
Play type	Boys Professional;Professional
Work / edition / TCP / DEEP	work 82 · edition 135 · TCP A06625 · DEEP 111
Edition role	Representative edition — used in the analysis
First performance / composition (Annals)	c.1583
First performance (BritDrama)	1584 [early]
Company (BritDrama)	Children of the Chapel (first) (Oxford's Boys)
Company (Annals)	Children of the Chapel (first) (Oxford's Boys); Children of Paul's (first)
Theater	before the Court;
Title-page company	Children of the Chapel (first); Children of Paul's (first)
Printer	Dawson, Thomas
Publisher	Cadman, Thomas
Format	Quarto
STC	17086
Greg	82a
Genre (Annals)	Classical Legend (Comedy)
Genre (BritDrama)	Comedy
BritDrama no.	753
Title page	Sapho and Phao,
Title-page performance note	Played beefore the Queenes Maiestie on Shroue-tewsday, by her Maiesties Children, and the Boyes of Paules.
Corpus build	corpus-v3-2026-09-08 · nodes 525 · witness single

Topic composition (share of words)

unassigned

56.0 %

T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs

22.3 %

T3 Sickness, physic and doctors

11.0 %

T24 Apollo, Phoebus and the Muses

3.9 %

T4 Love-longing and the lover's complaint

3.6 %

T9 Theatre talk: prologues, poets and playe

3.2 %

Chunks in order

#	nodes	words	topic	typ.	opening
1	0–1	429	T9 Theatre talk: prologues, poets and playe	0.72	WHere the Bee can suck no honey, she leaveth her sting behind, and where the Bear cannot find Origanum to heal…
2	2–11	530	unassigned		THou art a ferry-man, Phao, yet a free man, possessing for riches content, and for honours quiet. Thy thoughts…
3	12–32	510	unassigned		The ferry, fair Lady, that bendeth to Syracusa. I fear if the water should begin to swell thou wilt want cunni…
4	33–60	503	unassigned		Why do you think in court any use to dissemble? Do you know in court any that mean to live? You have no reason…
5	61–79	554	unassigned		You courtiers be mad fellows, we silly souls are only plodders at Ergo, whose wits are clasped up with our boo…
6	80–92	543	unassigned		I cannot but oftentimes smile to myself, to hear men call us weak vessels, when they prove themselves broken h…
7	93–109	524	T24 Apollo, Phoebus and the Muses	0.80	Were you borne so fair by nature? No, made so fair by Venus. For what cause? I fear me for some curse. Why, do…
8	110–118	469	unassigned		Is it not possible to die before you become so old? No more possible than to return as you are, to be so young…
9	119–146	566	unassigned		Yet harken two words, thou shalt get friendship by dissembling, love by hatred, unless thou perish, thou shalt…
10	147–195	536	unassigned		What is the end? Danger or death. If it be but death that bringeth all this commendation, I account him as val…
11	196–204	525	unassigned		ay, but I deny your Antecedent. ay, but you shall not. Have I not touched him Criticus? You have both done lea…
12	205–216	350	unassigned		Who is there? One not worthy to be one. Fair Phao? Unfortunate Phao. Come in. So I will, and quite thy tale of…
13	217–217	504	unassigned		Then to the purpose. Choose such times to break thy suit, as thy Lady is pleasant. The wooden horse entered Tr…
14	218–251	495	T3 Sickness, physic and doctors	0.69	Ah Sibylla, I pray go on, that I may glut myself in this science. Thou shalt not surfeit Phao, whilst I diet t…
15	252–289	491	unassigned		Then is he a deaf God. Why? For venture non habet aures. But thy back is thy God. Then is it a blind God. How …
16	290–330	496	T3 Sickness, physic and doctors	0.74	No, no, the best ease I find is to sigh it out. A strange disease, that should breed such a desire. A strange …
17	331–340	490	T4 Love-longing and the lover's complaint	0.78	Ah, who is there? what sudden affrights be these? methought Phao came with simples to make me sleep. Did nobod…
18	341–372	498	unassigned		It will not be, I can take no rest, which way soever I turn. A strange malady. Mileta, if thou wilt, a martyrd…
19	373–420	491	T3 Sickness, physic and doctors	0.78	You madam. I am loath to take any medicines: yet must I rather than pine in these maladies. Phao, you may make…
20	421–434	498	T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs	0.84	O Cupid too unkind, to make me so kind, that almost I transgress the modesty of my kind. I was blind, and coul…
21	435–443	472	T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs	0.69	I will follow thy counsel. For Venus, though she be in her latter age for years: yet is she in her Nonage for …
22	444–457	488	unassigned		Yea Mileta: but it was loose before, and if my friend be loose, as good thrust out with plain words, as kept i…
23	458–471	488	unassigned		I warrant you: for I never credit men's words. Yet be wary, for women are scorched sometimes with men's eyes, …
24	472–474	484	T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs	0.78	My mother will make much of you, when there are no more men than Vulcan. Come Cupid, receive with thy father's…
25	475–496	503	T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs	0.87	Go, loiter not, nor mistake your shaft. Now Venus, hast thou played a cunning part, though not current. But wh…
26	497–517	512	T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs	0.88	I marvel Cupid cometh not all this while. How now, in Sappho's lap? Yea Venus, what say you to it, in Sappho's…
27	518–524	537	T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs	0.82	I will wish him fortunate. This will I do for Phao, because I once loved Phao: for never shall it be said that…

Grace · generated by 13_site.py from run runs_Qwen_Qwen3-Embedding-0.6B_masked_hdb10, seed 42. Texts: EEBO-TCP / EarlyPrint (CC BY-NC 3.0). Metadata: DEEP, Wiggins & Richardson.