Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	earth_n	false_a	great_a	36	3	2.0796	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10246	Argalus and Parthenia The argument of ye history. Written by Fra: Quarles.	Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.; Sidney, Philip, Sir, 1554-1586. Arcadia.; Cecil, Thomas, fl. 1630, engraver.	1629 (1629)	STC 20526; ESTC S112006	79,656	165

not so sleightly ouer The deare affection of so true a louer Pitty his flames relieue his tortur'd brest That findes abroad no ioy at home no rest But like a wounded Hart before the hounds That flies with Cupids Iauelin in his wounds Stir vp thy rak't vp embers of desire The gods will bring in fewell and blow the fire Be gentle let thy cordiall smiles reuiue His wasted spirits that onely cares to liue To doe thee honour It was Cupids will The dart he sent should onely wound not kill Yeeld then a●…d let th'engaged gods powre downe Their promis'd blessings on thy head and crowne Thy youth with ioyes and maist thou after be As blest in thine as I am blest in thee So said The faire Parthenia to whose heart Her fixt desires had taught th'●…m willing Art Of disobedience calls her iudgement in And of two euills determines it a sin More veniall by a resolute deniall To proue vn 〈◊〉 then be d●…sloyall To him whose heart a sacred vow had tyed So fast to hers and weeping thus reply●…d Madam The angry gods haue late conspir'd to show The Vtmost their enraged hands could doc And hauing laid aside all mercy stretch Their power to make one miserable wretch Whose curst and tortur'd soule must onely be The subiect of their wrath and I am she Hard is the case my deare desires must faile My vowes must cracke my plighted faith be fraile Or else affection must be so exil'd A mothers heart that she renounce her child And as she sp●…ke that word a flowing tide Of teares gusht out whose violence deny'd Tn'intended passag●… of her doubling tongue She stopt a ●…hile Then on the floore sh●… flung Her prostrate body whilst her hands did teare Not kn●…owing what they did her dainty haire Sometimes she struck the ground somtimes her brest Began some words and then wept out the rest At last her liuelesse hands did by degrees Raise her cast body on her feeble knees And humbly rearing her sad eyes vpon Her mothers frowning visage thus went on Vpon these knees these knees that ne're were bent To you in vaine that neuer did present Their vnrewarded duty neuer rose Without a mothers blessing vpon those Vpon those naked knees I recommend To your deare thoughts those term●…nis that attend Your poore Parthenia whose vnknowne distresse Craues rather death then language to expresse What shall I doe D●…magoras and Death Sound both alike to these sad eares that breath That names the one does nominate the other No no I cannot loue him my deare mother Command Parthenia now to vndergoe What death you please and these quick hands shall show The seale of my obedience in my heart The gods themselues that haue a secret art To force affection cannot violate The lawes of Nature stop the course of Fate Can earth forget her burthen and ascend Or can th' aspiring flames be taught to tend To th' earth If fire descend and earth aspire Earth were no longer earth nor fire fire Euen so by nature 't is all one to me To loue Demagoras and not to be No no the heauens can doe no act that 's greater Then hauing made so to preserue their creature And thinke you that the righteous Gods would fill me With such false ioyes as if enioy'd would kill me I know that they are mercifull what they Command they giue a power to obey The ioyfull vision that your slumbring eyes Of late beheld did promise and comprise A fayrer fortune then the heauens can share To poore Partheniaes merit whom despaire Hath swas●…ow'd Your prophetick dreame discride A royal●… mariage pointed out the Bride Her safe Deliuer ●…ce and her smiling sonne Honou●… and 〈◊〉 and after all was done Th●…re wants a Bridegroome him the heauens haue seald Within my brest by me to be reueal'd VVhich if your patience shall vouchsafe to heare My lips shall recommend vnto your eare When as Basilius may whose royall hand Long sway the scepter of th' Arcadian land From Cyprus brought his more then princely Bride The faire Gynecia whom as Greece deny'd An equall so the world acknowledg'd none As her superiòur in perfection Vpon this Ladies royall traine and state Agreat concourse of Nobles did awaite And Cyprian Princes with their princely port To see her crowned in th' Arcadion Court Illustrious Princes were they but as farre As midnight Phebe outshines the twinckling Starre So far amongst this rout of Princes one Surpast the rest in honour and renowne VVhose perfect vertue findes more admiration In the Arcadian Court then imitation In th'exc'lence of his outward parts and feature The world conceiues the curious hand of Nature Outwent it selfe which being richly fraught And furnisht with transcendent worth is thought To be the chosen fortresse for protection Of all the Arts and storehouse of perfection●… The Cyprus stock did ne're till now ●…ring forth So rare a Branch whose vnderualued worth Brings greater glory to th' Arcadian Land Then can the dull Arcadians vnderstand His name is Argalus He Madam was that Cypresse wreath that crown'd My nuptiall brows And now the Bridegroom 's found Cloath'd in the mystry of that Cypresse wreath VVhich since the better gods haue pleas'd to breathe Into my soule O may I cease to be If ought but death part Argalus and me Yet does my safe obedience not withstand VVhat you desire or what the gods command For what the gods command is your desire Parthenia should obey and not respire Against their sacred counsels or withstand The plot wherein they haue vouchsaf'd a hand VVe must submit our wils what they en●…oyne Must be nor lies it in your power or mine To crosse we must endeauour to fulfill VVhat else must come to passe against our will My vowes are past and second heauens decree Nothing shall part my Arg●…s and me So said Th' impatient mothers kindled eye Halfe closed with a murtherous frowne let flie A scorching fireball from whence was shed Some drops of choller sternly shakes her head With trembling hands vnlocks the doore and flees Leauing Parthenia on her aking knees And as she fled her fury thus began To open And is Argalus the man But there she stopt when striuing to expresse What rage had prompted could doe nothing lesse All you whose deare affections haue beene tost In Cupids blanket and vniuftly crost By wilfull Parents whose extreame command Haue made you groan beneath their tyrannous hand That take a furious pleasure to diuorse Your soul●…s from your best thoughts nay what is worse Then torture force your fancies to respect And dearely loue whom most you dis affect Draw neare and comfort the distressed heart Of poore Parthenia let your eyes impart One droppe at least And whosoe're thou be That read'st these lines may thy desiers see The like successe if reading thou fo●…beare To wet this very paper with a teare Behold poore Lady how an houres time Hath pluck't her faded roses from their prime And like an

Seaborne Queene thy birthright giues thee power T' assist poore suppliants grant one happy houre O let these wounded louers be possest At length of their so long desired rest Now now the ioyfull mariage day drawes on The Bride is bu●…ie and the Bridegroome 's gone To call his fellow Princes to the feast The Girland's made The bridall chamber 's drest The Muses haue consulted with the Graces To crowne the day and honour their embraces With shadow'd Epithalmes Their warbling tongues Are perfect in their new made Lyrick songs Hymen begins to grumble at delay And Bacchus laughs to think vpon the day The virgin tapors and what other rights Doe appertaine to Nuptiall delights Are all prepar'd whereby may be exprest The ioyfull triumph of this mariage feast But stay who lends me now an yron pen T'engraue within the marble hearts of men A tragick sceane which whosoe're shall reade His eyes may spare to weepe and learne to bleed Carnation teares If time shall not allow His death preuented eyes to weepe enow Th●…n let his dying language recommend What 's left to his posterity to end Thou saddest of all Muses come afford Thy studious helpe that each confounding word May rend a heart at least that euery line May pickle vp a kingdome in the brine Of their owne teares O teach me to extract The spirit of griefe whose vertue may distract Those brests which sorrow knowes not how to kill Inspier 〈◊〉 inspire my melting Quill And like sad Niobé let euery one That cannot melt be turn'd into a stone Teach me to paint an oft-repeated sigh So to the life that whosoe're be nigh May heare it breathe and learne to doe the like By imitation till true passion strike Their bleeding hearts Let such as shall rehearse This story houle like Irish at a Herse Th' euent st●…ll crownes the act Let no man say Before the euening 's come T is a faire day When as the Kalends of this bridall feast Were entred in and euery longing brest 〈◊〉 great with expectation and all eyes Prepar'd for entertaining nouelties Were growne impatient now to be suffis'd With that which Art and Honour had deuis'd T' adorne the times withall and to display Their bounty and the glory of that day The rare Parthenia taking sweet occasion To blesse her busie thoughts with contemplation Of absent Argalus whose too long stay Made minutes 〈◊〉 dayes and euery day A measur'd age into her s●…cret bower Betooke her weary steps where euery houre Her greedy eares expect to heare the summe Of all her hopes that Argalus is come She hopes she feares at once and still she muses What makes him stay so long she chides excuses She questions answers and she makes reply And talkes as if her Argalus were by Why com'st thou not Can Argalus forget His languishing Parthenia what not yet But as she spake that word she heard a noise Which seem'd as if it were the whispering voice Of close conspiracy she began to feare She knew not what till her deceiued eare Instructed by her hopes had singled out The voice of Argalus from all the rout Whose steps as she supposed did prepare By stealth to sieze vpon her vnaware She gaue aduantage to the thriuing plot Hearing the noyse as if she heard it not Like as young Doues which ne're had yet forsaken The warme protection of their nests or taken Vpon themselues a selfe-prouiding care To shift for food but with paternall fare Grow fat and plump think euery noise they heare Their full cropt parents are at hand to cheare Their crauing stomacks whilst th' impartiall fist Of the false Cater rifling where it list In euery hole surprises them and sheds Their guiltlesse blood and parts their gasping heads From their vaine struggling bodies so euen so Our poore deceiu'd Parthenia that did owe Too much to her owne hopes the whilst her eyes Were set to welcome the vnualued prize Of all her ioyes her dearest Argalus Steps in Demagoras and salutes her thus Base Trull Demagoras comes to let thee see How much he scornes thy painted face and thee Foule Sorceresse Could thy prosperous actions think To scape reuenge because the gods did wink At thy designes Think'st thou thy mothers blood Cryes in a language not to be'vnderstood Hadst thou no closer stratagem to further Thy pamper'd lust but by the saluage murther Of thine owne aged parent whose sad death Must giue a freedome to the whisp'ring breath Of thy enioy'd adult'rer who they say Will cloake thy whoredome with a mariage day Nay struggle not here 's none that can reprieue Such pounded beasts It is in vaine to striue Or roare for helpe why do'st not rather weepe That I may laugh Perchance if thou wilt creepe Vpon thy wanton belly and confesse Thy selfe a true repentant murtheresse My sinfull Page may play the soole and gather Thy early fruit into his barne and father Thy new got Cyprian bastard if that he Be halfe so wis●… that got it but to flee Hah dost thou weepe or doe false mists but mocke Our cheated eyes From so obdure a rock Can water flow weeping will make thee faire Weepe till thy mariage day that who repaire To grace thy feast may fall a weeping too And in a mirrour see what teares can doe Vile strumpet did thy flattering thoughts e're wrong Thy iudgement so to thinke D●…magoras tongue Could so abuse his honour as to sue For serious loue So base a thing as you Me thinks should rather fixe your wanton eyes Vpon some ea●…e groome that hopes to rise Into his masters fauour for your sake I this had beene preferment like to make A hopefull fortune thou presumptuous trash●… What was my courtship but the minuts dash Of youthfull passion to allay the dust Of my desires and exuberous lust I scorne thee to the soule and here I stand Bound for reuenge whereto I set my hand With that he c●…ught her rudely by the faire And bounteous treasure of her Nymph-like hayre And by it dragd her on the du●…y floore He stopt her mouth for feare she should implore An aid from heauen she swounding in the place His salvage hands besmear'd her liuelesse face With horrid poyson thinking she was dead He left her breathlesle and away he fled Come come ye Furies you malignant spirits Infernall Harpies or what else inherits The land of darknesse you that still conuerse VVith damned soules you you that can rehearse The horrid facts of villanies and can tell How euery hell hound lookes that roares in hell Suruey them all and then informe my pen To draw in one the monster of all men Teach me to limme a villaine and to paint With dextrous art the basest Sycophant That e're the mouth of insolent disdaine Vouchsas'd to spit vpon the ripened blaine Of all diseased humours fit for none But dogs to lift their hasty legs vpon So cleare mens eyes that whosoe're shall see The type of basenesse may cry This is Hee Let his