Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	ambassador_n	france_n	king_n	7,641	5	4.2834	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58017	Edgar, or the English monarch an heroick tragedy. By Mr. Thomas Rymer, servant to Their Majesties.	Rymer, Thomas, 1641-1713.	1693 (1693)	Wing R2424A; ESTC R218574	36,395	72

EDGAR OR THE English Monarch AN HEROICK TRAGEDY By Mr. THOMAS RYMER Servant to Their Majesties The Second Edition LONDON Printed for Iames Knapton at the Crown in St. Pauls-Church-yard 1693. TO THE KING GReat Sir whose Throne amidst the Waters set O're all design'd by God and Nature Great Here in that fam'd long-wisht unheard-of Spot Stedfast on which planting Your Royall Foot You turn the Other World You give it Law You Arbitrate and all its Motions awe This Honour was to England early pay'd And thus Your great Fore-runner Edgar sway'd Yet were his Ships a weak though Numerous Train Silent they pass'd meer Infants of the Main Grown up Yours speak in not a Mortall Strain Threaten and loud above the Billows beat Your dread Commands which trembling Rocks repeat Whilst Edgar joyfull from his farthest Skies Looks down and listens to the God-like Voice When Hercules with Jason left the Shoar Pale Greece despair'd to see her Worthies more Charybdis gap'd and Scylla's Dogs did howl Who this could bear was then a daring Soul All Monsters seem'd in those Heroick days Your Pleasure-boat with ruder Danger plays If launcht in that bold Age of Poetry Each Ship of Yours had bin a God o' th' Sea Or Jove his Form in this Disguise that shrowds Who having left the Air and easie Clouds Below a rougher Element controlls And Thunder o're more solid Water rouls This made Divining Priests of old preferr The Oak as sacred to the Thunderer The Oak of old that in Dodona reign'd Now Oracles Your onely Forrests send Which promise Seas and Empire without End Grafted on these the fairest Lawrells grow And Wreaths that best adorn an English Brow This Navall Power made Edgar's chiefest Pride Four thousand Sail spred o're the Ocean wide Whence Terrour on remotest Shoars was thrown When Halcyon-days and Plenty blest his own Thus whilst Your Flags wav'd high for Homage call And angry Nations let their Topsails fall With Peace Your larger Empire happy made Rests undisturb'd rejoycing in the Shade High on His Throne and fill'd with Royall Care Thus You alone great Edgar's Person bear Vnking'd in Love we represent him here Advertisement THIS I call an Heroick Tragedy having in it chiefly sought occasions to extoll the English Monarchy and having writ it in that Verse which with Cowley Denham and Waller I take to be most proper for Epic Poetry The Tragedy ends Prosperously a sort of Tragedy that rarely succeeds man being apter to pity the Distressed then to rejoyce with the Prosperous Yet this sort seems principally to have pleased Euripides and is necessary here for the Design first above mentioned I doubted indeed whether Rhyme was proper for Tragedy Not that I thought it unnaturall for questionless 't is more naturall to speak in Rhyme then to speak English this we owe to the Nurse the former to the Poet. Nor can that be said unnaturall where Nature is help'd and improv'd But Rhyme is rather sweet then grave unless temper'd with so must Thought and with such Pomp of words as suits not with that Sorrow and Lamentation which Tragedy ordinarily requires And therefore of the two Rhyme is the more proper for this sort of Tragedy which ends happily The Histories examined nothing in the Fable can seem Romantick or affected But I must appeal from the late Epitomizers who make Edgar point-blank guilty of Ethelwold's Death without any sufficient ground from Antiquity Persons Represented Edgar King of England Lewis the IV. King of France incognito Kenneth King of Scotland Ethelwold Edgar's Favourite Editha Sister to Edgar Gunilda Sister to the King of Denmark Alfrid The Duke of Cornwall's Daughter Ethelgede Ethelwold's Daughter Dunstan Arch-Bishop of Canterbury A Secretary of State Embassadours Two French Statesmen Guards Attendants The time of the Representation from Twelve at Noon to Ten at Night EDGAR A TRAGEDY ACT I. SCENE I. Landschap of a River Trees Palace c. Editha Edith PRincess a Title boading miserie Curst in the Sex more curst in the Degree Our every Look makes an Affair of State And every Sigh provokes a grave Debate No popular Insurrections with such Care Inspected as our rising Passions are Love like our breath the Will 's vain power defies Sooner the heart then its emotions dies Yet we Dissembling with a faithless Frown Meanly severe our secret Care disown Though still the Darling which our Looks detest Onely retir'd lies panting in our breast Unhappy Women equally a prey If sway'd or if our Inclinations sway Either with Nature we down th' easie stream By Flow'rie banks to sure Destruction swim Or 'gainst Wind and Tide Honour doth us draw To barren Rocks there on lean Hopes to gnaw These anxious thoughts ah whither shall I trace I now too near the tender Secret press I love the Stranger this too well I know Because I Jealous of Gunilda grow But here she haunts me still SCENE II. Enter Gunilda Gun However slow Your tongue howe're unwilling to reveal Yet some new Care your eyes more kindly tell That heart that firm and very Rock before Shakes by some gust from a Remoter shore Edi. From France you cannot apprehend the storm There an Usurper does the Throne deform From Germany no Emp'rour can appear Since Otho fell my younger Sister's share Otho who now of late is call'd the Great The others I descend not to repeat No such new care did my free thoughts enflame Onely the last night's Ball diverted them Gun The Stranger there I could with a particular eye have seen Were but his bloud as noble as his meen Sweetness did not the Majesty betray Nor Majesty his Sweetness fright away That wheresoe're he would a Heart invade His Looks at once seem by kind Nature made Able to force or ready to perswade Together there such state and mildness met He seem'd at once agreeable and great Edi. How with his praise my Jealous heart she wounds Aside And now how harsh the ill-tim'd musick founds Methinks I something in his face did see To Gun Something that speaks him of no Low degree Gun He Monarch-like did in the Crowd prevail And on himself drew the Regards of all Another Edgar some began to cry Others that he might ev'n with Edgar vie Till Edgar's presence clear'd the growing Doubt Whose beams like a strong Torrent breaking out Instantly bore the young Usurper down And in all minds confirm'd his shaken Throne But see he comes SCENE III. Enter Lewis The Ladies since the Turnament was past On some cross winds your late arrival cast To Lew. Else who your softer Gallantries have seen Had witness of your Manly vertues been Edi. Our English there by rougher shocks maintain That honour they in mild encounters gain Lew. They small success must to their arms presage Who 'gainst the English in the Lists engage And they however whom the Brave might spare Must fall a certain conquest to the Fair. What Knights did fortune to that glory raise As from so fair a

approach one sally of her Breath repells But yet the Women of her Shape and Face May well enough for Countrey Beauties pass Thus I with Fame in nothing did accord My Tongue blaspheming what my Heart ador'd And by this Artifice did so work and move The King that he consented to my Love Which I pretended was by Interest led That so I might the heir of Cornwall wed Alfr. At once to wrong me yet to Love pretend I judg'd the same a Lover and a Friend Perhaps in truth these blemishes you find And rambling Fame that talk'd so loud was blind The best is if this Face a Tempest raise One sally of my Breath will all appease That if you rest from other Crimes secure You safely may the shock of this endure Ethelw Still fatally to my destruction bent Vain Woman go pursue your dire intent Alfr. The King may yet some small suspicions bear One sight of me those dangerous doubts will clear Ethelw Your beauty who denies denies the Sun To your large Glass have I not seen you run There all intent intemperately gaze Fill your stretch'd eyes with the reflected rays And in that luxury consume the day Till drunk with the sweet draught you reel'd away Alfr. I might my beauty prize in some degree When I your love and low respects did see That Conquest seem'd a Miracle for me Nor might I think that England can afford Then Ethelwold a more illustrious Lord. Ethelw O tongue too subtle for a Lover's heart Let us divide and both submit in part Be you content your self unseen to see And I indulge your curiosity Cover those Beams and let that natural Light Obscur'd by Art less fiercely strike the Sight My Crime may lurk beneath your Twilight-ray Laid open you discovering all your Day Your Face disguis'd I may securely pass Alfr. With what foul Blots would you Heav'ns gifts disgrace Heav'ns that in earnest angry oft retort What we affect or counterfeit in sport Ethelw Vexatious still Dispute not but obey Alfr. To my Obedience my Disputes make way Let me your Grief and worst Misfortunes share But Fraud and Wrong I dare not tamper there Ethelw Howe're you to your Face allow no part Your many words declare you false at Heart Scarce are we joyn'd the Marriage-knot scarce ty'd How many Jarrs and Jealousies divide Blaze on dire Comet may thy Influence be To Crowns and Empires fatall as to me Alfr. Whither do your rash words and passion fly To calm your mind my utmost power I 'll try If I receive advantage from my Dress 'T is that I you might with advantage please If wanting this your Love be not impair'd These Ornaments I readily discard Pulls off her Patches Ethelw Those Trifles did your Beauty but rebate If this be all you 'll doe how desperate is my state Pull out those Eyes and then my work is done To what extremes will my resentment run Pulls her away Exeunt SCENE VIII Queen returns with Women Ethelg. Shew not my Nuptialls now to England more Then Syria Greece or Rome e're saw before More Kings their Homage to my Edgar pay Then Planets to the Monarch of the Day He sits on high illustrious and large They blow and tugg and launch along his Barge SCENE IX The King in a Triumphant Barge appears within the Scenes rowed by eight Kings towards the Stage c. The Kings enter in procession with their gilded Oars after them Edgar with Alfrid in his hand his eyes fixt on her Ethelwold behind The Kings successively salute Edgar 1. King The Hands that lately shining Scepters bore Learning new tasks are blister'd with the Oar. A Homage ever shall be paid by me To him that rules and that defends the Sea 2. King His part of Earth to every Prince is due Whilst on the Waters none is King but You. 3. King In narrow bounds are our Dominions pent The strongest Winds fall dead their last breath spent E're they attain your Empire 's vast extent 4. King The spacious Heaven and Nature's care scarce stretch So far as your immense Dominions reach 5. King Nothing is seen that your large Power confines Except in Globes imaginary Lines 6. King What Nation dares your Dictates disobey He shakes the Earth who can the Ocean sway 7. King Your Sea without you to assert your Power Invades and conquers the rebellious Shore Stretches its swelling Arms and grasps each Land And combats all that own not your Command 8. King Your Sails must lowr when Winds and Storms are high And on the Water all but Heav'n defie Edgar What art thou from whence what far-distant Coast Sends thee proud Spoils and vanquisht Kings to boast To Alfrid Those Eyes do all our Pomp and Glory brave And in the midst of Triumph make me Slave Now all the Homage which was lately paid By me resign'd at your fair Feet is laid From what height is my Pride untimely thrown Snow which some lofty Mountain's head doth crown When the South-wind's warm breath once issues forth Thus shrinks dissolves and sinks into the Earth Why was this Face or why not sooner seen Yet after all thou shalt be thou art Queen Speak Nymph asswage my pain Alfr. So new a thing It is for me to see or hear a King My Eye 's too weak to look on Majesty And Tongue unskill'd to fashion a Reply Edg. Proceed sweet Harm'nie Let your Tongue Love sing And your tun'd Heart consent in every string Let every Sense to Love's soft Charms incline Alfr. Might I presume or any thing define Your words seem aim'd at one in equal Sphere And ill descend into a Subject's ear Unfit for Love we dread your Majestie And low to that at distance prostrate lie Edg. All Majesty and Distance I disown If Subject born you are my Sovereign grown You all Divine with radiant Beauty crown'd In me the very thought of Power confound Pardon bright Form if I approach too near A sudden raw unpractis'd Worshipper Alfr. If Beauty were a thing to be ador'd England would be like barbarous Egypt stor'd In every Grange you might an Idol see And nothing rare or singular in me Edg. There 's something in you sure divinely rare Am I a Slave to every Maid that 's fair Me you accuse your self whilst you impair No common Planets in your Birth were joyn'd No influence for common Fates assign'd I feel the power resistless infinite Then Majesty more strong and more then Beauty sweet My burning Veins prove your full Presence there And my astonisht Soul declares you every-where Alfr. 'T is Glory Sir 't is Glory that inflames Your mighty Soul which still of Glory dreams Whose Image wanders bright before your eyes And you to that more nobly sacrifice Those Hymns are not to Humane kind addrest Nor Edgar's Soul to earthly Frames debas't Edg. 'T is my good Angell that I hear and see My Eyes and Ears confess a Deitie Yet my Devotions were not pure the Man Aside The Earthly