Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 16 (nat, ningle, chould, numps, terry, dery…). Matches are highlighted.
maintain her own by love: Yet have we scope enough to mar this State; And to the ever being, what is late? As men in your names image ugliness, To check beloved children's wantonness, When they would have them do things, or for bear; And call you when they know you are not there: So I enamel your deformity, Making all your excesses
Full speech
Peace you base Subalterns! and strive no more, That but the Carriers be of my rich store. Perchance you think me the object of you all, And so no Fury, but the Furies thrall: Where I give form, and stuff to make you worse, And so become your Lord, and not your Nurse. I break the banks of duty, honour, faith; And subject am to no power, but to death: Charge me; I grant, Delays grow out of wit: And are not all your false webs wrought by it? To time I have respect, to person, place; I cross my self to give my own acts grace. I am Base to you all, and so the chief, Equal with truth, where I find good belief. I bear the weight of fear, the rage of lust, With selflove, envy, malice, left in trust. I calm Men windy pride, distempered rage, Giving to each a shape for every age. Wrong I attire in purple robes of might, That State may help it to be infinite. And who is fitter here to rule you all, Than I, that give you being, by my fallen? Know therefore all you shadow-loving Spirits! Who have no being, but in men demerits, That infinite desires, and finite power, At once, can never all mankind devour. Though men be all ours, and all we but one; The vice yet cannot built, or stand alone. Be it men weakness that does interrupt, Or some power else that cannot be corrupt; Or be there what there may be else above, Which may, and will maintain her own by love: Yet have we scope enough to mar this State; And to the ever being, what is late? As men in your names image ugliness, To check beloved children's wantonness, When they would have them do things, or for bear; And call you when they know you are not there: So I enamel your deformity, Making all your excesses Like to me. And that you may believe this to be true; We are not Like: For what am I, but you?
Plot summary
Plot — Alaham
Before the start of the action, an oracle foretold that the kingdom’s security depended on the death of the King’s eldest son, Zophi; but the pashas, ruling during the King’s senility, merely banished him. Hala, wife of the younger son, Alaham, has had a series of affairs with pashas: first Muhammad, who was forced into exile as a result, then Cain. Seeking to secure his position, Alaham has recalled Muhammad, ===== PAGE 189 ===== 1600 but Muhammad has recalled Zophi in turn, cutting Alaham out of the succession. Hala seeks to make Cain king, and persuades him to murder Muhammad; but he changes his mind after Muhammad warns him of Alaham’s ambition: Cain will tell Alaham that Muhammad is dead, but in reality he will go into hiding. Meanwhile Alaham corrupts the guard, blinds his father and brother, and seizes power. When Cain tells him of Muhammad's death, he is sent for execution — if not for murder then for lying about it, as he is told when he tries to save himself. Alaham’s sister Caelica helps Zophi and their father to take sanctuary in the temple. Alaham has the city searched, finds Caelica, and arrests her. Her cries bring the old King out of hiding, and he too is arrested. The King, Caelica, and Zophi are all burned to death; as they die, their souls call out for vengeance. Seeking to avenge Cain’s death, Hala sends Alaham a poisoned robe, and plans to kill their son before his face, so that the other child, Cain’s bastard, will inherit the kingdom; but she mistakenly kills the wrong infant. The robe kills Alaham; Hala intends to kill herself too.