Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 6 (armies, fleece, pestle, wonted, pikes, thundering…). Matches are highlighted.
A few of his familiar trusty friends, With dreadful raze insist his chariot Wheels, While the other in the battle turning back, Abandoned him among the Egyptian pikes, Yet Abradates with the few remained, By force and virtue of his puissant hand, Sends thousand of the heathenish foes to hell, Till at the last dismounted from
Full speech
Cyrus the body of the Susian king, Stout Abradates by the Egyptians slain. Mounted aloft his chariot armed with sithes, Beating the strong Egyptians down, A few of his familiar trusty friends, With dreadful raze insist his chariot Wheels, While the other in the battle turning back, Abandoned him among the Egyptian pikes, Yet Abradates with the few remained, By force and virtue of his puissant hand, Sends thousand of the heathenish foes to hell, Till at the last dismounted from his seat, And round environed with his enemies, After so many mortal wounds received, He fell and yielded up his kingly ghost. The Egyptians as their barbarous custom is, when he was dead cut off his stout right hand, And left it lying by the breathless corpse. But with a band of Persian men at arms, we rescued him, and brought him to your grace, Here to receive such worthy funerals, As fits the honour of so great a Lord.
Plot summary
Plot — The Wars of Cyrus, King of Persia
Cyrus has conquered the rulers of Lydia, Arabia, and Assyria, and now he divides the spoils with his men, accepting none for himself. Unwilling to serve the new King of Assyria, who murdered his son, Gobryas defects to Cyrus and is given a command in his army. Panthea is taken captive: the Persians propose to present her to Cyrus, but she is faithful to her husband, Abradatas, and Cyrus refuses the temptation to love her. Appointed Panthea’s keeper, Araspas falls in love with her. When she rejects him, he resorts to magic; but the charm fails, and she reports him to Cyrus. Antiochus, the new King of Assyria, seeks revenge on Cyrus for his father’s death, and sends Ctesiphon as a feigned defector to the Persian camp. He also has vengeful designs on Gobryas’ daughter, Alexandra, but she swaps clothes with her page Libanio, who persuades Antiochus to hold ‘her’ hostage while ‘her page’ goes to persuade Gobryas to return. However, these plans go awry: Ctesiphon is so impressed with Cyrus that he renounces Antiochus’ sovereignty, confesses his former King’s plot, and offers to kill him; and when Dinon attempts to seduce the false Alexandra, ‘she’ sings him to sleep, kills him, and absconds to the Persian camp. Gobryas randomly selects a Persian husband for his daughter using the custom of blindfold turf-throwing; the clod lands on Hystaspas. Cyrus sends Ctesiphon back to Antiochus with a letter purportedly offering peace terms; in fact, it tells the Assyrian king of Ctesiphon’s treachery, and the would-be murderer is executed. Though Araspas is pardoned when he confesses the impropriety of his amorous behaviour, Cyrus persuades him to pretend to desert in fear of his wrath, and sends him to Babylon to spy on the Assyrians. Panthea persuades Cyrus to send for her husband Abradatas, who defects to the Persians because Antiochus attempted to seduce her. Araspas returns with news of Antiochus’ preparations for battle, and the Persians draw lots for the honour of leading the vanguard. Abradatas wins, and goes into battle. Panthea prays to Bellona for his safety, but he is killed. The grieving Panthea kills herself, leaving Cyrus to promise them both a worthy funeral.