Davenport, Robert · published 1639 · first performed or written 1625 [c.1624-1639] (Annals) comedy · Queen Henrietta Maria's Men (?); Lady Elizabeth's Men (?) T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.87 · 482 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
Oh wife, wife, wife. Nay good sir spare your tears, She hath hit us all alike; this her ingeniousness Adds to her beauty, not detracts at all; I love her ne'er the worse, nor any here Whom her discourse hath touched: 'tis witty frenzy, And no malicious canker; so I take it: Nay grieve not you good woman, whom ere long I hope to Title Mother; doubt it not, all shall be well. But eat well. Let not that stick in thy stomach, never couldst thou Light on a more fair and sweet Godmother, To give thee a name; I'll have all friends, let's in, And comfort the sad Gentleman, and after to supper. Where I'll try how near of Kin I am to this Gentleman, and show myself an Eat-well. A Pistol, Poniard, Poison, or a Cord, The least of these would do't; nay, my own want Had I the patience but to stay, The time would end me, for since Charity late is dead, How can beggars live? Death is the easiest Of any thing on Earth for man to compass; Almost no object but doth offer it: Fire, Water, not a Stone we stumble at; Our very meat and drink but surfeit of't, It would dispatch one quickly: I have read Of one choked with a fly; another drinking, Strangled with the berry of a bruised grape, Another with an hair; what's this life than We men do make so much of? if a Pin, A very Hair hath power to take it hence? Cursed fall of man, in whose first disobedience All things on Earth rebelled, and war with him: How many thousand things hath Fate ordained To stop weak nature's course? and among them, How few which can preserve it? which apprehension Makes me that now I more desire to live, The more my life's opposed: If there be Devils, As all Religion tells us, I desire To have converse and conference with some one The greatest fiend among them, for by him My Genius prompts me, either I shall raise My ruined hopes, revenge me on my foes, Or end my wretched days in this despair. I could turn Sorcerer, Witch, or any thing Might I but blast her beauty, brave that Lord; And show some power o'er my ingrateful friends; The Devil, ay, the Devil; what music's this? Descends it from the Spheres? Hangs it in the Air? Or issues it from Hell? Come where it can I will attend the Novel. Ha? What art thou? The Devil thou art. I am a knave. Why pointest thou to thy breast, I am a Knave? The Proverb were not true else, for it says, The devil's a Knave. I am a Prodigal. I am am a Prodigal? I was indeed, and thou dost well to Mock me; what fury sends Hell next? I am a Beggar.
Queen Henrietta Maria's Men (?); Lady Elizabeth's Men (?)
Genre (British Drama)
comedy
Play type
Adult Professional;Professional
Edition / TCP / DEEP
edition 1110 · TCP A19888 · DEEP 928
Edition role
Representative edition — used in the analysis
Position
nodes 1531–1590 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 23 of 40 in this edition
Length
482 words · 631 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.868 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T23 · seed 44: T23 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Oh wife, wife, wife. Nay good ſir ſpare your teares, She hath hit us all alike; this her ingeniouſneſſe Adds to her beauty, not detracts at all; I love her nere the worſe, nor any here Whom her diſcourſe hath touch't: 'tis witty frenzy, And no malicious cancor; ſo I take it: Nay grieve not you good woman, whom e're long I hope to Title Mother; doubt it not, all ſhall be well. But eate well. Let not that ſticke in thy ſtomacke, never could'ſt thou Light on a more faire and ſweet Godmother, To give thee a name; Ile have all friends, let's in, And comfort the ſad Gentleman, and after to ſupper. Where I'le try how neere of Kin I am to this Gentleman, and ſhew my ſelfe an Eate-well. APiſtoll, Poniard, Poiſon, or a Cord, The leaſt of theſe would doe't; nay, my owne want Had I the patience but to ſtay, The time would end me, for ſince Charity late is dead, How can beggers live? Death is the eaſieſt Of any thing on Earth for man to compaſſe; Almoſt no object but doth offer it: Fire, Water, not a Stone we ſtumble at; Our very meat and drinke but ſurfeit of't, It would diſpatch one quickly: I have read Of one choak'd with a flye; another drinking, Strangled with the berry of a bruiſed grape, Another with an haire; what's this life then We men doe make ſo much of? if a Pin, A very Haire hath power to take it hence? Curſ'd fall of man, in whoſe firſt diſobedience All things on Earth rebell'd, and warre with him: How many thouſand things hath Fate ordain'd To ſtop weake natures courſe? and among them, How few which can preſerve it? which apprehenſion Makes me that now I more deſire to live, The more my life's oppoſ'd: If there be Divills, As all Religion tells us, I deſire To have converſe and conference with ſome one The greateſt fiend among them, for by him My Genius prompts me, either I ſhall raiſe My ruin'd hopes, revenge me on my foes, Or end my wretched dayes in this deſpaire. I could turne Sorcerer, Witch, or any thing Might I but blaſt her beauty, brave that Lord; And ſhew ſome power o're my ingratefull friends; The Divell, I, the Divell; what Muſicke's this? Deſcends it from the Spheares? Hangs it in the Aire? Or iſſues it from Hell? Come where it can I will attend the Novell. Ha? What art thou? The Divell thou art. I am a knave. Why point'ſt thou to thy breaſt, I am a Knave? The Proverbe were not true elſe, for it ſayes, The Divell's a Knave. I am a Prodigall. I am am a Prodigall? I was indeed, and thou doſt well to Mocke me; what fury ſends Hell next? I am a Begger.