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 0.91 · 523 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
Wondrous sir; he can transshape his spirits, if fame Lie not, into what form he please, to imitate me, Or personate you; he could produce a Devil In shape of this good ancient Gentlewoman. A Devil sir like me? H'hath done't in habit of a Constable, And may do't in a gentlewoman's; for his commons In the Friars he cares not, he can for a need Conjure his bread from Spain, from France his wine, His diet from the utmost of the Earth, Thus hath his fame given out. Would we might see him to make proof of his cunning. And as I told thee Nan, be swayed by me, I'll make him thine, employ my industry, Counsel and pains, to wean him by degrees From his wild course of desperate Melancholy: I'll seek him out, persuade him, lay thy love As open as the midday: hope in me And doubt not to prevail. Sir, I am yours. Thou knowest he loves me; I was still his friend, And friend with friend what cannot he perform? Make thyself mine, I'll cross thy Mother's workings, And fool that Lords attempts; only be you of a more Temperate humour, and more stayed, observing but what I Shall project for you, and doubt not my performance. You in all things Have proved yourself a Father: I'll henceforth Strive to express a Daughter. Then enough. Here's now my Husband, he can speak it all. But ere I question that, of you, fair Mistress, Let me be first resolved; is your Brain yet In a more settled temper? Sir, it is; methinks I am new wakened from a Dream, in which I long have slumbering lost myself. And now art found. I am, thank Heaven, and my good Father's counsel and advice. I held it wife, a deed of charity, & did it for the Lords sake. Sir, henceforth I shall observe you better. You now have wreathed me with a Crown of hopes. Made me again thy Mother, and this work, Your ever patient and obedient wife. Marry Heaven continue it wife, 'tis but need; In conscience thou hast been froward long enough. These things so well succeeding, pray resolve us In what form doth this Devil haunt your house. A woman's sure. So I told you, sure your Mothers. Troth she was somewhat shrewish like my wife, But yet I think not hers. Your reason sir? This apparition was the full portrait of a young beauteous Lady. On my life Acadna then. Acadna? what's Acadna? A harmless Spirit fashioned from the Air, And yet assuming substance, shape and form, That where she loves, doth all the Offices Of a fair Lady: can supply with gold. And all things to man useful. So I have heard; but this cannot be she, For this had with her beauty so much terror, So much affright and horror in her looks, Such a confused noise, with hellish sounds Able to drive the senses retrograde; Turn reason into madness, and invert Capacity to fury; that, I vow I would not to be heir of all the World Endure like night again.
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 1728–1797 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 26 of 40 in this edition
Length
523 words · 683 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.912 (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)
Wondrous ſir; he can tranſhape his ſpirits, if fame Lye not, into what forme he pleaſe, to imitate me, Or perſonate you; he could produce a Divell In ſhape of this good ancient Gentlewoman. A Divell ſir like me? H'hath done't in habite of a Conſtable, And may doe't in a Gentlewomans; for his commons In the Friers he cares not, he can for a need Conjure his bread from Spaine, from France his wine, His dyet from the utmoſt of the Earth, Thus hath his fame given out. Would we might ſee him to make proofe of his cunning. And as I told thee Nan, be ſwayed by mee, Ile make him thine, employ my induſtry, Counſell and paines, to weane him by degrees From his wild courſe of deſperate Melancholy: Ile ſeeke him out, perſwade him, lay thy love As open as the mid-day: hope in me And doubt not to prevaile. Sir, I am yours. Thou knoweſt he loves me; I was ſtill his friend, And friend with friend what cannot he performe? Make thy ſelfe mine, Ile croſſe thy Mothers workings, And foole that Lords attempts; onely be you of a more Temperate humour, and more ſtay'd, obſerving but what I Shall project for you, and doubt not my performance. You in all things Have prov'd your ſelfe a Father: Ile henceforth Strive to expreſſe a Daughter. Then enough. Here's now my Husband, he can ſpeake it all. But ere I queſtion that, of you, faire Miſtris, Let me be firſt reſolv'd; is your Braine yet In a more ſetled temper? Sir, it is; me thinkes I am new wakened from a Dreame, in which I long have ſlumbering loſt my ſelfe. And now art found. I am, thanke Heaven, and my good Fathers counſell and advice. I held it wife, a deed of charity, & did it for the Lords ſake. Sir, henceforth I ſhall obſerve you better. You now have wreath'd me with a Crowne of hopes. Made me againe thy Mother, and this worke, Your ever patient and obedient wife. Marry Heaven continue it wife, 'tis but need; In conſcience thou haſt bin froward long enough. Theſe things ſo well ſucceeding, pray reſolve us In what forme doth this Divell haunt your houſe. A womans ſure. So I told you, ſure your Mothers. Troth ſhe was ſomewhat ſhrewiſh like my wife, But yet I thinke not hers. Your reaſon ſir? This apparition was the full portract of a young beautious Lady. On my life Acadna then. Acadna? what's Acadna? A harmeleſſe Spirit faſhion'd from the Aire, And yet aſſuming ſubſtance, ſhape and forme, That where ſhe loves, doth all the Offices Of a faire Lady: can ſupply with gold. And all things to man uſefull. So I have heard; but this cannot be ſhe, For this had with her beauty ſo much terrour, So much affright and horrour in her lookes, Such a confuſed noyſe, with helliſh ſounds Able to drive the ſences retrograde; Turne reaſon into madneſſe, and invert Capacity to fury; that, I vow I would not to be heire of all the World Endure like night againe.