The Night Walker, or The Little Thief · chunk 11 of 39
Fletcher, John / Shirley, James · published 1640 · first performed or written c.1611(?) [revised by Shirley and re-licensed for stage, May 11, 1633] (Annals) comedy · Lady Elizabeth's Men · Phoenix/Cockpit T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.86 · 483 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
None left sir, They are gone, and carried all the candles with 'em Their fright is infinite, let's make good use on't We must be quick sir, quick, or the house will rise else. Was this the Chest? Yes, yes. There was two of 'em Or I mistake. I know the right, no stay sir, Nor no discourse, but to our labour lustily, Put to your strength and make as little noise, Then presently out at: the back door. Come Boy. Come happy child and let me hug thy excellence. What thousand noises pass through all the rooms? What cries and hurries? sure the Devils drunk. And tumbles through the house, my villainies That never made me apprehend before Danger or fear, a little now molest me; My cousin's death sits heavy o'my conscience, Would I had been half hanged when I hammered it. I aimed at a living divorce, not a burial That Frank might have had some hope: hark still In every room confusion, they are all mad, Most certain all stark mad within the house A punishment inflicted for my lewdness, That I might have the more sense of my mischief And run the more mad too, my Aunt is hanged sure, Sure hanged herself, or else the fiend has fetched her; I heard a hundred cries, the Devil, the Devil, Then roaring and then tumbling, all the chambers Are a mere babell, or another bedlam. What should I think? I shake myself too: Can the Devil find no time, but when we are merry, Here's something comes. Oh that I had some company, I care not what they were, to ease my misery, To comfort me, whose's that? Again? nay then receive Hold, hold I am no fury. The Merchant's wife. Are ye a man? pray heaven you be. I am. Alas I have met sir The strangest things too night. Why do you stare. Pray comfort me, and put your candle out For if I see the Spirit again I die for't. And hold me fast, for I shall shake to pieces else. I'll warrant you, I'll hold ye, Hold ye as tenderly; I have put the light out, Retire into my Chamber, there I'll watch we ye, I'll keep you from all frights. And will ye keep me. Keep you as secure Lady. You must not wrong me then, the devil will have us. No, no, I'll love you, then the devil will fear us. For he fears all that love, pray come in quickly, For this is the malicious house he walks in, The hour he blasts sweet faces, lame the limbs in, Depraves the senses, now within this half hour He will have power to turn all Citizens wives Into strange creatures, Owls, and long-tailed monkey's Jays, Pies, and Parrots, quickly, I smell his brimstone. It comes again I am gone, shift for yourself sir.
c.1611(?) [revised by Shirley and re-licensed for stage, May 11, 1633]
First performance (BritDrama)
1615 [1613-1616] [revised 1633]
Company (BritDrama)
Lady Elizabeth's Men
Theater
Phoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Genre (British Drama)
comedy
Play type
Adult Professional;Professional
Edition / TCP / DEEP
edition 1127 · TCP A00966 · DEEP 947
Edition role
Representative edition — used in the analysis
Position
nodes 708–773 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 11 of 39 in this edition
Length
483 words · 627 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.858 (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)
Noneleft sir, They are gone, and carried all the candles with 'em Their fright is infinite, lets make good use on't We must be quick sir, quick, or the house will rise else. Was this the Chest? Yes, yes. There was two of 'em Or I mistake. I know the right, no stay sir, Nor no discourse, but to our labour Iustily, Put to your strength and make as little noise, Then presently out at: the backe doore. Come Boy. Come happie child and let me hug thy excellence. What thousand noyses passe through all the roomes? What cryes and hurries? sure the Devills drunke. And tumbles through the house, my villanies That never made me apprehend before Danger or feare, a little now molest me; My Cosens death sits heavie o'my conscience, Would I had beene halfe hangd when I hammer'd it. I aym'd at a living divorce, not a buriall That Franke might have had some hope: harke still In every roome confusion, they are all mad, Most certaine all starke mad within the house A punishment inflicted for my lewdnesse, That I might have the more sense of my mischiefe And runne the more mad too, my Aunt is hang'd sure, Sure hang'd her selfe, or else the fiend has fetch'd her; I heard a hundred cryes, the Devill, the Devill, Then roaring and then tumbling, all the chambers Are a meere babell, or another bedlam. What should I thinke? I shake my selfe too: Can the Devill finde no time, but when we are merry, Here's something comes. Oh that I had some company, I care not what they were, to ease my misery, To comfort me, Whose that? Againe? nay then receive Hold, hold I am no fury. The Merchants wife. Are ye a man? pray heaven you be. I am. Alas I have met sir The strangest things too night. Why doe you stare. Pray comfort me, and put your candle out For if I see the Spirit againe I dye fort. And hold me fast, for I shall shake to peeces else. Ile warrant you, Ile hold yee, Hold ye as tenderly; I have put the light out, Retire into my Chamber, there Ile watch we yee, Ile keepe you from all frights. And will ye keepe me. Keepe you as secure Lady. You must not wrong me then, the devill will have us. No, no, Ile love you, then the devill will feare us. For he feares all that love, pray come in quickely, For this is the malicious house he walkes in, The houre he blasts sweete faces, lame the limbs in, Depraves the senses, now within this halfe houre He will have powre to turne all Citizens wives Into strange creatures, Owles, and long-taild Monkeys Jayes, Pies, and Parrots, quickely, I smell his brimstone. It comes agen I am gone, shift for your selfe sir.