A Looking Glass for London and England · chunk 32 of 39
Lodge, Thomas / Greene, Robert · published 1594 · first performed or written 1588 [1587-1588] (Annals) biblical play; moral · Derby's (Strange's) Men T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.84 · 502 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
Faith sir nothing, but to speak a few sentences to your worship. Say, what is it? I am sure sir you have heard of the spirits that walk in the City here. I, what of that? Truly sir, I have an oration to tell you of one of them, and this it is. Why goest not forward with thy tale? Faith mistress, I feel an imperfection in my voice, a disease that often troubles me, but alas easily mended, a cup of Ale, or a cup of wine, will serve the turn. Fill him a bowl, and let him want no drink. Oh what a precious word was that, and let him want no drink. Well sir, now i'll tell you forth my tale: Sir as I was coming alongst the port ryvale of Niniveh, there appeared to me a great devil, and as hard favoured a devil as ever I saw: nay sir, he was a cuckoldly devil, for he had horns on his head. This devil, mark you now, presseth upon me, and sir indeed, I charged him with my pike staff, but when that would not serve, I came upon him with sprytus santus, why it had been able to have put Lucifer out of his wits, when I saw my charm would not serve, I was in such a perplexity, that six pennyworth of juniper would not have made the place sweet again. Why fellow wert thou so afraid? Oh mistress had you been there and seen, his very sight had made you shift a clean smock, I promise you though I were a man and counted a tall fellow, yet my Laundress called me slovenly knave the next day. A pleasant slave, forward sirrah, on with thy tale. Faith sir, but I remember a word that my mistress your bedfellow spoke. What was that fellow? Oh sir, a word of comfort, a precious word: and let him want no drink. Her word is law: and thou shalt want no drink. Then sir, this devil came upon me and would not be persuaded but he would needs carry me to hell, I proffered him a cup of Ale, thinking because he came out of so hot a place that he was thirsty, but the devil was not dry, and therefore the more sorry was I, well, there was no remedy but I must with him to hell, and at last I cast mine eye aside, if you knew what I spied you would laugh, sir I looked from top to toe, and he had no cloven feet. Then I ruffled up my hair, and set my cap on the one side, & sir grew to be a justice of peace to the devil. At last in a great fume, as I am very cholloricke, and sometime so hot in my fastin fumes that no man can abide within twenty yards of me, I start up, and so bombasted the devil, that sir he cried out, and ran away.
nodes 1398–1414 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 32 of 39 in this edition
Length
502 words · 626 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.838 (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)
Faith sir nothing, but to speake a fewe sentences to your worship. Say, what is it? I am sure sir you haue heard of the spirits that walke in the Citie here. I, what of that? Truly sir, I haue an oration to tel you of one of them, and this it is. Why goest not forward with thy tale? Faith mistresse, I féele an imperfection in my voyce, a disease that often troubles me, but alasse easily mended, a cup of Ale, or a cup of wine, will serue the turne. Fill him a bowle, and let him want no drinke. Oh what a pretious word was that, and let him want no drinke. Well sir, now ile tel you foorth my tale: Sir as I was comming alongst the port ryuale of Niniuie, there appeared to me a great diuell, and as hard fauoured a diuell as euer I saw: nay sir, he was a cuckoldly diuell, for he had hornes on his head. This diuell, marke you now, presseth vpon me, and sir indéed, I charged him with my pike staffe, but when yt would not serue, I came vpon him with sprytus santus, why it had bene able to haue put Lucifer out of his wits, when I saw my charme would not serue, I was in such a perplexitie, that sixe peny-worth of Iuniper would not haue made the place swéete againe. Why fellow weart thou so afraid? Oh mistresse had you bene there and séene, his verie sight had made you shift a cleane smocke, I promise you though I were a man and counted a tall fellow, yet my Landresse calde me slouenly knaue the next day. A pleasaunt slaue, forward sirrha, on with thy tale. Faith sir, but I remember a word that my mistresse your bed-fellow spoake. What was that fellow? Oh sir, a word of comfort, a pretious word: and let him want no drinke. Her word is lawe: and thou shalt want no drinke. Then sir, this diuell came vpon me and would not be perswaded but he would néeds carry me to hell, I proffered him a cup of Ale, thinking because he came out of so hotte a place that he was thirstie, but the diuell was not drie, and therfore the more sorie was I, well, there was no remedie but I must with him to hell, and at last I cast mine eye aside, if you knew what I spied you would laugh, sir I lookt from top to toe, and he had no clouen féete. Then I ruffled vp my haire, and set my cap on the one side, & sir grew to be a Iustice of peace to the diuel. At last in a great fume, as I am very cholloricke, and sometime so hotte in my fastin fumes that no man can abide within twentie yards of me, I start vp, and so bombasted the diuell, that sir he cried out, and ranne away.