Shakespeare, William · published 1598 · first performed or written 1597 [c.1596-1597] (Annals) history · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T47 Knaves, thieves and bawds typicality 0.84 · 537 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T47: knave, rogue, money, knaves, thief, rogues, pray, whore, nichol, book.
Well God give thee the spirit of persuasion, and him the ears of profiting, that what thou speakest, may move, and what he hears, may be believed, that the true prince may for recreation sake) prove a false thief, for the poor abuses of the time want countenance: farewell, you shall find me in Eastcheap Farewell the latter spring, farewell Alhallowne summer. Now my good sweet honey Lord, ride with us to morrow. I have a jest to execute, that I cannot manage alone. Falstalffe Harvey, Rossill, and Gadshil, shall rob those men that we have already waylaid, yourself and I will not be there, and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head off from my shoulders. How shall we part with them in setting forth? Why, we will set forth before or after them, and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail; and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves, which they shall have no sooner achieved but we'll set upon them. Yea but 'tis like that they will know us by our horses, by our habits, and by every other appointment to be ourselves. Tut, our horses they shall not see, i'll tie them in the wood, our vizards we will change after we leave them: and sirrah, I have cases of Buckram for the nonce, to immaske our noted outward garments. Yea, but I doubt they will be too hard for us. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true bred cowards as ever turned back: and for the third, if he sight longer than he sees reason, i'll forswear arms. The virtue of this jest will be the incomprehensible lies, that this same fat rogue will tell us when we meet at supper, how thirty at least he fought with, what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured, and in the reproof of this lives the jest. Well, i'll go with thee, provide us all things necessary, and meet me to morrow night in Eastcheap, there i'll sup: farewell. Farewell my Lord. I know you all, and will a while uphold The unyokt humour of your idleness, Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother up his beauty from the world, That when he please again to be himself, Being wanted he may be more wondered at By breaking through the soul and ugly mists Of vapours that did seem to strangle him. If all the year were playing holly-dayes, To sport would be as tedious as to work; But when they seldom come, they wished for come, And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents: So when this lose behaviour I throw off, And pay the debt I never promised, By how much better than my word I am, By so much shall I falsify men's hopes, And like bright metal on a sullen ground, My reformation glittering o'er my fault, Shall show more goodly, and attract more eyes Than that which hath no foil to set it off. I'll so offend, to make offence a skill, Redeeming time when men think lest I wil.
nodes 158–191 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 5 of 49 in this edition
Length
537 words · 687 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T47 — Knaves, thieves and bawdscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.837 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T46 · seed 44: T41 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Well God giue thee the spirit of perswasion, and him the eares of profiting, that what thou speakest, may moue, and wht he heares, may be beleeued, that the true prince may for recreation sake) proue a false thiefe, for the poore abuses of the time want countenance: farewel▪ you shal find me in Eastcheap Farewel the latter spring, farewel Alhallowne summer. Now my good sweete hony Lord, ride with vs to morrow. I haue a ieast to execute, that I cannot mannage alone. Falstalffe Haruey, Rossill, and Gadshil, shal rob those men that we haue already way-laid, yourselfe and I will not bee there▪ and when they haue the bootie, if you and I doe not rob them, cut this head off from my shoulders. How shall we part with them in setting forth▪ Why, we wil set forth before or after them, and appoin them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to faile; and then wil they aduenture vpō the exploit themselues, which they shal haue no sooner atchieued but weele set vpon them. Yea but tis like that they wil know vs by our horses, by our habits, and by euery other appointment to be our selues. Tut, our horses they shal not see, ile tie them in the wood, our vizards wee wil change after wee leaue them: and sirrha, I haue cases of Buckrom for the nonce, to immaske our noted outward garments. Yea, but I doubt they wil be too hard for vs. Wel, for two of them, I know them to bee as true bred cowards as euer turnd backe: and for the third, if he sight longer then he sees reason, ile forsweare armes. The vertue of this ieast wil be the incomprehensible lies, that this same fat rogue wil tel vs when we meet at supper, how thirtie at least he fought with, what wardes, what blowes, what extremities he indured, and in the reproofe of this liues the iest. Well, ile goe with thee, prouide vs all thinges necessarie, and meete me to morrow night in Eastcheape, there ile sup: farewell. Farewel my Lord. I know you all, and wil a while vphold The vnyokt humour of your idlenes, Yet herein wil I imitate the sunne, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother vp his beautie from the world, That when he please againe to be himselfe, Being wanted he may be more wondred at By breaking through the soule and ougly mists Of vapours that did seeme to strangle him. If all the yeere were playing holly-dayes, To sport would be as tedious as to worke; But when they seldome come, they wisht for come, And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents: So when this loose behuiour I throw off, And pay the debt I neuer promised, By how much better then my word I am, By so much shall I falsifie mens hopes, And like bright mettal on a sullein ground, My reformation glittring ore my fault, Shal shew more goodly, and attract more eyes Then that which hath no foile to set it off. Ile so offend, to make offence a skill, Redeeming time when men thinke least I wil.