Heywood, John · published 1544 · first performed or written 1520 [c.1520-1522] (Annals) not in BritDrama T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.68 · 494 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
Well sir then mark what I can say I have been a pardoner many a day And done greater cures ghostly Then ever he did bodily Namely this one which ye shall here Of one departed within this seven year A friend of mine and likewise I To her again was as friendly Who fell so sick so suddenly That deed she was even by and by And never spoke with pressed nor clerk Nor had no whit of this holy work For I was thence it could not be Yet hard I say she asked for me But when I bethought me how this chanced And that I have to heaven advanced So many souls to me but strangers And could not keep my friend from dangers But she to die so dangerously For her soul health especially That was the thing that grieved me so That nothing could release my woe Till I had tried even out of hand In what estate her soul did stand For which trial short tale to make I took this journey for her sake give ear for here beginneth the story From hens I went to purgatory And took with me this gear in my fist Whereby I may do there what I list I knocked and was let in quickly But lord how low the souls made courtesy And I to every soul again Did give a beck them to retain And axed them this question than If that the soul of such a woman Did late among them there appear Whereto they said she came not here Then fir I much it was not well Alas thought I she is in hell For with her life I was so acquainted That sure I thought she was not saynted With this it chanced me to snese Christ help quoth a soul that ley for his fees Those words quoth I thou shalt not lees Then with these pardons of all degrees I paid his toll and set him so quyght That straight to heaven he took his flight And I from thence to hell that night To help this woman if I might Nat as who saith by outhorite But by the way of entreat And first the devil that kept the gate I came and spoke after this rate All hail sir devil and made low courtesy Welcome quoth he this smillyngly He knew me well and I at last Remembered him sins long time paste For as good hap would have it chance This devil and I were of old acquaintance For oft in the play of corpus Cristi He hath played the devil at Coventry By his acquaintance and my behaviour He showed to me right friendly favour And to make my return the shorter I said to this devil good master porter For all old love if it lie in your power Help me to speak with my lord and your
nodes 772–839 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 12 of 18 in this edition
Length
494 words · 537 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.683 (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)
¶Well ſyr then marke what I can ſay I haue ben a pardoner many a day And done greater cures goſtely Then euer he dyd bodely Namely thys one whiche ye ſhall here Of one departed within thys ſeuen yere A frende of myne and lykewyſe I To her agayne was as frendly Who fell ſo ſyke ſo ſodeynly That dede ſhe was euen by and by And neuer ſpake with preſte nor clerke Nor had no whyt of thys holy warke For I was thens it coulde nat be Yet harde I ſay ſhe aſked for me But when I bethought me howe thys chaunced And that I haue to heuen auaunced So many ſoules to me but ſtraungers And coude nat kepe my frende from daungers But ſhe to dy ſo daungerouſly For her ſoule helth eſpecyally That was the thynge that greued me ſoo That nothynge coulde releaſe my woo Tyll I had tryed euen out of hande In what eſtate her ſoule dyd ſtande For whiche tryall ſhorte tale to make I toke thys iourney for her ſake Geue eare for here begynneth the ſtory From hens I went to purgatory And toke with me thys gere in my fyſte Wherby I may do there what I lyſte I knocked and was let in quyckly But lorde how lowe the ſoules made curteſy And I to euery ſoule agayne Dyd gyue a beck them to retayne And axed them thys queſtion than Yf that the ſoule of ſuche a woman Dyd late amonge them there appere Wherto they ſayd ſhe came nat here Then ferd I muche it was nat well Alas thought I ſhe is in hell For with her lyfe I was ſo acqueynted That ſure I thought ſhe was nat ſaynted With thys it chaunced me to ſneſe Chriſte helpe quoth a ſoule that ley for his fees Thoſe wordes quoth I thou ſhalt nat lees Then with theſe pardons of all degrees I payed hys tole and ſet hym ſo quyght That ſtrayt to heuen he toke his flyght And I from thens to hell that nyght To help this woman yf I myght Nat as who ſayth by outhorite But by the waye of entreate And fyrſt the deuyll that kept the gate I came and ſpake after this rate All hayle ſyr deuyll and made lowe curteſy Welcome quoth he thys ſmillyngly He knew me well and I at laſte Remembred hym ſyns longe tyme paſte For as good happe wolde haue it chaunce Thys deuyll and I were of olde acqueyntaunce For oft in the play of corpus Criſti He hath played the deuyll at Couentry By his acqueyntaunce and my behauoure He ſhewed to me ryght frendly fauoure And to make my returne the ſhorter I ſayd to this deuyll good mayſter porter For all olde loue yf it lye in your power Helpe me to ſpeke with my lorde and your