Heywood, John · published 1544 · first performed or written 1520 [c.1520-1522] (Annals) not in BritDrama T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.70 · 490 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
Be sure quoth he no tongue can tell What time thou couldst have come so well For this day lucyfer fell Which is our festival in hell Nothing unreasonable craved this day That shall in hell have any nay But yet be aware thou come not in Till time thou may thy passport win Wherefore stand still and I will wyd If I can get thy save condyt He tarried not but shortly got it Under seal and the devils hand at it In ample wise as ye shall here Thus it began Lucyfere By the power of god chief devil of hell To all the devils that there do dwell And every of them we send greeting Under streygyt charge and commanding That they aiding and assistant be To such a pardoner and maned me So that he may at liberty Pass save without his jeopardy Till that he be from us extinct And clearly out of hells precinct And his pardons to keep safeguard We will they lie in the porters ward Gevyn in the fornes of our palaces In our high court of matters of malices Such a day and year of our rain God save the devil quoth I for playve I trust this writing to be sure Then put thy trust quoth he in ever sins thou art sure to take no harm This devil and I walket arm in arm So far till he had brought me thither Where all the devils of hell together Stood in a ray in such apparel As for that day there meetly fell Their horns well gilt their clowes full clean Their tails well kempt and as I ween With Sothery butter their bodies anointed I never saw devils so well appointed The master devil sat in his jacket And all the souls were playing at racket None other rackettes they had in hand Save every soul a good fire brand Wherewith they played so prettily That Lucyfer laughed merely And all the resedew of the friends Did laugh full well togytther like friends But of my friend I saw no whit Nor durst not axe for her as yet Anon all this rout was brought in silens And I by an usher brought in presence Then to Lucyfer low as I could I kneeled which he so well aloud That thus he beckte and by saint Antony He smiled on me well favouredly Bending his brows as broad as barn durres Shaking his ears as rugged as burrs Rolling his yes as round as two bushels Flashynge the fire out of his nose thryls gnashing his teeth so generously That me thought time to fall to flattery Wherewith I told as I shall tell O pleasant picture O prince of hell Fevered in fashion abominable And sins that is inestimable For me to praise the worthily I leave of prays unworthy To give the prays beseeching the
nodes 840–910 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 13 of 18 in this edition
Length
490 words · 577 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.696 (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)
Be ſure quoth he no tongue can tell What tyme thou coudeſt haue come ſo well For thys daye lucyfer fell Whiche is our feſtyuall in hell Nothynge vnreaſonable craued thys day That ſhall in hell haue any nay But yet be ware thou come nat in Tyll tyme thou may thy paſporte wyn Wherfore ſtande ſtyll and I wyll wyd Yf I can get thy ſaue condyt He taryed nat but ſhortely gat it Vnder ſeale and the deuyls hande at it In ample wyſe as ye ſhall here Thus it began Lucyfere By the power of god chyefe deuyll of hell To all the deuyls that there do dwell And euery of them we ſende gretynge Vnder ſtreygyt charge and commaundynge That they aydynge and aſſyſtent be To ſuche a pardoner and maned me So that he may at lybertie Paſſe ſaue without hys ieopardy Tyll that he be from vs extyncte And clerely out of helles precincte And hys pardons to kepe ſauegarde We wyll they lye in the porters warde Geuyn in the fornes of our palys In our hye courte of maters of malys Suche a day and yere of our reyne God ſaue the deuyll quoth I for playue I truſte thys wrytynge to be ſure Then put thy truſte quoth he in euer Syns thou art ſure to take no harme Thys deuyll and I walket arme in arme So farre tyll he had brought me thyther Where all the deuyls of hell togyther Stode in a ray in ſuche apparell As for that day there metely fell Theyr hornes well gylt theyr clowes full clene Theyr taylles well kempt and as I wene With Sothery butter theyr bodyes anoynted I neuer ſawe deuyls ſo well appoynted The mayſter deuyll ſat in his iacket And all the ſoules were playnge at racket None other rackettes they hadde in hande Saue euery ſoule a good fyre brande Wherwith they played ſo pretely That Lucyfer laughed merely And all the reſedew of the frendes Dyd laugh full well togytther lyke frendes But of my frende I ſawe no whyt Nor durſt nat axe for her as yet Anone all this rout was brought in ſilens And I by an vſher brought in preſens Then to Lucyfer low as I coude I knelyd whiche he ſo well alowde That thus he beckte and by ſaynt Antony He ſmyled on me well fauoredly Bendynge hys browes as brode as barne durres Shakynge hys eares as uged as burres Rolynge hys yes as rounde as two buſhels Flaſtynge the fyre out of his noſe thryls Gnaſhynge hys teeth ſo baynglorouſely That me thought tyme to fall to flatery Wherwith I tolde as I ſhall tell O pleſant pycture O prince of hell Feuered in faſhyon abominable And ſyns that is ineſtimable For me to prayſe the worthyly I leue of prays vnworthy To geue the prays beſechynge the