Heywood, John · published 1544 · first performed or written 1520 [c.1520-1522] (Annals) not in BritDrama T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.68 · 489 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
To hear my sewte and then to be So good to grant the thing I crave And to be short this would I have The soul of one which hither is flytted Delivered hens and to me remitted And in this doing though all be not quit Yet some part I shall deserve it As thus I am a pardoner And over souls as a controller Through out the earth my power doth stand Where many a soul lieth on my hand That speed in matters as I use them As I receive them or refuse them Whereby what time thy pleasure is I shall require any part of this The lest devil here that can come thither Shall choose a soul and bring him hither Now quoth the devil we are well pleased What is his name thou wouldest have eased Nay quoth I be it good or evil My coming is for a she devil What call'st her quoth he thou horyson Forsooth quoth I Margery coorson Now by our honour said Lucyfer No devil in hell shall withhold her And if thou wouldest have twenty more Were not for justice they should go For all we devils within this den Have more to do with two women Then with all the charge we have beside Wherefore if thou our friend will be tried Aply thy pardons to women so That unto us there come no more To do my bane I promised by oath Which I have kept for as the faith goth At this days to heaven I do procure Ten women to one man be sure Then of Lucyfer my leave I took And straight unto the master coke I was had into the kitchen For Margaryes office was there in All thing handled there discreetly For every soul beareth office meetly Which might be seen to see her sit So bysely turning of the spit For many a spit here hath she turned And many a good spit hath she burned And many a spit full hoth hath toasted Before the meat could be half roasted And or the meat were half roasted in deed I took her then fro the spit for speed But when she saw this brought to pass To tell the joy wherein she was And of all the devils for joy how they Did roar at her delivery And how the chains in hell did ring And how all the souls therein did sing And how we were brought to the gate And how we took our leave thereat Be sure lack of time suffereth not To rehearse the twenty part of that Wherefore this tale to conclude briefly This woman thanked me chiefly That she was rid of this endless death And so we departed on new market heath And if that any man do mind her Who list to seek her there shall he find her
nodes 911–977 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 14 of 18 in this edition
Length
489 words · 542 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.677 (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)
To heare my ſewte and then to be So good to graunt the thynge I craue And to be ſhorte thys wolde I haue The ſoule of one whiche hyther is flytted Deliuered hens and to me remitted And in thys doynge though al be nat quyt Yet ſome parte I ſhall deſerue it As thus I am a pardoner And ouer ſoules as a controller Thorough out the erth my power doth ſtande Where many a ſoule lyeth on my hande That ſpede in maters as I vſe them As I receyue them or refuſe them Wherby what tyme thy pleaſure is I ſhall requyre any part of thys The leſte deuyll here that can come thyther Shall choſe a ſoule and brynge hym hyther Nowe quoth the deuyll we are well pleaſed What is hys name thou woldeſt haue eaſed Nay quoth I be it good or euyll My comynge is for a ſhe deuyll What calſte her quoth he thou horyſon Forſoth quoth I Margery coorſon Now by our honour ſayd Lucyfer No deuyll in hell ſhall witholde her And yf thou woldeſt haue twenty mo Were nat for iuſtyce they ſhulde goo For all we deuyls within thys den Haue more to do with two women Then with all the charge we haue beſyde Wherfore yf thou our frende wyll be tryed Aply thy pardons to women ſo That vnto vs there come no mo To do my be I promyſed by othe Whiche I haue kepte for as the fayth goth At thys dayes to heuen I do procure Ten women to one man be ſure Then of Lucyfer my leue I toke And ſtreyght vnto the mayſter coke I was hdde into the kechyn For Margaryes offyce was ther in All thynge handled there diſcretely For euery ſoule bereth offyce metely Whiche myght be ſene to ſe her ſyt So byſely turnynge of the ſpyt For many a ſpyt here hath ſhe turned And many a good ſpyt hath ſhe burned And many a ſpyt full hoth hath toſted Before the meat coulde be halfe roſted And or the meate were halfe roſted in dede I toke her then fro the ſpyt for ſpede But when ſhe ſawe thys brought to pas To tell the ioy wherin ſhe was And of all the deuyls for ioy how they Dyd rore at her delyuery And how the cheynes in hell dyd rynge And how all the ſoules therin dyd ſynge And how we were brought to the gate And how we toke our leue therat Be ſuer lacke of tyme ſufferyth nat To reherſe the .xx. parte of that Wherfore thys tale to conclude breuely Thys woman thanked me chyefly That ſhe was ryd of thys endles deth And ſo we departed on new market heth And yf that any man do mynde her Who lyſte to ſeke her there ſhall he fynde her