Shakespeare, William · published 1623 · first performed or written 1598 (Annals) comedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T30 Constables, justices and the watch typicality 0.88 · 480 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T30: constable, squire, tub, clay, worship, justice, turf, mr, hun, valentine.
And as I wooed for thee to obtain her, I will join with thee to disgrace her. I will disparage her no farther, till you are my witnesses, bear it coldly but till night, and let the issue show itself. O day untowardly turned! O mischief strangely thwarting! O plague right well prevented! so will you say, when you have seen the sequel. Are you good men and true? Yea, or else it were pity but they should suffer salvation body and soul. Nay, that were a punishment too good for them, if they should have any allegiance in them, being chosen for the Prince's watch. Well, give them their charge, neighbour Dogbery. First, who think you the most desertless man to be Constable? Hugh Ote-cake sir, or George Sea-coal, for they can write and read. Come hither neighbour Sea-coal, God hath blessed you with a good name: to be a well-favoured man, is the gift of Fortune, but to write and read, comes by Nature. Both which Master Constable You have: I knew it would be your answer: well, for your favour sir, why give God thankes, & make no boast of it, and for your writing and reading, let that appear when there is no need of such vanity, you are thought here to be the most senseless and fit man for the Constable of the watch: therefore bear you the lantern: this is your charge: You shall comprehend all vagrom men, you are to bid any man stand in the Prince's name. How if a will not stand? Why then take no note of him, but let him go, and presently call the rest of the Watch together, and thank God you are rid of a knave. If he will not stand when he is bidden, he is none of the Prince's subjects. True, and they are to meddle with none but the Prince's subjects: you shall also make no noise in the streets: for, for the Watch to babble and talk, is most tolerable, and not to be endured. We will rather sleep than talk, we know what belongs to a Watch. Why you speak like an ancient and most quiet watchman, for I cannot see how sleeping should offend: only have a care that your bills be not stolen: well, you are to call at all the Alehouses, and bid them that are drunk get them to bed. How if they will not? Why then let them alone till they are sober, if they make you not then the better answer, you may say, they are not the men you took them for. Well sir. If you meet a thief, you may suspect him, by virtue of your office, to be no true man: and for such kind of men, the less you meddle or make with them, why the more is for your honesty.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 626–649 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 22 of 42 in this edition
Length
480 words · 599 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T30 — Constables, justices and the watchcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.880 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T36 · seed 44: T35 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
And as I wooed for thee to obtaine her, I will ioyne with thee to diſgrace her. I will diſparage her no farther, till you are my witneſſes, beare it coldly but till night, and let the iſſue ſhew it ſelfe. O day vntowardly turned! O miſchiefe ſtrangelie thwarting! O plague right well preuented! ſo will you ſay, when you haue ſeene the ſequele. Are you good men and true? Yea, or elſe it were pitty but they ſhould ſuffer ſaluation body and ſoule. Nay, that were a puniſhment too good for them, if they ſhould haue any allegiance in them, being choſen for the Princes watch. Well, giue them their charge, neighbour Dogbery. Firſt, who thinke you the moſt deſartleſſe man to be Conſtable? Hugh Ote-cake ſir, or George Sea-coale, for they can write and reade. Come hither neighbour Sea-coale, God hath bleſt you with a good name: to be a wel-fauoured man, is the gift of Fortune, but to write and reade, comes by Nature. Both which Maſter Conſtable You haue: I knew it would be your anſwere: well, for your fauour ſir, why giue God thankes, & make no boaſt of it, and for your writing and reading, let that appeare when there is no need of ſuch vanity, you are thought heere to be the moſt ſenſleſſe and fit man for the Conſtable of the watch: therefore beare you the lanthorne: this is your charge: You ſhall comprehend all vagrom men, you are to bid any man ſtand in the Princes name. How if a will not ſtand? Why then take no note of him, but let him go, and preſently call the reſt of the Watch together, and thanke God you are ridde of a knaue. If he will not ſtand when he is bidden, hee is none of the Princes ſubiects. True, and they are to meddle with none but the Princes ſubiects: you ſhall alſo make no noiſe in the ſtreetes: for, for the Watch to babble and talke, is moſt tollerable, and not to be indured. We will rather ſleepe than talke, wee know what belongs to a Watch. Why you ſpeake like an ancient and moſt quiet watchman, for I cannot ſee how ſleeping ſhould offend: only haue a care that your bills be not ſtolne: well, you are to call at all the Alehouſes, and bid them that are drunke get them to bed. How if they will not? Why then let them alone till they are ſober, if they make you not then the better anſwere, you may ſay, they are not the men you tooke them for. Well ſir. If you meet a theefe, you may ſuſpect him, by vertue of your office, to be no true man▪ and for ſuch kinde of men, the leſſe you meddle or make with them, why the more is for your honeſty.