How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad · chunk 3 of 43
Anonymous · published 1602 · first performed or written 1602 [c.1601-1602] (Annals) comedy · Worcester's Men unassigned nearest T49 Wooing a mistress: suitors, go-betweens · 537 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T49: mistress, gentleman, love, lady, woman, pray, gentlewoman, hear, honest, way.
But if we love their credits or their quiets we must go And reconcile them to their former love: Where there is strife betwixt a man and wife 'tis hell, And mutual love may be compared to heaven: For then their souls and spirits are at peace. Come M. Lusam, now 'tis dinner time, When we have dined, the first work we will make, Is to decide their jars for pity sake. Welfare a good heart, yet are you advise, Go said you M. Arthur, I will run, To end these broils that discord hath begun. Come hither Pipkin, how chance you tread so softly? For fear of breaking Mistress. Art thou afraid of breaking, how so? Can you blame me Mistress, I am cracked already. Cracked Pipkin, how, hath any cracked your crown? No Mistress, I thank God my crown is currant, but. But what? The maid gave me not my supper yesternight, so that indeed my belly wambled; and standing near the great sea-coal fire in the hall, and not being full, on the sudden I cracked, and you know Mistress a Pipkin is soon broken. Sirrah run to the Exchange, and if you there Can find my husband, pray him to come home. Tell him I will not eat a bit of bread Until I see him: prithee Pipkin run. But Lady Mistress, if I should tell him so, it may be he would not come, were it for no other cause but to save charges, I'll rather tell him, if he come not quickly, you will eat up all the meat in the house, and then if he be of my stomach he will run every foot, and make the more hast to dinner. I thou mayst jest, my heart is not so light, It can digest the least conceit of joy: Entreat him fairly, though I think he loves All places worse that he beholds me in, Wilt thou be gone? Whither Mistress, to the Change? I to the Change. I will Mistress, hoping my M. will go so oft to the Change, that at length he will change his mind, and use you more kindly, o it were brave if my Master could meet with a Merchant of ill ventures to bargain with him for all his bad conditions, and he sell them outright, you should have a quieter heart, and we all a quieter house: but hoping Mistress you will pass over all these Jars and squabbles in good health, as my Master was at the making the thereof I commit you. Make haste again I prithee, till I see him My heart will never be at rest within me: My husband hath of late so much estranged His words, his deeds, his heart from me, That I can seldom have his company: And even that seldom with such discontent, Such frowns, such chidings, such impatience, That did not truth & virtue arm my thoughts, They would confound me with despair & hate, And make me run into extremities. Had I deserved the least bad look from him, I should account myself too bad to live, But honouring him in love and chastity, All judgements censure freely of my wrongs.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
But if we loue their credits or their quiets we must goe And reconcile them to their former loue: Where there is strife betwixt a man and wife tis hell, And mutuall loue may be compar'd to heauen: For then their soules and spirits are at peace. Come M. Lusam, now tis dinner time, When we haue dinde, the first worke we will make, Is to decide their iarres for pitie sake. Welfare a good hart, yet are you aduise, Goe said you M. Arthur, I will runne, To end these broyles that discord hath begunne. Come hither Pipkin, how chance you tread so softly? For feare of breaking Mistresse. Art thou afraid of breaking, how so? Can you blame me Mistris, I am crackt alreadie. Crackt Pipkin, how, hath any crackt your crown? No Mistris, I thank God my crown is currant, but. But what? The mayd gaue me not my supper yesternight, so that indeed my belly wambled; and standing neare the great sea-coale fire in the hall, and not being full, on the sodaine I crackt, and you know Mistris a Pipkin is soone broken. Sirra runne to the Exchange, and if you there Can finde my husband, pray him to come home. Tell him I will not eate a bit of bread Vntill I see him: prethee Pipkin runne. But Lady Mistris, if I should tell him so, it may be he would not come, were it for no other cause but to saue charges, Ile rather tell him, if he come not quickly, you will eate vp all the meate in the house, and then if he be of my stomacke he will runne euery foote, and make the more hast to dinner. I thou maist iest, my heart is not so light, It can disgest the least conceit of ioy: Intreat him fairly, though I thinke he loues All places worse that he beholds me in, Wilt thou be gone? Whither Mistresse, to the Chaunge? I to the Chaunge. I will Mistresse, hoping my M. will goe so oft to the Chaunge, that at length he will chaunge his minde, and vse you more kindly, ô it were braue if my Maister could meete with a Marchant of ill ventures to bargaine with him for all his bad conditions, and he sell them outright, you should haue a quieter heart, and we all a quieter house: but hoping Mistresse you will passe ouer all these Iares and squabels in good health, as my Maister was at the making the I commit you. Make haste againe I prethee, till I see him My heart will neuer be at rest within me: My husband hath of late so much estrang'd His words, his deeds, his heart from me, That I can sildome haue his company: And euen that sildome with such discontent, Such frownes, such chidings, such impatience, That did not truth & vertue arme my thoughts, They would confound me with dispaire & hate, And make me runne into extremities. Had I deseru'd the least bad looke from him, I should account my selfe too bad to liue, But honouring him in loue and chastitie, All iudgements censure freely of my wrongs.