How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad · chunk 31 of 43
Anonymous · published 1602 · first performed or written 1602 [c.1601-1602] (Annals) comedy · Worcester's Men T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.80 · 520 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
O who can tell me where I am become? For in this darkness I have lost myself, I am not dead, for I have sense and life, How come I then in this Coffin buried? Anselm be bold she lives, and Destiny Hath trained thee hither to redeem her life. Lives any 'mongst these dead? none but myself. O yes, a man whose heart till now was dead, Lives and survives at your return to life: Nay start not, I am Anselm, one who long Hath doted on your fair perfection, And loving you more than became me well, Was hither sent by some strange providence, To bring you from these hollow vaults below, To be a liver in the world again. I understand you, and I thank the heavens, That sent you to revive me from this fear, And I embrace my safety with good will. Mane Citus lectum fuge mollem discute somnum, Templa pet as supplex & venerarum deum. Shake off thy sleep, get up betimes, go to the church and pray, And never fear, God will thee hear, & keep thee all the day. Good counsel boys, observe it, mark it well, This early rising, this diliculo, Is good both for your bodies and your minds. 'tis not yet day, give me my Tinderbox, Mean time unloose your satchels & your books, Draw, draw, and take you to your lessons boys. O Lord M. what's that in the white sheet? In the white sheet my boy, Dic vbi, where? Vide Master, vide illic there. O Domine, Domine, keep us from evil, A charm from flesh, the world, & the devil. O tell me not my husband was ingrate, Or that he did attempt to poison me, Or that he laid me here, and I was dead, These are no means at all to win my love. Sweet Mistress, he bequath you to the earth, You promised him to be his wife till death, And you have kept your promise, but now since The world, your husband, & your friends suppose That you are dead, grant me but one request, And I will swear never to solicit more, Your sacred thoughts to my dishonest love. So your demand may be no prejudice To my chaste name, no wrong unto my husband, No suit that may concern my Wedlock breach, I yield unto it, but to pass the bands of modesty & chastity, First will I beaueath myself again Unto this grave, and never part from hence, Then taint my soul with black impurity. Take here my hand & faithful heart to gauge, That I will never tempt you more to sin: This my request is, since your husband dotes Upon a lewd lascivious Courtesan, Since he hath broke the bands of your chaste bed, And like a murderer sent you to your grave, Do but go with me to my mother's house, There shall you live in secret for a space, Only to see the end of such lewd lust, And know the difference of a chaste wife's bed, And one whose life is in all looseness led.
nodes 1751–1812 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 31 of 43 in this edition
Length
520 words · 674 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.797 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T10 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
O who can tell me where I am become? For in this darknes I haue lost my selfe, I am not dead, for I haue sence and life, How come I then in this Coffin buried? Anselme be bold she liues, and Destinie Hath traind thee hither to redeeme her life. Liues any mongst these dead? none but my self. O yes, a man whose heart till now was dead, Liues and suruiues at your returne to life: Nay start not, I am Anselme, one who long Hath doted on your faire perfection, And louing you more then became me well, Was hither sent by some strange prouidence, To bring you from these hollow vaults below, To be a liuer in the world againe. I vnderstand you, and I thanke the heauens, That sent you to reuiue me from this feare, And I embrace my safetie with good will. Mane Citus lectum fuge mollem discute somnum, Templa pet as supplex & venerarum deum. Shake off thy sleepe, get vp betimes, go to the church and pray, And neuer feare, God wil thee heare, & keepe thee all the day. Good counsel boyes, obserue it, marke it well, This early rising, this diliculo, Is good both for your bodies and your minds. Tis not yet day, giue me my Tinder-box, Mean time vnloose your sachels & your bookes, Draw, draw, and take you to your lessons boyes. O Lord M. whats that in the white sheete? In the white sheete my boy, Dic vbi, where? Vide Maister, vide illic there. O Domine, Domine, keep vs from euill, A charme from flesh, the world, & the diuell. O tel me not my husband was ingrate, Or that he did attempt to poyson me, Or that he laid me here, and I was dead, These are no meanes at all to win my loue. Sweet Mistris, he be quath'd you to the earth, You promis'd him to be his wife till death, And you haue kept your promise, but now since The world, your husbād, & your friends suppose That you are dead, grant me but one request, And I will sweare neuer to sollicite more, Your sacred thoughts to my dishonest loue. So your demand may be no preiudise To my chast name, no wrong vnto my husband, No sute that may concern my Wedlock breach, I yeeld vnto it, but to passe the bands of modestie & chastitie, First will I be queath my selfe againe Vnto this graue, and neuer part from hence, Then taint my soule with blacke impuritie. Take here my hand & faithful hart to gage, That I will neuer tempt you more to sinne: This my request is, since your husband doates Vpon a leaud lasciuious Curtezan, Since he hath broke the bands of your chaste bed, And like a murderer sent you to your graue, Do but go with me to my mothers house, There shall you liue in secret for a space, Onely to see the end of such leaud lust, And know the difference of a chaste wifes bed, And one whose life is in all loosenesse led.