How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad · chunk 40 of 43
Anonymous · published 1602 · first performed or written 1602 [c.1601-1602] (Annals) comedy · Worcester's Men T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.83 · 503 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Old M. Arthur and M. Lusam, so it is, that I have heard both your complaints, but understood neither, for you know Legere & non intelligere negligere est. I come for favour, as a father should, Pitying the fall and ruin of his son. I come for justice, as a father should, That hath by violent murder lost his daughter. You come for favour, and you come for justice, justice with favour is not partial, And using that, I hope to please you both. Good M. justice think upon my son. Good M. justice think upon my daughter. Why so I do, I think upon them both, But can do neither of you good: For he that lives must die, and she that's dead, Cannot be revived. Lusam, thou seekst to rob me of my son, my only son. He robbed me of my daughter, my only daughter. And robbers are flat felons by the law. Lusam, I say thou art a bloodsucker, A tyrant, a remorseless Cannibal: Old as I am I'll prove it on thy bones. Am I a bloodsucker or Cannibal? Am I a tyrant that do thirst for blood? I if thou seekst the ruin of my son, Thou art a tyrant and a bloodsucker. I if I seek the ruin of thy son I am indeed. Nay more thou art a dotard. And in the right of my accursed son, I challenge thee the field, meet me I say Tomorrow morning besides Islington, And bring thy sword & buckler if thou darest. Meet thee with my sword & buckler, there's my glove, I'll meet thee to revenge my daughter's death. Callst thou me dotard, though these threescore years, I never handled weapon but a knife To cut my meat, yet will I meet thee there. God's precious call me dotard. I have cause, Just cause to call thee dotard, have I not? Nay that's another matter have you cause, Than God forbid that I should take exceptions To be called dotard of one that hath cause. My Masters you must leave this quarreling, for quarrelers are never at peace, and men of peace while they are at quiet are never quarreling; so you whilst you fall into brawls, you cannot choose but jar. Here comes your son accused, & your wife the accuser: stand forth both. Hugh be ready with your pen and Ink to take their examinations and confessions. It shall not need, I do confess the deed, Of which this woman here accuseth me: I poisoned my first wife, and for that deed I yield me to the mercy of the law. Villain, thou meanst my only daughter, And in her death deprivedst me of all joys. I mean her, I do confess the deed, And though my body taste the force of Law, Like an offender, on my knee I begs, Your angry soul will pardon me her death. Nay if he kneeling do confess the deed, No reason but I should forgive her death.
nodes 2260–2313 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 40 of 43 in this edition
Length
503 words · 652 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.829 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Old M. Arthur and M. Lusam, so it is, that I haue heard both your complaints, but vnderstood neither, for you know Legere & non intelligere negligere est. I come for fauour, as a father should, Pittying the fall and ruine of his sonne. I come for iustice, as a father should, That hath by violent murder lost his daughter. You come for fauour, and you come for iustice, Iustice with fauour is not partiall, And vsing that, I hope to please you both. Good M. Iustice thinke vpon my sonne. Good M. Iustice thinke vpon my daughter. Why so I do, I thinke vpon them both, But can do neither of you good: For he that liues must die, and she thats dead, Cannot be reuiued. Lusam, thou seekst to rob me of my sonne, my onely sonne. Hee robd mee of my daughter, my onely daughter. And robbers are flat fellons by the law. Lusam, I say thou art a blood-sucker, A tyrant, a remorslesse Caniball: Old as I am Ile proue it on thy bones. Am I a blood-sucker or Caniball? Am I a tyrant that do thirst for blood? I if thou seekst the ruine of my sonne, Thou art a tyrant and a blood-sucker. I if I seeke the ruine of thy sonne I am indeed. Nay more thou art a dotard. And in the right of my accursed sonne, I chalendge thee the field, meet me I say To morrow morning besides Islington, And bring thy sword & buckler if thou darst. Meet thee with my sword & buckler, theres my gloue, Ile meet thee to reuenge my daughters death. Callst thou me dotard, though these threescore yeares, I neuer handled weapon but a knife To cut my meate, yet wil I meet thee there. Gods pretious call me dotard. I haue cause, Iust cause to call thee dotard, haue I not? Nay thats another matter haue you cause, Then God forbid that I should take exceptions To be cald dotard of one that hath cause. My Maisters you must leaue this quarrelling, for quarrellers are neuer at peace, and mē of peace while they are at quiet are neuer quarrelling; so you whilst you fall into brawles, you cannot chuse but Iar. Here comes your sonne accused, & your wife the accuser: stand forth both. Hugh be readie with your pen and Inke to take their examinations and confessions. It shall not need, I do confesse the deed, Of which this woman here accuseth me: I poisoned my first wife, and for that deed I yeeld me to the mercie of the lawe. Villaine, thou meanst my onely daughter, And in her death depriuedst me of all ioyes. I meane her, I do confesse the deed, And though my bodie taste the force of Lawe, Like an offender, on my knee I begges, Your angrie soule will pardon me her death. Nay if he kneeling do confesse the deed, No reason but I should forgiue her death.