Chapman, George · published 1605 · first performed or written 1601 (Annals) comedy · Children of the Queen's Revels · before the Court T23 Husbands, wives and jealousy typicality 0.78 · 508 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T23: wife, husband, cuckold, jealousy, woman, jealous, mistress, love, house, honest.
It is too true, and thou shalt answer it, For setting such debate twixt man and wife: See, we shall see the solemn manner of it. Good signor Cornelio let us poor Gentlewomen entreat you to forbear. Talk no more to me, I'll not be made Cuckold in my own house: Notary read me the divorce. My dear Cornelio, examine the cause better before you condemn me. Sing to me no more Siren, for I will hear thee no more, I will take no compassion on thee. Good signor Cornelio be not too mankind against your wife, say you're a cuckold (as the best that is may be so at a time) will you make a trumpet of your own horns? Go to sir, you're a rascal, we give you a fee for pleading for her one day, Notary do you your office. Go to signor look better to your wife, and be better advised, before you grow to this extremity. Extremity? go to, I deal but too mercifully with her, If I should use extremity with her I might hang her, and her copesmate my drudge here, how say you M. Notary, might I not do it by law? Not hang am, but you may bring them both to a white sheet. Nay by the mass they have had too much of the sheet already. And besides you may set capital letters on their foreheads. W's that to the capitall letter thats written in minde, I say for all your law, maister Notary that I may hang am, may I not hang him that robs me of mine honour, as well as he that robs me of my horse? No sir your horse is a chattel. So is honour, a man may buy it with his penny, and if I may hang a man for stealing my horse (as I say) much more for robbing me of my honour; for why? if my horse be stolen, it may be my own fault; for why? either the stable is not strong enough, or the pasture not well fenced, or watched, or so forth: But for your wife that keeps the stable of your honour: Let her be locked in a brazen tower, let Argus himself keep her, yet can you never be secure of your honour, for why? she can run through all with her serpent noddle: beside you may hang a lock upon your horse, and so can you not upon your wife. But I pray you Sir what are the presumptions on which you would build this divorce? Presumption enough Sir, for besides their intercourse, or commerce of glances that passed betwixt this cockrel-drone, and her, at my table the last Sunday night at supper, their winks, their becks, due guard, their treads a'the toe (as by heaven I swear she trod once upon my toe instead of his) This is chiefly to be noted, the same night she would needs lie alone; and the same night her dog barked, did not you hear him Valerio?
nodes 1688–1706 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 29 of 38 in this edition
Length
508 words · 650 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T23 — Husbands, wives and jealousycross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.777 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
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)
It is too true, and thou shalt answere it, For setting such debate twixt man and wife: See, we shall see the solemne maner of it. Good Signior Cornelio let vs poore Gentlewomen intreate you to forbeare. Talke no more to me, Ile not be made Cuckold in my owne house: Notarie read me the diuorce. My deare Cornelio, examine the cause better before you condemne me. Sing to me no more Syren, for I will heare thee no more, I will take no compassion on thee. Good Signior Cornelio be not too mankinde against your wife, say y'are a cuckold (as the best that is may be so at time) will you make a trumpet of your owne hornes? Goe too sir, y'are a rascall, e giue you a fee for pleading for her one day, Notary doe you your office. Goe too Sighior looke better to your wife, and be better aduised, before you grow to this exremitie. Extremity? go too, I deale but too mercifully with her, If I should vse extremie with her I might hang her, and her copesmate my drude here, how say you M. Notary, might I not doe it by law? Not hang am, but you may bring them both to a white sheete. Nay by the masse they haue had too much of the sheete already. And besides you may set capitall letters on their foreheads. W's that to the capitall letter thats written in minde, I say for all your law, maister Notary that I may hang am, may I not hang him that robs me of mine honour, as well as he that robs me of my horse? No sir your horse is a chattell. Soe is honour, a man may buy it with his peny, and if I may hang a man for stealing my horse (as I say) much more for robbing mee of my honour; for why? if my hose be stolne, it may bee my owne fault; for why? eyther the stable is not stong enough, or the pasture not well fenc't, or watcht, or so foorth: But for your wife that keepes the stable of your honour: Let her be lo in a brazen towre, let Argus himselfe keepe her, yet can you neuer bee secure of your honour, for why? she can runne through all with her serpent nodle: besides you may hang a locke vpon your horse, and so can you not vpon your wife. But I pray you Sir what are the presumptions on which you would build this diuorce? Presumption enough Sir, for besides their entercourse, or commerce of glances that past betwixt this cockrill-drone, and her, at my table the last Sunday night at supper, their winckes, their beckes, due gard, their treads a'the toe (as by heauen I sweare she trode once vpon my toe instead of his) This is chiefly to be noed, the same night she would needs lie alone; and the same night her dog bark, did not you heare him Ualerio?