Marston, John · published 1606 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) comedy · Children of the Queen's Revels · Blackfriars T23 Husbands, wives and jealousy typicality 0.81 · 489 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T23: wife, husband, cuckold, jealousy, woman, jealous, mistress, love, house, honest.
And did she not make you a more worshipful thing, a Cuckold. I married thee in hope of children. And has not she showed herself fruitful that was got with child without help of her husband? Ha thou ungrateful, immodest, unwise, & one that gods my witness I ha' loved, but go thy ways twist with whom thou wilt, for my part thou'st spun a fair thread, who'll kiss thee now who'll court thee now, who'll hathe now? Pity the frailty of my sex sweet Lord. No, pity is a fool, and I will not wear her coxcomb, I have vowed to loathe thee, the Irish man shall hate aquavity, the welsh man cheese, the dutch man shall loathe salt butter before I relove thee, does the babe pule? thou shouldst ha' cried before, 'tis to late now, no, the trees in autumn shall sooner call back the spring with shedding of their leaves; than thou reverse my just irrevocable hatred with thy tears, away go vaunt. Nay but most of this is your fault that for many years only upon mere mistrust severed your body from your Lady and in that time gave opportunity turned a jealous ass hired and some to try and tempt your lady's honour whilst she with all possible industry of apparent merit diverting your unfortunate suspicion. I know't I confess, all this I did and I do glory in't, why? cannot a young Lady for many months keep honest? no, I misthought it, my wife had wit, beauty, health, good birth, fair clothes and a passing body, a Lady of rare discourse, quick eye, sweet language, alluring behaviour, and exquisite entertainment. I misthought it, I feared, I doubted, and at the last I found it out, I praise my wit I knew I was a Cuckold. An excellent wit. True Fawn, you shall read of some Lords that have had such a wit I can tell you, & I found it out, that I was a Cuckold Which now you have found you will not be such an ass as Cesar, great Pompey, Lucullus, Anthony, or Cato & diverse other Romans, cuckolds, who all knew it, & yet were near divorced upon't, or like that smith-God Vulcan who having taken his wifetaking, yet was presently appeased, and entreated to make an Armour for a bastard of hers Aeneas. No the Romans were asses. & thought that a woman might mix her thigh with a stranger wanton, & yet still love her husband band matrimonially. As indeed they say many married men, lie sometime with strange women, whom, but for the instant use, they abhor. And as for Vulcan 'twas humanity more than human; such excess of goodness for my part only belong to the Gods. Ass for you. As for me my Fawn I am a bachelor now. But you are a Cuckold still, and one that knows himself to be a cuckold.
nodes 959–975 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 32 of 45 in this edition
Length
489 words · 641 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T23 — Husbands, wives and jealousycross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.814 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T26 · seed 44: T28 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
And did she not make you a more worshipfull thing, a Cuckold. I married thee in hope of children. And has not she shewed herselfe fruitfull that was got with child without helpe of her husband? Ha thou vngratful, immodest, vnwise, & one that gods my witnes I ha lou'd, but goe thy waies twist with whom thou wilt, for my part tha'st spun a faire thread, whole kisse the now whole court the now, whole ha the now? Pittie the frailtie of my sexe sweete Lord. No, pittie is a foole, and I wil not weare hir coxcombe, I haue vowde to loth thee, the Irish man shall hate aquauity, the welsh man cheese, the dutch man shall loth salt butter before I reloue thee, do's the babe pule? thou should'st ha cride beefore, t'is to late nowe, no, the trees in autumne shal sooner call backe the spring with sheding of their leeues; then thou reuerse my iust irreuocable hatred with thy teares, away goe vaunt. Nay but most of this is your fault that for many yeres onely vpon meere mistrust seuer'd your body from your Lady and in that time gaue opportunity turn'de a iealous asse hired and some to trie and tempt your Ladies honour whilest she with all posible industrie of apparant merit diuerting your vnfortunate suspition. I know't I confesse, all this I did and I doe glorie in't, why? cannot a young Lady for many monthes keepe honest? no, I misthought it, my wife had wit, beautie, health, good birth, faire clothes and a passing bodie, a Ladie of rare discourse, quicke eye, sweete language, alluring behauiour, and exquisit entertainement. I misthought it, I feard, I doubted, and at the last I found it out, I prayse my witte I knewe I was a Cuckold. An excellent wit. True Fawne, you shall read of some Lords that haue had such a wit I can tell you, & I found it out, that I was a Cuckold Which now you haue found you will not be such an asse as Cesar, great Pompey, Lucullus, Anthony, or Cato & diuerse other Romans, cuckolds, who all knewe it, & yet were nere diuorc'd vpon't, or like that smith-God Vulcan who hauing takē his wifetaking, yet was presently appeased, and entreated to make an Armour for a bastard of hers Eneas. No the Romans were asses▪ & thought that a womā might mixe her thigh with a strnager wantonly, & yet stil loue her husband band matrimonially. As indeede they say many maried men, lye sometime with strange women, whom, but for the instant vse, they abhor. And as for Vulcan t'was humanitye more then humane; such excesse of goodnesse for my part only belong to the Gods. Asse for you. As for me my Fawne I am a batcheller now. But you are a Cuckold still, and one that knowes himselfe to be a cuckold.