Anonymous · published 1606 · first performed or written 1602 [1601-1602] (Annals) comedy · Unknown T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.87 · 466 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
'tis impossible: her Father, man, her father, he's all for Peter Ploddall. Should I but see that Ploddall offer love, This sword should pierce the peasants breast, And chase his soul from his accursed corpse By an unwonted way unto the grisly lake. But now the appointed time is near, That Churms should come with his supposed love: Then sit we down under these levy shades And weight the time of Lelia's wished approach. I: here I'll weight for Lelia's wished approach, More wished to me, then is a calm at seas, To shipwrecked souls, when great God Neptune frowns. Though sad despair hath almost drowned my hopes; Yet would I pass the burning vaults of ork, As erst did Hercules to fetch his love, If I might meet my love upon the strand And but enjoy her love one minute of an hour. But stay: what man, or devil, or hellish fiend comes here, Transformed in this ugly uncouth shape? O, peace a while: you shall see good sport anon. Now I am clothed in this hellish shape, If I could meet with Sophos in these woods, O, he would take me for the Devil himself, I should ha' good laughing, beside the forty shillings Peter Ploddall has given me: and if I get no more I am sure of that. But soft: now I must try my cunning, for here he sits. The high commander of the damned souls Great Dis the Duke of Devils and Prince of Limbo Lake, High Regent of Acheron, Styx and Phlegeton, By strict command from Pluto, hell's great Monarch, And fair Proserpina the Queen of Hell, By full consent of all the damned Hags And all the fiends that keep the Stygian plains, Hath sent me here from depth of under ground, To summon thee to appear at Pluto's Court. A man or Devil? or whatsoe'er thou art, I'll try if blows will drive thee down to hell. Belike thou art the devils Paritor, The basest officer that lives in Hell, For, such thy words imports thee for to be: 'tis pity you should come so far without a fee. And because I know money goes low with Sophos, I'll pay you your fees: [He beats him,] take that, & that, and that: O good Sir, I beseech you, I'll do any thing; Then down to Hell, for sure thou art a Devil. O hold your hands, I am not a Devil by my troth. Sounds, dost thou cross me? I say thou art a Devil. O Lord sir save my life: and I'll say as you say, or any thing else you'll ha' me do. Then stand up and make a preachment of thy Pedigree, and how at first thou learnd'st this devilish trade: up I say.
nodes 1453–1502 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 32 of 40 in this edition
Length
466 words · 628 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.870 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T23 · seed 44: T23 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Tis impoſſible: her Father, man, her father, Hees al for Peter Ploddall. Should I but ſee that Ploddall offer loue, This ſword ſhould pearce the peſants breaſt, And chaſe his ſoule from his accurſed corps By an vnwonted way vnto the grieſly lake. But now the appointed time is neere, That Churms ſhould come with his ſuppoſed loue: Then ſit we down vnder theſe leauie ſhades And waight the time of Lelias wiſht approach. I: here Ile waight for Lelias wiſht approach, More wiſht to me, then is a calme at ſeas, To ſhipwrackt ſoules, when great God Neptune frownes. Though ſad deſpaire hath almoſt drown'd my hopes; Yet would I paſſe the burning vaults of Orke, As erſt did Hercules to fetch his loue, If I might meete my loue vpon the ſtrond And but enioy her loue one minute of an hour. But ſtay: what man, or diuell, or helliſh fiendcomes here, Tranſformed in this ougly vncouth ſhape? O, peace a while: you ſhal ſee good ſport anone. Now I am cloathed in this helliſh ſhape, If I could meete with Sophos in theſe woods, O, he would take me for the Diuell himſelfe, I ſhould ha good laughing, beſide the fortie ſhillings Ploddall has giuen mee: and if I get noe more I am ſure of that. But ſoft: now I muſt trie my cunning, for here he ſits. The high commander of the damned ſoules Great Dis the Duke of Diuels and Prince of Limbo Lake, High Regent of Acheron, Styx and Phloget By ſtrict command from Pluto, Hels great Monarch, And faire Proſerpina the Queene of Hell, By full conſent of all the damned Hagges And all the fiends that keepe the Stygian plaines, Hath ſent me here from depth of vnder ground, To ſommon thee to appeare at Plutoes Court. A man or Diuell? or what ſo ere thou art, Ile trie if blowes will driue thee downe to hell. Belike thou art the Diuels Paritor, The baſeſt officer that liues in Hell, For, ſuch thy words imports thee for to be: Tis pittie you ſhould come ſo farre without a fee. And becauſe I know mony goes lowe with Sophos, Ile pay you your fees: [Hee beates him,] take that, & that, and that: O good Sir, I beſeech you, Ile do any thing; Then downe to Hell, for ſure thou art a Diuell. O hold your hands, I am not a Diuell by my troth. Sounds, doſt thou croſſe mee? I ſay thou art a Diuell. O Lord ſir ſaue my life: and Ile ſay as you ſay, or any thing elſe youle ha me doe. Then ſtand vp and make a preachment of thy Pedigree, and how at firſt thou learnd'ſt this diueliſh trade: vp I ſay.