Anonymous · published 1606 · first performed or written 1602 [1601-1602] (Annals) comedy · Unknown T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.77 · 480 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
O I will Sit: Although in some places, I bear the title of a scurvy gentleman: By birth I am a boat writes son of Hull, My father got me of a refused hag, Under the old ruins of Boobies barn, Who as she lived, at length she likewise died, And for her good deeds went unto the Devil. But, Hell not wont to harbour such a guest, Her fellow fiends do daily make complaint Unto grim Pluto, and his lovely Queen, Of her unruly misbehaviour: Entreating that a passport might be drawn For her to wander till the day of doom, On earth again to vex the minds of men, And swore she was the fittest fiend in Hell To drive men to desperation. To this intent her passport straight was drawn, And in a whirl wind forth of Hell she came; o'er hills she hurls, and scours along the plains: The trees flew up byth' roots, the earth did quake for fear, The houses tumble down, she plays the Devil and all: At length not finding any one so fit To effect her devilish damned charge as I: She comes to me, as to her only child, And me her instrument on earth she made, And by that means I learned this devilish trade. O monstrous villain! But tell me: what's thy course of life, & how thou shiftest for maintenance in the world? Faith Sir, I am in a manner a promoter, Or more fitly termed a promoting knave: I creep into the presence of great men, And under colour of their friendships, Effect such wonders in the world That babes will curse me, that are yet unborn. Of the best men, I raise a common fame, And honest women rob of their good name: Thus daily tumbling-in comes all my thrift. That I get best is got but by a shift: But the chief course of all my life, Is to set discord betwixt man and wife. Out upon thee cannibal, Dost thou thinke thou shalt euer come to hea ▪ I little hope for heaven or heavenly But if in hell doth any place remain, Of more esteem than is another room, I hope, as guerdon for my just desert, To have it for my detestable acts. Wert not, thy tongue condemns thy guilty soul, I could not think that on this living earth Did breathe a villain so audacious. Go get thee gone, and come not in my walk. For if thou dost, thou comest unto thy woe. The devil himself was never conjured so. Sure he's no man, but an incarnate devil, Whose ugly shape bewrays his monstrous mind. And if he be a devil, I am sure he's gone: But Churms the Lawyer will be here anon, And with him comes my sister Lelia: 'tis he I am sure you look for.
nodes 1503–1561 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 33 of 40 in this edition
Length
480 words · 607 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.771 (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)
O I wil Sit: Although in ſome places, I beare the title of a ſcuruy gentleman: By birth I am a boate writes ſon of Hull, My father got me of a refuſ'd hagge, Vnder the olde ruines of Boobies barne, Who as ſhe liu'd, at length ſhe likewiſe died, And for her good deedes went vnto the Diuell. But, Hell not wont to harbour ſuch a gueſt, Her fellow fiends do daiely make complaint Vnto grim Pluto, and his louely Queene, Of her vnruly miſſebehauiour: Intreating that a paſport might be drawne For her to wander till the day of doome, On earth againe to vex the mindes of men, And ſwore ſhe was the fitteſt fiend in Hell To driue men to deſperation. To this intent her paſport ſtraight was drawne, And in a whirle wind forth of Hell ſhe came; Ore hills ſhe hurles, and ſcowres along the plaines: The trees flew vp bith rootes, the earth did quake for feare, The houſes tumble downe, ſhe playes the Diuell and all: At length not finding any one ſo fit To effect her diueliſh damned charge as I: She comes to me, as to her onely childe, And me her inſtrument on earth ſhe made, And by that meanes I learnd this diuelliſh trade. O monſtrous villane! But tell me: whats thy courſe of life, & how thou ſhifteſt for maintenance in the world? Faith Sir, I am in a manner a promoter, Or more fitly term'd a promoting knaue: I creepe into the preſence of great men, And vnder colour of their friendſhips, Effect ſuch wonders in the world That babes wil curſe me, that are yet vnborne. Of the beſt men, I raiſe a common fame, And honeſt women rob of their good name: Thus dayly tumbling-in comes all my thrift. That I get beſt is got but by a ſhift: But the chiefe courſe of all my life, Is to ſet diſcord betwixt man and wife. Out vpon thee Canniball, Doſt thou thinke thou ſhalt euer come to hea ▪ I little hope for heauen or heauen But if in hell doth any place remaine, Of more eſteeme then is another roome, I hope, as guerdon for my iuſt deſert, To haue it for my deteſtable acts. Wert not, thy tongue condemnes thy guiltie ſoule, I could not thinke that on this liuing earth Did breath a villane ſo audacious. Go get thee gone, and come not in my walke. For if thou doſt, thou comeſt vnto thy woe. The diuel himſelf was neuer coniur'd ſo. Sure hees no man, but an incarnate diuel, Whoſe ougly ſhape bewrayes his monſtrous mind. And if he be a diuel, I am ſure hees gone: But Churms the Lawyer wil be here anone, And with him comes my ſiſter Lea: Tis he I am ſure you looke for.