Sharpham, Edward · published 1607 · first performed or written 1607 (Annals) comedy · Children of the King's Revels T23 Husbands, wives and jealousy typicality 0.80 · 485 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T23: wife, husband, cuckold, jealousy, woman, jealous, mistress, love, house, honest.
A friend of yours. Spretious 'tis my wife. O then sir 'tis a friend of yours. Come ye away housewife, come ye from him, come. Faith sir no, why is he not my husband? did not you yourself marry me to him? but do you hear, you were best be quiet and let me alone, if not, i'faith i'll tell all. Tell what thou canst, justice my Lord justice, I beseech ye for justice. Nay, I beseech your Lordship too, though I am but a weak vessel called a Woman, & therefore by reason of my bashfulness unable sir to set forth mine own tale, yet I doubt not, but I shall find good hearing at your Lord ships hand, if ye will but give me leave to open mine own case. Speak, what are your grievances. May it please your honour in few words, my husband hath four wives, and then I hope 'tis as lawful for me to have two husbands. How do you answer this Sir Iohn? And like your honour, I think 'tis as lawful for me to have four wives, as 'tis for my parson to have four benefices, considering I use them as he doth his benefices, for I protest to your honour, I near came near none of them. Will not this do it Master Wages? No, you see he hath answered it. Nay then and it like your Lordship, I may be divorced for another thing, but that I am ashamed to speak on't. Nay, you must tell what 'tis. Truly I am half ashamed. Come, come woman, never be a shamed to tell (true. And I may be so bold to tell your honour in private. With all my heart. Truly and like your honour, he hath not that a man should have. No, why what doth he want. Nay pray your Lordship to spare me now, faith I am ashamed. Nay good Mistress Correction, I must know what it is. Why then sir I must needs tell: truly a hath never a beard. Indeed a man should have a beard. Well mistress correction, your husband must have you back again: And thus in friendship ends long jealous strife, With all things well, save Wages wants a wife. But Gentlemen, whose judgements sit in strict commission on the wit: Which from the author's pen did flow He wisheth at all but this to know. that if you well do censure him, He ready is with brains and pen, Another time to pleasure you, If not, he bids you all adieu. For well he knows he hath done wells And so he boldly dares to tell. Yet for the children ere I go, Your censure I would willing know. For if you do the Action blame. They ready are with pardon drawn And each of them here hoping stands That you will sign it with your hands.
nodes 1069–1111 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 46 of 46 in this edition
Length
485 words · 610 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T23 — Husbands, wives and jealousycross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.796 (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)
A friend of yours. Spretious tis my wife. O then sir tis a friend of yours. Come ye away huswife, come ye from him, come. Faith ir no, why is he not my husband? did not you your selfe marrie me to him? but doe you heare, you were best be quiet and let me alone, if not, yfaith ile tell all. Tell what thou canst, iustice my Lord Iustice, I beseech ye for Iustice. Nay, I beseech your Lordship too, though I am but a weake vessell called a Woman, & therefore by reason of my bashfulnes vnable sir to set foorth mine owne tale, yet I doubt not, but I shal finde good hearing at your Lord ships hād, if ye wil but giue me leaue to opē mine own case. Speake, what are your greeuances. May it please your honour in few words, my husband hath foure wiues, and then I hope tis as lawfull for me to haue two husbands. How doe you answere this Sir Iohn? And like your honour, I thinke tis as lawfull for me to haue foure wiues, as tis for my parson to haue foure benefices, conidering I vse them as he dooth his benefices, for I protest to your honour, I neere came neare none of them. Will not this doe it Maister Wages? No, you see he hath answerd it. Nay then and it like your Lordship, I may bee diuorc'd for another thing, but that I am ashamd to speake on't. Nay, you must tell what tis. Truely I am halfe ashamde. Come, come woman, neuer be a shamde to tell (true. And I may be so bolde to tell your honour in priuate. With all my heart. Truely and like your honour, he hath not that a man should haue. No, why what doth he want. Nay pray your Lordshippe to spare me now, faith I am asham'd. Nay good Mistris Correction, I must knowe what it is. Why then sir I must needes tell: truely a hath neuer a beard. Indeede a man should haue a beard. Well mistris correction, your husband must haue you backe againe: And thus in friendship endes long Iealious strife, With all thinges well, saue Wages wants a wife. BVt Gentlemen, whose iudgements sit in strct commission on the wit: Which from the Authors pen did flowe He wisheth at all but this to knowe. that if you well doe censure him, He redie is with brains and pen Another time to pleasure you, If not, he bids you all adue. For well he knowes he hath done wels And so he boldly dares to tell. Yet for the children ere I goe, Your censure I would willing know. For if you doe the Action blame. They readie are with pardon drawne And each of them heere hoping stands That you will signe it with your hands.