The Puritan, or The Widow of Watling Street (The Puritan Widow) · chunk 14 of 37
Middleton, Thomas · published 1607 · first performed or written 1606 (Annals) comedy · Children of Paul's (second) unassigned nearest T28 Marriage-making: weddings, brides and ma · 503 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T28: married, marriage, wedding, day, bride, father, wife, luce, love, husband.
Purgatory? tuh; that word deserves to be spit upon; I wonder that a man of sober tongue as you seem to be, should have the folly to believe there's such a place. Well Lady, in cold blood I speak it, I assure you that there is a Purgatory, in which place I know your husband to reside and wherein he is like to remain, till the dissolution of the world, till the last general Bonfire: when all the earth shall melt into nothing, and the Seas scald their finny labourers: so long is his abidance, unless you alter the property of your purpose, together with each of your Daughters theirs, that is, the purpose of single life in yourself and your eldest Daughter, and the speedy determination of marriage in your youngest. How knows he that, what, h'as some Devil told him? Strange he should know our thoughts:— Why but Daughter have you purposed speedy Marriage? You see she tells you ay, for she says nothing. Nay give me credit as you please, I am a stranger to you, and yet you see I know your determinations, which must come to me Metaphysically, and by a supernatural intelligence. This puts Amazement on me? Know our secrets. I'd thought to steal a marriage, would his tongue Had dropped out when he blabbed it. But sir, my husband, was too honest a dealing man to be now in any purgatories— O Do not load your conscience with untruths, 'tis but mere folly now to guild 'em over: That has passed but for Copper; Praises here, Cannot unbind him there? confess but truth, I know he got his wealth with a hard gripe: Oh hardly, hardly? This is most strange of all, how knows he that? He would eat fools and ignorant heirs clean up; And had his drink, from many a poor man's brow, E'en as their labour brewed it? He would scrape riches to him most unjustly; The very dirt between his nails was ill-got: And not his own,— oh I groan to speak on't, the thought makes me shudder?— shudder? It quakes me too, now I think on't— sir, I am much grieved, that you a stranger should so deeply wrong my dead husband! o? A man that would keep Church so duly; rise early, before his servants, and e'en for Religious haste, go ungartered, unbuttoned, nay sir Reverence untrust, to Morning Prayer? Oh uff; Dine quickly upon high-days, and when I had great guess, would e'en shame me and rise from the Table, to get a good seat at an afternoon Sermon? There's the devil, there's the devil, true, he thought it Sanctity enough, if he had killed a man, so 'thas been done in a Pue, or undone his Neighbour, so 'tad been near enough toth' Preacher, Oh;— a Sermon's a fine short cloak of an hour long, and will hide the upper-part of a dissembler,— Church, ay, he seemed all Church, & his conscience was as hard as the Pulpit!
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T28 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Purgatorie? tuh; that word deserues to bee spit vpon; I wonder that a man of sober toung as you seeme to be, should haue the folly to beleeue there's such a place. Well Lady, in cold bloud I speake it, I assure you that there is a Purgatory, in which place I know your husband to recide and wherein he is like to remaine, till the dissolution of the world, till the last generall Bon-fire: when all the earth shall melt into nothing. And the Seas scalde their finnie labourers: so long is his abidance, vnlesse you alter the propertie of your purpose, together with each of your Daughters theirs, that is, the purpose of single life in your selfe and your eldest Daughter, and the speedie determination of marriage in your youngest. How knowes hee that, what, h'as some Deuill told him? Strange he should know our thoughts:— Why but Daughter haue you purposede speedy Marriage? You see she tels you I, for shee sayes nothing. Nay giue me credit as you please, I am a stranger to you, and and yet you see I know your determinations, which must come to mee Metaphisically, and by a super-naturall intelligence. This puts Amazement on me? Know our seacrets. Ide thought to steale a marriage, would his tongue Had dropt out when he blabt it. But sir, my husband, was too honst a dealing man to be now in any purgatories— O Do not loade your conscience with vntruths, Tis but meere folly now to guild hem ore: That has past but for Copper; Praises here, Cannot vnbinde him there? confesse but truth, I know he got his wealth with a hard gripe: Oh hardly, hardly? This is most strange of all, how knowes he that? He would eate fooles and ignorant heires cleane vp; And had his drinck, from many a poore mans browe, E'en as their labour brewde it? He would scrape ritches to him most vniustly; The very durt betweene his ailes was Il-got: And not his owne,—oh I groane to speake on't, the though't makes me shudder?—shudder? It quakes me too, now I thinke on't—sir, I am much greu'd, that you a stranger should so deeply wrong my dead husband! Oh? A man that would keepe Church so duy; rise early, before his seruants, and e'en fo Religious hast, go vngarterd, vnbttend, nay sir Reuerence vntrust, to Morning Prayer? Oh vff; Dine quickly vpon hie-dayes, and when I had geat guesse, would e'en shame me and rize from the Table, to get a good seate at an after-noone Sermon? There's the diuill, there's the diuill, true, hee thought it Sanctity ynough, if he had kild a ma, so tad beene done in a Pue, or vndon his Neighour, so ta'd beene nere yough to'th Preacher, Oh;—a Sermon's a fine short cloake of an houre long, and wil hide the vpper-part of a dissembler,—Church, I, he seemd al Church, & his cōscience was as hard as the Pulpit!