Your Five Gallants (The Five Witty Gallants) · chunk 20 of 40
Middleton, Thomas · published 1608 · first performed or written 1607 (Annals) comedy · Children of the Queen's Revels · Blackfriars T6 Money, debt and credit typicality 0.83 · 516 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T6: money, master, pound, law, lawyer, chain, gentleman, gold, pay, pray.
hear me but what I say sir, I do protest I would not be he that should betray a man, to be Prince of the world. Mass that's the devil, I thank you heartily, for he's called prince ath' world. You take me still at worst. Swear on this sword then, to set spurs to your horse, not to look back, to give no marks to any passenger. Marks, why I think you have left me near a penny sir. I mean no marks of any. I understand you sir. Swear then. i'faith I do sir: Away. I'm gone sir, by my troth of a fierce thief he seems to be a very honest Gentleman. Why this was well adventured, trim a Gallant: Now with a courteous and long thusting eye, Let me behold my purchase, & try the soundues of my bones with laughter, how? is not this the chain of pearl I gave to that perjured harlot, 'tis, 'sfoot 'tis, the very chain, oh damned mistress, ha; and this the purse, which not five days before I sent her filled with fair spur-royals— heart; the very gold?— 'slife is this no robbery, how many oaths flew toward heaven, Which near came half way thither; but like fire drakes, Mounted a little, gave a crack, and fell; Feigned oaths bound up to sink more deep to hell. What folded papers this? death— 'tis her hand. Master Taylbee, you know with what affection I love you, You do: I count the world but as my prey to maintain you, The more dissembling quean you I must tell you, I have sent you an embroidered purse here with fifty fair spur-royals in't— A pox on you for your labour wench: And I desire you of all loves to keep that chain of pearl from Master Pursnets sight— He cannot strumpet, I behold it now, unto thy secret torture: So fare thee well, but be constant and want nothing. As long as I ha''t i'faith? methinks it should have gone so,— well; what a horrible age do we live in, that a man cannot have a quean to himself let him but turn his back the best of her is chipped away like a Court loaf, that when a man comes himself, has nothing but bombast; & these are 2. simple chippings here, does my boy pick, & I steal, to enrich myself, to keep her, to maintain him: why this is right the sequence of the world,— A. L. maintains her, she maintains a Knight, he maintains a Whore, she maintains a captain. So in like manner, the pocket keeps my boy, he keeps me, I keep her, she keeps him, it runs like quicksilver, from one to another; 'sfoot I perceive I have been the chief upholder of this Gallant all this while; it appears true, we that pay dearest for our pasture are ever likely worse-used, 'sfoot he has a Nag can run for nothing, has his choice, nay and gets by the running of him;— oh fine world strange devils, and pretty damnable affections.
nodes 864–887 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 20 of 40 in this edition
Length
516 words · 689 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T6 — Money, debt and creditcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.833 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T9 · seed 44: T10 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Here me but what I ſay ſir, I do proteſt I would not be he that ſhould betray a man, to be Prince of the world. Maſſe that's the diuill, I thanke you heartily, for hee's cal'd prince ath' world. You take me ſtill at worſt. Sweare on this ſword then, to ſet ſpurs to your horſe, not to looke back, to giue no markes to any paſſenger. Markes, why I thinke you haue left me nere a peny ſir. I meane no markes of any. I vnderſtand you ſir. Sweare then. Ifaith I do ſir: Away. Ime gon ſir, by my troth of a fierce theefe he ſeemes to be a very honeſt Gentleman. Why this was well aduentured, trim a Gallant: Now with a courteous and long thuſting eye, Let me behold my purchaſe, & try the ſoundues of my bones with laughter, how? is nt this the chaine o pearle I gaue to that periurde halat, tis, Sfoot tis, the very chaine, oh damned miſtreſſe, ha; and this the purſe, which not fiue daies before I ſene▪ her fild with faire ſpur-royalls—heart; the very gold?—ſlife is this no robbery, how many othes flew toward heauen, Which nere came halfe way thether; but like fire drakes, Mounted a little, gaue a cracke, and fell; Fainde othes bound vp to ſinke more deepe to hell. What folded papers this? death—tis her hand. Maiſter Taylbee, you know with what affection I loue you, You do: I count the world but as my pray to maintaine you, The more diſſembling queane you I muſt tell you, I haue ſent you an embroderd purſe here with fifty faire ſpurroyalls int—A pox on you for your labour wench: And I deſire you of all loues to keepe that chaine of pearle from Maiſter Purſnets ſight— He cannot ſtrumpet, I behold it now, vnto thy ſecret torture: So fare thee well, but be conſtant and want nothing. As long as I ha't ifayth? me thinkes it ſhould haue gon ſo,—well; what a horrible age do we liue in, that a man cannot haue a queane to himſelfe let him but turne his back the beſt of her is chipt away like a Court loafe, that whē a man comes himſelf, has nothing but bumbaſt; & theſe are 2. ſimple chippings here, do's my boy pick, & I ſteale, to enrich my ſelfe, to keepe her, to maintaine him: why this is right the ſequence of the world,—A. L. maintaines her, ſhe maintaines a Knight, he maintaines a Whore, ſhee maintaines a captaine. So in like manner, the pocket keepes my boye, hee keepes me, I keepe her, ſhee keepes him, it runs like quick-ſiluer, from one to another; Sfoote I perceiue I haue beene the chiefe vpholder of this Gallant all this while; it appeares true, we that pay deereſt for our paſture are euer likely worſe-uſde, Sfoot he has a Nag can run for nothing, has his choiſe, nay and gets by the running of him;—oh fine world ſtrange deuills, and prety damnable affections.