Beaumont, Francis / Fletcher, John · published 1619 · first performed or written 1611 (Annals) tragicomedy · King's Men · Globe T8 Captains, gallants and cheats typicality 0.87 · 472 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T8: captain, master, money, gentleman, little, lieutenant, rogue, pray, minos, honest.
Now Captain Bessus, I come about a frivolous matter, caused by as idle a report: you know you were a coward. Very right. And wronged me. True my Lord. But now people will call you valiant, desertlessly I think yet for their satisfaction, I will have you fight with me. O my good Lord, my deep engagements. Tell not me of your engagements, Captain Bessus; it is not to be put off with an excuse: for my own part, I am none of the multitude that believe your conversion from coward. My Lord, I seek not quarrels, and this belongs not to me, I am not to maintain it. Who then pray? Bessus the coward wronged you. Right. And shall Bessus the valiant, maintain what Bessus the coward did? I prithee leave these cheating tricks, I swear thou shalt fight with me, or thou shalt be beat extremely, and kicked. Since you provoke me thus far my Lord, I will fight with you; and by my Sword it shall cost me twenty pounds, but I will have my leg a week sooner purposely. Your leg, why what ails your leg? I'll do a cure on you, stand up. My Lord, this is not noble in you: What dost thou with such a phrase in thy mouth? I will kick thee out of all good words before I leave thee. My Lord, I take this as a punishment for the offence I did when I was a coward. When thou wert? confess thyself a coward still, or by this light, I'll beat thee into sponge. Why I am one: Are you so Sir, and why do you wear a sword then? Come, unbuckle, quick. My Lord. Unbuckle I say, and give it me, or as I live, thy head will ache extremely. It is a pretty hilt, and if your Lordship take an affection to it, with all my heart, I present it to you for a newyears gift. I thank you very heartily, sweet Captain farewell. One word more, I beseech your Lordship to render me my knife again. Marry by all means Captain, cherish yourself with it, and eat hard good Captain; we cannot tell whether we shall have any more such: A due dear Captain. I will make better use of this, then of my sword: A base spirit has this vantage of a brave one; it keeps always at a stay, nothing brings it down, not beating. I remember I promised the King in a great audience, that I would make my backbiters eat my sword to a knife, how to get another sword I know not, nor know any means left for me to maintain my credit but impudence: Therefore will I outswear him and all his followers, that this is all is left uneaten of my sword.
nodes 1333–1362 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 26 of 49 in this edition
Length
472 words · 599 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T8 — Captains, gallants and cheatscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.870 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T11 · seed 44: T14 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Now Captaine Beſſus, I come about a friuilous matter, cauſ'd by as idle a report: you know you were a coward. Very right. And wrong'd me. True my Lord. But now people will call you valiant, deſertleſly I thinke yet for their ſatiſfaction, I wil haue you fight with me. O my good Lord, my deepe ingagements. Tell not me of your ingagements, Captaine Beſſus; it is not to be put off with an excuſe: for my owne part, I am none of the multitude that beleeue your conuerſion from coward. My Lord, I ſeeke not quarrels, and this belongs not to me, I am not to maintaine it. Who then pray? Beſſus the coward wrong'd you. Right. And ſhall Beſſus the valiant, maintaine what Beſſus the coward did? I prethee leaue theſe cheating trickes, I ſweare thou ſhalt fight with mee, or thou ſhalt be beate extreamely, and kickt. Since you prouoke me thus farre my Lord, I will fight with you; and by my Sword it ſhall coſt me twenty pounds, but I will haue my legge a weeke ſooner purpoſely. Your legge, why what ailes your legge? Ile doe a cure on you, ſtand vp. My Lord, this is not noble in you: What doſt thou with ſuch a phraſe in thy mouth? I will kicke thee out of all good words before I leaue thee. My Lord, I take this as a puniſhment for the offence I did when I was a coward. When thou wert? confeſſe thy ſelfe a coward ſtill, or by this light, Ile beate thee into ſpunge. Why I am one: Are you ſo Sir, and why doe you weare a ſword then? Come, vnbuckle, quicke. My Lord. Vnbuckle I ſay, and giue it mee, or as I liue, thy head will ake extreamely. It is a pretty hilt, and if your Lordſhip take an affection to it, with all my heart, I preſent it to you for a new-yeers gift. I thanke you very heartily, ſweete Captaine farewell. One word more, I beſeech your Lordſhip to render me my knife againe. Marry by all meanes Captaine, cheriſh your ſelfe with it, and eate hard good Captaine; we cannot tell whether we ſhall haue any more ſuch: A due deare Captaine. I will make better vſe of this, then of my ſword: A baſe ſpirit has this vantage of a braue one; it keepes alwayes at a ſtay, nothing brings it downe, not beating. I remember I promiſt the King in a great audience, that I would make my back-byters eate my ſword to a knife, how to get another ſword I know not, nor know any meanes left for me to maintaine my credit but impudence: Therefore will I outſweare him and all his followers, that this is all is left vneaten of my ſword.