The Two Merry Milkmaids, or The Best Words Wear the Garland · chunk 40 of 54
Cumber, John · published 1620 · first performed or written 1619 [1619-1620] (Annals) comedy · Red Bull (Revels) Company (first) · before the Court T32 Rings and jewels as tokens typicality 0.91 · 512 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T32: ring, ti, gave, finger, jewel, lady, lord, love, invisible, away.
Well Smirke, pray for me, I am a man, but in this world I have small store of money, and therefore cannot reward thee as I would, but hold thee, give me thy hand, I can see to take thee by it, there's a Ring, 'twill yield thee somewhat. I thank you sir, it will serve to exchange for a Coral for my son and heir when I have him. Now step out altogether and salute him. Good Senior you are welcome to the light, To the light: why, do you perceive me now? As plain as the earth we tread on. where's Smirke? Here I am Sir. Where, come near me, O the Ring, the Ring, Give me my Ring again, I find the virtue, Nay, soft, so play fools, nothing is surer than gift. Come near me that I may touch thee. I know what the Proverb says, touch me and take me, and therefore I will keep aloft, 'Sfoot he is strucken put blind, he gropes like a young Novice, the contrary way. What are these blind too? Good Gentlemen help me to lay hold of him. Lay hold of whom. Of Smirke. Smirke, why he is gone. No, he is here, I smell the oily Rascal. They are all blind, or else I walk invisible, I'll try that presently. How now? Nothing but a flesh-fly forsooth lighted upon your lips, the place is full of hem— Somebody has sprinkled invisible virgin's water upon me for I do go insensible. Here comes the two Eggs, I shall go near to crack their Crows, for the last abuse, but walking as I do, I will find out a better revenge. Sirrah I think it was much hereabout that we met with the taking voice that kicked us? 'twas indeed. I would kick you again, but that I have Corns on my Toes, I will only pencil you now. And because you have so much knavery and want colour for't I will begin with Orange tawny. What was that? What, Someting crossed my Nose. A Door, a Door, the fields are full of them. I'll give you the Door too. There was another wiped me in the same place. 'cause you are a Knight, you shall bear a Cross How now? 'Sfoot I think some Bird has wrayed in my eye. No 'tis nothing but the dew falls I think. A Pox on't, I am paid again. There are some gadflies sure abroad, let's make away. Another wipe first. Ha, ha, ha. Why do you laugh my Lord? ha, ha, ha. Nay, I'll put in too, for my ha, ha, ha, ha. This is a three man's laughter. But why do you laugh my Lord? ha, ha. ha, ha, Pray why do you laugh my Lord? For nothing, for nothing, come prithee let's go. I pray let's go, ha ha, I am glad I have made you merry. Where art thou? So dear I love thee for this piece of knavery that I could kiss thee, prithee let me kiss thee
nodes 1989–2035 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 40 of 54 in this edition
Length
512 words · 686 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T32 — Rings and jewels as tokenscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.907 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T33 · seed 44: T32 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Well Smirke, pray for me, I am a man, but in this world I haue small store of mony, and therfore cannot reward thee as I wud, but hold thee, giue mee thy hand, I can see to take thee by it, ther's a Ring, 'twill yeeld thee somewhat. I thanke you sir, it will serue to exchange for a Corrall for my sonne and heire when I haue him. Now step out altogether and salute him. Good Senior you are welcome to the light, To the light: why, do you perceiue me now? As plaine as the earth we tread on. Whers Smirke? Here I am Sir. VVhere, come neere me, O the Ring, the Ring, Giue me my Ring againe, I find the vertue, Nay, soft, so play fooles, nothing is surer then gift. Come neere me that I may touch thee. I know what the Prouerbe saies, touch me and take me, and therefore I will keepe aloft, Zfoote hee is strucken put blind, hee gropes like a young Nouice, the contrarie way. What re these blind too? Good Gentlemen helpe me to lay hold of him. Lay hold of whom. Of Smirke. Smirke, why he is gone. No, he is heere, I smell the oyly Rascall. They are all blind, or else I walke invisible, Ile try that presently. How now? Nothing but a Flesh-flye forsooth lighted vppon your lips, the place is full of hem—Some-body has sprinckled inuisible Virgins water vpon me for I doe goe insensible. Heere comes the two Egges, I shall goe neere to crack their Crowes, for the last abuse, but walking as I doe, I will find out a better reuenge. Sirrah I thinke it was much heereabout that we met with the taking voyce that kickt vs? Twas indeed. I wud kick you againe, but that I haue Cornes on my Toes, I will only pencill you now. And because you haue so much knauery and want colour sor't I will begin with Orange tawny. What was that? What, Someting crost my Nose. A Dore, a Dore, the fields are full of them. I'le giue you the Dore too. There was another wip't me in the same place. Cause you are a Knight, you shall beare a Crosse How now? Zfoote I thinke some Bird has wraid in my eye. No tis nothing but the dew falls I thinke. A Poxont, I am paid againe. There are some gadflies sure abroad, lets make away. Another wipe first. Ha, ha, ha. Why do you laugh my Lord? ha, ha, ha. Nay, Ile put in too, for my ha, ha, ha, ha. This is a three mans laughter. But why do you laugh my Lord? ha, ha. ha, ha, Pray why do you laugh my Lord? For nothing, for nothing, come prithie lets goe. I pray lets goe, ha ha, I am glad I haue made you merry. Where art thou? So deare I loue thee for this peece of knauery that I could kisse thee, prithy let me kisse thee