The Devil's Law Case (When Women Go to Law the Devil Is Full of Business) · chunk 32 of 45
Webster, John · published 1623 · first performed or written 1619 [1617-1621] (Annals) tragicomedy · Queen Anne's Men T11 Siblings, kin and confidants typicality 0.69 · 506 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T11: sister, brother, love, friend, heart, father, mother, woman, lord, hear.
Good my Lord, be assured, I will leave all circumstance, and come tooth purpose: This Romelio is a Bastard. How, a Bastard? Oh mother, Now the day begins grow hot on your side. Why she is your accuser. I had forgot that; was my father married to any other woman, at the time of my begetting? That's not the business. I turn me then to you that were my mother, But by what name I am to call you now, You must instruct me: were you ever married To my father? To my shame I speak it, never. Not to Franscisco Romelio? May it please your Lordships, To him I was, but he was not his father. Good my Lord, give us leave in a few words, To expound the Riddle, and to make it plain, Without the least of scruple: for I take it, There cannot be more lawful proof i'th' world, Than the oath of the mother. Well then, to your proofs, and be not tedious. I'll conclude in a word: Some nine and thirty years since, which was the time, This woman was married, Francisco Romelio, This Gentleman's putative father, and her husband Being not married to her past a fortnight, Would needs go travel; did so, and continued In France and the Low-Countries eleven months: Take special note o'th' time, I beseech your Lordship, For it makes much toth' business: in his absence He left behind to sojourn at his house A Spanish Gentleman, a fine spruce youth By the Lady's confession, and you may be sure He was no Eunuch neither; he was one Romelio loved very dearly, as oft haps, No man alive more welcome to the husband Than he that makes him Cuckold. This Gentleman I say, Breaking all Laws of Hospitality, Got his friend's wife with child, a full two months Fore the husband returned. Good sir, forget not the Lambskin. I warrant thee. I will pinch by the buttock, to put you in mind of't. Prithee hold thy prating. What's to be practised now my Lord? Marry this, Romelio being a young novice, not acquainted With this precedence, very innocently Returning home from travel, finds his wife Grown an excellent good housewife, for she had set Her women to spin Flax, and to that use, Had in a study which was built of stone, Stored up at least an hundreth weight of flax: Marry such a thread as was to be spun from the flax, I think the like was never heard of. What was that? You may be certain, she would lose no time, In bragging that her Husband had got up Her belly: to be short, at seven months' end, Which was the time of her delivery, And when she felt herself to fall in travel, She makes her Waiting woman, as by mischance, Set fire to the flax, the flight whereof, As they pretend, causes this Gentlewoman To fall in pain, and be delivered Eight weeks afore her reckoning. Now sir, remember the lambskin.
nodes 2081–2148 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 32 of 45 in this edition
Length
506 words · 682 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T11 — Siblings, kin and confidantscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.691 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T15 · seed 44: T12 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Good my Lord, be assured, I will leaue all circumstance, and come toth purpose: This Romelio is a Bastard. How, a Bastard? Oh mother, Now the day begins grow hote on your side. Why shee is your accuser. I had forgot that; was my father maried to any other woman, at the time of my begetting? That's not the businesse. I turne me then to you that were my mother, But by what name I am to call you now, You must instruct me: were you euer marryed To my father? To my shame I speake it, neuer. Not to Franscisco Romelio? May it please your Lordships, To him I was, but he was not his father. Good my Lord, giue vs leaue in a few words, To expound the Riddle, and to make it plaine, Without the least of scruple: for I take it, There cannot be more lawfull proofe i'th world, Then the oath of the mother. Well then, to your proofes, and be not tedious. Ile conclude in a word: Some nine and thirtie yeares since, which was the time, This woman was maryed, Francisco Romelio, This Gentlemans putatiue father, and her husband Being not married to her past a fortnight, Would needs goe trauell; did so, and continued In France and the Low-Countries eleuen monthes: Take speciall note o'th time, I beseech your Lordship, For it makes much to'th businesse: in his absence He left behind to soiourne at his house A Spanish Gentleman, a fine spruce youth By the Ladies confession, and you may be sure He was no Eunuch neither; he was one Romelio loued very dearely, as oft haps, No man aliue more welcome to the husband Then he that makes him Cuckold. This Gentleman I say, Breaking all Lawes of Hospitalitie, Got his friends wife with child, a full two moneths Fore the husband returned. Good sir, forget not the Lambskin. I warrant thee. I wil pinch by the buttock, to put you in mind of't. Prethee hold thy prating. What's to be practis'd now my Lord? Marry this, Romelio being a yong nouice, not acquainted With this precedence, very innocently Returning home from trauell, finds his wife Growne an excellent good Huswife, for she had set Her women to spin Flax, and to that vse, Had in a study which was built of stone, Stor'd vp at least an hundreth waight of flaxe: Marry such a threed as was to be spun from the flax, I thinke the like was neuer heard of. What was that? You may be certaine, shee would lose no time, In braging that her Husband had got vp Her belly: to be short, at seuen moneths end, Which was the time of her deliuery, And when shee felt her selfe to fall in trauell, Shee makes her Wayting woman, as by mischance, Set fire to the flax, the flight whereof, As they pretend, causes this Gentlewoman To fall in paine, and be deliuered Eight weekes asore her reckoning. Now sir, remember the Lambeskin.