The Devil's Law Case (When Women Go to Law the Devil Is Full of Business) · chunk 33 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 0.64 · 518 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T11: sister, brother, love, friend, heart, father, mother, woman, lord, hear.
The Midwife straight howls out, there was no hope Of th'infant's life, swaddles it in a stead lambskin, As a Bird hatched too early, makes it up With three quarters of a face, that made it look Like a Changeling, cries out to Romelio, To have it Christened, lest it should depart Without that it came for: and thus are many served, That take care to get Gossips for those children, To which they might be Godfathers themselves, And yet be no arch-Puritans neither. No more. Pray my Lord give him way, you spoil his oratory else: thus would they jest were they feed, to open their sister's cases. You have urged enough; You first affirm, her husband was away from her Eleven months. Yes my Lord. And at seven months' end, After his return she was delivered Of this Romelio, and had gone her full time. True my Lord. So by this account this Gentleman was begot, In his supposed father's absence. You have it fully. A most strange Suit this, 'tis beyond example, Either time past, or present; for a woman, To publish her own dishonour voluntarily, Without being called in question, some forty years After the sin committed, and her Council To enlarge the offence with as much Oratory, As ever I did hear them in my life, Defend a guilty woman; 'tis most strange: Or why with such a poisoned violence Should she labour her son's undoing: we observe Obedience of creatures to the Law of Nature, Is the stay of the whole world; here that Law is broke, For though our Civil Law makes difference 'tween the base, and the legitimate; compassionate Nature Makes them equal, nay, she many times prefers them. I pray resolve me sir, have not you and your mother Had some Suit in Law together lately? None my Lord. No? no contention about parting your goods? Not any. No flaw, no unkindness? None that ever arrived at my knowledge. Bethink yourself, this cannot choose but savour Of a woman's malice deeply; and I fear, You're practised upon most devilishly. How happed Gentlewoman, you revealed this no sooner? While my husband lived, my Lord, I durst not. I should rather ask you, why you reveal it now? Because my Lord, I loathed that such a sin Should lie smothered with me in my grave; my penitence, Though to my shame, prefers the revealing of it 'bove worldly reputation. Your penitence? Might not your penitence have been as hearty, Though it had never summoned to the Court Such a conflux of people. Indeed I might have confessed it, Privately tooth Church, I grant; but you know repentance Is nothing without satisfaction. Satisfaction? why your Husband's dead, What satisfaction can you make him? The greatest satisfaction in the world, my Lord, To restore the land tooth right heir, & that's my daughter. Oh she's straight begot then. Very well, may it please this honourable Court, If he be a bastard, and must forfeit his land for't, She has proved herself a strumpet, and must lose Her Dower, let them go a-begging together.
nodes 2149–2219 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 33 of 45 in this edition
Length
518 words · 703 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T11 — Siblings, kin and confidantscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.636 (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)
The Midwife strait howles out, there was no hope Of th'infants life, swaddles it in a stead Lambeskin, As a Bird hatcht too early, makes it vp With three quarters of a face, that made it looke Like a Changeling, cries out to Romelio, To haue it Christned, least it should depart Without that it came for: and thus are many seru'd, That take care to get Gossips for those children, To which they might be Godfathers themselues, And yet be no arch-Puritans neither. No more. Pray my Lord giue him way, you spoile his oratory else: thus would they iest were they feed, to open their sisters cases. You haue vrged enough; You first affirme, her husband was away from her Eleuen moneths. Yes my Lord. And at seuen moneths end, After his returne shee was deliuered Of this Romelio, and had gone her full time. True my Lord. So by this account this Gentleman was begot, In his supposed fathers absence. You haue it fully. A most strange Suite this, tis beyond example, Either time past, or present; for a woman, To publish her owne dishonour voluntarily, Without being called in question, some fortie yeares After the sinne committed, and her Councell To inlarge the offence with as much Oratory, As euer I did heare them in my life, Defend a guiltie woman; tis most strange: Or why with such a poysoned violence Should shee labour her soones vndoing: we obserue Obedience of creatures to the Law of Nature, Is the stay of the whole world; here that Law is broke, For though our Ciuill Law makes difference Tween the base, and the ligitimate; compassionat Nature Makes them equall, nay, shee many times preferres them. I pray resolue me sir, haue not you and your mother Had some Suite in Law together lately? None my Lord. No? no contention about parting your goods? Not any. No flaw, no vnkindnesse? None that euer arriued at my knowledge. Bethink your selfe, this cannot chuse but sauour Of a womans malice deeply; and I feare, Y'are practiz'd vpon most deuillishly. How hapt Gentlewoman, you reueal'd this no sooner? While my husband liued, my Lord, I durst not. I should rather aske you, why you reueale it now? Because my Lord, I loath'd that such a sinne Should lie smotherd with me in my graue; my penitence, Though to my shame, preferres the reuealing of it Boue worldly reputation. Your penitence? Might not your penitence haue beene as hartie, Though it had neuer summon'd to the Court Such a conflux of people. Indeed I might haue confest it, Priuately toth Church, I grant; but you know repentance Is nothing without satisfaction. Satisfaction? why your Husbands dead, What satisfaction can you make him? The greatest satisfaction in the world, my Lord, To restore the land toth right heire, & thats my daughter. Oh shee's straight begot then. Very well, may it please this honourable Court, If he be a bastard, and must forfeit his land for't, She has prooued her selfe a strumpet, and must loose Her Dower, let them goe a begging together.