The Devil's Law Case (When Women Go to Law the Devil Is Full of Business) · chunk 38 of 45
Webster, John · published 1623 · first performed or written 1619 [1617-1621] (Annals) tragicomedy · Queen Anne's Men T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.80 · 499 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
I obey the arrest o'th' Court. Oh sir, you are happily restored to life, And to us your friends. Away, thou art the Traitor: I only live to challenge this former suit, Touched but thy fame, this accusation Reaches to thy fame and life: the brave Contarino Is generally supposed slain by this hand. How knows he the contrary? But truth is, Having received from me some certain wounds, Which were not mortal, this vild murderer, Being by Will deputed Overseer Of the Nobleman's Estate, to his sister's use, That he might make him sure from surviving, To revoke that Will, stole to him in's bed, and killed him. Strange, unheard of, more practice yet! What proof of this? The report of his mother delivered to me, In distraction for Contarino's death. For my death? I begin to apprehend, That the violence of this woman's love to me, Might practise the disinheriting of her son. What say you to this Leonora? Such a thing I did utter out of my distraction: But how the Court will censure that report, I leave to their wisdoms. My opinion is, That this late slander urged against her son, Takes from her all manner of credit: She that would not stick to deprive him of his living, Will as little tender his life. I beseech the Court, I may retire myself to my place of penance, I have vowed myself and my woman. Go when you please: what should move you Be thus forward in the accusation? My love to Contarino. Oh, it bore very bitter fruit at your last meeting. 'tis true: but I begun to love him, When I had most cause to hate him, when our bloods Embraced each other, than I pitied, That so much valour should be hazarded On the fortune of a single Rapier, And not spent against the Turk. Stay sir, be well advised, There is no testimony but your own, To approve you slew him, therefore no other way To decide it, but by Duel. Yes my Lord, I dare affirm 'gainst all the world, This Noble man speaks truth. You will make yourself a party in the Duel. Let him, I will fight with them both, sixteen of them. Sir, I do not know you. Yes but you have forgot me, you and I have sweat In the Breach together at Malta. Cry you mercy, I have known of your Nation Brave Soldiers. Now if my father Have any true spirit in him, I'll recover His good opinion Do you hear? do not swear sir, For I dare swear, that you will swear a lie, A very filthy, stinking. rotten lie: And if the Lawyers think not this sufficient, I'll give the lie in the stomach, That's somewhat deeper than the throat; Both here, and all France over and over, From Marseilles, or Bayon, to Callis Sands, And there draw my Sword upon thee, And new scour it in the gravel of thy kidneys.
nodes 2495–2564 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 38 of 45 in this edition
Length
499 words · 643 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.795 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T7 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I obey the arrest o'th Court. Oh sir, you are happily restored to life, And to vs your friends. Away, thou art the Traytor: I onely liue to challenge this former suite, Toucht but thy fame, this accusation Reaches to thy fame and life: the braue Contarino Is generally supposed slaine by this hand. How knowes he the contrary? But truth is, Hauing receiued from me some certaine wounds, Which were not mortall, this vild murderer, Being by Will deputed Ouerseer Of the Noblemans Estate, to his sisters vse, That he might make him sure from suruiuing, To reuoke that Will, stole to him in's bed, and kild him. Strange, vnheard of, more practise yet! What proofe of this? The report of his mother deliuered to me, In distraction for Contarino's death. For my death? I begin to apprehend, That the violence of this womans loue to me, Might practise the disinheriting of her sonne. What say you to this Leonora? Such a thing I did vtter out of my distraction: But how the Court will censure that report, I leaue to their wisdomes. My opinion is, That this late slaunder vrged against her sonne, Takes from her all manner of credit: Shee that would not sticke to depriue him of his liuing, Will as little tender his life. I beseech the Court, I may retire my selfe to my place of pennance, I haue vowed my selfe and my woman. Goe when you please: what should moue you Be thus forward in the accusation? My loue to Contarino. Oh, it bore very bitter fruit at your last meeting. Tis true: but I begun to loue him, When I had most cause to hate him, when our bloods Embrac'd each other, then I pitied, That so much valour should be hazarded On the fortune of a single Rapier, And not spent against the Turke. Stay sir, be well aduised, There is no testimony but your owne, To approue you slew him, therefore no other way To decide it, but by Duell. Yes my Lord, I dare affirme gainst all the world, This Noble man speakes truth. You will make your selfe a party in the Duell. Let him, I wil fight with thē both, sixteen of them. Sir, I doe not know you. Yes but you haue forgot me, you and I haue sweat In the Breach together at Malta. Cry you me, I haue knowne of your Nation Braue Souldiers. Now if my father Haue any true spirit in him, Ile recouer His good opinion Doe you heare? doe not sweare sir, For I dare sweare, that you will sweare a lye, A very filthy, stinking. rotten lye: And if the Lawyers thinke not this sufficient, Ile giue the lye in the stomacke, That's somewhat deeper then the throat; Both here, and all France ouer and ouer, From Marselys, or Bayon, to Callis Sands, And there draw my Sword vpon thee, And new scoure it in the grauell of thy kidneys.