The Spanish Bawd (Calisto and Meliboea) (Celestina) · chunk 17 of 205
Mabbe, James / Rojas, Fernando de · published 1631 · first performed or written 1631 (Annals) tragicomedy; literary play unassigned nearest T56 Magic, spells and conjuring · 368 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T56: magic, faustus, charms, charm, conjure, spirits, skill, ho, power, spells.
And what time do you think she chose when she would deal with any of these? At the time of their chiefest ceremonies; as when they kept their most mysterious celebration of the feasts of their Vesta, nay, and that most strictly solemnised day of Bona Dea, where it is death to admit men: even then by unheard of disguises, she had her plots and projects effectually working upon them, to the utter abolition of their vows and virginity. Now, what think you, were the trades and merchandise wherein she dealt? She professed herself a kind of Physician, and feigned that she had good skill in curing of little children: She would go and fetch flax from one house, and put it forth to spinning to another, that she might thereby have pretence for the freer access unto all: One would cry, Here mother: and another, There mother: Look, says the third, where the old woman comes: Yonder comes that Beldame so well known to all. Yet notwithstanding all these her cares, troubles, and trottings to and fro, being never out of action, she would never miss any great meeting, any religious procession, any Nuptials, Love-ties, Balls, masks or games whatsoever; They were the only markets, where she made all her bargains. And at home in her own house she made perfumes, false and counterfeit Storax, Benjamin, Gum, Anime, Amber, Civet, Powders, Musk and Mosqueta: She had a chamber full of Limbecks, little vials, pots, some of earth, some of glass, some brass, and some tin, formed in a thousand fashions. she made sublimated Mercury, boiled confections for to clarify the skin, waters to make the face glister, paintings, some white, some vermilion, lipsalves, scarlet-died clothes, fitted purposely for women to rub their faces therewith, ointments for to make the face smooth, lustrifications, clarifications, pargetings, farthings, waters for the morphews, and a thousand other slibber-slabbers: Some made of the lees of wine, some of daffodils, some of the barks and rinds of trees, some of Scar-wolf, otherwise called Cittibush, or Trifolium, some of Taragon, some of Centory, some of sour grapes, some of Must, or new wine taken from the press, first distilled, and afterwards sweetened with sugar.
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
And what time do you think she chose when she would deale with any of these? At the time of their chiefest ceremonies; as when they kept their most mysterious celebration of the feasts of their Vesta, nay, and that most strictly solemnized day of Bona Dea, where it is death to admit men: euen then by vnheard of disguises, she had her plots and proiects effectually working vpon them, to the vtter abolition of their vowes and virginity. Now, what thinke you, were the trades and marchandise wherein she dealt? She professed her selfe a kinde of Phisician, and fained that shee had good skill in curing of little children: Shee would goe and fetch flaxe from one house, and put it forth to spinning to another, that she might thereby haue pretence for the freer accesse vnto all: One would cry, Here mother: and another, There mother: Look, saies the third, where the old woman comes: Yonder comes that Bel-dame so well knowne to all. Yet notwithstanding all these her cares, troubles, and trottings to and fro, being neuer out of action, she would neuer misse any great meeting, any religious processions, any Nuptials, Loue-ties, Balls, maskes or games whatsoeuer; They were the onely markets, where she made all her bargaines. And at home in her owne house shee made perfumes, false and counterfait Storax, Beniamin, Gumme, Anime, Amber, Ciuit, Powders, Muske and Mosqueta: Shee had a chamber full of Limbecks, little vialls, pots, some of earth, some of glasse, some brasse, and some tinne, formed in a thousand fashions. Shee made sublimated Mercury, boyled confections for to clarifie the skinne, waters to make the face glister, paintings, some white, some vermillion, lip-salues, scarlet-dy'd cloathes, fitted purposely for women to rub their faces therewith, oyntments for to make the face smooth, lustrifications, clarifications, pargetings, fardings, waters for the morphewes, and a thousand other slibber slabbers: Some made of the lees of wine, some of daffadills, some of the barkes and rindes of trees, some of Scar-wolfe, otherwise called Cittibush, or Trifolium, some of Taragon, some of Centory, some of sowre grapes, some of Must, or new wine taken from the presse, first distilled, and afterwards sweetned with sugar.