The Spanish Bawd (Calisto and Meliboea) (Celestina) · chunk 48 of 205
Mabbe, James / Rojas, Fernando de · published 1631 · first performed or written 1631 (Annals) tragicomedy; literary play T47 Knaves, thieves and bawds typicality 0.84 · 480 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T47: knave, rogue, money, knaves, thief, rogues, pray, whore, nichol, book.
False Bawd as thou art; For all the world beside, thy feet can walk, for me only thy tongue; Others can have works; I only words. Others can have remedy at thy hands; I only the man that must endure torment. To all others, thy force can extend itself; and to me is it only wanting. To all others thou art Light; to me Darkness. Out thou old treacherous, disloyal wertike; Why didst thou offer thyself and service unto me? For, it was thy offer that did put me in hope: and that hope did delay my death, prolonged my life, and did put upon me the Title of a glad man. Now, for that thy promises have not proved effectual, neither shalt thou want punishment, nor I woeful despair: so that, look I on which side I will (miserable man that I am) it is ill here, and it is ill there; pain & grief on either hand: But when extremes shall want their mean, and no means to avoid either the one or the other; of two evils, it is the wiser course to incline to the lesser. And therefore I had rather offend Pleberio, then displease Calisto. Well then, I will go. For greater will my shame be, to be condemned for a Coward, than my punishment, in daring to accomplish what I promised. Besides, Fortune still friendeth those that are bold and valiant. Lo, yonder's the gate; I have seen myself in greater danger than this in my days, Coraggio, Coraggio, Celestina; Be of good cheer; Be not dismayed; For, there are never suitors wanting for the mitigating, and allaying of punishment. All Divinations are in my favour, and show themselves prospicious in my proceedings; or else I am nobody in this my Art, a mere bungler, an Idiot, an Ass. Of four men that I meet by the way, three of them were Johns; whereof two were Cuckolds. The first word that I heard, passing along the street, was a Love-complaint. I have not stumbled since I came forth, as at other times I used to do. He thinks the very stones of the street did sunder themselves one from another, to give me way as I passed. Nor did the skirts of my clothes rumple up in troublesome folds, to hinder my feet. Nor do I feel any faintness, or weariness in my legs. Every one saluteth me. Not a dog that hath once barked at me; I have neither seen any bird of a black feather, neither Thrush, nor Crow; nor any other of the like unlucky nature; and which is a better sign of good luck then all these, yonder do I see Lucrecia, standing at Melibea's gate, which is kinswoman to Elicia: it cannot but go well with us; it is impossible we should miss of our purpose; All is Cocksure.
nodes 333–333 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · piece 1–1 of a split node · chunk 48 of 205 in this edition
Length
480 words · 633 tokens · flags: long_node_piece
Topic (seed 42)
T47 — Knaves, thieves and bawdscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.839 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T41 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
False Bawd as thou art; For all the world besides, thy feete can walke, for mee onely thy tongue; Others can haue works; I only words. Others can haue remedy at thy hands; I onely the man that must endure torment. To all others, thy force can extend it selfe; and to me is it only wanting. To all others thou art Light; to me Darkenesse. Out thou old tretcherous, disloyall wertike; Why didst thou offer thy selfe and seruice vnto me? For, it was thy offer that did put mee in hope: and that hope did delay my death, prolonged my life, and did put vpon mee the Title of a glad man. Now, for that thy promises haue not prou'd effectuall, neither shalt thou want punishment, nor I wofull despaire: so that, looke I on which side I will (miserable man that I am) it is ill here, and it is ill there; paine & griefe on either hand: But when extremes shall want their meane, and no meanes to auoide either the one or the other; of two cuils, it is the wiser course to incline to the lesser. And therefore I had rather offend Pleberio, then displease Calisto. Well then, I will goe. For greater will my shamebe, to be condemned for a Coward, then my punishment, in daring to accomplish what I promised. Besides, Fortune still friendeth those that are bold and valiant. Lo, yonder's the gate; I haue seene my selfe in greater danger then this in my daies, Coraggio, Coraggio, Celestina; Be of good cheere; Be not dismay'd; For, there are neuer suitors wanting for the mitigating, and allaying of punishment. All Diuinations are in my fauour, and shew themselues prospicious in my proceedings; or else I am no body in this my Art, a meere bungler, an Idiot, an Asse. Of foure men that I meete by the way, three of them were Ihon's; whereof two were Cuckolds. The first word that I heard, passing along the street, was a Loue-complaint. I haue not stumbled since I came foorth, as at other times I vsed to doe. e thinkes the very stones of the streete did sunder themselues one from another, to giue me way as I past. Nor did the skirts of my clothes wrumple vp in troublesome folds, to hinder my feet. Nor do I feele any faintnesse, or wearinesse in my legs. Euery one saluteth mee. Not a dog that hath once barked at me; I haue neither seene any bird of a black feather, neither Thrush, nor Crow; nor any other of the like vnlucky nature; and which is a better signe of good lucke then all these, yonder doe I see Lucrecia, standing at Melibea's gate, which is kinsewoman to Elicia: it cannot but goe well with vs; it is impossible wee should misse of our purpose; All is Cocke-sure.