The Spanish Bawd (Calisto and Meliboea) (Celestina) · chunk 150 of 205
Mabbe, James / Rojas, Fernando de · published 1631 · first performed or written 1631 (Annals) tragicomedy; literary play unassigned nearest T23 Husbands, wives and jealousy · 576 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T23: wife, husband, cuckold, jealousy, woman, jealous, mistress, love, house, honest.
Why, what am I, Sempronio? What do you know me to be? Didst thou take me out of the Puteria? brought'st thou me, as a whore, out of the Stews? Bridle your tongue for shame, and do not dishonour my hoary hairs. I am an old woman of Gods making, no worse than all other women are: I live by my occupation as other women do, very well, and handsomely; I seek not after those who seek not after me; they that will have me, come home to my house to fetch me; they come home, I say, and entreat me to do this or that for them. And for the life that I lead, whether it be good or bad, heaven knows my heart: and do not think out of your choler to misuse me, for there is Law and justice for all, and equal to all; and my tale, I doubt not, shall be as soon heard (though I am an old woman) as yours, for all you be so smoothly combed. Let me alone, I pray, in mine own house, and with mine own fortune. And you, Parmeno, do not you think that I am thy slave, because thou know'st my secrets, and my life past, and all those matters that happened betwixt me, and that unfortunate mother of thine; for she also was wont to use me on this fashion, when she was disposed to play her pranks with me. Do not tit me in the teeth with these thy idle memorials of my mother, unless thou meanst I should send thee with these thy tidings, unto her, where thou mayst better make thy complaint. Elicia, Elicia, arise and come down quickly, and bring me my mantle; for by heaven, I will hie me to the justice, and there cry out and rail at you, like a made woman. What is't you would have? What do you mean, to menace me thus in mine own house? Shall your valour and your bravings be exercised on a poor silly innocent sheep? On a Hen, that is tied by the leg, and cannot fly from you? On an old woman of sixty years of age? Get you, get you, for shame, amongst men, such as yourselves; go and reake your anger upon such as are girt with the Sword, and not against me and my poor weak Distaff; it is an infallible note of great cowardice, to assail the weak and such as have but small, or very little poor to resist: your filthy Flies bite none but lean and feeble Oxen: and your barking Curs fly with greater eagerness, and more open mouth upon your poorest passengers. If she that lies above there in the bed, would have hearkened unto me, this house should not have been (as now it is) without a man in the night; nor we have slept (as we do) by the naked shadow of a candle. But to pleasure you, and to be faithful unto you, we suffer this solitude; and because you see we are women, and have nobody here to oppose you, you prate, and talk, and ask, I know not what, without any reason in the world, which you would as soon have been hanged, as once dared to have proffered it, if you had heard but a man stirring in the house; for, as it is in the Proverb, A hard adversary appeaseth anger.
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)
Why, what am I, Sempronio? What doe you know me to be? Didst thou take me out of the Puteria? Broughtst thou me, as a whore, out of the Stewes? Bridle your tongue for shame, and doe not dishonour my hoary hayres. I am an old woman of Gods making, no worse then all other women are: I liue by my occupation as other women doe, very well, and handsomely; I seeke not after those who seeke not after me; they that will haue me, come home to my house to fetch me; they come home, I say, and intreat mee to doe this or that for them. And for the life that I lead, whether it be good or bad, heauen knowes my heart: and doe not thinke out of your choller to mis-vse mee, for there is Law and Iustice for all, and equall to all; and my tale, I doubt not, shall be as soone heard (though I am an old woman) as yours, for all you be so smoothly kemb'd. Let me alone, I pray, in mine owne house, and with mine owne fortune. And you, Parmeno, doe not you thinke that I am thy slaue, because thou knowst my secrets, and my life past, and all those matters that hapned betwixt mee, and that vnfortunate mother of thine; for shee also was wont to vse mee on this fashion, when she was disposed to play her prankes with mee. Doe not tit mee in the teeth with these thy idle memorialls of my mother, vnlesse thou meanst I should send thee with these thy tydings, vnto her, where thou mayst better make thy complaint. Elicia, Elicia, arise and come downe quickly, and bring me my mantle; for by heauen, I will hye mee to the Iustice, and there cry out and raile at you, like a made woman. What is't you would haue? What do you meane, to menace me thus in mine owne house? Shall your valour and your brauings be exercised on a poore silly innocent sheepe? On a Hen, that is tyed by the leg, and cannot flye from you? On an old woman of sixty yeeres of age? Get you, get you, for shame, amongst men, such as your selues; goe and reake your anger vpon such as are girt with the Sword, and not against me and my poore weake Distaffe; it is an infallible note of great cowardize, to assaile the weake and such as haue but small, or very little poore to resist: your filthy Flyes bite none but leane and feeble Oxen: and your barking Curres flye with greater eagernesse, and more open mouth vpon your poorest passengers. If shee that lies aboue there in the bed, would haue hearkned vnto me, this house should not haue beene (as now it is) without a man in the night; nor wee haue slept (as wee doe) by the naked shaddow of a candle. But to pleasure you, and to be faithfull vnto you, wee suffer this solitude; and because you see wee are women, and haue no body heere to oppose you, you prate, and talke, and aske, I know not what, without any reason in the world, which you would as soone haue beene hang'd, as once dar'd to haue proffer'd it, if you had heard but a man stirring in the house; for, as it is in the Prouerbe, A hard aduersary appeaseth anger.