Topic 49 — Wooing a mistress: suitors, go-betweens and letters
Dominant work: The Spanish Bawd (Calisto and Meliboea) (Celestina) · genre mix of this topic (British Drama labels): comedy 73%; tragedy 9%; tragicomedy 7%
45chunks
21,960words
31works
4works with ≥3 chunks
7 %dominant work
20 %top-3 works
All statistics on this page are on the representative editions (one per work). Including the other editions, placed after the fit: 49 chunks · 33 works · 23,944 words — those 4 chunks are listed at the end of the page and are not part of any figure above.
Classificationcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · confirmed by the researcher Label (researcher): Wooing a mistress: suitors, go-betweens and lettersOriginal AI draft — before researcher review
draft label: Wooing a mistress: suitors, go-betweens and letters · pattern basis: thematic_discourse 45 chunks, 31 works, no work above 7 %. Courtship as negotiation in prose: the suitor and his mistress, go-betweens, letters answered late, 'gentlewoman' and 'gentleman'; Celestina, Jonson, Shirley, Porter, Barry. Cross-work; the practical counterpart of T4 (love as feeling). chunks read for the draft: 952_00091;973_00017;980_00027;434_00014;363_00025;1174_00008;683_00014
Mabbe, James / Rojas, Fernando de, 1631 · tragicomedy; literary play · 3 chunks of this work here
Now, now, is my Mistress quite undone. All the world cannot save her; she will have Celestina come secretly tomorrow. I smell a Rat; there is a Pad in the straw; I like not this, C…
Jonson, Ben, 1631 · comedy · 3 chunks of this work here
Mistress, it is, but first, let me assure The excellence, of Mistresses, I am, Although my Master's man, my Mistress slave, The servant of her secrets, and sweet turns, And know, w…
Shirley, James, 1632 · comedy · 3 chunks of this work here
This cannot be. Be: no, no, 'tis impossible: shall we walk sweet Lady? Will not this excite your pity, mercy shines bright in women. I have heard you Sir, And doubt not, when he co…
Shirley, James, 1633 · comedy · 3 chunks of this work here
'Tis granted, Gentlemen I have an ambition to be your eternal slave. 'Tis granted. And I to be an everlasting Rascal. 'Tis granted. A couple of Cockaloches. Here comes my Daughter.…
Anonymous, 1602 · comedy · 2 chunks of this work here
Sweet Mistress Mary I'll invite myself: And there I'll frolic, sup, and spend the night. My Plot is currant, here 'tis in my hand Will make me happy in my second choice, And I may …
Middleton, Thomas, 1608 · comedy · 2 chunks of this work here
You shall see straight what I can do sir. Would I might be hanged, if my love do not stretch to her deeper and deeper, those bashful maiden humours take me prisoner when their come…
Marmion, Shackerley, 1632 · comedy · 2 chunks of this work here
What help then? the poor Gentleman must suffer, Good Trimalchio: 'tis his fate. I am thinking, What I shall do with him, when I am married. What do other women do with their husban…
Shirley, James, 1637 · comedy · 2 chunks of this work here
He speaks well Of you, gave you a worthy Character. He cannot choose. He knows me well enough, and all the world, Besides I have a temper must not be Provoked with calumnies, 'tis …
Genre mix (chunks of this topic, British Drama labels)
comedy
33 (73 %)
tragedy
4 (9 %)
tragicomedy
3 (7 %)
tragicomedy; literary play
3 (7 %)
not in BritDrama
2 (4 %)
This is the direction topic → genre, on the raw British Drama labels; the share of each genre group's text that falls in this topic is on the Genre page.
Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks (1611) · typ. 0.91 …s: Nor can you entertain Both love and hate at once. 'tis all in vain. You strive against the stream. Fee the waiting-maid Master Stand thou propitious, endear me to thy love Dear Mistress turn to this Gentleman, I protest, I have some feeling of his constant love, Cast him not away, try his love. Why sir, With what audacious front can yo…
Holland's Leaguer (1632) · typ. 0.90 …essed at a Lady's mind, Only by the warbling of her Lutestring, Kissing her hand, or wagging of her feather, And suffer you to pine for my embraces, And not conceive it? Pray be pacified. This fellow will persuade me, I am in love. Lady, you have took notice of my worth Let it not repent you. Be not stubborn Towards your happiness. You ha…
A Mad World, My Masters (1608) · typ. 0.90 …be chaste: to her yourself sir, The ways broke before you, you have the easier passage, Fear not, come; erect thy happy graces in thy look; I am no curious wooer, but in faith I love thee honourably. How mean you that sir? 'sfoot as one loves a woman for a wife, Has the gentleman answered you, trow? I do confess it truly to you both, My e…
The Lover's Melancholy (1629) · typ. 0.88 … Gentlewoman's (What d''ee call) good conceit, or so, or what You will else.— Were you not refined by Courtship And education, which in my blear eyes Makes you appear as sweet as any nosegay, Or savoury cod of Musk new fallen from th'Cat. This shall serve well enough for the Waiting-woman. My next Mistress is Cleophyla, the old madman's d…
Changes, or Love in a Maze (1632) · typ. 0.87 …mised love, Obliged himself by oath to her you plead for, This binds him not to undo himself for ever. Undo himself. Yes, marriage is an act, That doth concern his whole life, and in something May mar, or profit his eternity: Perhaps the Gentlewoman, since he gave His faith is fall'n from virtue. I have heard so. May be turned prostitute.…
A Mad World, My Masters (1608) · typ. 0.87 …wise Gentleman; as comfortable a man to woman in my case, as ever trod— huh— shoe leather, love him, honour him, stick by him, he lets you want nothing, that's fit for a woman; and to be sure on't, he will see himself that you want it not. And so I do i'faith, 'tis right my humour. You live a Lady's life with him, go where you will, ride …
Changes, or Love in a Maze (1632) · typ. 0.87 Look you Sir, I promised you a reason, why I could Not love Eugenia; there's my reason, I Do love that Gentlewoman. 'tis Master Thornay: I am resolved, I have no other way To punish his disdain, than to pretend I love this Ge…
The Devil Is an Ass (1631) · typ. 0.87 …f Mistresses, I am, Although my Master's man, my Mistress slave, The servant of her secrets, and sweet turns, And know, what fitly will conduce to either. What's this? I pray you come to yourself and think What your part is: to make an answer. Tell, Who is it at the door? The Gentleman, Mrs, Who was at the cloak-charge to speak with you, …
Changes, or Love in a Maze (1632) · typ. 0.86 What Gentlewoman? Eugenia, that wrote the Letter to me, I mean her. For what? I ha' considered better, & do mean To make her satisfaction. 'Tis too late: You might have done this earlier, your love Will appear now unseasonable, I assure you. Pray give me a reason. D'ye not blus…
The Spanish Bawd (Calisto and Meliboea) (Celestina (1631) · typ. 0.86 …may see thee at my house, I will give thee such a Lie, as shall make thy hair as yellow as gold; but tell not your Mistress of it. Thou shalt also have a powder of me to sweeten thy breath, which is a little of the strongest. There is not any in this kingdom, that can make it but myself. And there is not any thing in a woman that can be w…
The Example (1637) · typ. 0.86 … Your Lordship's humble creatures. I am your servant. What shall we do, Ladies? but I forget, I have something more to say to you. To me, my Lord? Your clients increase, Lady, That gentleman tells me, he does love you, and would marry you. Because I have observed his nature, I'll Give him in brief, he is a fellow will Undo thee in a fortn…
The Devil's Law Case (When Women Go to Law the Dev (1623) · typ. 0.86 Why Mistress, 'tis your only way, To enjoin me first that I reveal to you The worst act I ere did in all my life: So one secret shall bind one another. Thou instru'st me Most…
All 45 chunks of the representative editions (chronological; click a header to sort)