in The Night Walker, or The Little Thief — Fletcher, John; Shirley, James, rev.
Metadata
Play
The Night Walker, or The Little Thief
Author
Fletcher, John; Shirley, James, rev.
Year (catalogued)
1640
First performance
1611
Decade
1640s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Lady Elizabeth's Men
Theater
Phoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Mi.
Words
377
Characters
1928
Typicality
0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A00966
BritDrama no.
1772
Cluster
Cluster 1 — Wives, widows & intimate counsel
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
You're welcome, where have you left it. Is it plate all. Prithee lets see it first. Yes to melt it, But lets agree to night, how it shall be handled I'll have a new gown. And such a riding suit as Mistress Newloves, What though I be no gentlewoman born, I hope I may achieve it by my carriage. You promised me a horse too, and a lackquay. That will be stately sweet heart, a postilion. That will be deer. Where is this chest, I long sweet to behold Our Jndies. I'll be a loving Mistress to my boy too. Now fetch it in and lets rejoice upon't. Would whats h ere? call you this a chest? A very Coffin. Is this your Treasure? Nay, I will search it, I'll see what wealth's within, — — a woman's face, And a fair woman's. She is cold, dead cold: de'e find your conscience, De'e bring your Gillians hither — nay, she's punished, Your concealed love's cased up? These are fine tricks, you hope she's in a found, But I'll take order she shall never recover To boar my nose, come, take her up and bury her Quickly, or I'll cry out; take her up instantly. I am sure she shall not. I'll no considering, either bestir your self, or — Let it not stay to smell then, I will not Endure the stink of a Rival. Take a Spade and follow me. The next fair ground we meet, make the Church yard; As I live, I'll see her lodged. Hang both for two blind buzzards, here's a Spade Quickly or I'll call the neighbours. There's no remedy, Would the poor hungry prisoners had this pasty. No further, dig here, and lay her in quickly. Here, I durst not tarry. Lets fly, or else we shall be torn in pieces. 'Tis not he? What would you sir? A handsome Gentleman, Alas he bleeds, a very handsome gentleman, Pray come in, the air is hurtful for you; Pray let me led you, I'll have a bed for you presently, I'll be your Surgeon too, alas sweet gentleman. Softly I beseech you. O sir, forgive me, I have done you wrong. As you are a man forgive me, I'll redeem all.
Plot summary
Plot — The Night Walker, or The Little Thief
The usurer Justice Algripe has seized the wastrel Lurcher’s lands to settle a mortgage; he was also amorously interested in Lurcher’s sister, who has since disappeared. The destitute Lurcher is left to steal for a living; invited to join him, his friend Wildbrain prefers womanizing, on the grounds that it will not end on the gallows. Lurcher is approached by a boy, Snap, and, after ascertaining his skills at deception, takes him into his service. Algripe marries Wildbrain’s cousin Maria, who consented out of filial obedience rather than love: she loves Hartlove. Her mother’s household opposes the match, suspecting that old Algripe is impotent, and Wildbrain arranges for Hartlove to meet her on her way to bed and cuckold Algripe on his wedding night. She refuses his advances and faints when they are found together; she is taken for dead and prepared for burial. Her mother throws Wildbrain out for his part in the incident. Lurcher burgles the house that night, frightening the servants by pretending to be a ghost; but what he supposes to be a chest of jewels is actually Maria’s coffin. Upon discovering what their swag really is, he and his accomplices attempt to bury her in secret, but have a chance encounter with Algripe in the churchyard. Snap frightens him away by impersonating Maria’s ghost, but the thieves are scared off themselves when Maria wakes up in her coffin. Wildbrain meets Hartlove in the dark; Hartlove bears him a grudge and fights him. Maria hears the commotion and pretends to be her own ghost, enjoining them not to fight. Wildbrain is already wounded, and takes refuge in the next house he finds, which belongs to Lurcher’s mistress and partner in crime. They fall for one another and he shows off her gifts to Lurcher, who recognizes them as stolen 1615 property — his own booty. Maria’s mother accuses Algripe of stealing the body; when he refuses to repay the marriage portion, she begins litigation. Lurcher cons his way into Algripe’s house posing as a bookseller, ties him up, and steals his valuables and papers, including his own mortgage. Maria returns to her mother’s household posing as her nurse’s Welsh niece. Struck by the resemblance to dead Maria, Hartlove falls in love with her. Lurcher impersonates a constable and takes Algripe to a church where, he says, the villains who robbed him are hiding out; he then drugs Algripe and stows him in the vault. When the usurer wakes up, he is visited by ‘Furies’ who want to carry him to hell, and…