Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

NITIDO

in The Fancies Chaste and Noble

Metadata

PlayThe Fancies Chaste and Noble
Year (catalogued)1638
First performance1638
Decade1630s
GenreComedy
Play typeProfessional;Adult Professional
CompanyQueen Henrietta Maria's Men
TheaterPhoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Nit. | Nie.
Words808
Characters4411
Typicality0.47 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA01049
BritDrama no.2528
ClusterCluster 11 — Tosspots & tavern railers

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

Away Secco away, my Lord calls, of ha a lose hair started from his fellows, a clip of your art is come manded. Trudging between and old moil, and a young Calf, my numble intelligeneer, what, thou fatten'st apace on Capon still? What a terrible sighed to a lib'd breech is a sow gel der? Good! witty rascal, th'art a Satire I protest, but that the Nymph's needs not fear the evidence of thy morta lity, go put on a clean bib, and spin amongst the Nuns, sing'em a bawdy song, all the children thou ge'tst, shall be christened in wassail bowls, and turned into a college of men Midwives, farewell nightmare. And still the Urchin would, but could not do. Ladies, I shall, now for a lusty harvest. It'll prove a cheap year, should these barns be filled once, Madam Morosa? To you in secret. My duty reverend Madam. I have fashioned the means of your admittance. More, have bethought me of a shape, a quaint one, You may appear in, safe and unsuspected. Beyond all this; Have so contrived the feat, that at first sighed, Troylo himself shall court your entertainment: Nay, force you to vouchsafe it. True, I have sir Fadged nimbly in my practises: but surely, There are some certain clogs, some roguish staggers, Somewhat shall I call em in the business? Am I honest In this discovery? All fears are cleared then. But if— If w'are discovered, You'll answer I am honest still? Not much; I have your purse in pawn fort. Now to the shape, and know the wits in Florence, Who in the great Dukes court, buffoons his compliment, According to the change of meats in season, At every free Lords table, You have him. Like such a thing must you appear, and study Amongst the Ladies in a formal soppery, To vent some curiosity of language, Above their appehensions, or your own, Indeed beyond sense, you are the more the person. Now amorous, then scurvy, sometime bawdy, The same man still, but evermore fantastical, As being the suppositor to laughter: It hath saved charge in physic. On my Modesty, You are some kin to him—Seignior Prugnioli! Seignior Mushrumpo! Leap but into his antic garb, and trust me You'll fit it to a thought. As suddenly As you can be transformed,—for the event, It's pregnant. Pish, it more Queres,? Till your own eyes inform, be silent, else Take back your earnest, what, turn woman? fie; Be idle and inquisitive? I'll not fail ye, Assuredly, I will not fail you Seignior; My fine in amorato —twenty ducats? Th'are half his quarters incombe—love, o love, What a pure madness art thou? I shall fit him, Fit, quit and split him too—most bounteous sir. Though sir, I'm but a child, yet you shall find me— Most greedily Swallows it with a licourish delight: Will instantly be shaped in't instantly, And on my conscience, sir, the supposition Strengthened by supposition, will trans form him Into the beast it self he do's resemble. Sir, it needs not: I have already twenty Ducats pursed In a gay case, alas sir, to you, my service Is but my duty. Sir at's lodging, Or near about: he will make haste believe it. If I miss my partly, hang me. Ladies good Ladies, deer Madam Morosa. As I hope to live to be a man. Truly I am innocent. I fear thy roguery, and I shall find it. Beshrew your fools head; this was jest in earnest. With your good Lordship's favour, since, Spadone Confessed it was a gullery put on Secco, For some revenge meant me. This comes of prating. Here's a chair, a chair politic, my fine boy, fit thee down in triumph, and rise one of the nine Wor thighs; thou'lt be a sweet youth anon sirrah. Nay, the thing under your fingers is a whelp of the wits I can assure you. Yes, frizzle or powder their hair, plane their eyebrows, set a napp on their cheeks, keep secrets, and tell news; that's all. Most certain, some Doctor Farriers are of opini on that the Mare may cast a Foal, which the Master of their Hall conclude in spite of all lockies and their fami liars, will carry every raze before him, without spur or switch. Grecum album is a kind of white perfumed pou der, which plain Country people, I believe, call dog-muske. Have patience man, it's for his credit to be neat. Give him kind words you were best, for a toy that I know. Spadone, thou art in a lamentable pickle, have a good heart and pray if thou canst, I pity thee. O scurvy! thou art angry, feel man whither thy weasand be not cracked first. Wipe your face clean; and take heed of a Razor. Help, or I shall be throttled.

Plot summary

Plot — The Fancies Chaste and Noble
Before the start of the action, Lord Julio was advised by his physicians that his malady could be cured b narriage to a particular woman, Flavia. He duly arranged to purchase her from her husband, Fabricio, who procured a divorce by pretending a pre-contract. Flavia's brother Romanello is outraged and refuses to see her. Flavia herself feels ashamed of the arrangement and, at her request, Julio pensions off Fabricio and sends him into exile; he goes to Bologna and becomes a Capuchin monk. The gallants Camillo and Vespucci pursue Flavia, hoping that her track record indicates a propensity to adultery, but later see the error of their ways. Troilo Savelli procures a place at court for his friend Livio; but the price is that he must bring his sister Castamela to join the Bower of Fancies, a group of chaste young women visited by the Marquess Octavio for recreational purposes, and debarred most other company. Livio complies, breaking off Castamela's liaison with Romanello. The situation is not what it may seem, however: Octavio is impotent. Romanello comes to court disguised as a mountebank and manages to see the Fancies. Left alone with Castamela while the Fancies have a singing lesson, Octavio asks for her love, but she refuses, and later vents her annoyance on her brother for bringing her to court. Livio decides after all to give his blessing to her marriage to Romanello. Octavio is annoyed that scandalous rumours are in circulation concerning his relationship with the Fancies. He invites the principal characters to supper and the truth emerges: the Fancies are his nieces, and he was charged by their dead mother to supervise their education. Now that this is complete, he allows the courtiers to woo them. Romanello renounces his claim on Castamela, and she accepts Troilo's offer of marriage. In the sub-plot, Secco the young barber, whom Octavio has married to the Fancies' ancient guardian Morosa, is persuaded by the eunuch Spadone that he has been cuckolded by Octavio's page Nitido. Troilo saves the boy from a thrashing, and Secco takes his revenge by trapping Spadone in his barber's chair. Spadone confesses that he is only pretending to be a eunuch, and that he is the one who cuckolded Secco.