in Like Will to Like (Quoth the Devil to the Collier) — Fulwell, Ulpian
Metadata
Play
Like Will to Like (Quoth the Devil to the Collier)
Author
Fulwell, Ulpian
Year (catalogued)
1587
First performance
1568
Decade
1580s
Genre
Moral
Play type
Interlude
Speech prefix(es)
G.fame. | Good fame. | Good fa. | 〈◊〉 • ame.
Words
241
Characters
1202
Typicality
0.43 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A01353
BritDrama no.
472
Cluster
Cluster 2 — Allegory, Nature & pageant voices
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 2 (horestes, quha, weill, bohor, sysimethres, griselda…). Matches are highlighted.
seen manifestly, Gods great zeal to virtue both in man and wife. For why they may be sure that I good Fame, From the Virtuous life will stray: Whereby honour and renown may grow to their name, And eternal salvation at the latter day. ¶ O virtuous life God rest you merry, to you I am come to attend, ¶ Virtuous life thereto I do
Full speech
¶ Even Gods promise hath sent me unto you, willing me not from you to depart: But always to give attendance endue, And in no wise from you to start. For God of his promise hath most liberally, Sent me good fame to you Virtuous life: Whereby it may be seen manifestly, Gods great zeal to virtue both in man and wife. For why they may be sure that I good Fame, From the Virtuous life will stray: Whereby honour and renown may grow to their name, And eternal salvation at the latter day. ¶ O virtuous life God rest you merry, to you I am come to attend, ¶ Virtuous life thereto I do agree, For it becomes all men to do so: But behold yonder comes Gods promise as seems to me, And honour with him comes also. Enter gods pro mises and Ho nou_r_ with him. ¶ S'th Gods promise hath brought honour in to this place, I will for a while leave you three alone: For I must depart now for a little space, But I shall come to you again anon. Exit Good fame. ¶ Virtuous life do what you list. to pray or to sing I will you assist. ¶ O Lord preserve the commons of this Realm also, Pour upon them thy heavenly grace: To advance virtue and vice to overthrown, that at the last in Heaven with thee they may have a place.
Plot summary
Plot — Like Will to Like (Quoth the Devil to the Collier)
The devil commissions the vice Nichol Newfangle to tempt men into a preoccupation with new fashions, which will lead them to hell. The ensuing action turns on the recurrent introduction of similar characters to one another. The vice introduces a dishonest collier to the devil, then Tom Tosspot to Rafe Roister; ina ~ mock trial he judges which is the bigger wastrel ===== PAGE 35 ===== 1568 (the prize, unknown to them, is to be hanged), but considers them equal. A comic drinking scene follows with Tosspot’s followers. He also sets in motion a plot to cozen two cutpurses over an inheritance of land. The vicious characters are driven off stage by the arrival of Virtuous Life, who is enthroned and crowned. Tosspot and Roister lose all their possessions: Roister gambles his away, and Tosspot has to leave his as security for his alehouse bill. Newfangle gives them the equipment to start a mew career as beggars, and they assault him. He is found injured by a judge, Severity, and betrays the two cutpurses; they are led away to execution, and Nichol and the hangman share their clothes. Tosspot’s followers end up in hospital suffering from gout. Lucifer carries the vice away on his back. The virtuous characters pray for the Queen, the Lords, and commons.