Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

LAMBERT

in Friar Bacon and Friar Bongay — Greene, Robert

Metadata

PlayFriar Bacon and Friar Bongay
AuthorGreene, Robert
Year (catalogued)1594
First performance1589
Decade1590s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyQueen Elizabeth's Men
Speech prefix(es)Lambert. | L • mbert. | Lamb.
Words374
Characters2024
Typicality0.23 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA02127
BritDrama no.822
ClusterCluster 6 — Battlefield messengers & soldiers

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Come frolic keeper of our lieges' game, Whose table spread hath ever venison, And Jacks of wines to welcome passengers, Know I am in love with jolly Margret, That ouer-shines our damsels as the moon, Darkeneth the brightest sparkles of the night, In Laxfield here my land and living lies, I'll make thy daughter joy ter of it all, So thou consent to give her to my wise, And I can spend five hundredth marks a year. Content Keeper send h rvnto us. Why Serlsby is thy wife so lately dead, Are all thy loves so lightly passed over, As thou canst wed before the year be out, Peggy the lovely slower of all towns, Suffolks fair Hellen, and rich England's star, Whose beautietempered with her housewifry, Makes England talk of merry Fr sing ield. Say Peggy nought shall make us discontent. Let pass the country wealth as flocks and kine, And lands that wave with Ceres golden sheues filling my barns with plenty of the fields, But peggy if thou wed thy self to me, Thou shalt have garments of Embroidered silk, Lawns and rich networks for thy head attire Costly shall be thy fare abiliments, If thou wilt be but Lamberts loving wife. I'll follow Peggy far well to thy self, Listen how well le answer for thy lo e. And Serlsbie I have there a lusty boy, That dares at weapon buckle with thy son, And lives in Broadgates too as well as thine, But draw thy Rapier for weel have about. Why standest thou Serlsbie doubtest thou of thy life, A venie man, fair Margret craves so much. O I am slain. Mine Lambert. Serlsby thou hast kept thine hour Like a man, Th'art worthy of the title of a squire: That durst for proof of thy affection, And for thy mistress favour prize thy blood, Thou knowest what words did pass at Fressingfield, Such shameless braves as manhood cannot brook: I for I scorn to bear such piercing taunts, Prepare thee Serlsbie one of us will die. Thinkest thou with wealth to over reach me Serlsby, I scorn to brook thy country braves I dare thee Coward to maintain this wrong, At dint of rapier single in the field.

Plot summary

Plot — Friar Bacon and Friar Bongay
Primce Bdwafd is in love with the country wench Margarety and he orders Bay to woo her on his behalf. He does so, but she falls for him rather than the Prince. Meanwhile BRiamlBaeoH is questioned by his academic superiors, who suspect him of practising black magic. He explains his plans to make a brazen head which will lecture in philosophy, and to surround England with a defensive wall of brass. The one sceptic, DEIBOTGER, is shown up when Bacon uses his powers to reveal that he sneaks off at night to play cards at a tavern when he should be reading. Prineejkdward and Ralphithelfeal swap clothes and identities when visiting Bacon, but he sees through the deception with ease. Bacon shows Edward events at Suffolk through a magic mirror: Daey is wooing Margaret for himself, and they are to be married by FriamBungay; but Bacon magically strikes Bungay dumb, then brings him to Oxford for dinner. Edward rides to Suffolk to confront Lacy, but Margaret’s determination reconciles him to the situation: even if he tries to remove the obstacle by killing Lacy, she will never love him and will kill herself to be with Lacy. Prince Edward’s future wife, Elifi@f of Castile, arrives in England with a group of foreign potentates. The Emperor of Germany has brought along Wandérmast} a famous magician, to compete with England’s best scholars at Oxford. Vandermast’s first opponent in magic is BriamBuiigay, who conjures up a golden tree. Vandermast summons Hercules to pull it down, but Hercules proves to be more subservient to Fraribacen) who completes his victory by magically sending Vandermast back to Germany. At the ensuing dinner, th@|Emiperot is offended by the mean academic fare, so Bacon conjures up a more sumptuous feast. Bacon’s brazen head is ready, but he is tired from staying up all night waiting for it to speak. He appoints his scholar Miles to watch, and wake him when it does. The head speaks enigmatically and is magically destroyed, but Miles fails to wake his master in time. Bacon sacks him and later sends a devil to carry him to Hell. Two country squires want to marry Margarée but she asks for ten days’ grace to make a decision, confident that Lacy will come for her before then. What actually arrives is a letter telling her that he is to marry someone else, so she decides to enter a nunnery. The two squires kill one another in a duel, and their sons, watching from Oxford through Bacon’s magic mirror, do the same. Bacon smashes the mirror in remorse and…