in The Scottish History of James the Fourth — Greene, Robert
Metadata
Play
The Scottish History of James the Fourth
Author
Greene, Robert
Year (catalogued)
1598
First performance
1590
Decade
1590s
Genre
Romance
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Unknown
Speech prefix(es)
Cutb. | S. Cutb. | S. Cut. | S. Cut. And.
Words
444
Characters
2322
Typicality
0.27 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A02168
BritDrama no.
854
Cluster
Cluster 2 — Allegory, Nature & pageant voices
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
I see you trust me Princes who repose, The weight of such a war upon my will. Now mark my suit, a tender Lyons whelp, This other day came straggling in the woods, Attended by a young and tender hind, In courage haughty, yet tired Like a lamb, The Prince of beasts had left this young in keep, To foster up as louemate and compear, Unto the Lyons mate a naibour friend, This stately guide seduced by the fox, Sent forth and eager Wolf bred up in France, That gripped the tender whelp, and wounded it. By chance as I was hunting in the woods, I herd the moan the hind made for the whelp, I took them both, and brought them to my house, With chary care I have curd the one, And since I know the lyons are at strife, About the lose and damage of the young, I bring her home, make claim to her who list. Where is this poor distressed gentleman? In ripping up their wounds, I see their wit, But if these wounds be cured I sorrow it. I'll break off their dispute, least love proceed, From covert smiles, to perfect love indeed. How fares my guest, take cheer, nought shall de fault, That either does concern your health or joy, Use me, my house, and what is mine is yours. Your virtue does acquit me of that doubt: But courteous fit, since troubles calls me hence, I must to Edenbourg unto the king, There to take charge, and weight him in his wars: Mean while good Madame take this squire in charge, And use him so as if it were my self. The king of England forageth his land, And hath besieged Dambac with mighty force: What other news are common in the Court, Read you these letters Madame tell the squire, The whole affairs of state, for I must hence. Leave mourning friend, the man is yet alive, Some help me to convey him to my house: There will I see him carefully recured, And send privy search to catch the murderer. Stay Princes wage not war, a privy grudge Betwixt such as you (most high in Majesty) Afflicts both nocent and the innocent, How many swords deer Princes see I drawn? The friend against his friend, a deadly friend: A desperate division in those lands, Which if they join in one, command the world. O stay with reason mitigate your rage, And let and old man humbled on his knees, Entreat a boon good Princes of you both. But by your gracious favours grant me this, To swear upon your sword to do me right.
Plot summary
Plot — The Scottish History of James the Fourth
Bohan has shut himself up in a tomb and scorns the world. He is visited by GB@FGn, who gives blessings to his sons: preferment for Nad, and for Slippér the promise of fairy help when he is in danger. Bohan shows him a story of King JameSEIV to justify his misanthropy. During the action, Oberon falls asleep. The King of Scots marries the English princess Dorothea, but in the church his eye lights on [da and he falls in tove. Al@iiKin offers to help him with his affair, hires servants (among them Slipper), and woos Ida on James’s behalf. Although Dorothea assumes the King’s pursuit of Ida is only a sham to test her own love, his behaviour and his liking for flatterers is ===== PAGE 35 ===== 1590 driving the nobles away from his court; James secretly welcomes this, since their absence gives him greater freedom of action. Ateukin attributes his lack of success with Ida to the adulterous nature of the proposal: if she had an expectation of marriage, she would be more pliable; therefore Dorothea must die, and Ateukin engages Jaqwes to murder her, with the promise of promotion at court. Ateukin uses his influence at court to sell favours. His own servants are equally corrupt: Sir Bartram bribes Slipper to steal a lease from Ateukin’s pocket, but what Slipper actually takes is the murder warrant. When the document is missed, Ateukin orders Andrew to find it; because reporting Slipper will expose his own malfeasance, Andrew instead robs him of the bribe- money to teach him a lesson. Sir Bartram shows the stolen warrant to Dorothea, and prevails upon her to escape dressed as a squire; but Jaques catches up with her, wounds her, and leaves her for dead. She is taken in by Sir GWEHBEMNAMAERSGh, whose wife, mistaking her for a young man, falls in love with ‘him’. Things go badly for the King of Scots. To insure himself against the possibility of Ateukin’s fall, Andrew secretly informs the Kinglefllngland of Dorothea’s fate. This precipitates an English invasion of Scotland in reprisal. Ateukin goes to resume the wooing of Ida, but on arrival finds her just married to Lord Eiistace; unable to persuade Jaques to kill Eustace too, he goes into hiding. Corruption, poverty, and lawlessness spread through Scotland, and the price of peace with England is ‘dead’ Dorothea’s return. When James proclaims a reward, the Queen reveals her identity to the disappointed DaayNAMGersGn, and goes to court. James puts a price on Ateukin’s head and orders Slipper and Andrew imprisoned…