Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

COURTESAN

in 2 If You Know Not Me You Know Nobody (The Second Part of Queen Elizabeth's Troubles) — Heywood, Thomas

Metadata

Play2 If You Know Not Me You Know Nobody (The Second Part of Queen Elizabeth's Troubles)
AuthorHeywood, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1606
First performance1605
Decade1600s
GenreHistory
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyQueen Anne's Men
Speech prefix(es)Curtez. | Curtez | Cur. | Courtez. | Curtes: | Courtez:
Words304
Characters1559
Typicality0.52 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03217
BritDrama no.1433
ClusterCluster 12 — Wooers, gallants & courtly love-talk

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Nothing but kisses, and enticing looks, This Jewel's a Love: ask my life 'tis thine: But this and English factor whom you know Gave me at his departure out of Rhoane, And I have vowed to keep it for his sake, Any thing but this Jewel. This was another Countrymans of yours, He made me swear to kept till his return: Ask me aught else, 'tis thine. What Room thou pleasest, deer heart I agree, Where ere I go, there shall be room for thee. I'll be thy Jewel at thy lips isle hang, And as this Ring thy finger compasseth, So shall these arms thy waste: these are but toys, Let me displace them. That you of all the favours that I wear Could find out nothing but this ring? This ring, A toy not worth the giving: yet I sooner Would partly with life then this, a dying friend Bequeathed it at his death: But honey Love What shouldst thou talk of giving, 'tis a word Worn out of use, it sounds not well in French: A man should still say take, take to his Wench. I would be private, least the telltale air Whisper our love. I prethe let us in, To the inner chamber, I am jealous Of all eyes but mine own to look upon thee, I would have none to see thee but my self: In amorous arms to fold thee but my self: To associate, talk, discourse or dally with thee: Clip, grasp hands, or kiss thee but my self. Sweet youth thou art too young, and yet scarce ripe To taste the sweetness of my mellowed love. Adue Mounsier, and Gresham farewell too, No more of French love, no more french lose shall do. Gramercy Mounsier. No, no point parla Francoi. No point? No point parla.

Plot summary

Plot — 2 If You Know Not Me You Know Nobody (The Second Part of Queen Elizabeth's Troubles)
GhomasyGresham is in long legal dispute with Sir (homaspRamisay over a land deal: Gresham outbid Ramsay after contracts were exchanged, bought the land and built on it, so each man now claims ownership. DEINGWEll adjudicates fairly between them and makes them friends. Under the terms of the settlement, Gresham is to pay Ramsay £100, but his nephew John misappropriates the money and contrives ===== PAGE 115 ===== 1604 to get Timothy the factor arrested for debt. Caught out, Timothy admits that he has embezzled £500 from Gresham, and Gresham applauds John’s misbehaviour as an example of good financial management. Gresham sees the need for a dry place in London where merchants can do business; and, inspired by portraits of famous Londoners responsible for important civic buildings and institutions, he gets permission and funding to build it himself. He is unabashed by heavy losses through war and shipwreck (including a change of king in Barbary after the battle of Alcazar, which costs him his trade monopoly in Barbary sugar). Eventually an impressive Burse is built, and opened by Queen Elizabeth: she names it the Royal Exchange, and knights Gresham. Another strand of the action focuses on the comic eccentricities of old M@bSGH, who records an honest pedlar’s account under a nickname, Bawny2@oat, so that the man is unable to pay what he owes when he returns to the shop. “Tawny-Coat’ is ruined by his debts to Hobson and by his own charity, but Hobson takes pity when he finds him honest in poverty, and he eventually becomes a prominent and prosperous citizen. Hobson further shows his good nature by rushing off to save [im6thy, who is to be hanged for theft. Meanwhile, hoping to cure his prodigality, Gresham has sent J@HHi to work for Hobson, who in turn has sent the young man to France. There he cheats his master by taking his instructions literally, and, knowing that the English Channel is between him and Hobson, wastes time and money on prostitutes and riotous living. Hobson eventually hears of this and goes to France; but when he catches John with a courtesan, John turns the tables by pretending that the old man will himself be arrested if he is found in her company. Back in England, John finally seeks to rectify his desperate financial situation by marrying Ramsay's rich widow; she refuses him, but pays his debts. At court, Dr Parry, a convicted criminal whom the Queen has pardoned, has been induced by the Catholic church to assassinate her, but he cannot…