Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

BOISTER

in The Wise Woman of Hogsdon — Heywood, Thomas

Metadata

PlayThe Wise Woman of Hogsdon
AuthorHeywood, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1638
First performance1604
Decade1630s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyUnknown
Speech prefix(es)Boyst. | Boyster. | Boyst •… . | 〈◊〉 . [Boyster] | 〈◊〉 [Boyster]
Words1079
Characters5355
Typicality0.37 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03255
BritDrama no.2037
ClusterCluster 22 — Ghosts, curses & horror 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 have lost and other hundred, I'll have mine. Ey, yes, I flung a worse: a worse by . false: his Cap's of Wool, 'tis black, and Wool, and Wool and black. Fresh dice: this ewell I Take this and all. I'll play in spite of . Now Dic at all. To though, quoth the . I set. Never, never. Somewhat. No: I am in love, my head is full of Proclama tions. There is a thing called a Virgin. Nature hath showed her Art in making her. Court her I cannot, but I'll do as I may. Yonders Luce. Save thee. Yes. 'Tis here that I would buy. Thee. Yes, thee. You are fair. You are, go too, you are, Idem vex him that should say the contrary. I love thee. As I live, I do. Love me, prithee now, do if thou canst , if thou canst. Y to ask thine heart, and see what may be done. It's no matter for my words, they are not many, And those not very wise one's neither. Must-not? I am gone: Thou hast given me, Luc , a Bone to gnaw upon Morrow. Art wise? Canst conjure? And had the devil never any thing to do with thee? thou lookest somewhat Like his dam. Look on me Can st tell what I ail? TO art wise, I am so; men being in love, are mad, And I being in love am so. One Mistress Luce I love, knowest thou her, Gran nam? Make her my wife, I'll give thee forty pieces. That art a good Grannam; and, but that thy teeth stand Like hedge-stakes in thy head, I'de kiss thee. Poc pallabris. I this. Why, run away, and leave my Wench behind? I'll back: what have Warrants and Pursuivants to do with me? with me? why should I budge? why should I wear Mask or Wizard? If Lords or Ladies offend, let Lords and Ladies answer; let me better bethink me. Why should I play at Hob-man blind? Hum; why marry in Tenebris, would! is there no trick in it? If my Grannam should make me a younger Brother now, and instead of Luce, pop me off with some broken come moditie, I were finely served: most sure I am, to be in for better and worse, but with whom, Heaven and my Grannam knows. Heyday, what have we here, and Hoberdehoy? come hither you. What art thou? That Mask and Robe I know? That Mask, that Gown I married. I am fooled, but what cracked beware are you, forsooth? I'll set her house on fire: I am finely bobbed. No I'se warrant thee: what art thou? Girl or Boy? Yes, and be hanged withal. Oh for some Gun powder to blow up this Witch, this , this damned ! Oh I could tear her to fitters with my teeth! Yet I must be patient, and put up all, lest I be made a jeer to such as know me: fooled by a Boy! Go too, of all the rest, the Girl Luce must not know it. I am still in love with Luce, and I would know And answer more directly: fie, fie, this Love Hangs on me Like and Ague, makes me fool Coxcomb and Ass: why should I love her, why? A Rattle-Baby, Puppit, a slight toy, And now I could go to buffets with my self, And this Love away: but see, that' S Luce. Morrow. I'll use few words, Canst love me? Why that farewell, the way I came, I'll go. Swear that thou wilt not love me. Even farewell then. How cheer you Luce, whence grew this passion. I would I had not seen you at this time neither, farewell. Her that I married, I wrong twice by the finger. And ere the clamorous and lo worser noise be g ne, I whispered to her thus. Eye. Yes. I am glad yet they go so lightly away. I am mad, and know not at what. I could swagger but know not with whom, I am at odds with my self; and know not why: I shall be pacified, and cannot tell when, I would feign have a wife but cannot tell where, I would fasten on Luce but cannot tell how. How; where; when; why; whom; what. Feeding sure makes me lean, and fasting fat. He cannot, I arrest you; Not at mine own, thats dashed, I love thee not. Thou art a Spaniard, Gipsee, a mere Blackamoor: Again, I say I love thee not. You lie boy, pocket that, and now be gone. I'll wait upon your Mistress. Yes Luce on such a Gipfie: Boy, abi abi. Now you are going to the wedding-house. You are bid to be a Bride maid, are you not. Why Chartleyes; Luce hath he been thy friend so long, and would not bid thee to w item on his Bride. Why lookest thou read and pale, and both, and neither. To Grace of Gracious street. You'll not believe it, pray then hark within, The Nuptial music echoing to their joys. But you give credit to no certainties: I told you but a tale, a lie, a fable? A monstrous, a notorious idle untruth, That you were black, and that I loved you not. And you could credit that. Who's telltruth now. Know the that and, or know you that fin Virgin: Whom by the arm he leads. Yes: and to supply his place, see where thy fa there comes. Where's this Witch, this hag, this beldan, this wizard, and have I found thee, thus then will I tear, mu ble and maul thee. Against you sir, apply thou, that shall be tried. Now Trot, now Granam, what canst thou say for thy self: what Luce hear be patient and put up them, she must not see the end. Fiat. Farewell till soon: Granam I am come according to promise. Good even. Come what shall's do. Thou hast no grace at all. I. What then you'd cry him mercy. Old trot, isle trounce thee. Here is the marriage proved betwixt Luc and Chartly, witch this was not your promise. Thanks granam, what thou promised thou hast done. I'll be even with thee, for this old granam. It's you. That gallant Wench, if my Grannam fable not, Should be Luce: but what be those other? My is a Witch. . I think ; and so : there's .

Plot summary

Plot — The Wise Woman of Hogsdon
Chartley and Boister are both in love with Luce, but Luce insists on marriage before sex; Chartley agrees, but wants the marriage to remain a secret for a month, after which his inheritance will be secure. Their plans are overheard by Chartley’s former fiancée, another Luce, who was jilted by him on the eve of her wedding day, and who has come to London after him in disguise. She gets herself hired as a page by the Wise Woman of Hoxton, who takes a hand when Chartley offends her. He is privately married at the Wise Woman’s house, though not to Luce as he thinks, but to the second Luce (which the Wise Woman, taking the latter for a boy, thinks is just a prank); Luce herself is also married, not to Chartley as she thinks but to the masked Boister. The Wise Woman then furthers the confusion by having the two Luces change clothes, so that each new husband will mistake his wife. Senser woos Gratiana, who prefers his friend Haringfield; but when her father learns they come as suitors, he has them thrown out. Senser boasts that he will return, be welcome, and even be hired to stay; Sir Harry promises that in that event he will consent to the marriage. Senser duly fulfils the condition: Sir Harry seeks a Latin tutor for Gratiana, and the disguised Senser gets the job after making the other candidate, Sir Boniface, sound inept and bawdy in Latin. Chartley arrives to woo Gratiana, whom he has seen in the street: he brings with him a forged letter from his father offering a good financial settlement if they marry, along with money and jewels he has taken from Luce. When Senser intervenes, Sir Harry reneges on his promise. Luce faints on seeing that Chartley plans a bigamous marriage to Gratiana. She, Senser, and Boister all visit the Wise Woman, who undertakes to prevent the wedding and win Luce for Boister’s wife. Senser lures all the relevant parties to Hoxton: Chartley to visit Luce, excusing his absence by claiming that his father has just died; Gratiana to buy a dress; and Sir Harry to visit the Wise Woman. On the way, Sir Harry meets Old Chartley, who is not dead but come to London to look for his son, and who follows Sir Harry to Hoxton. The second Luce hides all the visitors separately around the house, and they all watch Chartley’s assignation with Luce. Confronted by the spectators in turn, Chartley tries each time to put the blame on ===== PAGE 461 ===== 1623 someone else, only to have that person appear next. The Wise Woman resolves the confused…