Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

MEG

in The Late Lancashire Witches — Heywood, Thomas; Brome, Richard

Metadata

PlayThe Late Lancashire Witches
AuthorHeywood, Thomas; Brome, Richard
Year (catalogued)1634
First performance1634
Decade1630s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
TheaterGlobe;Outdoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Meg. | Peg. | Meg | M •… g.
Words438
Characters2303
Typicality0.25 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03258
BritDrama no.2441
ClusterCluster 23 — Gulls, fops & laughing-stocks

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Nay dame, Before we play another game. We must a little laugh and thank Our feat familiars for the prank They played us last. It's right. Come my Mamilion Like a Puggy, Now upon the Churls ground On which we're met, lets dance a round; That Cocle, Darnel, Poppia wild, May choke his grain, and fill the field. Now let us laugh to think upon The feat which we have so lately done, In the distraction we have set In Seelyes house; which shall beget Wonder and sorrow amongst our foe S, Whil to we make laughter of their woes. I, I, I, the Father to the Son does cry, The Son rebukes the Father old; The Daughter at the mother Scold, The wife the husband check and chide, But that's no wonder, through the wide World it's common. Enough, enough, Our sides are charmed, or else this stuff Would laughter-crack them; let's away About the Jig. we dance to day, To spoil the Hunter's sport. Then list ye well, the Hunter's are This day by vow to kill a Hare, Or else the sport they will forswear; And hang their Dogs up. There will Ibe, and Like a wily What, Until they put me up; isle squat. All the doubt can be but this, That if by chance of me they miss, And start another Hare. And I you Gilian by your gaunt thin gut. But where will Mawd bestow her self today? It's come, it's come. What Beast was by thee hither rid? And I bestrid A Porcupine that never pricked. Some Music then ith air Whilst thus by pair and pair, We nimbly foot it; strike. Enough, enough, now pat, To see the brides vexed heart, The bridegrooms too and all, That vomit up their gall For lack o'th wedding cheer. No following further, yonder horsemen come, In vain is our pursuit, let's break up court. But when? To horse, to horse. No comfort! My Mamilion. Mamilion, ho Mamilion, Mamilion. My friend, my Sweetheart, my Mamilion. It's folly to dissemble yie sir, I am one. Yes Sir. A matter of six years Sir. Yes when I pleased. 'Tis folly to dissemble; twice a Week he never failed me. 'Tis folly to speak worse of him than he is. He pleased me well Sir, Like a proper man. Only his flesh felt cold. Gentleman Like, but black black points and all. Some Delay hath kept it, now it's here, For bottles next of wine and beer, The Merchant's cellars they shall pay foe it. I can but laugh now to foresee, The fruits of their perplexity.

Plot summary

Plot — The Late Lancashire Witches
Arthur hopes for a subvention from his uncle, Seely, to help him redeem a mortgage, but strange things are going on in the Seely household: the father is dominated by the son, Gregory, who is mastered in turn by his servant, Lawrence; there is a similar inversion of hierarchy among the women of the house. Gregory disapproves of his father’s plans to help Arthur, so the money is not forthcoming; but fortunately Arthur’s friend Generous helps out instead. The truth is that the Seelys have been bewitched in reprisal for some harsh words spoken to an old woman. Many other supernatural events are going on. Mall Spencer, owner of an amazing self-propelled milk-pail, gives Generous’s groom Roberta a high-speed horse so that he can fetch wine from his master’s favourite London tavern in a single overnight journey. Anyone who spends the night in a haunted mill is assaulted, so Gretty the miller gives up his tenancy, and Generous gives it to a poor, demobilized soldier. A witch and her spirit take the form of greyhounds; when Gretty’s son tries to whip the dogs, they scare and then abduct him. Lawrence marries his fellow servant Parnell, but a spirit turns the wedding cake into crumbs, and the rest of the meal magically becomes even less appetizing; the real food is taken to supply the witches’ feast. Mall Spencer gives Lawrence a codpiece point, which makes him impotent, causing marital difficulties. He and Parnell are mocked with a skimmington, but the relationship returns to normal when they burn the codpiece point. Mistress Generous has developed the habit of riding out alone at night. Acting on her husband’s orders, Robert refuses her a horse, so she rides him instead. It turns out that she is meeting with the witches: she is their leader. Gretty’s son escapes from their feast and tells his father about them. The new miller has a bad night, but cuts off the paw of one of the cats who are attacking him. What is found on the ground, however, is a severed human hand wearing rings identifiably belonging to Mistress Generous. She falls sick, and is found to have a stump where her hand should be. Generous orders her arrest. The witches are rounded up, confronted with their magical misdeeds, and sent for trial.