Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

PARNELL

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)Parn. | Par. | Pa. | P •… rn. | 〈◊〉 . [Parnell]
Words840
Characters4101
Typicality0.26 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03258
BritDrama no.2441
ClusterCluster 10 — Mourners, mothers & doleful voices

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Thus wooden you done and I were dead, but while I live yoeu fadge not on it, is this awe the work you con ine? Dress me no dressings, lessen I dress you beth, and learn a new lesson with a wainon right now, han I been a sir vant here this half dozen o'yeares, and con I fee you idler then my selve! Yeah, yie, you shall you shall, another time, but not naw I thonke you, you shall as soon piss and paddle in't, as lap me in the mouth with and awed Petticoat, or a new pair shoine, to be whyet, I cannot be whyet, no I wonnot be why et, to see sicky doings I. What the Deowl ails the lymmer lown, been thy brains broke louse trow I. Avua, awaw. Avua, awaw. Whaw, whaw, whaw, whaw! Whaw, whaw, whaw, whaw. Whaw, whaw, whaw, whaw. As well as we and taste of every cate: Is my best Brides Cake come to this! oh uvea warth it. Beware ever poor maiden betrayed as a beware unto a swagbellied Carl that cannot awe waw that cannot. For then he could, nt now he connote, he connote. Yeah marry Lall, and thus shadden it be, there is nought getten by fawing out, we must favu in or we get nought. And we been glad we han it for you. And thus shan you see't till our deeing hour. Ween eon leove now for a laife time, the Dewle shonot would the poor to put us to pieces ago. Yeah marry it were and Enchantment, and about and hour since it come until our hearts to do, what you think, and we did it. Marry we take the point, and we casten the point in to the fire, and the point spitter'd and spattered in the fire, Like and it were (love bless us) a laive thing in the fair; and it hopet and skippet, and riggle, and frisket in the fair, and crept about laike a worm in the fair, that it were work enough for us both with all the Chimney tools to keep it into the fair, and it stinket in the fair, worsen than any brimstone in the fair. And this were not above and hour sine, and you con not devaise how we han loved t'on tother by now, you would en bliss your seln to see't. Yeah and weel's laike heane bliss them, they are avuas weel becomed as none ill had ever been aneast'hem; Lo you, lo you, as they come. Yeah Lall, and the Witch I knaw, and I prayen you go me but leave to scrat her well-favorely. You can blame no honest woman, I trow, to scrat for the thing she leoves. Avua awaw, sayen you this sickerly, or done you but jaum me? Avua, awaw, ago. Nam, nam, I have swarne, I have swarne, not a bit afore bed, and look you it's but now dancing time. Wy'a, wy'a, awed leove woe no be forgetten, but ay's ne for be jealous the mare for that. Whay, whay, whats here to do? Come awaw, and whickly, and see us into our Brayed Chember, & delicately ludgd together, or we'll whap you out o'dores ith morn to sijourne in the common, come away. What he beware when he beware a Bachelor, I know bet ter than the best maid ith tawn. I would I had not. 'Tware that, that cossen'd me, he has not now as he had than? I say agean and agean, he connote, he connote. I am not a bit the be ter for him sin wye beware would. Cries Marry sir, and Beatrice him will into his grave, or back to the Priest, and be unwadded ago, for I wonot be band to lig with him and live with him the laife of and honest woman for awe the layves good in Loncoshire. Ah leear, leear, deell tack the leear, troist ye and hung ye. Nay marry shan eou not sir, I hear you well e ogh, & I con the meaning o'the show well enough, & I stay not the show & see not the show, & a'one i'the show, let me be honckt up for a show isle beware them to mell or ma with a woman that mels or mae's with a testril a longie, a dow little losel that connote, & if I skim not their skimingtons cockskeam for't, ma that warplin boggle me a week lonker, & thats a curse eno'for any wife I tro. from the board, and yet for ought I can see I am never a whit the nearer What not one kiss at parting ? Nay, nay, ay's white casten away ent I be unwadded again And then ine undertack to find 3 better husbands in a bean cod. What's the found wexen wailed trow I. Han you reeson to complain or ay trow you gaffer Downought? Uva warth the day that ever I wadded a Dow nought.

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.