in The Late Lancashire Witches — Heywood, Thomas; Brome, Richard
Metadata
Play
The Late Lancashire Witches
Author
Heywood, Thomas; Brome, Richard
Year (catalogued)
1634
First performance
1634
Decade
1630s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
King's Men
Theater
Globe;Outdoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Sold. | Sould.
Words
545
Characters
2748
Typicality
0.52 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A03258
BritDrama no.
2441
Cluster
Cluster 6 — Battlefield messengers & soldiers
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
You seem sir a Gentleman of quality, and no doubt but in your youth have been acquainted with affairs military, in your very looks there appears bounty, and in your person hu manity. Please you to vouchsafe the tender of some small cour tesie to help to bear a soldier into his country. With the Russian against the Polack, a heavy war, and hath brought me to this hard fate. I was took prisoner by the Pole, & after some few weeks of durance, God both my freedom and pass. I have it about me to show, please you to vou ase the perusal. Yorkshire sir. Many a sharp battle by land, and ma nigh a sharp storm at sea, many a long mile, and many a short meal, I have traveled and suffered ere I c'ud reach thus far, I you sir take my poor & wretched case into your wor ships noble consideration. I sir! Loitering I defy sir, I hate laziness as I do lepro sie: It is the next way to breed the scurvy, put me to hedge, ditch, blow, thresh, dig, delve, any thing: your worship shall find that love nothing less than oitering. I was a Miller my self before I was a soldier. What one of my own trade should be so poorly spirited frighted with cats? Sir trust me with the Mill that he forsakes. H re is a blade that hangs upon this belt spite of all these Rats, Cats, Wezells, Witches Or Dogs, or Devils, Shall so conjure them I'll quiet my possession. I pray sir dare you trust your mill with me. Give me the keys, isle stand it all danger. Am I in Hell, then have amongst you devils; This side, and that side, what behind, before? I'll keep my face unscratch'd despite you all: What, do you pinch in private, claws I feel But can see nothing, nothing pinch me thus? Have at you then, I and have at you still; And still have at you. One of them I have paid In leaping out oth' hold a foot or ear Or something I have light on. What all gone? All quiet? not a Cat that's herd to mew? Nay then I'll try to take another nap, Though I sleep with mine eyes open. And I sliced off a Cats foot there, that is since a hand, who ever wants it. These two nights I have slept well and herd no noise Of Cats, or Rats; most sure the fellow dreamt, And scratched himself in is sleep. I have traveld' Deserts, Beheld Wolves, Bears, and Lyons: Indeed what not? Of horrid shape; And shall I be afraid Of Cats in mine own Country? I can never Grow so Mouse-hearted. It is now a Calm And no wind stirring, I can bear no sail; Then best lie down to sleep. Nay rest by me Good Morglay, my Comrague and Bedfellow That never failed me yet; I know thou didst not. If I be waked, see thou be stirring too; Then come a Gib as big as Ascapart We'll make him play at Leapfrog. A brave Soldiers lodging, The floor my Bed, a Millstone for my Pillow, The Sails for Curtains. So good night.
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.