in The Seven Champions of Christendom — Kirke, John
Metadata
Play
The Seven Champions of Christendom
Author
Kirke, John
Year (catalogued)
1638
First performance
1635
Decade
1630s
Genre
Romance
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Red Bull Company (second)
Theater
Red Bull;Phoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional;Outdoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Iam. | Iames. | Jam.
Words
336
Characters
1848
Typicality
0.29 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A04874
BritDrama no.
2432
Cluster
Cluster 9 — Boon companions & bluff banter
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
James stands for Spain. Sure I have lost mine eyes, or else am walked Into eternal darkness: I have read how wise Ulysses saw the under world, conversed with bold Achilles and the Greeks, and then returned alive To earth again, but Fables help but weakly, Imitate what really I feel I have lost, My fellows in this endless night; till now Their voyees kept me company. Ho Denis, Denis. Where art thou man? Here, my friend. But I had music in my passage friends, The Whistler and the Screechowl joined their songs, The boding Ravens made the consort up, And with their multitudes pressed me to earth; But here the air breathes cold and gently on us: Is not yond light? or being inured to darkness, Have not our eyes forgotten their faculties? It's light; what's here, a Pillar, and a Tablet on't? The lively Taper, which not only clears our eyes, So long invaded with Cimerian mists, but gives Us light, by viewing this Inscription, thereby For to unfold this dark Aenigma. Read Denis. It's most plain, Spain gave me birth, The Golden Fleece mine Arms, The figure of that prize which Jason brought, And to make perfect the Inscription, Here is a Helmet framed in Normandy, Which I have worn in all my travails since. No more delays, but boldly lets assail, Our cause is good, and justice must prevail. Brother's, you are welcome all to Brandrons Castle. Not Brandron nor his Castle Long shall bear that name. What if we find no entrance, And he refuse our summons, and not come? A little stay, we have not yet begirt the Castle walls, The time of his approach will not be long, For all his Iron nets are stored you see. Who this? This the mighty Brandron? There are the keys enter, and seize on Brandron. Advance it youth; let thy white standard bear A bloody Cross, to fill the world with fear. Where's Patrick? To good a Palace for a Tyrants rain.
Plot summary
Plot — The Seven Champions of Christendom
Years ago, the witch Calib stole a child, George, intending to bathe in his blood; but she fell in love with the baby and brought him up with her own son, Suckabus. She has always refused to let him know the identity of his real parents, but after much importunity she relents and tells George that he was a bastard whom she saved from infanticide. She asks her diabolic lover Tarpax how long she has to live; the demon prophesies that she will die only when love causes her to lose control of her magical powers. She shows George six Christian champions whom she keeps in her cave, and grants him their ransom. When George feels pity for them but pretends severity, she gives him her magic wand. The ghosts of his parents visit him, and he learns that Calib poisoned them, and that he is really of noble birth. He uses the magic wand to kill Calib, but agrees to take on Suckabus as a servant; Tarpax encourages Suckabus to spread his seed widely around the earth by taking every opportunity for procreation. George joins the six champions, bringing them up to the number prophesied by a Sibyl, seven. They go their separate ways into pagan lands. Trebizond is troubled by monsters: a dragon and a lion terrorize the land and kill knights who attempt to dispose of them. The Emperor proclaims a reward for anyone who will deal with the menace. The champions Andrew and Anthony arrive in Trebizond, and the Princess and Carintha fall in love with them; but their welcome evaporates when the Emperor discovers their religion. An oracle has decreed that any Christians who set foot in Trebizond must convert to paganism or be executed. The Emperor allows them to choose their own executioners; they choose the ladies, who refuse to comply; so they offer to relieve the ladies of the responsibility and execute one another. The Emperor allows them to be rearmed so that they can do so, and this enables them to fight their way to freedom. The champion David accidentally causes the death of Prince Arbasto in a joust. David has helped the King of Tartary, Arbasto’s father, in his war with the Persians, and cannot honourably be executed, so the King offers him a pardon, half the kingdom, and the succession if he will bring back the head of his enemy, Ormandine. The expectation is that Ormandine will kill him. Ormandine was once a duke, but was deposed by the Kings of Tartary and Arabia, and took up magic to avenge himself. A prophecy assures him of his security until the arrival of a British…