in The Valiant Welshman (Caradoc the Great) — A., R.
Metadata
Play
The Valiant Welshman (Caradoc the Great)
Author
A., R.
Year (catalogued)
1615
First performance
1612
Decade
1610s
Genre
History
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Prince Henry's Men
Speech prefix(es)
Bluso. | Bluso,
Words
275
Characters
1504
Typicality
0.44 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A05801
BritDrama no.
1630
Cluster
Cluster 20 — Conjurers, witches & physicians
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
There in that cave: but he is fled from thence, And being frantic with the horrid sighed Of fearful apparitions, in despair Runs up and down these solitary Groves, Where shortly Furies, with their devilish haunts, Will lead him to a sad and violent death. This Bluso vows to keep inviolable. 'Tis Gloucesters body, noble Caradoc. Fair Prince, I were ingrateful unto him, That next to heaven, preserved, and gave me life: And more, by solemn oath I am obliged, In forfeit of my soul, and hope of bliss, To use the skill I have, to virtuous ends; Amongst the which, this is the capital. Then doubt not, Prince, but ere this night be spent, She shall be free, and you shall rest content. This is her Chamber: here will we stand unseen, And yet see all that pass. 'Tis almost dead of night: and now begins Sleep, with her heavy rod to charm the eyes Of humane dulness. Here stand we yet awhile, And in this silent time observe the love, The Roman Generals son bears to your wife, Who long hath born the siege of his hight lust: And now behold, Like bloody Tarquin comes, Being nonsuited, to satisfy the heat Of his insatiate and immoderate blood, That boiling runs through his adulterous veins. A little while give way unto his practice, And when we see a time, prevent his purpose. No, Prince: for in this horrid Cave There lives my aged mother, deep in skill Of Magic Exorcisms, as the art it self Exceeds the boundless depth of humane wit. With her the Earl conspire, to draw you hither By this invention.
Plot summary
Plot — The Valiant Welshman (Caradoc the Great)
The Earl of. Monmouth seeks to usurp old King Octavian’s throne, and has won two significant victories over him. Cadallan and his sons come to support Octavian. Cadallan is killed in the ensuing battle, but his son Caradoc avenges him by killing Monmouth. Re-established on the throne, Octavian rewards Caradoc with marriage to his daughter and heir, Guinevere. This displeases his bastard son, Codigune, who had regarded Guinevere as his only obstacle to the succession. King Guiderius has failed to pay tribute to the Romans, so the Emperor Claudius invades Britain. Guiderius appeals to Octavian, and Caradoc is sent, fresh from his wedding, to offer military aid. In his absence, Codigune conspires with Gloucester and Cornwall: they poison Octavian and imprison Guinevere, and Codigune seizes power. Gloucester writes warning Guiderius not to trust Caradoc, so Guiderius, about to go into battle, orders the Welsh troops to observe from a hilltop and intervene only ifa British defeat seems likely. Caradoc disregards this, joins the battle in disguise, and bests Claudius in hand- to-hand combat; he refuses Claudius’ offer to buy his freedom, but accepts a token of the Emperor’s friendship, a golden lion. Prince Gald is impressed by Caradoc’s single-handed contribution to the British victory, accompanies him back to Wales, and marries his sister Voada. Finding Codigune installed as King of Wales, Caradoc offers to settle matters in single combat. Codigune is beaten, refuses an offer to make him Viceroy of North Wales, and flees to the Romans. Cornwall submits to Caradoc, who is crowned King. Gloucester flees to make more mischief: he persuades a witch to create a ravaging monster which Caradoc will be expected to fight, and which will kill him. The Romans send Caradoc an ultimatum, requiring him to resign the throne to Codigune; at the same time, he is summoned to deal with the monster, a giant serpent. He gives priority to the serpent, and defeats it with the help of a magic herb, then disposes of the witch and forces her son Bluso to swear that in future he will use his magic powers only for good. Gloucester hangs himself. While Caradoc is away, Cornwall hands over the town of Gloucester to the Romans. Gallicus, the Roman legate who brought the ultimatum, falls in love with Voada and abducts her. Bluso enables Gald to visit her bedchamber, magically unseen. A more visible visitor, Gallicus, attempts to rape her, so Gald intervenes in her defence and takes her…