in The Wounds of Civil War, or Marius and Scilla — Lodge, Thomas
Metadata
Play
The Wounds of Civil War, or Marius and Scilla
Author
Lodge, Thomas
Year (catalogued)
1594
First performance
1588
Decade
1590s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Admiral's (Nottingham's) Men
Speech prefix(es)
Clowne: | Clown: | Clow.
Words
351
Characters
1686
Typicality
0.54 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06184
BritDrama no.
802
Cluster
Cluster 0 — Clowns, beggars & street sellers
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Oh sir, a quart is a quart in any men purse, and drink is drink, and can my master live without his drink I pray you? Have I master thou scondrell? I have and Orator to my master, a wise man to my master. But fellows, I must make a parenthesis of this pint pot, for words make men dry: now by my troth I drink to Lord Anthony. O most surpassing wine, thou marrow of the vine, More welcome unto me, than whips to scholars be, Thou art and ever was a means to mend and ass, Thou makest some to sleep, and many more to weep, And some be glad & merry, with heigh down derry, derry. Thou makest some to stumble, and many more to fumble: And me have pinky nine, more brave and jolly wine: What needs I praise thee more, for thou art good with heigh ho Master fly, fly, or else you shall die: a plague on this wine hath made me so fine, and will you not be gone, then I'll leave you alone, and sleep upon your woe, with a lamentable heigh ho. Exit. Faith where you shall not be unless you go with me. But shall I tell them so? Oh no sir, no, no, no, the man hath many a foe, as far as I do know: you do not flour me I trow. See how this liquour fumes, & how my force pre sumes. You would know where Lord Anthony is? I per ceiue you. Shall I say he is in yond farm house? I deceive you. Shall I tell you this wine is for him? the gods forfend, and so I end. Go fellow fighters theres a bob for you. First shall the snow be black, & pepper loose his smack And stripes forsake my back, first merry drunk with sack, I will go boast and track, and all your costards crack, Before I do the knack shall make me sing alack: Alack the old man is weary, for wine hath made him mere rye: with a heigh ho.
Plot summary
Plot — The Wounds of Civil War, or Marius and Scilla
King Mithridates has defied Roman power in Asia Minor, and the consul Sulla has been selected by lot to take reprisals. But Sulla lingers with the army in Capua, and the Senate votes to transfer the command to Marius, a more experienced soldier. Sulla invades the Senate with his troops and threatens to uphold his rights with violence. The senators take sides, and a civil war follows. Sulla is victorious; Marius takes refuge at Minturnum. Sulla proscribes Marius and his allies as traitors, and leads the army to Asia Minor. Marius is warned that his hosts plot his murder, but accepts his fate and goes to sleep. The assassin, Pedro, is unable to go through with the killing, so the magistrates simply ask Marius to leave town. He flees to Africa, and lives in the mountains on a diet of roots. Marius’ son comes to recall him to Rome: the new consul, Cinna, is sympathetic to him. But Sulla returns victorious from the east, and attempts to prevent his rival from entering Italy. Nevertheless Marius reaches Rome, and begins to settle old scores with violence. Cinna deposes and murders his fellow consul Octavius, Marius’ enemy, and Marius is appointed to fill the vacancy. Sulla is proscribed and his property confiscated, and Marius sends his son to engage Sulla’s army in battle. Sulla’s wife and daughter are arrested as they attempt to leave Rome; Marius threatens them with death, but then sends them honourably back to Sulla. Marius dies in office. After a bloody battle, Sulla enters Rome victorious and compiles an extensive death-list of his enemies. Young Marius holes up in Praeneste, the last stronghold of resistance, but after a siege he concedes the inevitable and commits suicide; Sulla’s forces conquer the city and put the inhabitants to the sword. Sulla is proclaimed dictator, and insists that the appointment be made perpetual; but he soon finds that supreme power brings with it a troubled mind, and resigns the office. He plans to retire to the country, but a spirit appears with a prophecy of his death. He takes his leave of his family, and is buried with great pomp.