before the Court;Salisbury Court;Whitehall;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Crit.
Words
331
Characters
1791
Typicality
0.42 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A07024
BritDrama no.
2378
Cluster
Cluster 22 — Ghosts, curses & horror voices
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
ARe you the Author of this Play? Out of this Poetry, I wonder what You do with this Disease, a seed of Vipers Spawnd in Parnassus pool, whom the world frowns on, And here you vent your poison on the Stage. O you are deaf to all Sounds, but a Plaudite, and yet you may Remember, if you please, what entertainment Some of your Tribe have had, that have took pains To be contemned, and laughed at by the Vulgar, And then ascribed it to their ignorance. I should be loath to see you move their spleens With no better success, and then with some Commendatory Epistles fly to the Press, To vindicate your credit. By my consent I'll have you Banished the Stage, proscribed, and interdicted Castalian water, and Poetical fire. This way of Poetry has deceived many; For 'tis not every one that writes a Verse, Has washed his mouth in Helicon, or slept On the two topped Parnassus, there's great difference Betwixt him, that shall write a lawful Poem, And one that makes a paper of lose Verses, To court his looser Mistress; there's much air Required to lift up the Dircaean Swan, When he shall print his tracts among the clouds: Not as your ignorant Poetasters use, In spite of Phœbus, without Art or Learning, Usurp the Stage, and touch with impure hands, The lofty Buskin, and the Comic style. 'Tis this licentious generation Of Poets, trouble the peace of the whole Town; A Constable cann't get his Maid with child, A Baker nor a Scrivener lose his cares, Nor a Justice of Peace share with his Clerk; A Lord can't walk drunk with a torch before him, A Gallant can't be suffered to pawne's Brecches, Or leave his cloak behind him at a Tavern, But you must jerk him for it. He's grown contemptuous, & flings away In a rapture; for this, when I am in, If I can't laughed at's play, I'll laugh at him.
Plot summary
Plot — A Fine Companion
Aurelio was disinherited after his father perceived him as a rival in love, so the estate passed to his younger brother, Careless. As a result, Littlegood the usurer no longer considers Aurelio an eligible son-in-law; but Valeria, Aurelio’s girlfriend, is determined to stick with him despite the material disadvantages. Careless has capitalized his inheritance by mortgaging the lands to Littlegood; intending to use his wealth to acquire the reputation of being a fine companion, he has taken up with Captain Whibble and his crew of drinkers. Littlegood favours Spruce as a husband for Valeria. Spruce is really only interested in sex, and intends to jilt her afterwards; but her refusal only increases his interest. Aurelio sends Valeria his ring, but she drops it; Spruce finds it and uses it to make Aurelio jealous. Aurelio had planned a ruse whereby Valeria would feign madness, but now he intends to drive her truly mad. Reports of her distress bring him back to his senses: he confronts Spruce and makes him admit that the accusation against her was malicious and mendacious. Dotario, appalled at his nephew Careless’s prodigality, plans to marry and beget an heir so that the young wastrel will not get his hands on a second estate. He woos Littlegood’s younger daughter, Aemilia, who puts him off by describing what a shrewish spendthrift of a wife she would be. She is more interested in Careless, who pays her a drunken visit, but is pressured by her father into giving Dotario a more respectful answer. She tells him she has vowed only to marry a man who will steal her, and makes a date to elope with him. Importuned by his wife, Littlegood allows his son Lackwit to go out to dinner in his best hat and cloak, and gives him money. He seeks to join Captain Whibble’s drinking brotherhood; but Whibble tricks him into swapping clothes and paying the bill. He explains to his parents that he lost his hat and cloak in a fight. Whibble proves to be a coward, and avoids fighting a duel when provoked by Fido; instead, he invites Fido and Aurelio to supper. Aurelio is too upset over Valeria to go, so instead Fido takes Careless in disguise. The impecunious Whibble cannot pay for the meal and postpones it; but Fido tricks him into insulting Careless, not knowing him to be present. Careless next disguises himself as Dotario and tricks Lackwit into believing that Dotario, eloping as arranged, is the impostor; Lackwit ensures that Careless and Aemilia are married, hoping to win back…