before the Court;Salisbury Court;Whitehall;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Val. | Ʋ al.
Words
790
Characters
4171
Typicality
0.52 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A07024
BritDrama no.
2378
Cluster
Cluster 12 — Wooers, gallants & courtly love-talk
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
And those still envious fate insults upon. But we will live together, and what ere Shall interpose to poison our true love, Still triumph over their malice. And why not still? My mind was never yet ambitious. And there is nothing but your company, Can satisfy, or limit my desires. What shall I do when you are ravished from me? Could Portia rather swallow glowing coals, Then burn with a desire of her lost Brutus? Shall the example of those times descend To shame my love? Could the Egyptian Queen, Rather endure the poignant stings of Adders, Then that of death which wounded Antony And must I then survive you? can I live, When you that are my soul are taken from me? O 'tis not now as when Penelope Could stay ten years the coming of her love, And span a tedious web of foolish thoughts, In expectation. If you do know't so well, why do you ask me? Why whats the matter? All this and more, Lovers can speak at pleasure. Hold there. If you say so, I must debar my heart the knowledge of you. Is't come to that? I thought whither you tended. I am unskilful: Untaught in those deep, but ill mysteries. I am very sorry, The times disease has so prevailed upon you. 'Tis the perfection now of compliment, The only end to corrupt honesty. To prostitute your oaths, and win our hearts To your belief, is the Court eloquence. Sir I cannot Hear you with safety. Had I known that, I'ld have condemned them both, To silence and obscurity. Sir I have summed th'accounts of all your cares, And I do find their number more then weight. Things but of custom with you, and your vows Are but a cloud of wind, and emptiness; Forced by the storm of lust. When it is over, And your thoughts calmed, then you will love that virtue, Which as a tie and Anchor did withhold you, From driving to destruction. So I leave you. I shall never Recall that faith, which I have plighted once To my Aurelio. I'll run all hazards, And violent attempts, to throw my self Into his arms. But I dare not Play with my fortune so, nor trust adventures, If Fate would be so gracious to present And opportunity. What ere he says, I resolve never to trust him. See here he comes again. What's the matter? 'Tis about the old matter; you may save This labour, or go seek some new devise. In faith these stale exordiums can not take me. Indeed my sister, and I, know you well enough. I so you told me. Well you may jest with mortals, but I am not So blind, but I can see through all your mists: Were I a goddess, as you term me one, Sister to Phœbus, or armed Like Minirva, I would transform you straight; and fix you up A monument, for your Hypocrisy. And so it sounded first to the same tune. But it's all show; and nothing serious. But I shall never so interpret it. But that the fatal union of our hearts, Should breed such issues of extremity, In both our Fortune's, yet the greatest grief I feel, is in your wrongs, not in my own. O me my father, I am quite undone I am no body. Pray let me counsel you. Your thoughts have found such easy utterance, That I suspect their truth, they seem to savour Of art, more then of passion. I have herd Great griefs are silent, neither do I find Those Symptoms of affection in your looks. You change no colour, and your joints are steady. Your eyes appear too full of petulancy, As if they did reflect with inward scorn, Upbraid your falsehood. I have engaged it to your friend already. It is a happy spirit, That rules in you, I would I had one Like it. Alas my heart is Tender, and violable with the least weapons, Sorrow can dart at me. But lately, and presented such a Scene Of protestations, and then varied it, So cunningly, that love and lust together Were interwoven with such subtle threads, That I could scarce distinguish them. On my life. I cannot frame me to believe one word. But should you now dissolve your eyes to tears, Were every accent in your speech a sighs, And every gesture, every motion in you, And Hieroglyphic to commend that love: Had you the spells of it, and magic charms Set round about the circle of your arms, To draw me to you, I would seal my ears, Deaf as the sea, to shiprack't mariners: And so I leave you to your better Fortune's.
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…