in A Trick to Catch the Old One — Middleton, Thomas
Metadata
Play
A Trick to Catch the Old One
Author
Middleton, Thomas
Year (catalogued)
1608
First performance
1605
Decade
1600s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Children of Paul's (second)
Speech prefix(es)
Lan. | Lan: | Lan, | Lan : | Lan | Lul :
Words
411
Characters
2177
Typicality
0.55 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A07511
BritDrama no.
1467
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
Ye gentlemen are you here before us? how is he now? I thank you for that Master Dampit. Gentlemen, and you love me, let me step behind you, and one of you fallen a talking of me to him. What a rogues this? Nay Gentlemen, he shall show you more Tricks yet, isle give you another taste of him: His memory is upon departing. Mass then 'twill be quite gone: before he drink that, tell him theres a country client come up, and here attends for his Learned advice, Please your good worship, I am a poor man sir.— I would entreat your worships device in a joust and honest cause sir.— I had but one house left me in all the world sir which was my father's, my Grandfathers, my great Grandfathers, and now a Villain has unjustly wrung me out, and took possession on out. Alas, ant please your worship, I have small friends and less money. I thank your worship for your hight counsel sir.— altering but my voice alittle, you see he knew me not, you may observe by this that a drunkards memory, holds longer in the voice then in the person, but Gentlemen shall I show you a sighed, behold the little dive-dapper of Damnation, Gulf the usurer, for his time worse then tother. Why Hoard, that married lately the widow meddler. faith here he lies e'n drawing—in sir, good canary as fast as he can sir, a very weak creature truly, he is almost passed memory. This exlent, thief rails upon the Thief. 'Heele quarrel with none I warrant you, but those that are bedrid. Here will be a sweet fray anon, I'll leave you gentlemen. We shall have the better sport with him, peace, and how cheers Master Dampit now? But I hear a great complaint of you Master Dampit, among gallants. They say you are waxte proud alate, and if a friend visit you in the afternoon, you'll scarce know him. Think you so sir? Sfoot I can no longer endure the rogue, Master Dampit, I come to take my leave once again sir? Push, set your Strength to his, your wit to his. Nay we have enough of him i'faith, keep him for the house.—Now make your best. For thrice his wealth, I would not have his breast. Mass then twilbe a pitiful day when he wakes. I would be loath to see that day, come. You overrule me gentlemen i'faith.
Plot summary
Plot — A Trick to Catch the Old One
The spendthrift Witgood has mortgaged all his lands to his uncle, Lucre, but he is still in debt, and fear of his creditors keeps him away from London. Nevertheless he must go there if he is to make his fortune by marrying Joyce, the wealthy niece to Lucre’s enemy Walkadine Hoard. He conspires with Jane, a courtesan, to give the impression that he now has good prospects: she poses as a rich country widow who plans to marry him. Lucre’s attitude to his nephew is immediately transformed: hoping to acquire the widow’s lands too after the wedding, he denies the existence of the mortgage and lends Witgood money for new clothes. News of the widow also attracts Witgood’s creditors, but he persuades them that if they are over-attentive they will break his engagement, and thereby wreck their chances of repayment: the widow must continue to believe him to be financially secure. To that end, they eagerly agree to lend him even more money. Meanwhile Jane herself is a magnet for suitors, including the young men who were earlier trying to woo the reluctant Joyce, who is only interested in Witgood. Hoard throws his hat in the ring, bringing gentlemen to give Witgood a bad testimonial and discredit Lucre’s claims that there is no mortgage. Jane denies that she has any lands, but Hoard takes it for winsomeness and insists that her love is all that matters. They arrange an elopement; she absconds from Witgood at a tavern and marries Hoard. Lucre intervenes, not knowing he is too late, and gets her to promise that she will not change her marital status until he has made matters good by returning his nephew’s mortgage, which he duly does before witnesses. On discovering that he has been tricked, he initiates a law-suit, alleging that the widow’s marriage to Hoard is invalidated by a pre-contract to Witgood. Hearing that he has lost the widow, Witgood’s creditors have him arrested. Jane persuades Hoard to pay his debts and secure his release in exchange for his signature on a legal document renouncing any marital claim on her. Hoard drives a hard bargain with the creditors, but Witgood is duly freed. He secretly marries Joyce and delights his uncle with the truth that Hoard has married a whore. Hoard himself learns this when his brother comes from the country to attend the nuptial celebrations, and recognizes Jane. Jane points out that Hoard has only his own avarice to blame: she never misrepresented herself as having ===== PAGE 206 ===== 206 | 1467.A Trick to Catch the Old…