Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

WARRANT

in Covent Garden

Metadata

PlayCovent Garden
Year (catalogued)1638
First performance1638
Decade1630s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional;Professional
CompanyQueen Henrietta Maria's Men
Speech prefix(es)Warr. | War. | Aarr.
Words761
Characters3902
Typicality0.31 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07971
BritDrama no.2424
ClusterCluster 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

You are the only object of my thoughts. It's your beauty hath animated my presumptuous weakness to express how much my desires are yours. Not for murder; but for killing (yet not a Man) fairly in the field. It's not yet done; only I am resolved to do it, were I but sure of my pardon. A mere superfluous compliment of state for mality. One of my Ladies raising. A fellow that hath cross cape ed himself out of a Taylor into a gentleman Usher. Yes, with all and circumstance. The weapon single Rapier; the place the P azz ; the time this moonshine night presently before supper. Dearest partly of my self: to get my pardon, here's Spruce, now will I affront him. By privilege Spruce! Thou art a Baboon of forma ty, and and ap of -ship. When I have killed thee, and get my pardon, I will have thy skin stuhh't; and with a protection show the at country Fairs and Mar kets for a Ginney Pigmy. Spruce, thou art a very , bred in thy cross leg worser profession; that having sucked a little blood of Gen tility, instead of thy usual bred bre kfast, art grown to a fancy familiarity, with thy maintainers. TO ou buyest thy laundry in Long-lane or Hounsditch with the impude c of a cheater. How lie. That somebody were here to stand betwixt us. Come not near me, lest I blast thee with the breath of my just indignation. For this Spruce I will not compassionate the good parts which my Lady commends in thee. Thy Fiddle stick shall not save thee; nor thy capering lift thee and inch from the ground which I have laid for thy destruction. And thou a Ladies Gentleman Usher, a bundle of complemental folly's stitched up with how-dee's. I will send thee anon upon a visit to the Devil. I'll maintain it against the life of all the world, I love you best. I'll brook no Rival. Remember then, I must to the Cutlers. It's a good sword; it cost me two pieces. No matter. Many a men death hath cost more at the Phy sitians. Who would be afraid to kill a man; when he is sure of his pardon? But what should I think of killing him? I know he dare as well take the wall of a drunken Consta ble, or justle a Buffcoat leading a wench, as meet me. Is not that Spruce? certainly it's he. Me thinks I see him tremble hitherto. He dare not come near me; and I scorn to go to him to kill him: It may hinder my pardon. Therefore he shall assault me first. That some good fellow would but come and Beatrice the cowardly Rascal. I would I had but a leg or and arm of him, since he will not come, that I may kill him. Who are these come towards me? my courage begins to have and ague. The rogue Spruce hath sent them to beat me. It's so. I must shift for my self. Alas, what mean you Gentlemen? Kind Gentlemen, I hope you'll not kill me. I'll do any thing, rather then be killed. Sweet Gentlemen, I'll do any thing rather then be beaten. Merciful Gentlemen; I have some money, a Cloak and a good Beaver: I'll give you all, and forgive you too, so you'll not Beatrice me. I'll say or swear any thing, rather then be killed or beaten. That you left me dead. I'll lie at a Surgeons these two months; and pretend that my skull was bro ken in twelve places: that half my brains were putri fied and taken out. I'll be mad all my life after to con firm people in the belief of it. Yes, at the gallows. I'll have you hanged for ro king me: I shall teach you to attempt any thing on a Ju ces Clerk. How! I robbed! the Constable is surely drunk. I was not robbed. Who? I? verily I say I know thee not. Set a good face on't. A Justices Clerk. Your Worship is misinformed. I cannot write true Orthography without a Copy; and for Latin, I have less then the Dean of Dunstable. I have read Igno ramus: but finding hard words which were not in the Dictionary; I swear I understand it no more then Igno ramus himself. Yes, you have power of my Lady, and she much acquaintance at Court. A pardon might be God. That he would but come a little nearer.

Plot summary

Plot — Covent Garden
Dungworth comes to London from the country with his servants, Ralph and Dobson, intending to sell some of his lands and buy himself a knighthood. Artlove aims to woo Dorothy Worthy, and Mistress Tongueall offers her services as matchmaker —but also helps the foolish Littleword to the same ends. Hugh Jerker's objective is to cuckold Dorothy's father, Sir Generous Worthy: Lady Worthy was Jerker's mistress before she was forced to marry Sir Generous to get her away from him. Warrant and Spruce are both interested in the waiting-woman, Susan, and meet to fight a duel over her. Warrant has taken the precaution of procuring an advance pardon for killing Spruce, and Spruce anticipates that, if he kills Warrant, Susan will save his life with a gallows wedding. In the event, both are too cowardly to fight, and Susan and Dorothy, who are watching, engage Dobson and Ralph to attack them. Both talk their way out of a beating, leaving behind clothes and money. The servants consider taking up robbery as a profession. They have an altercation with Dorothy's brother, but Artlove intervenes and sees them off. Young Worthy vets his rescuer as a potential brother-in-law, and recommends him to Dorothy. She resents this interference, but eventually accepts Artlove. At the tavern, Ralph and Dobson are arrested for the robbery and brought before Sir Generous; but Warrant refuses to admit that he was robbed, and the case collapses. Ralph and Dobson conduct a mock-trial, with themselves as judge and constable, and use the opportunity to pass satirical comment on several characters.Lady Worthy arranges an assignation with Jerker, and asks Susan to be the lookout. Instead, Susan fetches the jealous Sir Generous, who arrives to see hiswife kissingJerker. Jerker suggests that he should divorce her; but she explains that the assignation was set up to cure her husband's jealousy.