in 1 Sir John Oldcastle — Munday, Anthony; Drayton, Michael; Wilson, Robert; Hathaway, Richard
Metadata
Play
1 Sir John Oldcastle
Author
Munday, Anthony; Drayton, Michael; Wilson, Robert; Hathaway, Richard
Year (catalogued)
1600
First performance
1599
Decade
1600s
Genre
History
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Admiral's (Nottingham's) Men
Speech prefix(es)
Con. | Constable | Const.
Words
481
Characters
2491
Typicality
0.51 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A08469
BritDrama no.
1211
Cluster
Cluster 13 — Attendant courtiers & citizens
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
God save you M. Harpoole. An't please you M. Harpoole, I am to make hue to cry, for a fellow with one eye that has robbed two Clothiers, and am to crave your hindrance, for to search all suspected places, and they say there was a woman in the company. I durst not search sir, in my Lord Cobhams liberty, except I had some of his servants, which are for my warrant. Ho, who's within there? She is sir, I promise you sir he is a quiet man, and be cause he will not trouble too many rooms, he makes the woe man lie every night at his beds feet. Dorothy, you must come down to M. Constable. A well said M. Harpoole, you are a merry old man i'faith, i'faith you will never be old: now by the macke, a pretty wench indeed. O well said M. Harpoole, you are heart of oak when all's done. Come you villainous heretic, confess where you master is. Where the lord Cobham sir John Oldcastle than lately is escaped out of the Tower. Ahone, you crafty rascal? exeunt. Stand close, here comes the Irish man that did the murder, by all tokens, this is he. I am the Officer, and am come to search for and Irish man, such a villain as thy self, that hast murdered a man this last night by the High way. Make him fast: Oh thou bloody rogue! Who comes there? Who comes here? Gods boors master Harpoole, I will have one buss too. Burr lady I love kissing as well as you. Keep the Kings peace. Hold sir John, hold. Well said mistress Dorothy i'faith. All the town sir, we have not left a house unsearched that uses to lodge. The privy watch hath been abroad all night, And not a stranger lodgeth in the town But he is known, only a lusty priest We found in bed with a pretty wench, That says she is his wife, yonder at the sheeres: But we have charged the host with his forth coming To morrow morning. Faith master Mayor, heeres a few straggling houses be yond the bridge, and a little Inn where carriers use to lodge, though I think surely he would never lodge there: but weel go search, & the rather, because there came notice to the town the last night of and Irish man, that had done a murder, whom we are to make search for. First beset the house, before you begin the search. What mine host, up so early? How came this man and woman thus attired? Stay Judgement, and release those innocents, For here is he, whose hand hath done the deed, For which they stand indited at the bar, This savage villain, this rude Irish slave, His tongue already hath confessed the fact, And here is witness to confirm as much.
Plot summary
Plot — 1 Sir John Oldcastle
Despite a royal prohibition on disorder during the preparations for the invasion of France, Lords Herbert and Po·wys fall out over their religious differences, and brawl with their followers in the streets of Hereford;Herbert is wounded, and Powys flees, with orders given for his arrest. The Bishop of Rochester does his best to associate dissent and conspiracy with Sir John Oldcastle, but the King is not convinced. Powys takes refuge in Oldcastle's house, just before two orders arrive: one to attend at court, the other to answer charges before Rochester's ecclesiastical court; Oldcastle's servant Harpoole forces Rochester's summoner to eat his own summons, wax and all. The King advises Oldcastle to keep his religious views private: he can believe what he likes so long as he does not antagonize the bishops or encourage Protestant rebellion. In turn. Oldcastle intercedes for Powys, and the King signs his pardon. Rebellion is brewing in England. On the basis of a superior dynastic claim, the Earl of Cambridge intends to seize the throne with French support. Oldcastle is invited to join the plot, but he procures an incriminating document and takes it to court. Meanwhile, Protestant rebels muster their forces in London. The King plans to spy on them in disguise, but is robbed by the renegade priest Sir John; the priest gets him to promise to secure the King's pardon for robbery, and gives him half a coin as a token by which they can know one another again. On the night before the battle, the King. in his own person, plays dice with Sir John and wins back his stolen money, including the broken coin; as promised, he agrees to spare Sir John's life ifhe gives up his life of crime. The rebels are routed, but the prisoners falsely implicate Oldcastle. The charges collapse when it becomes clear that the rebels don't recognize him, and Oldcastle further demonstrates his loyalty with his evidence of the Cambridge conspiracy. The rebel leaders are executed, Cambridge exposed and arrested, and the King's faith in Oldcastle is restored. In the King's absence, Rochester has Oldcastle's property seized, and Oldcastle himself arrested for treason when he arrives home; his books are burnt when they are found to be in English. Rochester visits Oldcastle in prison in the hope that he may recant, but Oldcastle overpowers him and escapes in his clothes. On the run, he arrives with his wife in St Albans, but is forced to escape arrest by another illicit exchange of clothes.…