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)
Sum. | Som.
Words
353
Characters
1705
Typicality
0.31 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A08469
BritDrama no.
1211
Cluster
Cluster 14 — Law & judgment
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
I have the law to warrant what I do, and though the Lord Cobham be a noble man, that dispenses not with law, I dare serve process were a five noble men, though we Sum ners make sometime a mad slip in a corner with a pretty wench, a Sumner must not go always by seeing, a man may be content to hide his eyes, where he may feel his profit: well, this is my Lord Cobhams house, if I can devise to speak with him, if not, I'll clap my citation upon's door, so my lord of Rochester bid me, but me thinks here comes one of his men. Enter Harpoole. With my lord Cobham, I would speak, if thou be one of his men. May I send to him them? I will not tell my errand to thee. I tell thee my lord keeps no knaves, sirrah. My lord of Rochester. I come by virtue of a process, to ascite him to ap pear before my lord, in the court at Rochester. Why, if he will not be spoken withal, then will I leave it here, and see you that he take knowledge of it. Yes marry do I, Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cob ham. Whats that to my process? Yes marry. It is so. I am my lord of Rochesters Sumner, I came to do my office, and thou shalt answer it. Sir, I brought it not my lord to eat. I cannot eat it. Oh hold, hold, good master servingman, I will eat it. Tough wax, is the purest of the honey. Oh I am almost choked, I am almost choked. Oh sir, let me go no further, I'll eat my word. I thank you sir. No I am very well good M. servingman, I thank you, very well sir. God be with you M. seruingmaan. Yea my lord, heres not a Latin book, No not so much as our ladies Psalter, Heres the Bible, the testament the Psalms in Meeter, The sickemans salve, the treasure of gladness, And all in English, not so much but the Almanac's English.
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.…