Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 0 (shillings, tom, guts, mutton, wares, dan…). Matches are highlighted.
Boets, now a bots take all the red-nose tribe of they for Agroicus! he does so abuse his betters! well 'twas a good world, when I virst held the Blow! His wit is dangerous and I dare not stay.
Full speech
They talk of witty discourse, and fine conceits, and I ken not what a deal of prittle prattle would make a Cat piss to hear they. Cannot they be content with their Grannams English? They think they talk learnedly, when I had rather hear our brindled cur howl, or Sow grunt. They must be breaking of jests with a murrain, when I had as live hear they break wind Sir reverence! My zonne Dick is a pretty Bookish Scholar of his age, God bless him; he can write and read, and makes bonds, and bills, and hobligations, God save all. But by lady, if I wotted it would make him such a Iacksauce, as to have more wit then his vore-vathers, he should have learned nothing for old Agroicus, but to keep a Tally. There is a new trade lately come up to be a vocation, I wis not what; they call they—Boets, a new name for Beggars I think, since the statute against Gypsies. I would not have my zon Dick one of those Boets for the best Big in my styeby the mackins: Boets? heaven shield him, and zend him to be a good Varmer; if he can cry high, ho, gee, hut, gee, ho, it is better I trow then being a Poet. Boets? I had rather zee him remitted to the jail, and have his twelve God-vathers, good men and true contemn him to the Gallows; and there see him vairely pierce cut. There is Bomolochus one of these Boets, now a bots take all the red-nose tribe of they for Agroicus! he does so abuse his betters! well 'twas a good world, when I virst held the Blow! His wit is dangerous and I dare not stay.
Plot summary
Plot — The Muses' Looking Glass
Bird and Mistress Flowerdew, Puritan residents of Blackfriars, bring their wares to the theatre, but are appalled when Roscius tells them they have been ordered for use as props in a filthy stage play. Roscius argues that they themselves make a living from the vice of vanity, and invites them to see the play before they condemn it; he will give them a running commentary on its moral import. Despite Roscius’ high claims, Comedy and Tragedy seem initially more concerned about the order of their precedence; they agree to spend a year in competition, staging examples of their respective genres, and whichever is adjudged the better will thereafter have the theatre to herself. The play is a series of episodes showing specific virtues to be the mean: an excess or a deficiency constitutes a vice. A lack of courtesy makes Dyscolus churlishly ready to pick quarrels, whereas too much of it makes Colax sycophantic, to such an extent that he hangs around for the rest of the play flattering all the other vices. Aphobus is over-confident and Deilus cowardly, afraid of his own shadow: they have respectively too much fortitude and too little. Temperance is the next example, illustrated by Acolastus the epicure and Anaisthetus the ascetic, followed by liberality, missing in Aneleutherus the miser and carried to excess in Asotus the prodigal. The over-ostentatious Banausus, full of extravagant schemes for public works, overdoes magnificence, whereas Microprepes balks at replacing a church steeple. (The Puritans in the audience 1630 approve.) Chaunus overvalues himself, and seeks inappropriate high offices, whereas Micropsychus thinks himself unsuited to even the meanest position. Meekness is quite absent from quarrelsome Orgylus, who persistently tries to provoke patient Aorgus to a fight, without success. The arrogant Alazon and the modest Eiron deviate from truth: one falsely claims personal qualities he lacks, the other denies those he does have. Philotimia is unduly fastidious about her appearance, whereas her slovenly husband Luparus would rather clothes had never been invented. The impudent bawd Anaiskyntia brings Kataplectus to visit Philotimia, but he is too bashful to speak to her in English. Philotimia appoints him her gentleman usher, and they go off together; it looks as if Luparus is going to be cuckolded, but he doesn’t care. The extremes of justice are next: Nimis is worldly and prone to accept bribes, adjudicating between litigants according to which can…