Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 6 (armies, fleece, pestle, wonted, pikes, thundering…). Matches are highlighted.
anatomized by that skilful hand, And have each artery, nerve, and vein of sin By it laid open to the public scorn. I have untrussed the proudest, greatest tyrants Have quaked below my powerful whip, half dead With expectation of the smarting jerk, Whose wound no salve can cure: each blow does leave A lasting scar, that with a poison
Full speech
And as my Lady takes deserved place Of thy light Mistress, so yield thou to me, Fantastic Mime. As the Attendant of the nobler Dame, And of my self more worthy. As one whose whip of steel can with a lash Imprint the Characters of shame so deep, Even in the brazen forehead of proud sin, That not eternity shall wear it out. When I but frowned in my Lucilius brow, Each conscious cheek grew read, and a cold trembling Freezed the chill soul; while every guilty breast Stood fearful of dissection, as afraid To be anatomized by that skilful hand, And have each artery, nerve, and vein of sin By it laid open to the public scorn. I have untrussed the proudest, greatest tyrants Have quaked below my powerful whip, half dead With expectation of the smarting jerk, Whose wound no salve can cure: each blow does leave A lasting scar, that with a poison eats Into the marrow of their fame's and lives; Th'eternall ulcer to their memories! What can your Apish-fine-gesticulations My manlike-Munkye Mime, vie down to this?
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…