in The Vow Breaker, or The Fair Maid of Clifton — Sampson, William
Metadata
Play
The Vow Breaker, or The Fair Maid of Clifton
Author
Sampson, William
Year (catalogued)
1636
First performance
1625
Decade
1630s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Nonprofessional (?)
Speech prefix(es)
Ma.
Words
266
Characters
1481
Typicality
0.34 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A11435
BritDrama no.
2260
Cluster
Cluster 0 — Clowns, beggars & street sellers
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 0 (shillings, tom, guts, mutton, wares, dan…). Matches are highlighted.
i'man ass, and my brethren Dotterels, Give reason, brother Sheepskin, second me for I must speak Historiography, History I should say, but these hard words cloy my stomach, Like lumps of Bacon. I were a Traitor elce, I wooed not be merry with thee, Bess still welcome, and welcome; Thus it was, Edward the first from whom we bear
Full speech
By S to . Lucy Bess, I am a plain honest Tanner, my bro the here, one a Shoemaker, to'ther a Felmonger, we are all down right toth'hide; I ha'noe Lawyers eloquence, our Recorder cannot whistle, but by the bones of sweet St. Lucy welcome, on welcome. By S to . Lucy, and shall, elce i'man ass, and my brethren Dotterels, Give reason, brother Sheepskin, second me for I must speak Historiography, History I should say, but these hard words cloy my stomach, Like lumps of Bacon. I were a Traitor elce, I wooed not be merry with thee, Bess still welcome, and welcome; Thus it was, Edward the first from whom we bear our arms, Three Crowns displayed in and Azure field, First, begin to make our River navigable, Small barks it boar, but not of that full weight, That were transportable for our affairs, In the two Edwards the second, and third, Unto the second Richard it continued Till Bullingbrook began! then Harry the fifth, And Pearcy fell at odds; in which division, Dividing of the land; Glendower began To stop the water-courses of flowing Trent, By that means our navigable course was stopped, And where before we usually transported With things un-numerous from Hull to us! And in return relieved the neighbour coast, With fuel, and commodities of great use. As Wool, Led, Corn, fruits, and Iron; We now have neither; but with double cost, This is the cause why we entreat your Grace To sign our patent, and by S to Lucy, Bess; We'll pray for thee, and that's thy full reward.
Plot summary
Plot — The Vow Breaker, or The Fair Maid of Clifton
Though Young Bateman is betrothed to Anne Boot and loved by her, her father reneges on the ===== PAGE 347 ===== 1628 arrangement. Meanwhile, war looms: England enters an alliance with a federation of Scottish lords hostile to the French Queen Regent of Scotland, and troops are being recruited to march north. Bateman joins up, hoping that his absence will make Old Boot’s heart grow fonder, and Anne vows to love only him; but her father puts pressure on her to marry German, and, seduced by his wealth, she agrees. The French are vanquished, and Bateman distinguishes himself in battle; but he is troubled by dreams about Anne, and returns home on the day of her wedding, just missing the ceremony. German goes away on a long business trip, leaving Anne in her father’s house. Old Bateman sues Boot for breach of the pre-contract; Young Bateman hangs himself outside Anne’s door, and his ghost haunts Anne, invisible to the rest of her family. Anne gives birth to a baby girl. While the women around her sleep, she sees the ghost and runs out of the house; following her footsteps in the snow, the household find her drowned in the river. The two bereaved fathers, Boot and Bateman, commiserate together. In Scotland, Sir Gervase Clifton insults the Queen Regent by drawing an unfavourable comparison with Queen Elizabeth, and captures Martigues in a single combat, but releases him with honour. Joshua the Puritan intends to hang his cat for Sabbath-breaking - she killed a mouse on Sunday - but the cat is saved by the arrival of a French ambassador. The English attack Leith, and Clifton captures a French colonel’s armour. Hostilities are ended by diplomatic means, and Scotland is to be demilitarized. The English and French lords feast together, and Joshua gets drunk. The English troops return south to meet the Queen at Nottingham; the common soldiers plan to put on a play for her, but decide on a morris dance instead. She meets the civic authorities and rewards her military commanders.