in The Hector of Germany, or The Palsgrave, Prime Elector — Smith, William (?)
Metadata
Play
The Hector of Germany, or The Palsgrave, Prime Elector
Author
Smith, William (?)
Year (catalogued)
1615
First performance
1614
Decade
1610s
Genre
Pseudo-History
Play type
Private
Theater
Red Bull;Curtain;Outdoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Cullen. | Cul.
Words
256
Characters
1391
Typicality
0.43 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A12548
BritDrama no.
1707
Cluster
Cluster 6 — Battlefield messengers & soldiers
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Prepare for War, the Bastard is in arms, With him the fiery Saxon, Mainz, and Trier: And they'le besiege this Castle, to constrain The Palsgrave, to elect him Emperor. Alls lost, We are conquered, Savoy is surprised, And our best Friends in bondage to our Foes: Heaven has forgotten the Justice of our cause. And only I escaped to tell the news. He is Crowned. 'Tis thought my Lord, Your Castle which you left to save your life Is beaten to the ground, and your goods theirs: And further, that they will pursue you hither, As if you fled before their conquering swords. How feign would valour sickness overcome? But his infirmity denies such power. And I am more grieved for his weak estate, Then for our late great lose. We are strong enough to waste him to his Fleet, And when the Enemy shall miss him here, Theyle turn their conquering Force another way, And go for Spain. To subdue it. I hear their Drums. To trample on, or use as he likes best. To our best power. He said he had slain the Palsgrave, See where he comes, I would the storm were passed. I do thank your Grace. I shall delate your Highness Embassy. I go. Exit Cullen. Clinton and bold Fitz ters are arrived, And bring with them released from servitude Brandenberg, Sa y, and Bohemia. The Combatants are ready. Best that we guide him to the Palsgraues. Tent. But to the Emperor, whats your will to him? I shall deliver both.
Plot summary
Plot — The Hector of Germany, or The Palsgrave, Prime Elector
. Defeated in his attempt to seize power in Spain, Henry the Bastard attempts to get himself elected Holy Roman Emperor; he secures the support of three of the seven Electors, promising that Saxony will be the power behind his throne. But the other Electors, including the sickly Palsgrave, prefer the Duke of Savoy’s candidature, so the Bastard uses force: he defeats the opposing Electors in battle, imprisons two of them, and has himself crowned, then breaks his word and excludes Saxony from power. News of the ===== PAGE 311 ===== 1613 usurpation cures the Palsgrave, who prepares to mobilize an army. Spain is the theatre of war for their first confrontation. The Palsgrave is victorious, and the Bastard is captured, but rescued by Saxony. The warring potentates seek alliances against one another: the Palsgrave goes to England, the Bastard to France. The Palsgrave competes in an English tournament and is installed in the Order of the Garter. King John of France is reluctant to fight the English again (they have too good a track record of victory in France), and hopes to use diplomacy to secure Edward III’s neutrality. Refused the chance to conduct the mission, Saxony goes to England in disguise, but is identified by the Palsgrave, who dishonours him by pulling off a lock of his hair. Diplomacy fails, and Edward and the Palsgrave invade France, dispatching troops to free the imprisoned Electors. The Palsgrave defeats and kills Saxony in single combat. King John withdraws his support from the Bastard, and Savoy is formally crowned Emperor. In the sub-plot, Lord Fitzwaters is betrothed to Floramell, but discovers that she loves his son. He witnesses a secret assignation between the lovers in the garden of Lord Clinton, Floramell’s father. Clinton orders Young Fitzwaters off his land; Lord Fitzwaters goes further and banishes him from England. Floramell goes with him, leaving in her place a cross-dressed page, whom Lord Fitzwaters ‘marries’. The lovers are separated in a shipwreck: Floramell is washed up on the French coast and becomes a maid of honour at court; Young Fitzwaters is marooned on a barren rock and subsists on a fish diet until he is rescued by Saxony. King John is attracted to Floramell and offers to make way for her by having the Queen murdered. Floramell will not consent to adultery or murder, but agrees to give him a single kiss. Unfortunately this is witnessed by the Queen, who plans revenge and engages as her murderer an English newcomer to…