Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

PHYSICIAN

in Enough Is as Good as a Feast — Wager, William

Metadata

PlayEnough Is as Good as a Feast
AuthorWager, William
Year (catalogued)1570
First performance1560
Decade1570s
GenreMoral
Play typeInterlude
Speech prefix(es)Phiſicion. | Phiſition.
Words265
Characters1248
Typicality0.23 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA14627
BritDrama no.468
ClusterCluster 21 — Old fathers & plain counsel

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

By your leave my masters, me thinks it is no time to jest: Stand back I pray you, and do not me molest. Passion of me masters, count you this a play? One of you quickly bring me hither a Key. Some drink, Aquam vitae, if it may be God: With speed let us have some drink that is hight. No there is life in him, yet I see verily. Run I pray you and fetch such things as we lack: Some drink and a pillow to lay at his back. Give me room I pray you, out of my light stand. Good fellow be content, I pray Thee heartily: Thou art disposed to jest me think verily. What how worldly man, in Gods name I say: Look up for the Love of God, do not Like a beast decay. By my truth there is no remedy but one, that I can see. You must put your will to Gods will I can say no more: No Sir by my truth, as far as I can see or espy. God may do much, for he is omnipotent: But you are passed help in this world in men judgement. Good Lord have mercy on Thee, belike it is to late to amend: In wickedness thou hast lived, even so thou wilt end. Gentleman, I trust you will not see me lose my labour: A common saying in deed, that is Like unto Like: A wicked M. for wicked servants, God must needs strike Exit. I trust then, Sir you will content me for my pains taking:

Plot summary

Plot — Enough Is as Good as a Feast
Remembering his father’s bankruptcy, the Worldly Man hoards treasure for the future, seeing such behaviour as provident thrift, whereas the Heavenly Man relies on God to look after him and regards wealth as a distraction from spiritual things. He and Contentation persuade the Worldly Man to change to a godly lifestyle, but the vices, using innocuous aliases to inveigle their way into his confidence, cause him to backslide into covetous materialism. He becomes a miser and maltreats his tenants, servants, and hirelings: he raises rents, fails to pay the wages he owes, and seizes property adjacent to his own. After a bad dream about God’s punishment, he falls ill and dies. Satan carries him to hell on his back, advising the audience to live their lives in the same way. The virtues advise the contrary.