in The Devil's Law Case (When Women Go to Law the Devil Is Full of Business) — Webster, John
Metadata
Play
The Devil's Law Case (When Women Go to Law the Devil Is Full of Business)
Author
Webster, John
Year (catalogued)
1623
First performance
1619
Decade
1620s
Genre
Tragicomedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Queen Anne's Men
Speech prefix(es)
Iul. | Iul | Jul. | Iulio | Jul | Iu.
Words
856
Characters
4433
Typicality
0.33 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A14869
BritDrama no.
1875
Cluster
Cluster 9 — Boon companions & bluff banter
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 9 (ralph, blastfield, bully, abram, rees, signiour…). Matches are highlighted.
if the Lawyers think not this sufficient, I'll give the lie in the stomach, That's somewhat deeper then the throat; Both here, and all France over and over, From Marselys, or Bayon, to Calais Sands, And there draw my Sword upon thee, And new scour it in the gravel of thy kidneys. The Welshman in's play, do what the Fencer could,
Full speech
He died in perfect memory I hope, And made me his heir. He's gone the right way then without question: Friend, in time of mourning, we must not use any Actium, That is but accessary to the making men merry, I do therefore give you nothing for your good tidings. Honest fellow, give me thy hand, I do not think but thou hast carried New years gifts to'th Court in thy days, and learnedest there to be so free of thy pains taking. And what's his business? And what's your counsel? He comes hotly upon me at first: whoring? When did you ever hear, that a Cockesparrow Had the French pox? A very fine Naturalist, a Physician, I a e you by your round slop; for 'tis joust of the bigness, and no more, of the case for a Urinal: 'tis concluded, you are a Physician. What do you mean sir, yowl take cold. Pray preserve your velvet from the dust. I was never so abused with the hat in the hand In my life. Tailors? Beside my father's allowance? Why Gentleman, do you think and Auditor begat me? Would you have me make even at years end? How I am baited? I think this fellow is a witch I those are Hell hounds. He's a mad fellow. Where are these Gallants, the brave Ercole, And noble Contarino? Met you the Lord Ercole? Why, what's the matter? To fight? Let's take several ways then, And if't be possible for women's sakes, For they are proper men, use our endeavours, That the prick do not spoil them. You shall not: Take him up gently: so, and bow his body, For fear of bleeding inward. Well, these are perfect lovers. It has been ever my opinion, That there are none love perfectly indeed, But those that hang or drown themselves for love: Now these have chosen a death next to Beheading, They have cut one another's throats, Brave valiant Lads. And I from you sir. I could never away with after reckonings. A pox ont, I have undertaken the challenge very foolishly: what if I do not appear to answer it? I do not Like that so well. I see then I must fight whither I will or no. Very certain; and now you talk of fencing, Do not you remember the Welsh Gentleman, That was travailing to Room upon return? There was a strange experiment of a Fencer. Marry it taught him and ill grace in's play, It made him gape still, gape as he put in for't, As I have seen some hungry Usher. Not unlikely. Who can tell me, If we may breath in the Duel? Nor drink? That's scurvy, anger will make me very dry. In rainy weather. Then it wet indeed sir. Yes, if he had had and hourglasse by him, I would have wished him he would have jogged it a little. But your mother, your mother's locked in to. Hark, he knocks to be let out and he were mad. Would, what says he? Contarino living? I am sorry for one thing. That I made not mine own Ballad: I do fear I shall be roguishly abused in Meeter, If I miscarry. Well, if the young Capuchin Do not talk a'th flesh as fast now to your mother, As he did to us a'th spirit; if he do, 'Tis not the first time that the prison royal Has been guilty of close committing. I thank you, I have and humour now to go to Sea Against the Pirates; and my only ambition, Is to have my Ship furnished with a rare consort Of Music; and when I am pleased to be mad, They shall play me Orlando. Do you know him? This is my father, how the Judges have bleated him. Now I am right in the Bandileere for the gallows. What a scurvy fashion 'tis, to hang ones coffin in a scarf? You are a very bold gamester. This may prove my father. What have you done? Now if my father Have any true spirit in him, I'll recover His good opinion Do you hear? do not swear sir, For I dare swear, that you will swear a lie, A very filthy, stinking. rotten lie: And if the Lawyers think not this sufficient, I'll give the lie in the stomach, That's somewhat deeper then the throat; Both here, and all France over and over, From Marselys, or Bayon, to Calais Sands, And there draw my Sword upon thee, And new scour it in the gravel of thy kidneys. The Welshman in's play, do what the Fencer could, Hung still and arse; he could not for's life Make him come on bravely: till one night at supper, Observing what a deal of Parma cheese His Scholar devoured, goes ingeniously The next morning, and makes a spacious button For his foil of toasted cheese, and as sure as you live, That made him come on the braueliest. You were scarce gone hence, but in came Contarino. And entreated some private conference with Ercole, And on the sudden they have giu'ns the slip.
Plot summary
Plot — The Devil's Law Case (When Women Go to Law the Devil Is Full of Business)
Contarino, who has been wooing Jolenta, asks her family’s permission to marry her, but her widowed mother Leonora misunderstands his oblique request and thinks she is herself the object of his interest. Meanwhile Jolenta’s brother, Romelio, would prefer her to marry Ercole; but she refuses him and Ercole takes offence. Contarino fights a duel with Ercole, and they wound one another. The bodies are sent to a 1618 monastery. Ercole recovers and decides to forgo his interest in Jolenta to Contarino, should he too survive. Concerned that he should not, Romelio visits the monastery disguised as a Jewish physician, and stabs Contarino’s body. He is seen by two surgeons, who plan to blackmail him; but ironically the stab clears Contarino’s wound and facilitates his recovery. Romelio’s financial situation is perilous: he has lost his mercantile carracks of spice. Contarino has named Jolenta his heir; Romelio plans to make her Ercole’s too, by fabricating the story that she is pregnant by him. Romelio himself will supply the eventual baby: he has got a nun, Angiolella, with child, and wants both to cover this up and ensure that his issue will inherit both suitors’ property. Jolenta, however, claims that she really is pregnant, by Contarino; so Romelio proposes that she should produce twins. Knowing of Leonora’s interest in Contarino, he fosters jealousy between mother and daughter. The Spanish judge Crispiano comes to Naples in disguise with three objectives: to observe his son’s lifestyle, to investigate reports of illegal gold-mining by Romelio, and to appoint the lawyer Ariosto as a judge. Blaming her son for Contarino’s death, Leonora brings a false law-case that will deprive him of his patrimony by establishing his illegitimacy: he was conceived, she claims, during his father’s absence. Crispiano sits as judge, and attributes the action to malice, but stands down when he becomes a party in the case: Leonora names him as Romelio’s natural father. Ariosto takes his place on the bench, and Crispiano demonstrates that he was not even in Europe at the time in question. To evade punishment, Leonora claims to have become a nun. Ercole, present in disguise, is arrested for killing Contarino, but accuses Romelio of the crime. In the absence of a witness, this is to be settled in a trial by combat. Contarino, incognito, agrees to fight on Ercole’s side. The news of Contarino’s survival reaches Leonora via her confessor, a Capuchin, but Romelio locks them in a tower on…