in The Three Lords and Three Ladies of London — Wilson, Robert
Metadata
Play
The Three Lords and Three Ladies of London
Author
Wilson, Robert
Year (catalogued)
1590
First performance
1588
Decade
1590s
Genre
Moral
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Queen Elizabeth's Men (?)
Speech prefix(es)
Vsu. | Vsu, | vsurie. | Vsu
Words
686
Characters
3344
Typicality
0.34 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A15517
BritDrama no.
821
Cluster
Cluster 21 — Old fathers & plain counsel
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 21 (gar, shillings, alii, yongrave, ogenes, nat…). Matches are highlighted.
Four? soft, yet they have not smelled Thee. Bade fellows ye Rascal? If ere you bring me pawn I'll pinch ye for that word. Who cares for Conscience but die a beggar? I will cloth her straight: Usury takes Frauds cloak, & casts it on Cons All this while Lucre knows not I am here, But now will I to her, mark how I sp ed. Lady
straight: Usury takes Frauds cloak, & casts it on Cons All this while Lucre knows not I am here, But now will I to her, mark how I sp ed. Lady the fairest that Nature ever form, Loadstone of Love, that draws ff ctions dart . The only object to all human eyes, And sole destred Dainty of the world, thy Vassal here, a virtue
Lucre, yet in Thee we have delight. And what did they cost you? That argues you are guilty: Why? could you buy so many rings and buttons of gold think you for ten shillings? Of whom did you buy them? And where dwells that old French man? A good answer, he dwells in France and you dwell here, and for ut ering copper for gold you are
to restore these things again. Yes: What means these canvas suits? Will ye be Sailors? But will you do thus you two? Whatsoever you do, be not traitors to your native country. oh better my state, nay, to altar my state, for here where I am, I know the government, here can I live for all their threatening, if strangers p euaile,
Full speech
No Fraud, though many have counterfeited both thee & me, We are our selves yet, and no changelings I see: And why shouldst thou ask me man if I live: The silly Ass can not feed on harder forage than usury, She upon thistles, and I upon a brown crust of a month old. What? to tell how we have lived: And for Usury, the longer I live, the greater love I find Yet would I be with Lucre, again to please my mind. Four? soft, yet they have not smelled Thee. Bade fellows ye Rascal? If ere you bring me pawn I'll pinch ye for that word. Who cares for Conscience but die a beggar? I will cloth her straight: Usury takes Frauds cloak, & casts it on Cons All this while Lucre knows not I am here, But now will I to her, mark how I sp ed. Lady the fairest that Nature ever form, Loadstone of Love, that draws ff ctions dart . The only object to all human eyes, And sole destred Dainty of the world, thy Vassal here, a virtue in thy need Whom thou by license of the law mayest use, tenders himself, and all his services to do thy will in duty as to before, Glad of thy freedom as his proper life. the Law allows me Madam, in some sort. For you I reck not, but if God me hate, Why doth the Law allow me in some rate? Well Lucre, yet in Thee we have delight. And what did they cost you? That argues you are guilty: Why? could you buy so many rings and buttons of gold think you for ten shillings? Of whom did you buy them? And where dwells that old French man? A good answer, he dwells in France and you dwell here, and for ut ering copper for gold you are Like to lose both your ears upon the pillory, and b sides lose your freedom. No sir, his fault is odious, look here what stuff he would ut ter for gold, flat copper, & he says, he bought them of and old frenchman Well, for this once I will, sirrah, get you packing, and take heed of such a piece of work again while you live. Not and inch, and be glad you escape as you do, What a fool were you to speak before e was gone, now you have lost your partly of this too, for he will go complain, you will be sought for, and I made to restore these things again. Yes: What means these canvas suits? Will ye be Sailors? But will you do thus you two? Whatsoever you do, be not traitors to your native country. oh better my state, nay, to altar my state, for here where I am, I know the government, here can I live for all their threatening, if strangers p euaile, I know not their laws nor their usage, they may been oppressore, & take all I have, and it is Like they are so, for they S k that's not their own. Therefore here will I stay sure, to keep what I have, rather than be a traitor upon hap and had I wist: and stay you if you be wise, and pray as I pray, that the preachers and all other good men may die, and then we shall flourish, but never trust to strangers courtesy. Let me go afore you, if any such thing be, I'll give you inkling. Exit I cannot tell what you shall, but I am sure I shall. Fraud. Skill, Why dost thou seek to serve Lady Love? What profit will that he? I would I had never seen you, if this be your courtesy. You were ever nice, no matter what you pra e: So we may loos you, and never see him, nay that may not be. None, except you can find out that old French man. N y, now I'll pinch you, you villain, you know how you have ever used me, but now off goes your ears at least,
Plot summary
Plot — The Three Lords and Three Ladies of London
The three lords of London, in want of wives, plan to marry the three ladies. There are two complications. ===== PAGE 450 ===== First, it emerges that they all want the same lady, Lucre. More pressingly, all three ladies are in prison. The lords agree to secure their freedom and worry later about who marries whom. But Judge Nemo has heard petitions for the ladies’ release before: many men wanted Lucre, some wanted Love, and nobody cared about Conscience. His conditions are that either all three ladies go free or none of them, and that, if they do, he shall decide which lady marries which lord. The ladies are taken from prison and sat on uncomfortable penitential stones. They are visited by Lucre’s former servants, who were banished from London but now want their old jobs back; Lucre is unable to accommodate them. Falsehood and Double- Dealing offer the ladies clothes to replace their prison rags, but they refuse. Nemo arranges for them to have more virtuous garments, the first stage in their rehabilitation. When the three lords continue to quarrel over which of them should have Lucre, Nemo agrees to give up his right to make the marital dispositions, on condition that the lords accept the lady’s own choice. He then has Conscience pose as Lucre. Each lord offers her a different benefit — power, magnificence, and hedonism - and she eventually bestows herself on Pleasure. He is happy with his fiancée even when he learns of the deception. Conscience declares that Policy should marry Love and that Lucre is best suited to Pomp. Before the lords can proceed with their marriages, however, they must repel a Spanish invasion. Three lords of Spain arrive and plan to take the ladies for themselves. The London lords defeat them and present their captured shields to their ladies. Nemo grants the two remaining ladies to the appropriate lords, but three lords of Lincoln intervene, claiming pre-contracts with the ladies. The London lords outface their rivals, who are sent away with the penitential stones in lieu of the ladies. In the sub-plot, Fraud sells Simplicity some cheap ‘gold’, which turns out to be mere copper, so Simplicity repeatedly attempts to have him arrested. Posing as Skill and Fair Semblance, Fraud and Dissimulation seek jobs with the lords, but are recognized. Dissimulation is branded, and Fraud is taken to prison, but bribes Diligence to release him on the way; the bribe money is later found to be counterfeit. Fraud attends the lords’ wedding in…