Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

PETER PLEASEMAN

in The Three Ladies of London — Wilson, Robert

Metadata

PlayThe Three Ladies of London
AuthorWilson, Robert
Year (catalogued)1592
First performance1581
Decade1590s
GenreMoral
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyLeicester's Men
Speech prefix(es)Peter.
Words240
Characters1232
Typicality0.26 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA15519
BritDrama no.700
ClusterCluster 7 — Pedants, satyrs & Latin wit

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

And so sir as I was about to tell you, This same Presco, and this some Cracko, be both my parishioners no And sir they fell out marvellously about you: The same Cracko took your partly, and said that the Clergy Was maintained by you, and upholden very worshipfully. So sir, Presco he would not grant that in any case, But said that you did corrupt the clergy, and dishonour that holy place. Now sir I was weary to hear them at such great strife, For I love to please men so long as I have life: Therefore I beseech your mastership to speak to Lady Lucar, That I may be her Chaplain, or else to serve her. Sir Peter. Forsooth Pleaseman. Yea forsooth. You know that homo is indifferent. Di no University truly. Marry I have gone to school in a College, where I have studied two or three places oh Divinity: And all for lady Lucars sake, sir you may steadfastly believe me. Marry of all religions, I know not my self very well. Indeed I have been a Catholic marry now for the most partly a Protestant. But and if my service may please her, hark in your care sir, I warrant you my religion shall not offend her. Yea , and reason good, isle be as your mastership please, I care not what you do, so I may live at ease. O sir I thank that.

Plot summary

Plot — The Three Ladies of London
Lady Love and Lady Conscience are concerned that Lady Lucre now rules in London, but Fame assures them that she and her adherents will meet their due punishment in the end. Four knaves and Simplicity, a penurious miller, go to London in the hope of employment by one of the ladies. Conscience rejects their applications, but Love agrees to take on Simplicity; the knaves find positions in Lucre’s household. Out of work because foreigners have taken all the jobs, Artifex also seeks a place with Lucre. Simplicity procures a testimonial from Conscience for his cousin Sincerity, who seeks a benefice; but he is unable to get anything from Simony because he has no bribe to offer. Dissimulation fobs him off with the parsonage of St Nihil — nothing - and an invitation to dine with Nemo — nobody — is likewise worthless (though Simplicity has _ difficulty understanding this). Simony employs Sir Peter Pleaseman, who can be either Protestant or Catholic as it suits his circumstances, as Lucre’s chaplain. Conscience is forced to sell her cottage to Lucre, but hopes to stay on as a sitting tenant. Usury threatens eviction; there is a proposal to pack the house with foreigners who will require less living space than English tenants. Eventually he relents and quadruples the rent instead. Love and Conscience are reduced to sending Usury their clothes in lieu of payment, but Dissimulation gives Simplicity money to redeem one of the gowns. He intended it to be Love’s, since he cares nothing for Conscience, but Simplicity returns Conscience’s clothes and delivers Love’s to Usury. Lucre enters an agreement with the Italian merchant Mercadore, whereby he will export essential materials and foodstuffs from England, and import foreign trinkets for gentlewomen. Mercadore goes to Turkey to procure knick-knacks, and encounters the Jew Gerontus. Two years ago, he borrowed a lot of money from Gerontus and avoided paying it back by skipping the country. Gerontus is happy to help in the supply of 1581 worthless tat to England, but eventually loses patience with Mercadore’s promises to pay his debt, and has him arrested. Mercadore proposes converting to Islam, which will legally void all his past obligations. Fearing that he might be blamed for a Christian’s apostasy, Gerontus cancels the debt, whereupon Mercadore’s Muslim convictions evaporate. Usury murders Hospitality and goes into hiding with a rich man, who protects him; his pardon is eventually procured by a courtier. Conscience and…