Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

JUGGLER

in Wily Beguiled — Anonymous (?)

Metadata

PlayWily Beguiled
AuthorAnonymous (?)
Year (catalogued)1606
First performance1602
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyUnknown
Speech prefix(es)Iuggler.
Words157
Characters811
Typicality0.31 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA15549
BritDrama no.1321
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

Why how now humorous George? what as ne choly as a mantletree? Will you see any tricks of Leigerdemaine, slight of would worser, cleanly conuayance, or deceptio visus? what will you see Gentleman to driven you out of these dumps? Oh Lord sir you are deceived in me, I am no to e carrier, I am a Juggler. I have the superficial skill of all the seven liberal sciences at my singers end. I'll show you a trick of the twelves, and turn him over he thumbs with a trice. I'll make him fly swifter then meditation. I'll show you as many toys as there be minutes in a month, and as many tricks as there be motes in the sun. Marry sir I will show you a trick of cleanly con ueiance. Hei fortuna furim numquam credo, With a cast of clean con ueyance, come aloft Jack for thy Master's advantage (he's gone I warrant you.)

Plot summary

Plot — Wily Beguiled
Grip the usurer wants to marry his daughter Lelia to the foolish son of his neighbour, Ploddall, in order to gain control of Ploddall’s extensive land-holdings. For her part, Lelia loves the scholar Sophos, but Grip doesn’t think him rich enough and warns the young man off. The fathers agree and Churms the lawyer is engaged to draw up the marriage contract. Churms persuades Grip to let him visit her to intercede for Peter Ploddall, and also agrees to act as an intermediary woeer for Sophos; but all the while his objective is to win Lelia for himself. Meanwhile he engages Robin Goodfellow to provide Peter with a fake love-philtre for Lelia, and to frame Sophos for rape so that Lelia will fall out of love with him. Robin in turn plans to cozen Churms of Lelia and Grip of his money; but his plotting is overheard by Grip’s son, Fortunatus, who has just returned from the wars. Fortunatus finds the despairing Sophos sleeping in the woods, and listens to his woes. It becomes clear that Churms is double-crossing Sophos, so Fortunatus lays a plot. At her brother's behest, Lelia arranges to abscond with Churms, who capitalizes Grip’s debts at less than their true value in order to finance the elopement. While Fortunatus and Sophos are waiting ===== PAGE 368 ===== to.intercept Churms, Robin tries to frighten Sophos by dressing up as the devil, but Fortunatus beats him and forces him to admit his misdeeds. When the eloping ‘couple’ arrive, Fortunatus intervenes and asks Lelia to choose between Sophos and Churms; she chooses Sophos. They take up temporary residence in a hermitage while Fortunatus straightens things out with their father. Grip learns independently of Churms’s treachery - both amatory and financial - and despairs. Fortunatus offers to prevent the elopement and bring Lelia back, provided that Grip agrees to her marrying Sophos. He does, and Fortunatus fetches the happy couple home.