Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

SCILICET

in Every Woman in Her Humor — Anonymous

Metadata

PlayEvery Woman in Her Humor
AuthorAnonymous
Year (catalogued)1609
First performance1607
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyChildren of the King's Revels
Speech prefix(es)Scil. | Scil: | Scel: | Scillicet: | Scil, | Scil
Words1383
Characters6559
Typicality0.29 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA15676
BritDrama no.1532
ClusterCluster 23 — Gulls, fops & laughing-stocks

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

A word I pray ye sir ere you go any further: Boy my Tables? I pray you let me request that oath of you. I have quoted it sir, by this bright Hoar, Hoar son, pronounce you sir. Indeed ye shall, by this bright horison you shall, believe me if I swear, I think my self behol ding, for I know it to be no common oath. That's excellent and rare. A Fool? Nay sir, the hear is passed, they that did it have took them to their heals, for indeed here are of us— Indeed sir I am a man of few words, I have put up a little blood shed, marry I hope it shall be no stain to my manhood, if I keep it out of my clothes. Do you think I may not have and Actium against him? This kissing becomes a Gentleman, isle use it suret S foot Graccus, heeres a couple of our old gam sters, o for quick conceit to beget a jest: here's two that either a man must be acquainted or quarrel with, & of two evils isle chosen the latter, I hope to make it the less sir: if I should be acquainted, the fool will haunt me: if I quarrel, I may be so blessed as to be rid of a fool. I have no appetite at all to live in the country any more: now as they say, I have God a smack on the City, slid I think (as the proverb goes) I was wrapped in my mother's mock the day I was begotten, I thank the Goddess Cupid for it, I am so favoured of the Women, my hosts loves me execrably. Welcome by the welkin. Our company sir, no, we are no companions for lame Soldiers. Nay, and he be lame isle talk to him, there's so many lusty knaves walks now a days, will not stick to give a man hard words, if he be not disposed to charity: hark you sir, I understand you are a proper man, and that you have a good leg. What of that? slid he answers me Like a sturdy beggar already: by the five elements or senses; I ask you for no hurt, idem bestow my charity as frank as— Nay, I pray you be malco ̄ tented, I have no great hurt: but in revenge he's a rascal for using me so, he may thank God, discretion governed me, 'tis well known I have always be a man of peace, isle not strike ye the least mouse in anger, nor hurt the poorest Conney that goes in the street, for I know of fighting comes quarrel ling, of quarreling comes brawling, and of brawling grows hard words, and as the learned puerelis writes, 'tis good sleeping in a whole skin. My name is signior Scillicet. He went by even now sir, is he a friend of yours? By the horison he's a proper man indeed, he gave me the time of the day, as he went by: I have a Gall lon of wine for him at any time, If you see any thing in me worth commendations, I pray you commend me to him. I pray you remember me to him, you see my and her is over already. Sir, he's a friend of his, that struck me even now. Indeed you shall not, I hate it. By the illuminate welkin not a word till my mouth was full of blood, and so made my words foul. I there was seven. Or eight. Yes, yes, I will discharge all. By the torrid zone (sweet heart) I have thought well of you ever since I loved you, as a man would say (Like a young dancer out of all measure) if it please you y faith, any thing I have promised you, isle perform it to a hair, ere to morrow night. Do you think sweet heart, to be married by day light or by torchlight. What think you if we had and offering? Base, slid I cannot tell, if it were as base as a sag but isle be sworn 'tis as common as a whore, 'tis even as come mon to see a Basin at the Church door as a box at a Playhouse. Forswear Sack, slid not for the spending of two farms more, if they were come into my hands once, Nay then 'tis so. This is very strange. Nay hark you sir, I can brook much injury, but not that, meddle with me, but not with my trade, she is mine own, she's meus, tuus, suus, no men else, I assure you we are sure together. Occiput: what mean you by occiput? The former partly of your head, why I hope I have not and occiput, in the former partly of my head, Signior Sir nulus, what means be by it? 'Slid I cannot be so sussified, I pray you Signior what means he by occuput? I love you then for it sir, yet I cannot remember that ever a Tapster broke my head, yet I call to mind I have broke many Tapsters heads. Feel this Gentlewoman! s'ild if ye were ten Ghosts, isle not endure it. Nay, thats a lie, then 'tis a living spirit, isle have a bout with him. He speaks well, but I Like not his dispray sing of drunkenness: 'tis Physic to me, and it makes me to sleep Like a good horse, with my nose in the manger, come sweet heart. I think you meant to make a Musician of me, you fur nish me with a good ear. Horison the Widows mite Sir? Faith 'tis very true. Mad! by Gods slid if he were as mad as a uvea ver, I can hardly put it up: for my blow: I care not so much, but he called me fool: slid if I live till I die, the one of us shall prove it. By the welkin I gave him not a foul word: first he calls me fool, then he makes a full blow at my body, and if by good chance I had not warded it with my head, he might have spoiled me. I think no less, yet I would desire to enter as time and place shall serve. No by my troth, by this bright horrison— Hath he done any hurt, or is he a friend of yours? He's a very Rascal indeed, and he used me Like a knave: if ere I meet him I shall hardly put it up, I have it in black and blue to show here. Dost think heel answer me? isle challenge him at the pich-forke, or the Flail, or isle wrestle a fallen with him for a bloody nose, any weapon I have be brought up in, isle— By Gods-lid if I had known it had be you, I would not have said so to your face. Exeunt Yes faith, he did preambulate, and walk me finely. Signior, by the welk in well met, what, all three so luckily? Likest the Ox, by gad, if ere I come to talk with that Ʋ Arron, isle make him show a better reason for it. Sir, I accept it so, for I tell you I am of a mollifying nature, I can strut, and again in kindness, I can suffer a man to break my head, and put it up without anger. Sli'd there's one bird I do not Like her voice. Sl'id I hope they have not served me so: by the torrid you're and ass, a flat Ass, but the best is I know who did it, was ei there you or some body else, for I was in no company of man kind else, by gad I remember it as well as if it were done now. O excellent! it shall down to. By this illuminate Welkin you shall now. Gentlewoman you have and excellent Changed: I have and appetite as a man would say. Truth will to light, and the truth is, I have and ap petite to kiss you. The fruit is known by the tree, by gad I knew by your aporn you were a gentleman, but specially by your flat cap.

Plot summary

Plot — Every Woman in Her Humor
Misogyny has made the normally jovial Acutus.- melancholy. After scaring some foolishly fashionable characters, he joins them at the Hobby tavern, where Gaetica has taken lodgings with her dog. Disguised as a © soldier, Acutus picks a fight with Scilicet and Servulus, © then exposes their hypocrisy by returning disguised as first a friend and then an enemy of the ‘soldier’, and eliciting inconsistent responses. Scilicet attempts to woo Gaetica; she is more concerned about the disappearance of her man Bos with her dog, but becomes betrothed to him. , Lentulus is in love, and asks Cicero to woo Terentia for him. They go to dine with Flaminius, Terentia’s father, and Cicero is left alone with the ladies of the house. The upshot is that Terentia falls in love — but -- with Cicero himself rather than Lentulus. Rumours circulate that she is to marry Cicero, but Flaminius has not given his consent and takes offence. Lentulus makes Cicero and Terentia admit wronging him, and. _ he sentences Cicero to death — but only if Terentia will kill him. He woos and wins Terentia’s sister Flavia, and plans a double wedding. Acutus gives Philautus a sleeping potion, and he appears to die. He is rumoured to have drunk himself to death, but the reported numbers of alcohol victims escalate as the news circulates. Acutus pays for the funeral and invites the tavern’s proprietors and customers, Philautus wakes up on the way to his interment: initially it is assumed that he is a ghost, but - ===== PAGE 375 ===== 1607 an exorcism is unsuccessful. The Hostess allows him to hide in her chamber, but Acutus, pretending to have been robbed, sends a constable to search the tavern; Philautus is found and arrested. The drunken Bos has his clothes stolen, and is brought back to the tavern in a barrel. Gracchus agrees to give him a new suit if he can demonstrate that drunkenness is a virtue, which he proceeds to do in a debate. Gracchus promises to arrange for the Hostess and Dama to attend the wedding. Trying to get better, more fashionable clothes for the event, the Hostess turns to Gaetica, who has already had to pawn her jewels to support her impecunious fiancé, and arranges to wear her outfit. At the wedding, Caesar declares a general amnesty; Acutus and Gracchus have Lentulus intercede to procure Philautus’ release. Forced to sing in the imperial presence, the bashful Philautus is sent to the suburbs and told not to get drunk again. Acutus presents a masque of bestial men, and shows…