in If It Be Not Good, the Devil Is in It (If This Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is in It) — Dekker, Thomas
Metadata
Play
If It Be Not Good, the Devil Is in It (If This Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is in It)
Author
Dekker, Thomas
Year (catalogued)
1612
First performance
1611
Decade
1610s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Queen Anne's Men
Theater
Red Bull;Outdoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Ruff. | Ruf. | Ruff: | Ruff ▪ | Ru.
Words
1403
Characters
7662
Typicality
0.18 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A20066
BritDrama no.
1641
Cluster
Cluster 16 — Errand servants & brief parts
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 16 (nat, ningle, chould, numps, terry, dery…). Matches are highlighted.
Not I. Hell grins to hear this roaring: where this black child of faddomles perdition? rarest devil That ever hold in Barathrum? here, (deer pupil) Of a new damnations stamp, Saucer-eyed Lucifer, H S drunk to thee this deep infernal boul off, Wut pledge his ugliness? Choke with it. Bounce: 'tis done. Would would would.— Dread
Full speech
Each Land is full of Rake-hells. I'll doo' in bravery: if as deep as hell, That large ears hear a Land curse me, my part's played well. Dread king of Ghosts, weel ply our thrift so well, Thou sh lt be forced to enlarge thy Jail of Hell. A Shalcan Tartar being my grandfather Men call me Shalkan Bohor. About the world My travails make a girdle (perfect round:) So that, what wonders Kings on earth ever found I know, and what I know, Is yours. How but in that, For which they are born Kings? (Pleasure:) every men aim, Is to him pleasure: only 'tis change in name, Thats all the difference; Are Kings Tyrants? Blood Is then their pleasure: thirst they after wars! Ambition tickles them; that for which man most cares, Good or bade, 'tis his pleasure, and to gain it, His soul must compass I though hell restrain it To this mark all men's thoughts, Creation drew, That all might strive foe a thing, thats God by few: Who are those few but Kings? and 'tis fit they Should have it, because true pleasure does soon decay. Would, would, a trifle this. Your Scholar there, Come with his Arts and Muses shallow, leaden brain, Your swaggering Soldier, led a tottered train Of ruffianly Boore-hallers: I noted all These feasts for Kings: ith garden of variety The vast world! you are starved amid your satiety, Pluck no one Apple from the golden Tree, But shake the fruit of every pleasure down. Nor you and these from me. Lo, this is all I crave. Swift as men thought, Various delights shall be each minute born, And die as fast that fresh may rise; we scorn To serve up one dish twice; be't never so rare, Will you that gainst to morrow I prepare A Feast of strange Mirth for you? He comes again, the devil will not receive him. Beg his office: you a Courtier? Lose not a minute (pue-fellow) leave him not yet, I have whale's here too, lie playing in the net. And I all mine. A thousand wenches Stark-naked, to play at Leapfrog I that Court of Naples have I prospered well, And brave souls shall I shortly ship to hell In sensual streams, Courtier and King I would crowned, From whence war is flowing, whose tied shall all confound. True sir, & teaches him a thousand ways To lead him out this horrid giddy maze. Than to be made your foes-slave, better die. Much less a petty Dukes. The best and nobler spirits Have done the Like. Philosophers have done it. Kings have done the Like. Nay it shall never be said, I lived a minute after you: here, here. Lets sail together. From hell, (this world,) from, fiends, (in shapes of men.) Fuh, this is but the swimming of your brain, By looking downwards with a timorous eye. The whips of furies lash me: the foe comes on. Whither runs this rier? I'll shift I warrant: hast thou toth' Priory Not meet, yes, I hope, you must not thus chea e hell. I told him where you were. Head? King, little dost though know, whom (all this while) Thy court, this Covent, and this Barteruile, Have entertained: of hell, 3. Spirits we are. Sent to catch souls for Pluto, our Prince and mai ster. Thy self hast burst those bands In which I once held thee: these are in our hands. Yes as thou art, (to hell,) vou dog leave howling. This pile of green young devils, needs no fire Of mortals kindling to consume, these frames, You shall with us to hell ride, all in flames. Let every spirit his own prize bear Away then and be damned, would you all were here. So many tapsters in hell, and none fill drink here: Peace, thou shalt ball thy throat out. Yes, a whole Hoy-full are Landed. Yes. Here. The Indians are warm without clothes, and a man Is best at ease without a woman: or if your Highness must have one, have factors to buy the fairest, do ate no any, the turk, regard none, yet keep many. You hear the Juries verdict. hose foreman's the devil? counsel thee to thy destruction. Best feeding on the Commons then. Will you not marry this cham Lady then? Brave battles I fight you, but isle win the day Dam e them to the face, And you fright them. Yar'e too dejected, gather head and fight it ou . Now mine own or never. I, I'll stick to you ever: I am no Courtier sir of Fortune's making Not I. Hell grins to hear this roaring: where this black child of faddomles perdition? rarest devil That ever hold in Barathrum? here, (deer pupil) Of a new damnations stamp, Saucer-eyed Lucifer, H S drunk to thee this deep infernal boul off, Wut pledge his ugliness? Choke with it. Bounce: 'tis done. Would would would.— Dread Lord of this lower tortary, to thy Jail Have we thy busy Catch-polls (prisoners) brought Souls, for whose coming all hell long hath sought. C aron has bound him for a thousand years, To tug ats oar: he scourd the Seas so well, Charon will make him ferryman of hell. Yes Pluto: Cutlar has been here long, sent in by a carman, But his stern looks the fiends did so displease, Bound hand and foot, he houles in little ease, Having only mace to comfort him: he does yell, And rave, because he cannot rest in hell. No: but sha's been a long time launching forch, In a Rosa-solis-barke. See King of gloomy shades what souls resort, To this thy most joust, and least-fying court. The powers that guide me, guard thee, I have herd thy name In regions far hence, where it does refound Louder than here at home; to touch this ground Iham passed through countries, into which none here Would willingly sail I think, and with me bring, My love and service, which to your grace I tender. From Helvetia. I am and Helvetian born, the house from which I am descended, ancient and well known to many princes: Bohor is my name. Had been most vile. I shall at opportune hours. If your Grace Arride the toys, they bragd of (Fireworks, And such light-stuffs) Fit fearless without danger Of murdering shot, which villains might discharge In (idle counterfeit Sea-fights) you shall see At opening of this hand, a thousand Balls Of wildfire, flying round about the Air—there. Fireworks on Lines. I shall; Nor do I thus your love pursue, With servile Hope's of Gold, I need it not: If out the jaws of Hell Gold may be God Black Arts are mine to doo't; and what delights Those work be yours. I neu r begged before, P done his (I entreat) and back restore Both your hie favour to him, and his place. Warrant me life, isle bring you to the place where you shall take him. Yes. And you the King shall have. A french. The eagerest blood hound that ere came from thence; Is there a King to be murdered, whilst he does stand Colossus-like, supporting a whole land, And when by his fallen that Land most fears a wrack, Send forth this devil; his name is Ravillac. Dry, No: Fat preys for hell we all did meet, In Court, City, Country, Nay, in every street, In every house, within-him, and without-him. He that wore best clothes, had some Devil about him: Courtiers from Naples hither in shoal are come, Some for Ambition, for Flattery, and Envy some: Some, who (each meal) eat subi cts up, and wore, Whole Families in their shoestrings, such, and others more, Being here, have be examining (ever since They came) by Hells-clarke, (spotred-Conscience.) That account take. Here Lord Prior. Hum, hum: For our bred, wine, ale and beer, For the piping hight meats here: For broths of sundry tastes and sort, For beef, veil, mutton, lamb, and pork. Greensauce with calves head and bacon, Big and goose, and cramd-vp capon. For passed raised stiff with curious art, Pie, custard, florentine and tart. Baked rumps, fried kidneys, and lam-stones, Fat sweetbreads, luscious maribones, Artichoke, and oyster-pies, Buttered Crab, prawns, lobsters thighs, Thanks be given for flesh and fish, With this choice of tempting dishes: To which proface: with bly the looks fit ye,
Plot summary
Plot — If It Be Not Good, the Devil Is in It (If This Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is in It)
Hell has a population problem: so few new souls are arriving that Charon’s earnings are in decline, but Pluto is reluctant to allow him to raise his fare lest the new price should prove a deterrent. Instead, he sends devils to Naples in human disguise to tempt people into sin in the court, the abbey, and the city. They are later to rendezvous in a grove to report their progress. Ruffman goes to court, assuming the identity of the foreign courtier Bohor. The newly crowned King of ===== PAGE 144 ===== Is In It Naples, Alfonso, intends to be a just and godly ruler, and plans out his week to devote each day toa different state task. Bohor persuades him to spend more time on pleasure and less on duty, so Saturday is designated a day of hedonism. Alfonso proclaims a reward for whoever entertains him best, and Bohor wins with a display of airborne fireballs. Alfonso’s devotion to pleasure starts to extend beyond Saturdays, and he neglects his state duties. He also breaks off his engagement with Princess Ermenhild, who retires to a convent and lets it be known that she is dead. Shackle-Soul becomes Friar Rush, a novice in the abbey. On learning that the friars eat frugally, he tempts them to gluttony and is appointed the abbey cook. Only Clement, the Sub-Prior, dissents, and Rush identifies him as an enemy who will have to be dealt with. He also makes an enemy of Scumbroth, his predecessor as cook, when he lays an untrue accusation of unchastity. Obtaining gold from a spirit, he tempts Clement: when Clement goes to fetch water, he finds his pot filled instead with gold, which he gives away to Scumbroth. After squandering the money, Scumbroth returns to the grove to get more, witnesses the diabolic rendezvous there, and realizes that Friar Rush is a devil. Ermenhild hears that her father, the Duke of Calabria, has declared war on Naples over her apparent death. She asks Friar Clement to deliver him a letter establishing that she is in fact alive. Clement continues to withstand Rush’s temptations, proving insensible to the pleasures of music, dancing, and voluptuous women, and is steadfast even when Rush reverts to diabolic form and tells him he is to die that night. Grumball adopts the name Lurchall and enters the service of the corrupt merchant Bartervile, who attempts to cheat his client Innocentio: the terms of Innocentio’s loan require him to repay it at a set time, or else his mortgaged estate will revert to Bartervile; so Bartervile tries unsuccessfully to…