Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

GOSLING

in The Duchess of Suffolk — Drue, Thomas

Metadata

PlayThe Duchess of Suffolk
AuthorDrue, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1631
First performance1624
Decade1630s
GenreHistory
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyPrince Palatine's (Palsgrave's) Men
Speech prefix(es)Goseli. | Gosel. | Gose. | Gos. | Gos
Words336
Characters1733
Typicality0.38 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA20866
BritDrama no.2079
ClusterCluster 20 — Conjurers, witches & physicians

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Most honoured Princes, think your self as sa In my protection at this town of Lee, As in the strongest hold you do possess. Cousin I wonder, what desert of mine Hath bred in you this bade opinion, But I impute it rather to the zeal You bear your Ladies safety, then the thought Of any treason you discern in me, Madam my life, yet out of dangers gripe, I thrust into your peril, witness heaven, I take upon me to conceal your flight, And now I am as deep in Bonners hate As near to danger, as the next to death, Be confident in me, the zeal I bear, To the sincere profession of the truth, Is a sure guard for you to trust upon. Tush Mistress White, That name shall give free scope unto your flight. Welcome good M. Constable, whats the news with you See M. Constable, with me remains No more then these, if Mistress White my daughter, Come with her Child, and Nurse to visit me, With this her husband, this her husbands father, If you think her a Duchess, him a Doctor, Then you may apprehend them at your pleasure, If not, you had best to make a further search, For I protest, no stranger more then these, Harbors within my roof. Get you into my house. Keep close together, lest you lose your train, My bark is ready to receive you straight, That way you need must take, I'll not be seen, Heaven be your guide, with me you have not been. What stand you trifling here, what seek you for? If for the Duchess, if for Doctor Sands, For Cranwell, and the rest, they in disguise, Are God aboard a Ship, and with full sails, Fly from the Shore. I am sorry for your honour, that you scaped. Madam I am a Prisoner here, But joy to see your Grace at liberty. Madam I did, and those that knew me called me Goseling. The cause even now alleged.

Plot summary

Plot — The Duchess of Suffolk
King Edward VI orders the widowed Duchess of Suffolk to marry the Count Palatine, newly elected the . King of Poland. Other aristocratic suitors present themselves, but she contracts herself to her servant Bertie. Bishops Gardiner and Bonner are imprisoned, and Bonner swears revenge when the Duchess insults him. Queen Mary succeeds to the throne, releases the imprisoned bishops and appoints them commissioners to exterminate heresy. Bonner has Bertie arrested, but permits him to go abroad; he then has the Duchess arrested and her household broken up. Forced to choose which of its members will remain in her service, she selects Cranwell above Fox, who takes it badly. Bonner’s men have little success in detaining the Duchess and her associates: Dr Sandys escapes by impersonating a workman, and the Duchess also sneaks out of London with Cranwell, her baby daughter, and its nurse. The workmen are arrested and brought before Bonner, who orders them burned, but forgets about them when he hears news of the Duchess’s whereabouts. He goes with Fox to Leigh, where she and her remaining household have assembled in disguise at Gosling’s house, but Fox helps them to escape by ‘accidentally’ knocking Bonner into a well. The Duchess and Bertie meet at Emden. Still wanted by the English authorities, they decide to travel separately, but Bertie is concerned for his wife’s safety and is on hand to rescue her from being raped when her party is attacked by thieves. The nurse first flees with the baby and then abandons it, but the wounded Cranwell finds it by chance. As the Duchess’s pregnancy nears full term, they take refuge in a church porch from the foul weather. The sexton tries to evict them, but Erasmus takes them in. She gives birth to a son, and is smuggled past the English search parties in a hearse. In Oxford, Bonner and Gardner supervise the burning of the Protestants Latimer and Ridley; the knowledge of their martyrdom makes Cranmer, who had apostatized to save his life, return to Protestantism. Travelling to Poland, the Duchess and Bertie are accosted by the Palsgrave’s soldiers. In the affray, they are separated from their children, and Bertie kills the captain, for which they are arrested. The Count Palatine recognizes and releases them, and protects them against the pursuing English forces. The search is then called off after Queen Mary dies; the Duchess is recalled to England, and reunited with her children, whom Fox has saved. The imprisoned Protestants are…