in News from the New World Discovered in the Moon — Jonson, Ben
Metadata
Play
News from the New World Discovered in the Moon
Author
Jonson, Ben
Year (catalogued)
1641
First performance
1620
Decade
1640s
Genre
Masque
Play type
Occasional
Theater
before the Court;
Speech prefix(es)
TOVV. | TO.
Words
326
Characters
1750
Typicality
0.44 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A72473.10
BritDrama no.
1921
Cluster
Cluster 11 — Tosspots & tavern railers
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Well said Tom fool; why thou simple pish Ass thou! didst thou never see any Gipsies? these are a covie of Gipsies, and the bravest newcome, that ever Constable flew at; goodly game Gipsies, they are Gipsies o'this year, o'this Moon in my conscience. Male Gipsies all, not a Mort among them. And Frances o'the Castle; See the miracle of a Minstrel. EXcellent faith, a most restorative Gipsy, all's here again; and yet by his learning of Legier-demaine, he would make us believe we had robbed our selves. Admirable tricks, and he does they all see defendendo, as if he would not be taken in the trap of authority, by a frail fleshly Constable. No bachelors these, they cannot have proceeded so far; they have scarce had their time to be lousy yet. I cannot hold now, ther's my groat, let's have a fit for mirth sake. Nay, you shall heare'em; peace, they begin with Prudence, mark that. Are you advised? Would Prue, has he hit you it'h teeth with a sweet bit? You'll hear more hereafter. Mark Frances, now she's going too't, the virginity of the Parish. And the very mettle he deals in at play if you mark it. Long, and foul Meg, if she be a Meg, as ever I saw of her inches; pray God they fit her with a fair fortune. Here's my little Christian, forget, would you any fortune left for her; a straightlaced Christian of sixteen. Come, I'll stand my self, and once venture the poor head o'the Town, do your worst, my name's Townshead, and heers my hand I'll not be angry. I swear I'll never marry for that, an't be but to give fortune my foe the lie; Come Pan Puppy you must in too: Marry your self Puppy for ought I know, you quested last. Why! what's the matter man? H'a we lost never a dog amongst us, where's Puppy. Before me, a dainty derived Gipsy.
Plot summary
Plot — News from the New World Discovered in the Moon
Two heralds announce news, and receive attention from three distributors of the commodity: a printer, a historian, and a writer of newsletters. Each is guilty of abuses: the printer recycles old news, printing it again with a new date; the historian pads out his book with trivia to reach a length agreed in advance with his publisher; and the letter-writer tells different news according to the religious opinions of the recipient. The heralds’ news has come from the Moon: Ben Jonson has just returned from a voyage there and brings an account of its strange landscape, inhabitants, and customs. Also arrived are the Volatees, lunar fauna, who dance the antimasque. The masquers have travelled into space in order to contemplate the King’s greatness and virtue. Now they return, somewhat chilly, but thaw out under the royal refulgence, shake off their icicles, and dance. Then they return to space to spread the news of the King’s magnificence.