in Coelum Britannicum (The British Heaven) — Carew, Thomas
Metadata
Play
Coelum Britannicum (The British Heaven)
Author
Carew, Thomas
Year (catalogued)
1634
First performance
1634
Decade
1630s
Genre
Masque
Play type
Occasional
Theater
before the Court;Whitehall;
Speech prefix(es)
KINGDOMES. | KINGDOMES
Words
227
Characters
1246
Typicality
0.16 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A73704
BritDrama no.
2428
Cluster
Cluster 3 — Citizens, tradesfolk & neighbors
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 3 (numps, numpes, blastfield, wares, parson, nidden…). Matches are highlighted.
move So well, be ever-fixed above? 1.2.3. How can the shaft stay in the quiver, Yet hit the mark? 1.2.3. But shall not we, now thou art gone Who Wertenberg our Nature, wither, Or break that triple Union Which thy soul held together?
Full speech
1. From your consecrated woods, Holy Druids. 2. Silver floods, From your channels fringed with flowers, 3. Hither move; for sake your hours 1. Strewed with hallowed Oaken leaves, Decked with flags and fedgie sheaves, And behold a wonder. 3. Say, What do your duller eyes survey? 1. These shed a nob ler influence, 2. These by a pure intelligence Of more transcendent Virtue move, 3. These first feel, then kindle love. 1.2. From the bosoms they inspire, These receive a mutual fire; 1.2.3. And where their flames impure return, These can quench as well as burn. 1.2.3. Open thy stony entrails wide, And break old Atlas, that the pride Of three famed kingdoms may be spied. 1. Here are shapes formed fit for heaven, 2. These move gracefully and even, 3. Here the Air and paces meet So just, as if the skilful feet Had struck the Vials. 1.2.3. So the Ear Might the tune full footing hear. 1. We cannot lend Heaven so much treasure. 2. Nor that pay, But rendering what it takes away. 3. Why should they that here can move So well, be ever-fixed above? 1.2.3. How can the shaft stay in the quiver, Yet hit the mark? 1.2.3. But shall not we, now thou art gone Who Wertenberg our Nature, wither, Or break that triple Union Which thy soul held together?
Plot summary
Plot — Coelum Britannicum (The British Heaven)
Mercury comes to Britain from a heavenly court whose morals have been reformed through following the example of King Charles and Queen Henrietta Maria. He announces that Jove is so ashamed of his former life of sexual incontinence that he has removed from the night sky the stellified memorials of his former girlfriends, and intends to replace them with images of the King and Queen. Mercury is interrupted by Momus, who complains that he never gets to appear in any court masques, and describes critically the newly chaste court of heaven. Mercury conjures down the monsters from the constellations, then Cancer, the highest sign of the zodiac, then the constellations representing vices, and each group dances in turn. At last the sky is emptied. Momus invites applicants to fill the stellar vacancies. Plutus, Poverty, Fortune, and Pleasure all express interest, introduce antimasque dances, and are rejected. Momus leaves to prevent further suitors from entering. Mercury explains that only the King and Queen are worthy to be the new constellations. Britain’s heroic past is celebrated in dance, and the British worthies appear as new stars in the heavens, with the King pre-eminent among them. Allegorical virtues sing their praises, and further dancing ensues.