in Time Vindicated to Himself and to His Honors — Jonson, Ben
Metadata
Play
Time Vindicated to Himself and to His Honors
Author
Jonson, Ben
Year (catalogued)
1623
First performance
1623
Decade
1620s
Genre
Masque
Play type
Occasional
Theater
before the Court;
Speech prefix(es)
EARES. | ERRES. | EARSE. | EARES
Words
315
Characters
1670
Typicality
0.35 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
B00230
BritDrama no.
2034
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
What? what? I'st worth our ears? And Harken. However, go you on, let us alone. One of their Gods, and eats up his own children. As Cincinnatus Was, from the plough, to be Dictator. Where men might do, and talk all that they list. And subjects of their Soucraigne. It was a brave time that. And hear the passages, and several humours Of men, as they are swayed by their affections: Some grumbling, and some mutining, some scoffing, Some pleased, some pining, at all these we laughing. And my ears tingle, would it would come forth: This room will not receive it. It's Chronomastix, the brave Satire, And promises all liberty. Talk what we list. Rare! how he talks in verse, joust as he writes! Who feasts his Muse with claret wine, and oysters, Goes as long as and Elephant: That kicks at Time already, A quondam Justice, that of late Hath been discarded out Oh the pack o'the peace, For some lewd levity he holds in capite, But constantly loves him. In days of yore, He used to give the charge out of his poems, He carries him about him, in his pocket, As Philip's Son did Homer, in a casket, And cries, Oh happy Man, to the wrong party, Meaning the Poet, where he meant the subject: For the whole City. This falls upon you For your neglect. You promised us, we should have any thing. We do it in Pauls. Or let's have all the people in and uproar, None knowing, why, or to what end: and in The midst of all, start up and old mad woman Preaching of patience. I, all disputing of all things they know not, And all together by the ears of the sudden, No, never agree. Saturn, what is he? Or State. I, or unreasonable. And a great noise. We only hunt for novelty, not truth.
Plot summary
Plot — Time Vindicated to Himself and to His Honors
Time sends Fame to summon an audience to witness a spectacle. Among the curious comers are the Eyes, Ears, and Nose, but also Chronomastix, a Satyr who hates the present time and is adored by a crowd of fools. Eyes, Ears, and Nose ask Fame what kind of spectacle it is to be, hoping for something novel and sportful. She rewards them with a performance by tumblers and jugglers. Venus asks Saturn (Time’s alter-ego) to release the glories of the time, the masquers, who have been shut up by the moon goddess. Saturn obliges and dancing ensues. Cupid attempts to seduce the ladies in the audience, while his companion, a Sport, undercuts him. Diana arrives in search of the masquers, having ‘taken offence that Venus believed her guilty of base - covetousness. She explains that in fact she was training the masquers for their vocation as Time’s servants.