Thomas Jordan
THE WALKS OF ISLINGTON AND HOGSDEN,
with The Humours of Woodstreet–Compter, or
TRICKS OF YOUTH
A comedy, As it was publikely Acted 19. days together, with extraordinary Applause.
licensed 2 August 1641, published 1657
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
BEARERS
Four Bearers carry Mercurio's coffin onto the stage during his mock-funeral.
BELLAFLORA, MRS.
Mrs Bellaflora was formerly betrothed to Flylove. She adopts the pseudonym of Mary Fair-Chaste, and flirts with Flylove without being recognized by him. After Flylove's arrest, he offers to marry her, and then changes his mind on his release. However, when she reveals her true identity, he agrees to marry her.
BONAVENTURE, MR.
Mr Bonaventure is a "ghost character". He is an English merchant who has Sir Reverence Lamard arrested for a debt of £6000.
BROOKS, FREDERICK
Frederick Brooks is the true name of the character known throughout the play as Frank Rivers.
CONSTABLE
A constable performs the arrest of Rivers.
DRAWERS
Three Drawers figure in the play:
The Drawer of the Feathers Tavern is identified during his appearance as Hugh (see separate entry).
The Drawer of the King's Head at Hogsdon serves drink to the gallants and demands payment for it from Trimwell.
The Drawer of the Saracen's Head at Islington serves drink to the gallants and is beaten by Alice Drowzy when he gets in her way.
DROWZY, ALICE
Alice Drowzy is a kitchen-wench whom Flylove has made pregnant. She is described by the other characters as whorish, ugly and greasy. She tries to confront Flylove, but he runs away, and she therefore (at Mr Trimwell's instigation) has him arrested. Flylove, however, is released, and marries his true love Bellaflora: nothing further is heard of Drowzy at the end of the play.
FAIR–CHASTE, MARY
Mary Fair-Chaste is the pseudonym of Mrs Bellaflora.
FIDDLERS
Frank Rivers engages the "five or six" fiddlers to play dance music for the gallants at the King's Head. Trimwell inserts himself among them in order to spy on his wife, but is discovered, and finds that he is tricked into paying the bill for everyone. The same Fiddlers later arrive in the Counter and provide music for the prisoners there.
KEEPER, FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD
Three Keepers figure in the play:
First Keeper searches for Sir Reverence Lamard after his escape.
Second Keeper helps in the search for Sir Reverence Lamard.
Third Keeper helps in the search for Sir Reverence Lamard and asks Pimpwell what direction to look in.
SERGEANT, FIRST and SECOND
Two Sergeants figure in the play:
The First Sergeant who arrests Mercurio is identified later as Tripes (see separate entry).
Second Sergeant assists Tripes with the arrest of Mercurio. He is probably the character later identified as Mace (see separate entry).
FLYLOVE, STEPHEN
Stephen Flylove is a reveller, and leader of the young gallants whose drinking spree forms the main subject of the play. Before the start of the play, he has been betrothed to Bellaflora, but the betrothal has fallen through: he has also made Alice Drowzy pregnant. During the play he meets a woman called Mary Fair-Chaste, who unknown to him is Bellaflora in disguise. But while he is attempting to impress her at the Saracen's Head Tavern in Islington, Alice Drowzy arrives. Flylove, Bellaflora, and the other revellers decamp to the King's Head Tavern in Hogsdon. Egged on by Trimwell, Alice Drowzy has Flylove arrested and committed to the Wood-Street Counter. Ashamed, Flylove offers to marry Mary Fair-Chaste when she visits him in prison; then after his release from prison, he refuses to go through with the marriage, on the grounds this would be a betrayal of Bellaflora. However, in the end it is revealed that Mary Fair-Chaste is really Bellaflora in disguise, and Flylove and Bellaflora are free to marry after all.
HEMLOCK, MR.
Mr. Hemlock, of the Harrow Tavern in Little Wood-Street, is described by the dramatis personae as a "cheating vintner". He is suborned by Trimwell into helping to arrange the arrest of Rivers. During the arrest of Flylove for debt, Hemlock contrives to be wounded by Rivers, so that Rivers will be arrested.
HEMLOCK, MRS.
Mrs Hemlock is the wife of Mr Hemlock, who helps her husband before and after he is injured by Rivers.
HUGH
Hugh is the Drawer of the Feathers Tavern, adjoining the Counter; formerly of the Bear on Fleet Bridge. He serves drinks to the gallants while they are in prison.
JAILBIRD
Chamberlain Jailbird is one of the prisoners in the Counter, seen conducting a mock-parliament in the prison, hence his mock-honorific title of "Chamblerlain".
JONES
Jones is a cobbler and wit, whom the gallants invite to the tavern to entertain them with repartee.
KEEPERS
A Keeper of the Wood-Street Counter introduces Flylove and his friends to the prison. But at least two Keepers speak to Bellaflora when she comes to the prison to look for Flylove. And there are speaking parts for First Keeper, Second Keeper, and Third Keeper who search for Sir Reverence Lamard when he escapes.
LAMARD, SIR REVERENCE
Lamard is a French knight, who wishes to marry Splendora. He is, however, discovered in the company of a whore, Mrs Light, at the King's Head. He escapes paying for the drinks there, and accompanies Mr Nice to witness the arrest of his rival Mercurio. He is later himself arrested on a debt of £6000 to Mr Bonaventure, but escapes from the Wood-Street Counter by climbing down a rope. He returns and reveals that he is in fact Will Nice, and that he has adopted this disguise in order to ensure that Splendora and Mercurio will be permitted to marry each other.
LAZY, CONSTABLE
Constable Lazy is one of the prisoners in the Counter, seen conducting a mock-parliament in the prison. It appears that he is only a constable within the context of the mock-parliament.
LIGHT, MRS.
Mrs Light is whore, in whose company Sir Reverence Lamard is first seen, and who takes part in the dancing at the King's Head.
LOWZY
One of the prisoners in the Counter, who is not in the dramatis personae and who speaks only one line.
LOUSE–PROOF
Lord Louse-Proof is one of the prisoners in the Counter, seen conducting a mock-parliament in the prison. It is to be presumed that he is only a mock-Lord.
MACE
Mace is an assistant to Tripes, and therefore probably the 2nd Sergeant who assists Tripes in his arrest of Mercurio. Mace and Tripes then arrest Flylove. Trimwell instructs Mace to use the occasion of the arrest to provoke Rivers to violence, so that he can be arrested as well.
MERCURIO
Mercurio is in love with Splendora Nice, although her father disapproves. He meets Splendora at a secret assignation, but is arrested there at the suit of Mr Nice, who falsely claims Mercurio owes him money. Mercurio is taken to prison in the Wood-Street Counter. There he feigns his own death and funeral, whereupon Mr Nice sees the error of his ways. As a result Mercurio is permitted to marry Splendora.
NICE, MR.
A rich merchant, Mr Nice is father to Splendora and disapproves of her relationship with Mercurio, thinking instead to marry her to Sir Reverence Lamard. He has Mercurio arrested on the pretext of debt. After being tricked into believing that Mercurio has died in prison, he changes his mind about Mercutio's suitability as a husband for his daughter.
NICE, MRS.
A "ghost character". Splendora's mother is referred to in the dialogue as calling for her daughter, and in connection with her son's journey to France.
NICE, SPLENDORA
Daughter of Mr Nice, in love with Mercurio. She overhears her father disapproving of the relationship, and writes a note to arrange an assignation with Mercurio. Mercurio is, however arrested for debt, and feigns his own funeral, thus teaching her father a lesson: at the end of the play she is married to Mercutio.
NICE, WILLIAM.
Mr Nice's son and Splendora's brother, who has been living in France but who returns to England incognito under the disguise of Sir Reverence Lamard in order to trick his father into permitting Splendora to marry Mercurio.
PHILPOT, RICHARD
Richard Philpot is a fifteen-year-old boy, who works for Mr Hemlock as a drawer. Tripes claims to be his godfather.
PIMPWELL, ALEXANDER.
Described in the dramatis personae as a "creature" of the gallants, Alexander Pimpwell acts as an assistant to them in the early acts of the play. In Act Four he wanders past the prison and happens to discover the escape attempt of Sir Reverence Lamard when Lamard pisses on his head.
PORTER
A porter brings the letter informing Flylove that Mercurio has been arrested. He has, in fact, been sent by Trimwell as part of the plot to lure Flylove and Rivers to the Little Harrow Tavern.
PRISONERS
Six prisoners are mentioned in the dramatis personae. They are probably the six prisoners who dance for Flylove and his friends, and therefore four of them can be identified as Louse-Proof, Rentfree, Jailbird and Lazy. Later, "prisoners within" call out Flylove's name.
RAYNARD
Raynard the Keeper is a non-speaking character. A Keeper at the Wood-Street Counter, he is said to be organizing Mercurio's funeral, and appears as one of the mourners at the funeral.
RENTFREE
Steward Rentfree is one of the prisoners in the Counter, seen conducting a mock-parliament in the prison. By analogy with his colleagues, Lord Louse-Proof, Constable Lazy, and Chamberlain Jailbird, it seems unlikely that he is a "real" steward.
RIVERS, FRANK
Frank Rivers is a companion of Flylove, who has been flirting with Mrs Trimwell, although she is unwilling to be seduced by him. Rivers is joined by Mrs Trimwell and together they visit a series of taverns with the other gallants. In the King's Head, Rivers recognizes Mrs Trimwell's jealous husband, who has disguised himself as a musician, and escapes from him. Later, during the arrest of Flylove, Rivers is goaded by Mace (who is working under the instructions of Mr Trimwell) into drawing his sword. As a result, Rivers wounds the landlord and is arrested. Rivers continues to attempt to seduce Mrs Trimwell. He reveals at the end that he is really Frederick Brooks, returned incognito from exile in France, and therefore Mrs Trimwell's brother. He has only been testing hs sister all along.
SERVANT
Mr. Nice's servant announces the arrival of Sir Reverence Lamard to visit Mr. Nice.
TRIMWELL, MR.
Mr Trimwell is a barber-surgeon, jealous of his wife Mrs Trimwell and Frank Rivers. He follows her and the gallants to the King's Head, disguising himself as a blind cittern-player, but is outwitted and forced to pay the whole bill there. Knowing Rivers' short temper, he arranges for Rivers to be goaded into wounding Mr Hemlock, and has him arrested for this crime. When he discovers that Rivers is really his wife's brother, he finally realizes that his jealousy is groundless.
TRIMWELL, MRS.
Wife of Mr Trimwell the surgeon, receiving the attentions of the young gallant Frank Rivers. Taken to the gallants by Pimpwell, she accompanies them to the inns they go to, and even to the prison. She insists that she has never yet been unfaithful to her husband, but is strongly tempted by Rivers' repeated attempts to seduce her. Rivers reveals at the end that he is really her brother.
TRIPES
Tripes is one of the two sergeants who arrests Mercurio at the suit of Mr Nice. He then boasts about his corrupt activities, and claims to be the godfather of Richard Philpot. At the instigation of Mr Trimwell he arrests Flylove, and oversees the arrest of Rivers.
WILDBLOOD, JACK
Jack Wildblood is a companion of Flylove, one of the young revellers first seen drinking in the Saracen's Head Tavern in Islington. He is imprisoned along with Flylove in the Wood-Street Counter, which he claims to know of old. In Act Five he reveals that he is really Bellaflora's cousin Worthlove, returned incognito from exile in France. (The dramatis personae states that he is Bellaflora's nephew).
WILDFIRE
Wildfire is page to Sir Reverence Lamard. He accompanies Sir Reverence to Mr Nice's house and to prison, and takes part in the mock-parliament held in the Counter.
WORTHLOVE
Worthlove is the true family name of the character referred to throughout as Wildblood.
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