A NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS
post 1624–likely 1625
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
Full synopsis available, click here
Go to "Notes of Interest"
Go to "Plays to be Compared"
Allworth is a young man who receives an annuity from his loving step-mother since his father died. He is the gentleman usher to Lovell, a prosperous colonel. He tries to give Wellborn money, but Wellborn will not have it. Wellborn sees that young Allworth is in love. Allworth is in love with Overreach's daughter Margaret. Overreach has not only ruined Wellborn's estate, but Allworth's as well, making it necessary for him to work for Lovell (although he is devoted to and loves Lovell).
I.ii: The widow Allworth's servants, Order, Amble, Furnace, and Watchall, bemoan their lady's mourning and comment upon the suitors who call to woo the rich widow. Although she receives no visitors, and accepts no suitors, her house is plagued by men such as Overreach and the Justice of the Peace named Greedy-a skinny man who thinks of nothing but food.
The widow gives instructions that she is not to be disturbed by suitors. When Allworth comes to visit his step-mother, she takes the opportunity to forbid him from associating with Wellborn. Although Wellborn was a close friend to her deceased husband, he has fallen into low esteem and is an unfit companion to young Allworth. Allworth reluctantly bows to his step-mother's wishes.
I.iii: Greedy and Overreach are upset that the widow still will not be seen, but the widow's servants are adamant. As they leave, Wellborn enters. Overreach disavows him and leaves with Greedy and Marrall, his servant. The servants flout the bedraggled Wellborn and order him out of the house. Wellborn says he will remain until he sees the widow. Allworth, on his way out, remembers his step-mother's instructions and reluctantly brushes his former friend aside as he leaves. When the widow enters Wellborn quickly deflates her hauteur by reminding her that it was he, in better times, who befriended her loved husband while he was a bachelor in much the same state that Wellborn now finds himself. The servants are contrite that they had so soon forgotten Wellborn's kindness to their master. The widow also feels badly. She agrees to a scheme that Welborn whispers to her.
II.i: Overreach gloats over his undoing of a farmer and plots how he will cheat another neighbor out of his lands. Marrall, Overreach's instrument, does his master's bidding while Greedy, Overreach's puppet, sees that all has the imprimatur of law. Overreach orders Marrall to bring Wellborn to despair and make him steal so that Overreach can have him hanged. Overreach also announces his plans to have his daughter Margaret married to Lovell and so unite their fortunes. When Wellborn enters, Overreach shuns him. Marrall tries to convince Wellborn of his desperate situation and bids him to steal, hang himself, or drown himself. Wellborn says he isn't in despair at all and invites Marrall to dine at his lady's house gratis. Marrall cannot believe that the widow Allworth has chosen the beggarly Wellborn for a suitor.
II.ii: In the widow's house the servants all make ready to play their parts as instructed. When Wellborn and Marrall enter, the servants fawn over Wellborn. Lady Allworth kisses him and, at Wellborn's request, offers to kiss Marrall, who draws back and humbles himself (so used to fawning over great people as he is). When the three go into dinner the servants talk about their hatred for Overreach and how he has ruined so fine a man as Wellborn. Marrall makes a fool of himself at dinner, not knowing how to behave at a master's table. When dinner ends he and Wellborn leave, but only after a loving farewell from Lady Allworth. The widow takes her servants away for further instructions.
II.iii: Marrall is now quite favorably impressed with Wellborn's prospects. He gives Wellborn £20 to buy a new riding suit, so he can court the lady in style and offers him his gelding to ride at all times. Wellborn knows that the new fawning is only because Marrall sees that Wellborn will soon be ripe for picking again.
Marrall runs to Overreach and tells him of Wellborn's changed status. Overreach refuses to believe that Wellborn has succeeded with the widow who would not even see him. He beats Marrall for lying.
III.i: Allworth accompanies Lovell on his trip to the Overreaches. Lovell assures his favorite that he has no intentions at all of loving Margaret, as Overreach plans, and that he will do his utmost to help young Allworth to win her instead. Allworth is doubtful, fearing that Margaret's beauty, charm, and wealth will be strong inducements to Lovell.
III.ii: Overreach wants no cost spared in impressing Lovell at the dinner he has prepared. Greedy is sent to supervise the kitchen, much to his delight, but mainly to keep him out of the way. Overreach tells Margaret to give way to any of Lovell's demands, to invite him to fornicate if the chance arises. Margaret is horrified that she should prostitute herself for her father's sake and swears that is no way to win a husband. Between interruptions from Greedy (who is having trouble with the cook), Overreach insists that, if Lovell should seduce Margaret, he will be able to force the marriage on the pretense of saving his daughter's honor.
When Lovell enters with his company, Overreach wastes no time in getting Lovell alone with Margaret. Young Allworth again fears that Lovell will fall to her charms. Alone, Margaret confesses that Lovell is too old for her and she could never love him. Lovell is not put out at all but rather agrees that their stations in life prevent him from considering marriage to her. Overreach tries to eavesdrop, but Greedy again interrupts him with problems from the kitchen, and they both must withdraw. Lovell and Margaret plan to have Allworth visit and woo her under the guise of delivering love letters from Lovell.
Lady Allworth comes with Wellborn on the pretext of inviting her old friend Colonel Lovell to stay with her while he is in town. Overreach is astounded to see Wellborn with her. Marrall jeers at him for not believing his story. Overreach invites Lady Allworth and Wellborn to take supper with them. Aside, Lovell is distraught to see his friend Wellborn in such a pitiable situation and swears to help him to regain his previous nobility if he can. Because of the newly-arrived guests, Greedy is sent to eat with the servants in the scullery.
III.iii: Overreach, after supper, determines to work on Wellborn so he might cozen him after he has married the widow. When the guests make to leave, Overreach invites Wellborn, his good nephew, to remain behind and talk. He swears he will redeem himself with his nephew and gives him one thousand pounds to clear away his debts and also sends for Wellborn's trunk of rich clothing, redeeming it from pawn. Wellborn pretends to be duped by this new generosity.
IV.i: Lovell sends his first love letter via Allworth to Margaret. Allworth by this time has been let in on the secret. Overreach with Greedy has traveled the four miles to the widow Allworth's house. He plans to encourage his prospective son-in-law Lovell further. He gives Allworth his ring as token to allow the young man access to his house and daughter (thinking he is taking a letter from Lovell). Alone with Lovell, Overreach promises to give Lovell all his wealth and to add to the bounty yearly by cheating everyone in the county out of their wealth. He promises to begin by giving him all of Lady Allworth's property as soon as he gets it. Lovell makes a moral protest, but Overreach (who doesn't understand morality and professes himself and atheist) says that Lovell need not be concerned about his reputation. Overreach will do all of the cozening himself and keep his son-in-law's name clean.
When Overreach leaves, Lady Allworth enters. She could not help overhearing from the next room Overreach's plans to take her property. She knows that Margaret is a worthy and virtuous young girl-not at all like her father-but Lady Allworth advises Lovell against marrying her because of Overreach's bad reputation. When Lovell says that he only pretends interest in Margaret, the widow wants to know why. Lovell wants also to know why the widow is pretending to be interested in Wellborn. The boy has a recently-acquired reputation for rioting. They assure each other that their trickery is all aimed at good ends.
IV.ii: Tapwell and Froth are horrified that Wellborn, who knows all about their pandering and receipt of stolen goods, has again acquired wealth and power. They curse themselves for listening to Marrall, who had been the one who told them to throw Wellborn out or incur Overreach's wrath. Wellborn, in beautiful clothes, enters with Greedy, Marrall, servants, and creditors.
Tapwell bribes Greedy with turkeys to ingratiate the Tapwells to Wellborn again. But when Greedy tries, Wellborn bribes him with a yoke of oxen to pull Tapwell's license, which Greedy does at once. Wellborn pays off the debts to his vintner, whom he ruined in his riotous days, and gives him more money to reestablish his business. He pays off his tailor, who had declined to mere botching, so that he, too, may again set up shop. He pays off his physician, whom he hints cured him of venereal disease.
Marrall, now jumping ship to Wellborn's camp in hope of preferment, tells Wellborn not to give Overreach a deed of security for the one thousand pounds Overreach gave him. Marrall has knowledge that Overreach will soon call that a loan. Instead he is to require Overreach to produce the deed on Wellborn's cozened land and demand it back, or ten times the one thousand pounds, which is what Overreach realized on the deal.
IV.iii: Allworth and Margaret court. When Overreach enters, Allworth shows him the love letter to Margaret. Lovell suggests that they elope. Allworth explains that Lovell likes his privacy in such matters. Overreach, eager to see the wedding no matter how performed, sends Allworth with Margaret (supposing they will meet Lovell). Again, he sends them with a token ring and a letter instructing the parish priest to "marry my daughter to this gentleman." Lovell is not mentioned by name because, as Allworth explains, he might wish to marry in disguise so as not to be recognized. It is his humour.
V.i: Lovell and the widow come to an understanding and agree to marry. Wellborn enters and thanks the widow for her kindness in carrying out the charade that has redeemed him. When Overreach enters, Wellborn bids Lovell to hide and watch the fun. Wellborn treats Overreach coldly. This behavior causes Overreach to believe that Wellborn has married the widow already. He seizes upon that assumption to require Wellborn to make a deed of security for the one thousand pounds. Wellborn refuses. Wellborn says that Overreach stole his land. Overreach produces the deed of conveyance to show Wellborn's hand and seal to the deed. The signature, however, has disappeared and the wax seal has fallen to dust. Overreach cannot believe his eyes. All the witnesses to the deed are dead, but he calls on Marrall, who acted as notary to the deed, to swear to it. Marrall refuses. Overreach is in a rage when the Parson enters with news of his daughter's marriage.
Overreach sees the marriage as the regaining of his fortune through Lovell, by which he swears to undo Wellborn and the widow. He is shocked, however, by the discovery that Margaret has married the widow's son Allworth. He tries to kill Margaret for her betrayal of him, but Lovell steps out of hiding, and he along with Wellborn prevent him. Overreach dashes from the room swearing vengeance.
Marrall tells Wellborn that he used special disappearing ink and biodegradable wax on the conveyance all those years ago. He had hoped that this day might one day arise. Marrall requests advancement from Wellborn for his services to him. Wellborn refuses Marrall, saying that a turncoat from one master will do the same in time to his new master. The servants beat Marrall out of doors.
Overreach returns. He is raving mad. He has his sword, still in its scabbard, in hand. He cannot raise it because he feels a widow he has cozened sitting on his arm, he cannot draw it from its scabbard because an orphan's tears glue it in place. In short, his conscience has struck him insane. Greedy sentences him to Bedlam on the spot, and he is dragged away.
Lovell says he will act as judge as to whom Wellborn's land belongs-to Wellborn or Margaret (as Overreach's heir). Allworth and Wellborn agree. Wellborn asks the colonel for a commission to lead a troop into the war so he may regain his lost reputation. His suit is granted.
The play ends with Wellborn asking for the audience's approval.
Sir Giles Overreach is the typical user/extortionist. He does whatever he wants to do. He has no morals and is a professed atheist. His ranting end, however, may be seen to throw a pall upon the play (not unlike the endings of Shylock and Malvolio).
Lovell is a noble man, true to his word.
Lady Allworth is a noble woman, true to her responsibilities.
Allworth is a noble young man, true to his creed.
Margaret is a respectable woman, true to her chastity.
Greedy has little characterization beyond his overweening appetite. He lives merely to feed; whoever feeds him wins his favor.
Marrall (Mar-all, or "ruin everything") is the typical instrument of the villain. He will do anything his master bids, and will desert to another master if the pickings seem better.
But, before we mitigate Overreach's culpability because he is not blood kindred to Wellborn, we must consider that Massinger has carefully given us at least two other non-blood relations wherein the young man is not cozened, but actually aided by his elder, non-blood relations. Lady Allworth is Allworth's step-mother. The fact that Allworth is not a product of her womb is made patent, yet she is most solicitous to her step-son, gives him money and good advice and the two could not love one another better. Additionally, Allworth feels that Lovell is like his own father, and Lovell is careful to say that the analogy is not unapt. This non-blood-related parent figure proceeds to acquire the girl of Allworth's dreams for Allworth and act respectably and honorably in all dealings with his young charge. Overreach's cozening of Wellborn, therefore, is as damnable in the world of this play as if he had been Wellborn's blood relative.
In addition, we see that Overeach's dealings with his blood relations are damnable. He orders Margaret to prostitute herself in order to achieve Lovell. Acting as pander to his daughter and condoning her whoring-encouraging it-makes him not only her would-be pimp, but also her rapist before the fact.
Overreach has a favorite formula expression-at least three times in the course of the play he says something like "virgin me no virgins", "Cause me no causes," etc.
As Webster is fond of doing, Massinger takes the opportunity to reflect upon his play qua play during the progression of the action. At IV.ii.27-29 Tapwell even manages to work in the name of the play and also say it should be made into a literary work:
Like Middleton, Massinger has a love for names that indicate character:
The editors of the play often fall into a mistake. At V.i.221 he suggests that the phrase "these gabions" refers to Lovell and Wellborn, who step between Overreach and Marrall to protect Marrall. This simply cannot be. Overreach believes Lovell is out marrying his daughter. He came to the widow's house in search of them and has been told they are not there. If Lovell were to come out of hiding to protect Marrall, Overreach would certainly notice that he had been lied to and also would wonder where his daughter might be. In addition, Overreach still believes that Lovell is out of the house forty lines later when he anticipates the arrival of Lovell and Margaret after Parson Willdo enters. His surprise at seeing Margaret with Allworth would be unmotivated if he already knew Margaret was not with Lovell. Although Lovell has an aside at lines 238-39, we are to understand that he is still in hiding, the aside only serves to demonstrate that Lovell is fully appreciating Overreach's fall. Lovell cannot possibly come out before Overreach learns that his daughter has married Allworth. It seems much more likely that Lovell comes out at line 293 when he stops Overreach from killing Margaret. This would better motivate Overreach's spitting at Lovell. He now knows Lovell has duped him. Instead, "those gabions" must refer to Wellborn and Lady Allworth who interpose themselves between Overreach's fury and Marrall's revelation of Overreach's cozening. Lady Allworth's active verbal participation in the scene seems to make her physical participation at the central point of the action clear.
Synopsis:
I.i: Wellborn is summarily ejected from the tavern of Tapwell and his wife Froth. Wellborn is a young nobleman down on his luck. He has been cozened by his own uncle Overreach. Tapwell, it is discovered, was once a retainer for Wellborn when Wellborn was prosperous. In fact, Wellborn gave Tapwell the £40 he needed to set up his tavern. Tapwell uses it now as a front for a bawdy house and as a fence for stolen goods. Wellborn berates Tapwell for being and ingrate. He beats the tapster. Young Allworth, a friend and admirer of Wellborn's, enters and asks him to forbear. Tapwell and Froth are made to leave on their hands and knees.
Characterization:
Wellborn is the typical clever young schemer. He is a bit out of the regular mold, though, owing to his well-deserved reputation, which is quite bad. Because he is not presented as a wholesome young man down on his luck, but rather as a downtrodden man who has done anything he could to survive, hang the morality of the act, Wellborn is more life-like albeit cynically so than other such characters.
Notes of Interest:
Unlike some plays where family members are depicted cozening younger cousins, Overreach is not a blood relation to Wellborn. It is made quite clear that Overreach was married to Wellborn's father's sister, hence Overreach is his uncle, but there is no blood between them.
[Wellborn] has found such a new way
To pay his old debts, as 'tis very likely
He shall be chronicl'd for it.
And, again like Webster, Massinger uses his invention to call attention self-consciously to his clever character names. In V.i.37-41 Lady Allworth suggests that Overreach's name indicates his ill-omened fall, and Lovell suggests that his own name might suggest his quality as a suitor to Lady Allworth.