John Speed?
THE CONVERTED ROBBER
1637
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
Notes: the scene is set on Salisbury Plain. This play exists in a unique manuscript copy held at the British Library. There are several dances and masques during the course of the play. The final word written before ‘Finis’ is ‘Plaudite’—apparently the playwright scripted his own applause.
ALCINOUS
A robber turned by Castina to an Innocent shepherd. The play opens with him disguised as a shepherd who has lost his sheep; he is accompanied by the ‘boy’, Alexis, who is guiding him into the shepherd’s valley even though Alcinious plans to rob them and ‘sport’ with the shepherdesses. He is led on by Jarbus and welcomed to Palaemon’s feast celebrating Castina. He offers her a courtly praise and is smitten by her simple answer. He goes to his hidden companions, Autolius and Conto, with a plan to rob and ravish the shepherd revelers. When his wooing of Castina reveals to her his true intent, he threatens to rape her, but he is turned in an instant at her attempt to kill herself rather than face dishonor, and he swears to be worthy of admiration thence. When Alcinous is later seen embracing Castina, Palaemon calls him a ‘smooth-chinned knave’, but the embrace is quickly explained as a chaste celebration of Alcinous’ conversion. When confronted by Autolius and Conto for his betrayal/conversion, Alcinous points out ‘yon miracle of stone’ upon Salisbury field, likely meaning Stonehenge, saying they stand for their tombstones if they should disturb the shepherds. He thereby converts both Autolius and Conto the the shepherd way, has them apologize to Jarbus, and points out that they were his lost sheep all along. After Alexis reveals that ‘he’ is actually Clarinda in disguise, he takes her for his wife.
ALEXANDER the GREAT
Only mentioned. Conto boasts that if the cart boy were Alexander himself, he would not be spared.
ALEXIS
Clarinda in a boy’s apparel. Alexis speaks the epilogue, calling for the ladies’ favour, saying that he has succeeded in turning monsters into men.
AMBROSE
Only mentioned. Jarbus relates how the king of Britain’s noble barons were killed by Vortiger in the year 575.
APOLLO
Only mentioned by Dorus in reference to the music Dorus has composed in honour of Avonia.
AUTOLIUS
A robber. The hue and cry is up for Alcinous, Autolius, and Conto for their robbery of four clothiers, apparently owing to Autolius’ mistake during the deed (though he boasts ‘a catalogue of exploits as long as a Welsh pedigree’). This is the reason they have gone onto Salisbury Plain, here they mean to rob shepherds and ‘sport’ with shepherdesses. He and Conto wait impatiently for Alcinous to prepare the way for their robbery. He and Conto grow tired of waiting for the robbery and decide to take out in ‘mirth’ what their wait loses them in ‘prize.’ He and Conto attempt to rob Jarbus, but when they find nothing worth stealing from him, they daub his face with his own sheep-marking tar. When he and Conto confront Alcinous for his betrayal/conversion, Alcinous points out ‘yon miracle of stone’ upon Salisbury field, likely meaning Stonehenge, saying they stand for Autolius’ and Conto’s tombstones if they should disturb the shepherds. He is converted to the shepherd’s life. He apologizes to Jarbus and is forgiven.
AVONIA
A shepherdess. Although Dorus loves her, she sees the worth of Alcinous until it appears that he prefers Castina. In the end, she gets her Dorus for husband.
BARONS
Only mentioned. Jarbus relates how the king of Britain’s noble barons were killed by Vortiger in the year 575.
BOYS, TWO
Singers who add to the atmosphere as the place of shepherds is revealed.
BRATS, TWENTY
Probably fantasy characters. Autolius, in boasting of his masculinity, claims that there are already twenty brats grown old enough to call him father, the youngest already able to pick a purse.
BRUTUS
Alcinous calls Autolius ‘Brutus’ and strikes him when Autolius confronts him as a ‘Talassio’ for converting to the shepherds’ side.
BUCEPHALUS
Only mentioned. Conto boasts that if the cart boy were Alexander himself, and his horse Bucephalus, he would not be spared.
CASTINA
A shepherdess. She parries Alcinous’ courtly praise of her beauty by saying that beauty is not found in the face but in the mind. Despite Palaemon’s love for her, and her tentative reciprocation, she finds herself enamoured of Alcinous. However, his wooing reveals his true nature, and she affirms her love to Palaemon, which angers Alcinous. When he threatens to rape her, she threatens to kill herself with her knife first, prompting an instantaneous conversion in Alcinous. She embraces him and must explain to Palaemon, who sees the embrace, that it is a chaste celebration of that conversion. She claims Palaemon for her husband and, when Alexis reveals that ‘he’ is actually her sister Clarinda, Castina bestows her upon Alcinous, whom Clarinda loves.
CHROMUS
A ‘ghost character’. Father to Castina and Clarinda, ‘only spoken of’ according to the dramatis personae.
CLARINDA
Sister to Castina enamoured of Alcinous, ‘follows him by fame’. The play opens with her in disguise as Alexis. In an aside she tells the audience that she loves Alcinous but must not reveal herself to him. When she attempts to speak to Castina and Avonia of her plight, she inadvertently encourages Castina’s affection for Alcinous and is thereby forced to persevere in her disguise. At the end, when all are redeemed for their sins, ‘Alexis’ steps forward to say that ‘he’ has one sin more, revealing that ‘he’ is in fact Clarinda, whereupon Castina binds her little sister together with her beloved Alcinous.
CLOTHIERS, FOUR
‘Ghost characters.’ The hue and cry is up for Alcinous, Autolius, and Conto for their robbery of four clothiers. This is the reason they have gone onto Salisbury Plain, here they mean to rob shepherds and ‘sport’ with shepherdesses.
CONSTABLE
Only mentioned. Autolius boasts that he has an ‘undaunted spirit’ that could choke a constable along with his dam’s tithing men and still outface the charge.
CONSTANCE
Only mentioned. Jarbus mentions that this king came to power in the year 546.
CONTO
A robber. The hue and cry is up for Alcinous, Autolius, and Conto for their robbery of four clothiers. This is the reason they have gone onto Salisbury Plain, here they mean to rob shepherds and ‘sport’ with shepherdesses. He and Conto wait impatiently for Alcinous to prepare the way for their robbery. He and Autolius grow tired of waiting for the robbery and decide to take out in ‘mirth’ what their wait loses them in ‘prize.’ He and Autolius attempt to rob Jarbus, but when they find nothing worth stealing from him, they daub his face with his own sheep-marking tar. When he and Autolius confront Alcinous for his betrayal/conversion, Alcinous points out ‘yon miracle of stone’ upon Salisbury field, likely meaning Stonehenge, saying they stand for Autolius’ and Conto’s tombstones if they should disturb the shepherds. He is converted to the shepherd’s life. He apologizes to Jarbus and is forgiven.
CYNTHIA
Only mentioned. Dorus compares Castina to Cynthia, saying that, like the moon, her grace is but of reflected light and can be covered, meaning by his own love, Avonia’s beauty.
DAM, CONSTABLE’S
Only mentioned. Autolius boasts that he has an ‘undaunted spirit’ that could choke a constable along with his dam’s tithing men and still outface the charge.
DAPHNE
A ‘ghost character.’ Jarbus wears a lace in his buttonhole as a favour from Daphne, which she gave him when he gave her cherries.
DEVIL
Only mentioned. Jarbus tells of how the devil fell out with his wife thus causing a scorched mark still to be seen on Salisbury Plain.
DORUS
A shepherd loving Avonia. He and Palaemon engage in a contest of words over which has the more worthy and beautiful love. He composes music for Avonia. When he hears of Alcinous’ redemption, he welcomes him as a true shepherd and calls for a dance. He claims and wins his Avonia to wife.
ERRAPATER
Only mentioned. A name Autolicus uses for Jarbus after he is found to be carrying an almanac. Erra-Pater was the assumed name of the author of a 1535 astrological almanac.
JARBUS
An old shepherd. He speaks with an accent exchanging v for f (‘vive’ for five, &c.), z for s (‘zongs’ for songs) and employs archaic constructions (‘moughten’ for might) in his speech. He agrees to lead the disguised Alcinous and ‘Alexis’ into the place of shepherds, mentioning along the way how each stone of Salisbury Plain commemorates some great figure from the Bishop of Salisbury, The Earl of Salisbury, William Longespee to Uther Pendragon, Constance, and even sports a mark left by the Devil. The reference to stones likely refers to Stonehenge. He leads them to where Palaemon is putting on a feast in honour of Castina. He is later set upon by Autolius and Conto, but when they find nothing worth stealing from him, they daub his face with his sheep-marking tar. When at last the conerted Autolius and Conto ask for his forgiveness, he gives it.
MERLIN
Only mentioned. Jarbus tells of how Merlin brought ‘bricks of art’ onto Salisbury Plain without the use of a cart.
PALAEMON
Enamoured of Castina. He hosts a simple celebration honouring Castina, opining that shepherd feasts outstrip Prince’s Courts as the latter’s ‘art and pomp’ violate Nature and can therefore express the ‘true’ rather than ‘shadowed’ happiness. He and Dorus engage in a contest of words over which has the more worthy and beautiful love. He collects the choicest fruits for Castina. When he then sees Alcinous and Castina embrace, he ‘realizes’ that Alcinous only ‘came to top my ewe’. When he discovers that the embrace was chaste, however, in celebration of Alcinous’ redemption, he also embraces Alcinous and welcomes him as a shepherd. He is claimed by Castina for her husband and says that he has gained higher than he could aim.
PAN
Only mentioned. His powers protect the shepherd’s flock, field, and bower. He is worshipped as ‘the great god’ according to Jarbus.
PARSON on the PLAIN
A ‘ghost character.’ The robbers Autolius and Conto robbed him, but Autolius gave five shillings of his money back again for the sermon he delivered because, according to Conto, he could have had as good a sermon from a journeyman for sixpence.
PUNDOLPH
Only mentioned. Jarbus says that he laid the first stone for the first ‘Munster’ on Salisbury Plain in 1222.
SHEPHERDS, ANTIC of
When Alcinous is redeemed, Dorus calls for a dance, and an ‘Antique of Shepherds’ enters and performs it.
TALASSIO
Autolius calls Alcinous ‘Talassio’ when he sees that he has converted to the shepherd’s side.
THINJAWS
A fantasy character. In his boasting, Autolius claims that he can make an old usurer’s man, Thinjaws, sup a dish of air and have the old man pay for it.
TITHING MEN
Only mentioned. Autolius boasts that he has an ‘undaunted spirit’ that could choke a constable along with his dam’s tithing men and still outface the charge.
TITYRUS
Only mentioned by Dorus in reference to the music Dorus has composed in honour of Avonia. The name of a shepherd used by both Virgil in his Eclogues and Spenser in The Shepheardes Calendar.
USERER, OLD
A fantasy character. In his boasting, Autolius claims that he can make an old usurer stand whose hams are weakened by his own penury. He can also feed the old man’s servant a dish of air and make the old man pay for it.
UTHER PENDRAGON
Only mentioned. Jarbus mentions that this king came to power in the year 517.
VORTIGER
Only mentioned. Jarbus relates how the king of Britain’s noble barons were killed by Vortiger in the year 575.
WIFE, DEVIL’S
Only mentioned. Jarbus tells of how the devil fell out with his wife thus causing a scorched mark still to be seen on Salisbury Plain.
WILLIAM LONGESPEE
Only mentioned. Earl of Salisbury who founded a Carthusian monastery in 1222.