A Trick to Catch the Old One

A Trick to Catch the Old One was entered into the Stationers' Register, together with The Revenger's Tragedy, now also commonly attributed to Middleton, by the printer George Eld on 7 October 1607.

[4] Evidence unknown to Chambers and Greg, however, indicates that the boys of Blackfriars also performed before the king on 1 January 1607, and this, together with similarities in paper stock and metal type between A Trick to Catch a New One and The Revenger's Tragedy, first published in 1607, suggest that both plays were in production in Eld's workshop at the same time, in late 1607 and early 1608, shortly after their entry into the Stationer's Register.

If, as the second title page indicates, it was first performed by the Children of Paul's, then it must have preceded the dissolution of that company, which seems to have occurred around the middle of 1606.

[7] Nearly two decades after the publication of A Trick to Catch the Old One, Philip Massinger drew on it as one of the sources for his own play, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, first performed in 1626 and published in 1633.

In spite of the great popularity of Massinger's play, it did not totally eclipse Middleton's, which was produced at least once more by Sir William Davenant at the theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields sometime between 1661 and 1665.

[8] The play's protagonist, Theodorus Witgood, has mortgaged his estates to his uncle Pecunius Lucre, a covetous London merchant.

Lucre, delighted at the prospect of a rich match for his nephew, provides him with £50 and a vague promise to make Witgood his heir.

But the courtesan kneels to her new husband and promises to be a good wife, and Witgood joins her in repentance and rejection of his former sensual and spendthrift ways.

Scene 1: A town in Leicester, probably on a street Theodorus Witgood, a ruined gentleman, enters and tells how, after foolishly wasting away all his money on brothels and drunkenness in the city, he has lost all of his lands to his uncle, Pecunius Lucre a usurer.

According to Witgood, Lucre's motto is: "He that doth his youth expose / To brothel, drink and danger /Let him that is nearest kin / Cheat before a stranger."

Witgood says that he must now find some way to make a living for himself, and hints that he may not be averse to activities "out of the compass of the law" (i.e., illegal).

The plan involves going to London (where his uncle is now located), and passing the Courtesan off as a wealthy widow whom Witgood intends to marry.

Onesiphorus also says that Walkadine Hoard's niece, Joyce might marry Sam Freedom (Lucre's wife's son from another marriage), however, the match has not yet been confirmed.

Onesiphorus says that Joyce is currently in London with Walkadine, where she is learning how to become a gentlewoman so that she can catch a wealthy husband.

This favour is necessary, Witgood claims, because when she ran away with him, the 'Widow' abandoned all of her servants; to convince his uncle of her wealth, appearances have to be maintained; she will have to have at least one servingman.

Scene 3: A street in London Walkadine Hoard (Onesiphorus' brother, hereafter referred to as 'Hoard') and Lucre (Witgood's uncle), the two old rivals, meet and exchange insults.

Witgood tells the Host that Dampit is "the most notorious usurering, blasphemous, atheistical, brothel-vomiting rascal that we have in these latter times."

He also says that, although Dampit dresses like a beggar, he is, in fact, very rich—he earned all his money with the devil's help, by cheating and trampling the law.

Hoping that he might be able to profit from a union between his nephew and a wealthy Widow, Lucre tells the 'servingman' Witgood is a "gentleman of the inestimable quality".

Lucre tells Sam that he should follow Witgood's example and find himself a wealthy widow instead of wasting time on Joyce.

She tells Sam to forget Joyce and gives him a gold chain and a diamond to present to the 'Widow', hoping that he might be able to steal her away from Witgood.

He feels that his chances of marrying her are good because her only suitor is the profligate rascal, Witgood, nephew of Hoard's greatest enemy.

As soon as Moneylove exits, Hoard calls him a fool and makes plans to discredit Witgood and marry the Widow himself, thus increasing his estate and crossing his enemy in a single stroke.

After being introduced by Hoard as gentlemen of reputation, Lamprey and Spitchcock tell the 'Widow' that Witgood is a riotous, ruined scoundrel.

Hoard says that he will meet the 'Widow' at the tavern, whisk her away under Witgood's nose, and take her to Coal Harbor that night to marry her.

(Coal Harbor was a disreputable area near London Bridge where a wedding could be performed quickly, without fuss).

He asks the owner of the tavern to take special care with the dinner—he is dining with his uncle and prospective bride and wishes to make a favourable impression.

The 'Widow' replies that, although she loved him, she broke with Witgood because she discovered that he is a ruined rascal who mortgaged all of his lands to his uncle—not the wealthy gentleman he pretended to be at all.

As another jest, Lancelot pretends to be a poor man from the country; he tells Dampit that he has lost all of his land to a usurering villain who has cheated him out of his family home.

The Courtesan apologetically confirms Onesiphorus' allegation, but is quick to point out that she told Hoard that she did not have any money when he first proposed.