Maids, maids, Whores, Lawyers, and bees

The Honest Whore

In Act 3, scene 3, Bellafront sings a song wherein she mentions, "The lawyer's ill-got moneys, / That suck up poor bees' honeys." In Act 5, scene 1, George makes almost the exact same reference in song, "As out of wormwood bees suck honey, / As from poor clients lawyers firk money." What is the significance of these two strange references that appear far apart and at widely differing situations in the play? What conclusions may we draw about the attitude towards lawyers in the early 17th Century, especially in conjunction with commerce (as they seem to be in the practice of taking people's money)? What might we make of the metaphorical blend of bees and lawyers?

A Chaste Maid in Cheapside

Moll's maid, Susan, may not necessarily distinguish herself from any of the other stock characters in whose place she occupies. I can think of several characters like her in Renaissance drama, the servants or priests who help their employers or social betters, especially when the situation calls for secrecy or an elaborate ruse. However, in the last act, Touchwood Sr. says, "Of her kindness in this business to us, 'twould ask / an hour's discourse. In brief, 'twas she / That wrought it to this purpose cunningly" (V.iv.56-58). His words imply that the idea, and probably the execution of the plan, were Susan's. What might we make of this maid's ingenuity? Does her willingness to act against Moll's parents wishes present a problem for the Early Modern Viewer of the play? Are Susan's actions indicative of a trend of upwardly-mobile thinking by the servant class in an economically changing London?