Philip Massinger

Philip Massinger was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The City Madam and The Roman Actor are noted for their satire, realism, and political and social themes.

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• The good needs fear no law,
  It is his safety and the bad man's awe.
  • The Old Law (c. 1615–18; printed 1656), with Thomas Middleton and William Rowley.

• Death hath a thousand doors to let out life.
  • A Very Woman (1619), Act v. Sc. 4. Compare: "Death hath so many doors to let out life", Beaumont and Fletcher, The Custom of the Country, act ii. sc. 2; "The thousand doors that lead to death", Sir Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, part i, sect. xliv.

• Some undone widow sits upon mine arm,
  And takes away the use of it; and my sword,
  Glued to my scabbard with wronged orphans' tears,
  Will not be drawn.
  • A New Way to pay Old Debts (1625), Act v. Sc. 1. Compare: "From thousands of our undone widows / One may derive some wit", Thomas Middleton, A Trick to catch the Old One, Act i, Scene 2.

• Cause me no causes.
  • A New Way to Pay Old Debts (1625), act i. sc. 3. See X me no X's.

• This many-headed monster,
  The giddy multitude.
  • The Roman Actor (1626), Act iii. Sc. 2. Compare: "Many-headed multitude", Sir Philip Sidney, Defence of Poesy, Book ii; "Many-headed multitude", William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, act ii, scene 3; "This many-headed monster, Multitude", Daniel, History of the Civil War, book ii, st. 13.

• Grim death.
  • The Roman Actor (1626), Act iv. Sc. 2. Compare: "Grim death, my son and foe", John Milton, Paradise Lost, book ii, line 804.

• Like a rough orator, that brings more truth
  Than rhetoric, to make good his accusation.
  • Great Duke of Florence (1627).