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Mos. Without a partner, sir; confirmed this morning; the wax is warm yet, and the ink scarce dry upon the parchment.

Volt. Happy, happy, me!

Mos.

by what good chance, sweet Mosca ?
Your desert, sir;

I know no second cause.

Volt. Thy modesty

Mos.

is not to know it: well, we shall requite it.
He ever liked your course, sir: that first took him.
I oft have heard him say, how he admired

men of your large profession, that could speak
to every cause and things mere contraries,
till they were hoarse again, yet all be law;
that, with most quick agility could turn

and (re)-return; could make knots, and undo them :
give forkèd counsel; take provoking gold
on either hand and put it up these men,
he knew, would thrive with their humility.
And, for his part, he thought he should be blest
to have his heir of such a suffering spirit,
so wise, so grave, of so perplexed a tongue,
and loud withal, that would not wag nor scarce
be still, without a fee; when every word
your worship but lets fall, is a chequin!

B. JONSON

SCENE FROM THE FOX

MOSCA―VOLPONE, after practising upon the avarice of an old gentleman CORBACCIO

Volp. [leaping from his couch] O, I shall burst!

Mos.

.

let out my sides, let out my sides

Contain

your flux of laughter, sir; you know this hope
is such a bait, it covers any hook.

Volp. O, but thy working and thy placing it!

I cannot hold; good rascal, let me kiss thee:
I never knew thee in so rare a humour.

Mos. Alas, sir, I but do, as I am taught;

follow your grave instructions; give them words; pour oil into their ears, and send them hence.

Volp. Tis true tis true.

What a rare punishment

is avarice to itself!

Mos. Ay, with our help, sir.

Volp. So many cares, so many maladies,

so many fears attending on old age,

yea, death so often called on, as no wish

can be more frequent with them, their limbs faint,
their senses dull, their seeing, hearing, going,
all dead before them; yea, their very teeth,
their instruments of eating, failing them :
yet this is reckoned life! nay, here was one
is now gone home, that wishes to live longer!
feels not his gout nor palsy; feigns himself
younger by scores of years, flatters his age
with confident belying it, hopes he may,

with charms, like Æson, have his youth restored:
and with these thoughts so battens, as if fate
would be as easily cheated on, as he,

and all turns air!

B. JONSON

12

Wel.

SCENE FROM EVERY MAN IN HIS HUMOUR

WELL-BRED-CAPTAIN BOBADILL-E. KNOWELL

Captain Bobadill, why muse you so?

Know. He is melancholy too.

Bob.

'Faith, sir, I was thinking of a most honourable piece of service, was performed to-morrow, being St Mark's to-day, shall be some ten years now.

Know. In what place, captain?

Bob.

Why, at the beleaguering of Strigonium, where no less than two hours, seven hundred resolute gentlemen, as any were in Europe, lost their lives upon the breach. I'll tell you, gentlemen, it was the first but the best leaguer that ever I beheld with these eyes, except the taking in of—what do you call it? last year—by the Genoways; but that of all other was the most fatal and dangerous exploit that ever I was ranged in, since I first bore arms before the face of the enemy, as I am a gentleman and a soldier!

Know. Then you were a servitor at both, it seems; at Strigonium, and what do you call 't?

Bob. By St George, I was the first man that entered the breach, and had I not effected it with resolution, I had been slain, if I had had a million of lives- -observe me judicially, sweet sir: they had planted me three demi-culverins just in the mouth of the breach; now, sir, as we were to give on, their master-gunner (a man of no mean skill and mark, you must think), confronts me with his linstock, ready to give fire; I, spying his intendment, discharged my petronel in his bosom, and with these single arms, my poor rapier, ran violently upon the Moors that guarded the ordinance and put 'em pell-mell to the sword.

B. JONSON

13

SCENE FROM THE ALCHEMIST

FACE, the house-keeper, in order to conceal what had been going on in his Master LOVEWIT's house, during his absence, tries to persuade him that it was shut up on account of being visited by an apparition.

Face. Good sir, come from the door.
Love. Why, what's the matter?

Face. Yet farther, you are too near yet.
Love. In the name of wonder,

what means the fellow !

Face. The house, sir, has been visited.

Love. What with the plague? Stand thou then farther. Face. No, sir, I had it not.

Love. Who had it then? I left

none else but thee in the house.

Face. Yes, sir, my fellow,

Love.

the cat that kept the buttery, had it on her
a week before I spied it; but I got her

conveyed away in the night : and so I shut
the house up for a month-

How !

Face. Purposing then, sir,

t' have burnt rose-vinegar, treacle tar,

and have made it sweet, that you should ne'er

have known it;

because I knew the news would but afflict you, sir.

Love. Breathe less and farther off! why this is stranger: the neighbours tell me all here that the doors have still been open

Face. How, sir!

Love. Gallants, they tell me, men and women,

and of all sorts, tag-rag, been seen to flock here— Face. They did pass through the doors then,

or walls, I assure their eye-sights and their spec-
tacles;

for here, sir, are the keys, and here have been,
in this my pocket now above twenty days:
and for before, I kept the fort alone there.

B. JONSON

14

SCENE FROM THE GUARDIAN

DURAZZO reproved by CAMILLO for indulging the extravagance of his nephew and ward.

Dur. Tell me of his expenses! which of you

Cam.

Dur.

.Cam.

Dur.

stands bound for a gazet? he spends his own;
and you impertinent fools or knaves, (make choice
of either title, which your signiorships please,)
to meddle in't.

Your age gives privilege

to this harsh language.

My age! do not use

that word again; if you do, I shall grow young and swinge you soundly. I would have you know though I write fifty odd, I do not carry

an almanack in my bones to predeclare

what weather we shall have; nor do I kneel
in adoration of the spring and fall

before my doctor.

This is from the purpose

I cannot cut a caper, or groan like you
when I have done, nor run away so nimbly
out of the field: but bring me to a fence-school,
and crack a blade or two for exercise,

ride a barbed horse, or take a leap after me,

following my hounds or hawks, and you'll confess I am in the May of my abilities

and you in your December.

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Dur.
'Tis your safest course
Cam. But, as friends to your fame and reputation,
come to instruct you, your too much indulgence
to the exorbitant waste of young Caldoro,
your nephew and your ward, hath rendered you
but a bad report among wise men in Naples.
Dur. Wise men!-in your opinion; but to me

that understand myself and them, they are
hide-bounded money-mongers: they would have me
train up my ward a hopeful youth, to keep
a merchant's book; or at the plough; clothe him
in canvass or coarse cotton : let him know

no more than how to cipher well or do

his tricks by the square root; grant him no plea

sure

but quoits and nine-pins: suffer him to converse with none but clowns and coblers.

15

THE PARASITE

P. MASSINGER

WHAT art, vocation, trade or mystery

can match with your fine parasite?

Painter !

He! a mere dauber; A vile drudge the Farmer:
their business is to labour, ours to laugh,

to jeer, to quibble, faith sirs! and to drink,
aye, and to drink lustily. Is not this rare ?
'Tis life, my life at least: the first of pleasures
were to be rich myself; but next to this
I hold it best to be a Parasite,

and feed upon the rich. Now mark me right!
you know my humour, not one spark of pride,
such and the same for ever to my friends:
if cudgell'd, molten iron to the hammer
is not so malleable; but if I cudgel,
bold as the thunder: is one to be blinded?
I am the lightning's flash: to be puff'd up?

The

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