Face. What, and dost thou despair, my little Nab,
Knowing what the doctor has set down for thee,
And seeing so many of the city dubbed?

One glass o' thy water, with a madam I know,

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Will have it done, Nab. What's her brother? a knight?
Drug. No, sir, a gentleman newly warm in his land, sir,
Scarce cold in his one-and-twenty, that does govern
His sister here; and is a man himself

Of some three thousand a year, and is come up
To learn to quarrel, and to live by his wits,
And will go down again, and die i' the country.
Face. How! to quarrel?
Drug.

Yes, sir, to carry quarrels,
As gallants do, to manage them by line.

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Face. 'Slid, Nab! the doctor is the only man In Christendom for him. He has made a table, With mathematical demonstrations,

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Touching the art of quarrels. He will give him

An instrument to quarrel by. Go, bring them both,
Him and his sister. And for thee with her

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The doctor happ'ly may persuade. Go to. 'Shal't give his worship a new damask suit Upon the premisses.

Subt.

Face.

O, good captain!

He shall;

He is the honestest fellow, doctor. Stay not,
No offers, bring the damask, and the parties.
Drug. I'll try my power, sir.

Face. Subt.

Face.
Subt.

Face.

'Tis good tobacco, this! what is 't an ounce?
He'll send you a pound, doctor.

It is the goodest soul. Abel, about it;
Thou shalt know more anon.

O, no!

He will do 't.

Away, be gone. [Exit Abel.

A miserable rogue, and lives with cheese,

And has the worms.

Why he came now.

That was the cause indeed
He dealt with me in private,

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To get a med'cine for them.

And shall, sir. This works.

Subt.

Face. A wife, a wife for one o' us, my dear Subtle: We'll e'en draw lots, and he that fails shall have

The more in goods, the other has in tail.

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Subt. Rather the less. For she may be so light She may want grains.

Face.

Aye, or be such a burden,

A man would scarce endure her for the whole.

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Subt.

Face.

Subt.

Faith, best let's see her first, and then determine.
Content. But Dol must have no breath on't.

Mum.

Away you to your Surly yonder, catch him.
Face. 'Pray God I have not stayed too long.
Subt.

I fear it. [Exeunt.

Trib.

ACT III

SCENE I

Tribulation, Ananias.

These chastisements are common to the saints,

And such rebukes we of the separation

Must bear with willing shoulders, as the trials
Sent forth to tempt our frailties.

Anan.

In pure zeal,

I do not like the man, he is a heathen,
And speaks the language of Canaan, truly.

Trib. I think him a profane person indeed.
Anan.

The visible mark ofthe beast in his fore-head.
And for his Stone, it is a work of darkness,
And with philosophy blinds the eyes of man.

He bears

Trib. Good brother, we must bend unto all means
That may give furtherance to the holy cause.
Anan. Which his cannot: the sanctified cause
Should have a sanctified course.

Not always necessary:

Trib.
The children of perdition are oft-times
Made instruments even of the greatest works.
Beside, we should give somewhat to man's nature,
The place he lives in, still about the fire
And fume of metals that intoxicate

The brain of man, and make him prone to passion.
Where have you greater atheists than your cooks?

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ΙΟ

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Or more profane, or choleric, than your glassmen ?
More antichristian than your bell-founders?
What makes the devil so devilish, I would ask you,
Satan, our common enemy, but his being
Perpetually about the fire, and boiling
Brimstone and arsenic? We must give, I say,
Unto the motives and the stirrers up

Of humours in the blood. It may

be so,

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Whenas the work is done, the Stone is made,
This heat of his may turn into a zeal,
And stand up for the beauteous discipline,

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Against the menstruous cloth, and rag of Rome.
We must await his calling, and the coming

Of the good spirit. You did fault, t' upbraid him

For the restoring of the silenced saints,

With the brethren's blessing of Heidelberg, weighing
What need we have to hasten on the work,

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Which ne'er will be, but by the philosopher's stone.
And so a learned elder, one of Scotland,

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Assured me; aurum potabile being

The only med'cine for the civil magistrate,
T'incline him to a feeling of the cause;

And must be daily used in the disease.

Anan. I have not edified more, truly, by man; Not since the beautiful light first shone on me: And I am sad my zeal hath so offended.

Trib.

Anan.

Let us call on him then.

The motion's good,

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And of the spirit; I'll knock first. [Knocks.] Peace be within.

SCENE II-A room in Lovewit's house.

Enter Subtle, Tribulation, Ananias.

[They enter.

Subt. O, are you come? 'twas time. Your threescore

Were at last thread, you see; and down had gone
Furnus accedia, turris circulatorius:

[minutes

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Lembic, bolts-head, retort, and pelican

Had all been cinders. Wicked Ananias!

Art thou returned? Nay, then it goes down yet.
Trib. Sir, be appeased; he is come to humble
Himself in spirit, and to ask your patience,

If too much zeal hath carried him aside

From the due path.

Subt.

Why, this doth qualify! Trib. The brethren had no purpose, verily, To give you the least grievance: but are ready To lend their willing hands to any project

The spirit and you direct.

Subt.

Trib.

This qualifies more!

And for the orphans' goods, let them be valued,

Or what is needful else to the holy work,

It shall be numbered: here, by me, the Saints
Throw down their purse before you.

This qualifies most!

Subt.
Why, thus it should be, now you understand.
Have I discoursed so unto you of our Stone,

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