you,

Or more profane, or choleric, than your glassmen?
More antichristian than your bell-founders ?
What makes the devil so devilish, I would ask
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
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,
Against the menstruous cloth, and rag of Rome.
We must await his calling, and the coming

be so,

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

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

Which ne'er will be, but by the philosopher's stone.
And so a learned elder, one of Scotland,
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 52

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,

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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.

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

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And of the good that it shall bring your cause?
Showed you (beside the main of hiring forces
Abroad, drawing the Hollanders, your friends,
From th' Indies to serve you, with all their fleet)
That e'en the med'cinal use shall make you a faction
And party in the realm? As, (put the case,)

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That some great man, in state he have the gout,

Why, you but send three drops of your elixir,

You help him straight: there you have made a friend.
Another has the palsy, or the dropsy,

He takes of your incombustible stuff,

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He's young again: there-you have made a friend.
A lady that is past the feat of body,

Tho' not of mind, and hath her face decayed

Beyond all cure of paintings, you restore,

With the oil of talc: there-you have made a friend;
And all her friends. A lord that is a leper,

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A knight that has the bone-ache, or a squire

That hath both these, you make them smooth and sound,
With a bare fricace of your med'cine: still

You increase your friends.

Trib.

Aye, it is very pregnant.

Subt. And then the turning of this lawyer's pewter
To plate at Christmas-

Anan.

Subt. Yet, Ananias?

Anan.

Subt.

Christ-tide, I pray you.

I have done.

Or changing

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His parcel gilt to massy gold.

You cannot
massy_gold.
But raise friends. Withal, to be of power
To pay an army in the field, to buy

you

The king of France out of his realms, or Spain
Out of his Indies. What can you not do
Against lords spiritual or temporal,

That shall oppone you?

Trib.

Verily, 'tis true.

We may be temporal lords ourselves, I take it.

Subt. You may be anything, and leave off to make Long-winded exercises: or suck up

Your ha! and hum! in a tune. I do not deny

But such as are not graced in a state,

May, for their ends, be adverse in religion,
And get a tune to call the flock together:

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For, to say sooth, a tune does much with women,
And other phlegmatic people, it is your bell.

Anan. Bells are profane: a tune may be religious.
Subt. No warning with you?

ΙΙΟ

Then farewell my [patience.

'Slight, it shall down: I will not be thus tortured.

Trib.

Subt.

Trib.

I

pray you, sir.

All shall perish. I have spoke it.

Let me find grace, sir, in your eyes; the man

He stands corrected: neither did his zeal,

But as yourself, allow a tune somewhere.

Which now, being tow'rd the Stone, we shall not need.
Subt. No, nor your holy vizard, to win widows

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To give you legacies; or make zealous wives
To rob their husbands for the common cause:
Nor take the start of bonds broke one day,
And say they were forfeited by providence.
Nor shall you need, o'er-night, to eat huge meals,
To celebrate your next day's fast the better:
The whilst the brethren and the sisters humbled,
Abate the stiffness of the flesh. Nor cast
Before your hungry hearers scrupulous bones;
As whether a Christian may hawk or hunt,
Or whether matrons of the holy assembly
May lay their hair out or wear doublets;
Or have that idol starch about their linen.
Anan. It is indeed an idol.
Trib.

I 20

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To peace within him. Pray you, sir, go on.

Mind him not, sir.

I do command thee, spirit of zeal, but trouble,

Subt. Nor shall you need to libel 'gainst the prelates,
And shorten so your ears against the hearing

Of the next wire-drawn grace. Nor of necessity
Rail against plays to please the alderman
Whose daily custard you devour. Nor lie
With zealous rage till you are hoarse. Not one
Of these so singular arts.

Nor call yourselves

By names of Tribulation, Persecution,

Restraint, Long-patience, and such like, affected
By the whole family or wood of you,

Only for glory, and to catch the ear

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