Mam. What's the matter, good sir?
I have not seen you thus distemperd: who is 't?
Sub. All arts have still had, sir, their adversaries,
But ours the most ignorant.
Re-enter FACE. What now?
Face. 'Twas not my fault, sir ; she would speak with you. Sub. Would she, sir! Follow me.
[Exit. Mam. [Stopping him.] Stay, Lungs. Face. I dare not, sir. Mam. Stay, man; what is she? Face. A lord's sister, sir. Mam. How ! pray thee, stay.
Face. She's mad, sir, and sent hitherHe'il be mad too
Mam. I warrant thee,
Why sent hither?
Face. Sir, to be cured.
Sub. [Within.] Why, rascal !
Face. Lo you !-Here, sir !
[Eail. Mam. 'Fore God, a Bradamante, a brave piece. Sur. Heart, this is an evil house! I will be burnt else,
Mam. Oh, by this light, no; do not wrong him. He's
Too scrupulous that way : it is his vice.
No, he's a rare physician, do him right,
An excellent Paracelsian, and has done
Strange cures with mineral physic. He deals all
With spirits, he ; he will not hear a word
Of Galen or his tedious recipes.
Re-enter FACE.
How now, Lungs!
Face. Softly, sir ; speak softly. I meant
To have told your worship all. This must not hear.
Mam. No, he will not be "gulld”: let him alone.
Face. You are very right, sir; she is a most rare scholar,
And is gone mad with studying Broughton's works.
If you but name a word touching the Hebrew
She falls into her fit, and will discourse
So learnedly of genealogies,
As you would run mad, too, to hear her, sir.
Mam. How might one do t' have conference with her, Lungs?
Face. Oh, divers have run mad upon the conference :
I do not know, sir. I am sent in haste
To fetch a vial.
Sur. Be not gull’d, Sir Mammon.
Mam. Wherein ? Pray ye, be patient.
Sur. Yes, as you are,
And trust confederate knaves and sharks and bawds.
Mam. You are too foul, believe it.—Come here, Ulen,
One word.
Face. I dare not, in good faith.
[Going
Mam. Stay, knave.
Face. He is extreme angry that you saw her, sir.
Mam. Drink that. [Gives him money.] What is she when
she's out of her fit ?
Face. Oh, the most affablest creature, sir! So merry !
So pleasant! She'll mount you up like quicksilver
Over the helm, and circulate like oil,
A very vegetal ; discourse of state,
Of mathematics, frolic, anything--
Mam. Is she no way accessible? no means,
No trick to give a man a taste of her-wit-
Or so?
Sub. [Within.] Ulen!
Face. "I'll come to you again, sir,
[Exit. Mam. Surly, I did not think one of your breeding Would traduce personages of worth.
Sur. Sir Epicure,
Your friend to use ; yet still loth to be gulled :
I do not like your philosophical bawds.
Their stone is lechery enough to pay for
Without this bait.
Mam. 'Heart, you abuse yourself.
I know the lady, and her friends, and means,
The original of this disaster. Her brother
Has told me all.
Sur. And yet you never saw her
Till now !
Mam. Oh yes, but I forgot. I have, believe it,
One of the treacherousest memories, I do think,
Of all mankind.
Sur. What call you her brother ?
Msam. My Lord-
He will not have his name known, now I think on it.
Sur. A very treacherous memory !
Mam. On my faith-
Sur. Tut, if you have it not about you, pass it
Till we meet next.
Mam. Nay, by this hand, 'tis true,
He's one I honour, and my noble friend ;
And I respect his house.
Sur. Heart! can it be
That a grave sir, a rich, that has no need,
A wise, sir, too, at other times, should thus,
With his own oaths and arguments, make hard means
To gull himself? An this be your elixir,
Your lapis mineralis and your lunary,
Give me your honest trick yet at primero,
Or gleek : and take your lutum sapientis,
Your menstruum simplex! I'll have gold before you,
And with less danger of the quicksilver
Or the hot sulphur.
Re-enter FACE.
Face. Here's one from Captain Face, sir [to SURLY]
Desires you meet him in the Temple Church
Some half-hour hence, and upon earnest business.
Sir-[whispers MAMMON]-if you please to quit us now, and
Again within two hours, you shall have
My master busy examining o' the works ;
And I will steal you in unto the party,
That you may see her converse. Sir, shall I say
You'll meet the captain's worship?
Sur. Sir, I will.
(Walks aside.
But, by attorney and to a second purpose,
Now, I am sure I understand this house ;
I'll swear it, were the marshal here to thank me :
The naming this commander doth confirm it.
Don Face! why he's the most authentic dealer
In these commodities, the superintendent
To all the quainter traffickers in town!
He is the visitor, and does appoint
Who visits whom, and at what hour ; what price ;
Which gown, and in what smock ; what fall; what tire.
Him will I prove, by a third person, to find
The subtleties of this dark labyrinth :
Which if I do discover, dear Sir Mammon,
You'll give your poor friend leave, though no philosopher,
To laugh : for you that are, 'tis thought, shall weep.
Face. Sir, he does pray you'll not forget.
Sur. I will not, sir.
Sir Epicure, I shall leave you.
[Exit.
Mám. I follow you straight.
Face. But do so, good sir, to avoid suspicion.
This gentleman has a parlous head.
Mam. But wilt thou, Ulen, Be constant to thy promise?
Face. As my life, sir.
Mam. And wilt thou insinuate what I am, and praise me, And say I am a noble fellow ?
Face. Oh, what else, sir ?
And that you'll make her royal with the stone,
An empress : and yourself, King of Bantam.
Mam. Wilt thou do this?
Face. Will I, sir !
Mam. Lungs, my Lungs!
I love thee.
Face. Send your stuff, sir, that my master
May busy himself about projection.
Mam. Thou hast witch'd me, rogue: take, go.
[Gives him money. Face. Your jack, and all, sir.
Mam. Thou art a villain-I will send my jack, And the weights too. Slave, I could bite thine ear. Away, thou dost not care for me.
Face. Not I, sir !
Mam. Come, I was born to make thee, my good weasel,
Set thee on a bench, and have thee twirl a chain
With the best lord's vermin of 'em all.
Face. Away, sir.
Mam. A count, nay, a count palatine-
Face. Good, sir, go.
Mam. Shall not advance thee better : no, nor faster.
[Exit. Re-enter SUBTLE and DOL. Sub. Has he bit ? has he bit ?
Face. And swallowed too, my Subtle.
I have given him line, and now he plays, i' faith.
Sub. And shall we twitch him ?
Face. Thorough both the gills.
For here is a rare bait, with which a man
No sooner 's taken, but he straight runs mad.
Sub. Dol, my Lord What’s'hums sister, you must now
Bear yourself statelich.
Doi. Oh, let me alone.
I'll not forget my race, I warrant you.
I'll keep my distance, laugh and talk aloud ;
Have all the tricks of a proud scurvy lady,
And be as rude as her woman.
Face. Well said, sanguine !
Sub. But will he send his andirons ?
Face. His jack too,
And’s iron shoeing-horn ; I have spoke to him. Well,
I must not lose my wary gamester yonder.
Sub. Oh, Monsieur Caution, that will not be gull d.
Face. Ay,
If I can strike a fine hook into him, now!
The Temple Church, there I have cast mine angle.
Well, pray for me. I'll about it.
[K'nocking without
Sub. What, more gudgeons ! Dol, scout, scout ! [Dot goes to the window.] Stay, Face, you
must go to the door.
Pray God it be my anabaptist.-Who is 't, Dol?
Dol. I know him not : he looks like a gold-endman.
Sub. Ods so ! 'tis he, he said he would send—what call you
him ?
The sanctified elder, that should deal
For Mammon's jack and andirons. Let him in.
Stay, help me off, first, with my gown. [Exit Face with the
gown.] Away, Madam, to your withdrawing chamber. [Exit Dol.] Now, In a new tune, new gesture, but old language.This fellow is sent from one negotiates with me About the stone too; for the holy brethren Of Amsterdam, the exiled saints; that hope To raise their discipline by it. I must use him In some strange fashion, now, to make him admire me.
Enter ANANIAS. Where is my drudge ?
[Aloud. Re-enter FACE. Face. Sir!
Sub. Take away the recipient,
And rectify your menstrue from the phlegma.
Then pour it on the Sol, in the cucurbite,
And let them macerate together.
Face. Yes, sir.
And save the ground ?
Sub. No: terra damnata
Must not have entrance in the work.-Who are you?
Ana. A faithful brother, if it please you.
Sub. What's that?
A Lullianist ? a Ripley! Filius artis ?
Can you sublime and dulcify ? calcine ?
Know you the sapor pontic? sapor stiptic?
Or what is homogene, or heterogene?
Ana. I understand no heathen language, truly.
Sub. Heathen! you Knipper-doling ? is Ars sacra
Or chrysopeia, or spagyrica,
Or the pamphysic, or panarchic knowledge,
A heathen language ?
Ana. Heathen Greek, I take it.
Sub. How heathen Greek?
Ana. All's heathen but the Hebrew.
Sub. Sirrah, my varlet, stand you forth and speak to him
Like a philosopher : answer in the language,
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