Volp. What will he do now?

Volt. O,

[Aside.

I know not which to address myself to first; Whether your fatherhoods, or these innocentsCoro. Will he betray himself?

Volt. Whom equally

[Aside.

I have abused, out of most covetous ends

Coro. The man is mad!

Corb. What's that?

Corv. He is possest.

Volt. For which, now struck in conscience, here I prostrate

My self at your offended feet, for pardon.

1, 2 Avoc. Arise.

Cel. O heaven, how just thou art!
Volp. I am caught

In mine own noose

[Aside.

Cory. [to Corbaccio.] Be constant, sir: nought

now

Can help, but impudence.

1 Avoc. Speak forward. Com. Silence!

Volt. It is not passion in me, reverend fathers, But only conscience, conscience, my good sires, That makes me now tell truth. That parasite, That knave, hath been the instrument of all. 1 Avoc. Where is that knave? fetch him. Volp. I go.

Corv. Grave fathers,

This man's distracted; he confest it now:

For, hoping to be old Volpone's heir,

Who now is dead-

3 Avoc. How!

2 Avoc. Is Volpone dead?

Corv. Dead since, grave fathers.
Bon. O sure vengeance!

VOL. III.

Y

[Exit.

1 Avoc. Stay,

'Then he was no deceiver.
Volt. O no, none:

The parasite, grave fathers.
Corv. He does speak

Out of mere envy, 'cause the servant's made
The thing he gaped for: please your fatherhoods,
This is the truth, though I'll not justify

The other, but he may be some-deal faulty.
Volt. Ay, to your hopes, as well as mine,
Corvino:

But I'll use modesty. Pleaseth your wisdoms,
To view these certain notes, and but confer them;
As I hope favour, they shall speak clear truth.
Coro. The devil has enter'd him!

Bon. Or bides in you.

4 Avoc. We have done-ill, by a public officer To send for him, if he be heir.

2 Avoc. For whom?

4 Avoc. Him that they call the parasite.

3 Avoc. "Tis true,

He is a man of great estate, now left.

4 Avoc. Go you, and learn his name, and say,

the court

Entreats his presence here, but to the clearing Of some few doubts. [Exit Notary.

2 Avoc. This same's a labyrinth!

1 Avoc. Stand you unto your first report?

Corv. My state,

My life, my fame

Bon. Where is it?

Coro. Are at the stake.

1 Avoc. Is yours so too?
Corb. The advocate's a knave,

And has a forked tongue

2 Avoc. Speak to the point.

Corb. So is the parasite too.

1 Avoc. This is confusion.

Volt. I do beseech your fatherhoods, read but

those

[Giving them papers. Coro. And credit nothing the false spirit hath

writ:

It cannot be, but he's possest, grave fathers.

[The scene closes.

SCENE VII.

A Street.

Enter VOLPONE.

Volp. To make a snare for mine own neck! and run

My head into it, wilfully! with laughter!
When I had newly 'scaped, was free, and clear,
Out of mere wantonness! O, the dull devil
Was in this brain of mine, when I devised it,
And Mosca gave it second; he must now
Help to sear up this vein, or we bleed dead.—

Enter NANO, ANDROGYNO, and CASTRONE.

How now! who let you loose? whither go you

now?

What, to buy gingerbread, or to drown kitlings?
Nan. Sir, master Mosca call'd us out of doors,
And bid us all go play, and took the keys.
And. Yes.

Volp. Did master Mosca take the keys? why, so!

I'm farther in. These are my fine conceits!
I must be merry, with a mischief to me!

What a vile wretch was I, that could not bear My fortune soberly? I must have my crotchets, And my conundrums! Well, go you, and seek him:

His meaning may be truer than my fear.

Bid him, he straight come to me to the court;
Thither will I, and, if't be possible,

Unscrew my advocate, upon new hopes:
When I provoked him, then I lost myself. [Exeunt.

SCENE VIII.

The Scrutineo, or Senate House.

Avocatori, BONARIO, CELIA, CORBACCIO, CORVINO, Commandadori, Saffi, &c. as before.

1 Avoc. These things can ne'er be reconciled. He, here, [Shewing the papers. Professeth, that the gentleman was wrong'd, And that the gentlewoman was brought thither, Forced by her husband, and there left.

Volt. Most true.

Cel. How ready is heaven to those that pray! 1 Avoc. But that

Volpone would have ravish'd her, he holds
Utterly false, knowing his impotence.

Coro. Grave fathers, he's possest; again, I say, Possest nay, if there be possession, and Obsession, he has both.'

3

3 Avoc. Here comes our officer.

if there be possession, and

Obsession, he has both.] In possession, the evil spirit was supposed to enter the body of the demoniac; in obsession he was thought to besiege, and torment him from without.

Enter VOLPONE.

Volp. The parasite will straight be here, grave fathers.

4 Avoc. You might invent some other name,
sir varlet.

3 Avoc. Did not the notary meet him?
Volp. Not that I know.

4 Avoc. His coming will clear all.
2 Avoc. Yet, it is misty.

Volt. May't please your fatherhoods

Volp. [whispers Volt.] Sir, the parasite Will'd me to tell you, that his master lives; That you are still the man; your hopes the same; And this was only a jest

Volt. How?

Volp. Sir, to try

If you were firm, and how you stood affected. Volt. Art sure he lives?

Volp. Do I live, sir?

Volt. O me!

I was too violent.

Volp. Sir, you may redeem it.

They said, you were possest; fall down, and

seem so:

I'll help to make it good. [Voltore falls.]-God bless the man!

Stop your wind hard, and swell-See, see, see, see! He vomits crooked pins! his eyes are set,

4 He vomits crooked pins! &c.] This, with what follows, as every one knows, always took place when a person chose to appear bewitched. It is to the praise of Jonson that he lets slip no opportunity of shewing his contempt for the popular opinions on this head; opinions which, in his days, indeed, were manifested to the destruction of many innocent