fill'd her skin, colour'd her hair; from her derived to Helen, and at the sack of Troy unfortunately lost: till now, in this our age, it was as happily recovered, by a studious antiquary, out of some ruins of Asia, who sent a moiety of it to the court of France, (but much sophisticated,) wherewith the ladies there, now, colour their hair. The rest, at this present, remains with me; extracted to a quintessence: so that, wherever it but touches, in youth it perpetually preserves, in age restores the complexion; seats your teeth, did they dance like virginal jacks, firm as a wall; makes them white as ivory, that were black as Enter CORVINO. Cor. Spight o' the devil, and my down, here; shame! come Come down;-No house but mine to make your scene? Signior Flaminio, will you down, sir? down? To make your properties, but mine? but mine? [Beats away Volpone, Nano, &c. Heart! ere to-morrow I shall be new-christen'd, And call'd the Pantalone di Besogniosi," About the town. Per. What should this mean, sir Pol? Sir P. Some trick of state, believe it; I will home. Sir P. I know not. I'll stand upon my guard. 8 I shall be new christen'd, And call'd the Pantalone di Besogniòsi,] i. e. the zany or fool of the beggars. Such, at least, is the vulgar import of the words; but Jonson probably affixed a more opprobrious sense to them. Per. It is your best, sir. Sir P. This three weeks, all my advices, all my letters, They have been intercepted. Per. Indeed, sir! Best have a care. Sir P. Nay, so I will. Per. This knight, I may not lose him, for my mirth, till night. SCENE II. A Room in Volpone's House. Enter VOLPONE and Mosca. Volp. O, I am wounded! Mos. Where, sir? Volp. Not without; [Exeunt. Those blows were nothing: I could bear them ever. But angry Cupid,* bolting from her eyes, Whose vent is stopt. The fight is all within me. Mos. 'Las, good sir, Would you had never seen her! Volp. Nay, would thou Hadst never told me of her! Mos. Sir, 'tis true; * But angry Cupid, &c.] This is prettily imitated from the concluding lines of the 14th Ode of Anacreon. I do confess I was unfortunate, And you unhappy: but I'm bound in conscience, Mos. Sir, more than dear, I will not bid you to despair of aught Volp. O, there spoke My better angel. Mosca, take my keys, Volp. So I have. Mos. I doubt not To bring success to your desires. I not repent me of my late disguise. Mos. If you can horn him, sir, you need not. Besides, I never meant him for my heir.- Mos. No jot. Volp. I did it well. Mos. So well, would I could follow you in mine, With half the happiness !—and yet I would Escape your epilogue.' Volp. But were they gull'd With a belief that I was Scoto? Mos. Sir, [Aside. Scoto himself could hardly have distinguish'd! 9 and yet I would Escape your epilogue.] i. e. the beating which Volpone had received from Corvino. SCENE III. A Room in Corvino's House. Enter CORVINO, with his sword in his hand, dragging in CELIA. Coro. Death of mine honour, with the city's fool! A juggling, tooth-drawing, prating mountebank! What, was your mountebank their call? their whistle? Or were you enamour'd on his copper rings, He shall come home, and minister unto you whilst he, With his strain'd action, and his dole of faces,] Dole of faces, is the grimace, or change of features, which accompanied Volpone's action. We have a parallel expression in the beginning of Sejunus: "We have no shift of faces." WHAL. Why, if you'll mount, you may; yes, truly, you may: And so you may be seen, down to the foot. And be a dealer with the virtuous man; You would be damn'd, ere you did this, you whore! Coro. What couldst thou propose Less to thyself, than in this heat of wrath, Coro. No! not to seek and entertain a parley Your mother's, or your aunt's might serve the turn. Cel. Why, dear sir, when do I make these ex cuses, Or ever stir abroad, but to the church? And that so seldom 2 What couldst thou propose, &c.] This outrageous respect for his honour is an admirable preparation for his conduct in the ensuing conversation with Mosca. |