liberty; though not without some lines of example, drawn even in the ancients themselves, the goings out of whose comedies are not always joyful, but oft times the bawds, the servants, the rivals, yea, and the masters are mulcted; and fitly, it being the office of a comic poet to imitate justice, and instruct to life, as well as purity of language, or stir up gentle affections: to which I shall take the occasion elsewhere to speak.

For the present, most reverenced Sisters, as I have cared to be thankful for your affections past, and here made the understanding acquainted with some ground of your favours; let me not despair their continuance, to the maturing of some worthier fruits: wherein, if my muses be true to me, I shall raise the despised head of poetry again, and stripping her out of those rotten and base rags wherewith the times have adulterated her form, restore her to her primitive habit, feature, and majesty, and render her worthy to be embraced and kist of all the great and master-spirits of our world. As for the vile and slothful, who never affected an act worthy of celebration, or are so inward with their own vicious natures, as they worthily fear her, and think it an high point of policy to keep her in contempt, with their declamatory and windy invectives; she shall out of just rage incite her servants (who are genus irritabile) to spout ink in their faces, that shall eat farther than their marrow into their fames; and not Cinnamus the barber, with his art, shall be able to take out the

6 to which I shall take the occasion elsewhere to speak.] In the quarto Jonson was somewhat more particular-" to which, upon my next opportunity toward the examining and digesting of my NOTES, I shall speak more wealthily, and pay the world a debt." He alludes to the promise in his former play, of publishing a translation of the Art of Poetry (p. 5). The "notes" were written, and, as I have already observed, burnt in the fire which destroyed his library.

"And not Cinnamus the barber, &c.] We have had this thought before: see vol. ii. p. 518.

brands; but they shall live, and be read, till the wretches die, as things worst deserving of themselves in chief, and then of all mankind.

From my House in the Black-Friars,

this 11th day of February, 1607.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

VOLPONE, a Magnifico.
MOSCA, his Parasite.
VultureVOLTORE, an Advocate.
Ravin CORBACCIO, an old Gentleman.

CORVINO, a Merchant.

BONARIO, Son to Corbaccio.

SIR POLITICK WOULD-BE, a Knight.
PEREGRINE, a Gentleman Traveller.
NANO, a Dwarf.

CASTRONE, an Eunuch.

ANDROGYNO, an Hermaphrodite.

GREGE (or Mob.)

Commandadori, Officers of justice.

Mercatori, three Merchants.

Avocatori, four Magistrates.

Notario, the Register.

LADY WOULD-BE, Sir Politick's Wife.

CELIA, Corvino's Wife.

Servitori, Servants, two Waiting-women, &c.

The SCENE, Venice.

Volpone, childless, rich, feigns sick, despairs,
Offers his state to hopes of several heirs,
Lies languishing: his parasite receives

Presents of all, assures, deludes; then weaves

Other cross plots, which ope themselves, are told.

New tricks for safety are sought; they thrive: when bold,}
E ach tempts the other again, and all are sold.

PROLOGUE.

OW, luck yet send us, and a little wit Will serve to make our play hit; (According to the palates of the season) Here is rhime, not empty of reason. This we were bid to credit from our poet, Whose true scope, if you would know it,

1 The Argument.] It is an acrostic; and seems to be written in imitation of those acrostical arguments, invented by Priscian or some later grammarians, and prefixed to the Comedies of Plautus. WHAL.

2 Whose true scope, &c.] Jonson never forgets to put the audience in mind of the ethical purpose of his writings. He has adverted to this already in Every Man out of his Humour, and he

In all his poems still hath been this measure,
To mix profit with your pleasure;

And not as some, whose throats their envy failing,
Cry hoarsely, All he writes is railing:3

And when his plays come forth,*think they can flout them,
With saying, he was a year about them.

To this there needs no lie, but this his creature,
Which was two months since no feature;
And though he dares give them five lives to mend it,
'Tis known, five weeks fully penn'd it,
From his own hand, without a co-adjutor,
Novice, journey-man, or tutor.

Yet thus much I can give you as a token

Of his play's worth, no eggs are broken,

Nor quaking custards with fierce teeth affrighted,
Wherewith your rout are so delighted;

returns to it again in the Silent Woman: the expression itself is from Horace :

Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci,

Lectorem delectando pariterque monendo.

Cry hoarsely, All he writes is railing, &c.] This alludes to the Apologetical dialogue, vol. ii. p. 511:

P. O, but they lay particular imputations—

A. As what?

P. That all your writing is mere railing, &c.

4 And when his plays come forth, &c.] Again,

A. Have they no other?

P. Yes; they say you're slow,

And scarce bring forth a play a year. Ibid.

5

No eggs are broken,

Nor quaking custards with fierce teeth affrighted.] In the Poetaster, Marston (not Decker, as Whalley has it) throws up the words quaking custard: the allusion, however, is not to this, but to a burlesque representation of a city feast, of which, in Jonson's days, an immense custard always made a conspicuous part. With this custard a number of foolish tricks were played, at the Lord Mayor's table, to the unspeakable delight of the guests; and some dramatic writer, perhaps, had transferred them, with improvements, to the stage, where they seem to have given equal pleasure. I