.

the mal-caduco, cramps, convulfions, paralyfies, epilepfies, tremor-cordia, retired' nerves, ill vapours of the' fpleen, stopping of the liver,' the ftone, the ftrangury, bernia ventofa, illiaca paffio; ftops a difenteria immediately, easeth the torfion of the fmall guts, and cures melan. cholia hypochondriaca, being taken and applied according to my printed receipt. For this is the phyfician, this is the medicine; [Pointing to his bill and his glass.] this counfels, this cures; this gives the direction, this works the effect: and, in fum, both together may be termed an abstract of the theoric and practic in the Efculapian "Twill cost you eight crowns. And, Zan Fritada, pr'ythee, speak a fpeech extempore in honour of it. Pol. How do you like him, Sir?

• Per. Most strangely, I.

• Pol. Is not his language rare ? Per. But alchymy, I

• never heard the like, or Broughton's books,"

Mof. Had old Hippocrates, or Galen,

(That to their books put medicines all in)
But known this fecret, they had never
(Of which they will be guilty ever)
Been murderers of fo much paper,
Or wafted many a hurtlefs taper;
No Indian drug had e'er been famed,
Tobacco, faffafras not named ;

Ne yet of guacum one small stick, Sir,
Nor Raymund Lully's great elixir :
Ne had been known the Danish Gonfwart,
Or Paracelfus, with his long fword.

[Celia appears at the balcony, Per. All this yet will not do; eight crowns is high. Volp. No more, geutlemen; if I had but time to difcourfe to you the miraculous effects of this my oil, furnamed oglio del Scoto; which the countless catalogue of • thofe I have cured of the aforefaid, and many more diseases; the patents and privileges of all the princes ⚫ and commonwealths of Christendom; or but the de• pofitions of thofe that appeared on my part before the Signiory of the Sanita, and most learned college of phyficians; where I was authorized, upon notice taken

• of

of the admirable virtues of my medicaments, and mine own excellency in matter of rare and unknown fecrets, not only to difperfe them publicly in this famous city, but in all the territories that happily joy under the government of the most pious and magnificent ftates of Italy. But may fome other gallant fellow fay, Oh, there be divers that make profeffion to have as good, and as experimented receipts as yours. Indeed, very many have affayed, like apes, in imitation of that which is really and effentially in ine, to make of this oil; bestowed great coft in furnaces, fills, alembecks, continual fires, and preparation of the ingredients, (as indeed there goes to it fix hundred feveral fimples, befides fome quantity of human fat, for the conglutination, which we buy of the anatomifts) but when thefe practitioners come to the laft decoction, blow, blow, puff, puff, and all flies in fumo! Ha, ha, ha!-Poor wretches! I rather pity their folly and indifcretion, than their lofs of time and money; for thofe may be recovered by induftry but to be a fool born, is a disease incurable. • For myself, I always from my youth have endeavoured to get the rareft fecrets, and book them, either in exchange, or for money: I fpared not coft nor labour, where any thing was worthy to be learned. And, gentlemen, honourable gentlemen, I will undertake (by virtue of chymical art) out of the honourable hat that covers your head, to extract the four elements; that is to fay, fire, air, water, and earth, and return you your felt without burn or flain. For, whilst others have been at the Balloo, I have been at my book; and am now at the craggy paths of study, and come to the flowery plains of honour and reputation,

Pol. I do affure you, Sir, that is his aim.

Volp. But, to our price

Per. And that withal, Sir Pol.

Volp. You all know, honourable gentlemen, I never valued this ampulla, or phial, at lefs than eight crowns; but, for this time, I am content to be deprived of it for fix crowns is the price; and lefs, in courtesy, I know you cannot offer me;' take it or leave it; 'howfoever, both it and I am at at your fervice.' I aík you not as the value of the thing; for then I fhould demand

fix;

of

you a thousand crowns, fo the Cardinals Montalto, Feruefe, the Great Duke of Tuscany, my goffip, with divers other princes, have given me; but I defpife money: only to fhew my affection to you, honourable gentlemen, and your illuftrious ftate here, I have neglected the mef fages of these princes, mine own offices, fram'd my journey hither, only to prefent you with the fruits of my travels. Tune your voices to the touch of your inftru⚫ments, and give the honourable affembly fome delight. ful recreation.'

Per. What monstrous and most painful circumstance • Is here, to get fome three or four gazets!

Some three-pence i' the whole; for that 'twill come to.

• SONG.

• You that would last long, lift to my fong, • Make no more coil, but buy of this oil.

• Would you be ever fair and young,

• Stout of teeth, and strong of tongue,

• Tart of palat, quick of ear,

Sharp of fight, of noftril clear,

• Moift of hand, and light of foot,
• (Or I will come nearer to't)

• Would you

live free from all diseases ?
Do the act your mistress pleases;

Yea, fright all aches from your bones?
Here's a med'cine for the nones.'

Polp. Well, I am in a humour, at this time, to make a prefent of the fmall quantity my coffer contains; to the rich, in courtesy, and to the poor, for charity. Wherefore, now mark; I afk'd you fix crowns, and fix crowns at other times you have paid me: you shall not give me fix crowns, nor five, nor four, nor three, nor two, nor one, nor half a ducat, no, nor a muccinigo; fix-pence it will cost you, or fix-hundred pounds-expect no lower price; for, by the banner of my front, I will not 'bate a bagatine,that I will have only a pledge of your loves, to carry fomething from amongst you, to fhew I am not contemned by you. Therefore, now tofs your handkerchiefs, chearfully, chearfully; and be advertifed, that the firft heroic fpirit that deigns to grace

me

me with a handkerchief, I will give it a little remembrance of fomething befide, fhall please it better than if I had prefented it with a double piftolet.

Per. Will you be that heroic spark, Sir Pol? Oh, fee! the window has prevented you.

[Celia, at the window, throws down her handkerchief. Volp. Lady, I kiss your bounty; and for this timely grace you have done your poor Scoto of Mantua, I will return you, over and above my oil, a fecret of that high and inestimable nature, fhall make you for ever euamoured, on that minute wherein your eye first defcended on fo mean (yet not altogether to be defpifed) an object. Here is a powder concealed in this paper, of which, if I should speak to the worth, nine thousand volumes were but as one page, that page as a line, that line as a word, fo fhort is this pilgrimage of man (which fome call life) to the expreffing of it. Would I reflect on the price? Why, the whole world is but as an empire, that empire as a province, that province as a bank, that bank as a private purfe, to the purchase of it.' I will only tell you, it is the powder that made Venus a goddess, (given her by Apollo) that kept her perpetually young, cleared her wrinkles, firmed her gums, filled her fkin, coloured her hair;' from her derived to Helen, and at the sack of Troy unfortunately loft; till now, in this our age, it was as happily recovered, by a ftudious antiquary, out of fome ruins of Afia, who fent a moiety of it to the court of France, (but much fophifticated) wherewith the ladies. there, now colour their hair. The reft, at this prefent, remains with me, extracted to a quinteffence; fo that wherever it but touches, in youth it perpetually preferves, in age reftores the complexion, feats your teeth, did they dance like virginal jacks, firm as a wall, makes them white as ivory, that were as black as

Enter Corvino.

Corv. Spite o' the devil, and my fhame! come down

here-

Come down. No houfe but mine to make your fcene?
Signior Flaminio, will you down, Sir? Down,
What, is my wife your Francifcina, Sir?
No windows on the whole Piazza here,
To make your properties, but mine, but mine?

• Heart!

A

Heart! ere to-morrow I fhall be new-christen'd,
And call'd the Pantalone di Befogniofi

About the town.'

Per. What should this mean, Sir Pol?

[Exit.

Pol. Some trick of state, believe it. I will home.

Per. It may be some design on you.

Pol. I know not.

I'll stand upon my guard.

Per. 'Tis your best, Sir.

Pol. This three weeks, all my advices, all my letters, They have been intercepted.

Per. Indeed, Sir?

Beft have a care.

Pol. Nay, fo I will.

Per. This knight,

I may not lofe him, for my mirth, till night,'

[Exeunt all but Volp. and Mofca.

Volp. Oh, I am wounded!

Mof. Where, Sir ?

Vop. Not without;

Thofe blows were nothing; I could bear them ever;
But angry Cupid, bolting from her eyes,

Hath fhot himself into me, like a flame,

• Where now he flings about his burning heat,
<As in a furnace fome ambitious fire,

• Whose vent is stopp'd. The fight is all within me.'
I cannot live, except thou help me, Mosca :
My liver melts, and I, without the hope
Of fome foft air from her refreshing breath,
Am but a heap of cinders.

6

Mof. 'Las, good Sir!

Would you had never feen her!

Volp. Nay, would thou

'Hadft never told me of her.

Mof. Sir, 'tis true;

"I do confefs I was unfortunate,

And you unhappy. But I'm bound in confcience,

No lefs than duty, to effect my best

To your release of torment, and I will, Sir.
Volp.' Dear Mofca, fhall I hope?

Mof. Sir, more than dear,

I

I will