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Mos. Bountifull bones! What horride strange offence

Did he commit 'gainst nature, in his youth,

Worthy this age? you fee, fir, how I worke

Vnto your ends; take you no notice. VOLT. No,
I'le leaue you. Mos. All, is yours; the deuill, and

all:

Good Aduocate. Madame, I'le bring you home.

LAD. No, I'le goe see your patron. Mos. That
you shall not:

I'le tell you, why. My purpose is, to vrge
My patron to reforme his will; and, for

The zeale you' haue shew'n to day, whereas before

You were but third, or, fourth, you shall be now

Put in the first: which would appeare as beg'd,

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VV

Ell, I am here; and all this brunt is past:
I ne're was in dislike with my disguise,

Till this fled moment; here, 'twas good, in
priuate,

But, in your publike, Caue, whil'st I breathe.
'Fore god, my left legge 'gan to haue the crampe;

And I apprehended, straight, some power had strooke

me

With a dead palsey: well, I must be merry,

And shake it off. A many of these feares

Would put me into some villanous disease,

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91 [Aside. G [to VOLT. G 93 [Exit. G IOI [Exeunt. G

Act V.
VOLPONE.] ACT V.
PONE'S House. Enter VOLPONE. G

SCENE I. A Room in Vol6 apprênded Q

Should they come thick vpon me: I'le preuent 'hem.
Giue me a boule of lustie wine, to fright
This humor from my heart; (hum, hum, hum)

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He drinkes.

'Tis almost gone, already: I shall conquer.
Any deuice, now, of rare, ingenious knauery,
That would possesse me with a violent laughter,
Would make me vp, againe! So, so, so, so.

15

Drinkes againe.

i

This heate is life; 'tis bloud, by this time: MOSCA!

H

Αεὶ ν. Scene II.

MOSCA, VOLPONE, NANO,
CASTRONE.

Ow now, fir? do's the day looke cleare againe?
Are we recouer'd? and wrought out of error,

Into our way? to see our path, before vs?

Is our trade free, once more? VOLP. Exquisite

MOSCA!

Mos. Was it not carry'd learnedly? VOLP. And
stoutly.

Good wits are greatest in extremities.

Mos. It were a folly, beyond thought, to trust

Any grand act vnto a cowardly spirit:

You are not taken with it, enough, me thinkes?

VOLP. O, more, then if I had enioy'd the wench:
The pleasure of all woman-kind's not like it.

Mos. Why, now you speake, fir. We must, here be
fixt;

Here, we must rest; this is our master-peece:
We cannot thinke, to goe beyond this. VOLP. True,
Thou 'hast playd thy prise, my precious MOSCA. Mos.

Nay, fir,

12 Q om. stage-direction.

Act V.

CASTRONE.]

16 Q om. stage-direction. Enter MOSCA. G

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II woman

kind's Q

To gull the court VOLP. And, quite diuert the

torrent,

Vpon the innocent. Mos. Yes, and to make

So rare a musique out of discordes

Right.

VOLP.

That, yet, to me's the strangest! how th' hast borne it!

That these (being so diuided 'mongst themselues)

Should not sent some-what, or in me, or thee,

Or doubt their owne side. Mos. True, they will not

fee't.

Too much light blinds 'hem, I thinke. Each of 'hem
Is so possest, and stuft with his owne hopes,

That any thing, vnto the contrary,

Neuer so true, or neuer so apparent,

Neuer so palpable, they will resist it

VOLP. Like a temptation of the diuell. Mos.
Right, fir.

Merchants may talke of trade, and your great signiors
Of land, that yeelds well; but if Italy
Haue any glebe, more fruitfull, then these fellowes,
I am deceiu'd. Did not your Aduocate rare?

VOLP. O (my most honor'd fathers, my graue
fathers,

Vnder correction of your father-hoods,

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25

30

[508]

What face of truth is, here? If these strange deeds 35 May passe, most honour'd fathers-) I had much a doe

To forbeare laughing. Mos. 'T seem'd to mee, you

sweat, fir.

VOLP. In troth, I did a little. Mos. But confesse,
fir,

Were you not daunted? VOLP. In good faith, I was
A little in a mist; but not deiected:

Neuer, but still my felfe. Mos. I thinke it, fir

Now (fo truth helpe me) I must needes say this, fir. 33-6 Q om. parentheses.

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And, out of confcience, for your aduocate:
He' has taken paines, in faith, fir, and deseru'd,

(In my poore iudgement, I speake it, vnder fauour,
Not to contrary you, fir) very richly

Well-to be cosen'd. VOLP. 'Troth, and I thinke so

too,

By that I heard him, in the latter end.

Mos. O, but before, fir; had you heard him, first,
Draw it to certaine heads, then aggrauate,
Then vse his vehement figures I look'd still,
When he would shift a shirt; and, doing this

Out of pure loue, no hope of gaine

right.

I cannot answer him, Mosca, as I would,
Not yet; but for thy fake, at thy intreaty,

I will beginne, eu'n now, to vexe 'hem all :

VOLP. 'Tis

This very instant. Mos. Good, fir. VOLP. Call the

dwarfe,

And eunuch, forth. Mos. CASTRONE, NANO. NAN.

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50

55

Here.

VOLP. Shal we haue a jig, now? Mos. What you

please, fir. VOLP. Go,

Streight, giue out, about the streetes, you two,

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That I am dead; doe it with conftancy,

Sadly, doe you heare? impute it to the griefe

Of this late flander. Mos. What doe you meane, fir?

VOLP. O,

I shall haue, instantly, my vulture, crow,

Rauen, come flying hither (on the newes)

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To peck for carrion, my shee-wolfe, and all,

Greedy, and full of expectation

Mos. And then to haue it rauish'd from their mouthes?

VOLP. 'Tis true, I will ha' thee put on a gowne,

45-6 Q om. parentheses.

63 [Exeunt Cast. and NaNO. G

58 Enter CASTRONE and NANO. G

And take vpon thee, as thou wert mine heire;
Shew'hem a will: open that chest, and reach
Forth one of those, that has the blankes. I'le straight
Put in thy name. Mos. It will be rare, fir. VOLP. I,
When they e'ene gape, and finde themselues deluded-
Mos. Yes. VOLP. And thou vse them skiruily.
Dispatch,

Get on thy gowne. Mos. But, what, fir, if they aske
After the body? VOLP. Say, it was corrupted.

Mos. I'le say, it stunke, fir; and was faine t' haue it
Coffin'd vp instantly, and sent away.

VOLP. Any thing, what thou wilt. Hold, here's my will.

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Get thee a cap, a count-booke, pen and inke,
Papers afore thee; fit, as thou wert taking
An inuentory of parcels: I'le get vp,

Behind the cortine, on a stoole, and harken;

Sometime, peepe ouer; see, how they doe looke;
With what degrees, their bloud doth leaue their faces!
O, 'twill afford me a rare meale of laughter.

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Mos. Your Aduocate will turne stark dull, vpon it.
VOLP. It will take off his oratories edge.
Mos. But your Clarifsimo, old round-backe, he

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Will crumpe you, like a hog-louse, with the touch. VOLP. And what CORVINO? Mos. O, fir, looke for him,

To morrow morning, with a rope, and a dagger,

To visite all the streetes; he must runne mad.

My Lady too, that came into the court,

To beare falfe witnesse, for your worship- VOLP.

Yes,

And kist mee 'fore the fathers; when my face

Flow'd all with oyles. Mos. And sweate, fir. Why,

your gold

73 [Gives him a paper. G

76 [putting on a gown G

88 [putting on a cap, and setting out the table, &c. G

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