Alchemists -- Drama; City and town life -- Drama; English drama (Comedy); English drama -- 17th century; London (England) -- Drama
ENTER DOL IN HER FIT OF RAVING, FOLLOWED BY MAMMON.
DOL. "For after Alexander's death"--
MAM. Good lady--
DOL. "That Perdiccas and Antigonus, were slain,
The two that stood, Seleuc', and Ptolomee"--
MAM. Madam--
DOL. "Made up the two legs, and the fourth beast,
That was Gog-north, and Egypt-south: which after
Was call'd Gog-iron-leg and South-iron-leg"--
MAM. Lady--
DOL. "And then Gog-horned. So was Egypt, too:
Then Egypt-clay-leg, and Gog-clay-leg"--
MAM. Sweet madam--
DOL. "And last Gog-dust, and Egypt-dust, which fall
In the last link of the fourth chain. And these
Be stars in story, which none see, or look at"--
MAM. What shall I do?
DOL. "For," as he says, "except
We call the rabbins, and the heathen Greeks"--
MAM. Dear lady--
DOL. "To come from Salem, and from Athens,
And teach the people of Great Britain"--
[ENTER FACE, HASTILY, IN HIS SERVANT'S DRESS.]
FACE. What's the matter, sir?
DOL. "To speak the tongue of Eber, and Javan"--
MAM. O,
She's in her fit.
DOL. "We shall know nothing"--
FACE. Death, sir,
We are undone!
DOL. "Where then a learned linguist
Shall see the ancient used communion
Of vowels and consonants"--
FACE. My master will hear!
DOL. "A wisdom, which Pythagoras held most high"--
MAM. Sweet honourable lady!
DOL. "To comprise
All sounds of voices, in few marks of letters"--
FACE. Nay, you must never hope to lay her now.
[THEY ALL SPEAK TOGETHER.]
DOL. "And so we may arrive by Talmud skill,
And profane Greek, to raise the building up
Of Helen's house against the Ismaelite,
King of Thogarma, and his habergions
Brimstony, blue, and fiery; and the force
Of king Abaddon, and the beast of Cittim:
Which rabbi David Kimchi, Onkelos,
And Aben Ezra do interpret Rome."
FACE. How did you put her into't?
MAM. Alas, I talk'd
Of a fifth monarchy I would erect,
With the philosopher's stone, by chance, and she
Falls on the other four straight.
FACE. Out of Broughton!
I told you so. 'Slid, stop her mouth.
MAM. Is't best?
FACE. She'll never leave else. If the old man hear her,
We are but faeces, ashes.
SUB [WITHIN]. What's to do there?
FACE. O, we are lost! Now she hears him, she is quiet.
[ENTER SUBTLE, THEY RUN DIFFERENT WAYS.]
MAM. Where shall I hide me!
SUB. How! what sight is here?
Close deeds of darkness, and that shun the light!
Bring him again. Who is he? What, my son!
O, I have lived too long.
MAM. Nay, good, dear father,
There was no unchaste purpose.
SUB. Not? and flee me
When I come in?
MAM. That was my error.
SUB. Error?
Guilt, guilt, my son: give it the right name. No marvel,
If I found check in our great work within,
When such affairs as these were managing!
MAM. Why, have you so?
SUB. It has stood still this half hour:
And all the rest of our less works gone back.
Where is the instrument of wickedness,
My lewd false drudge?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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