University of Virginia Library

Scene II.

Svbtle
, Tribvlation, Ananias.
O, are you come? 'Twas time. Your threescore minutes
Were at the last thred, you see; and downe had gone
Furnus acediæ, Turris circulatorius:
Lembeke, Bolts-head, Retort, and Pellicane
Had all beene cinders. Wicked Ananias!
Art thou return'd? Nay then, it goes downe, yet.

Tri.
Sir, be appeased, he is come to humble
Himselfe in spirit, and to aske your patience,
If too much zeale hath carried him, aside,
From the due path.

Svb.
Why, this doth qualifie!

Tri.
The Brethren had no purpose, verely,
To giue you the least grieuance: but are ready
To lend their willing hands, to any proiect
The spirit, and you direct.

Svb.
This qualifies more!

Tri.
And, for the orphanes goods, let them be valew'd,
Or what is needfull, else, to the holy worke,
It shall be numbred: here, by me, the Saints
Throw downe their purse before you.

Svb.
This qualifies, most!
Why, thus it should be, now you vnderstand.
Haue I discours'd so vnto you, of our Stone?
And, of the good that it shall bring your cause?
Shew'd you, (beside the mayne of hiring forces
Abroad, drawing the Hollanders, your friends,
From th'Indies, to serue you, with all their fleete)
That euen the med'cinall vse shall make you a faction,
And party in the realme? As, put the case,
That some great man, in state, he haue the gout,
Why, you but send three droppes of your Elixir,
You helpe him straight: there you haue made a friend.
Another has the palsey, or the dropsie,
He takes of your incombustible stuffe,
Hee's yong againe: there you haue made a friend.
A Lady, that is past the feate of body,
Though not of minde, and hath her face decay'd
Beyond all cure of paintings, you restore
With the oyle of Talek; there you haue made a friend:
And all her friends. A lord, that is a Leper,
A knight, that has the bone-ache, or a squire
That hath both these, you make'hem smooth, and sound,
With a bare fricace of your med'cine: still,
You increase your friends.

Tri.
I, 'tis very pregnant.

Svb.
And, then, the turning of this Lawyers pewter
To plate, at Christ-masse—

Ana.
Christ-tide, I pray you.

Svb.
Yet, Ananias?

Ana.
I haue done.

Svb.
Or changing
His parcell guilt, to massie gold. You cannot
But raise you friends. With all, to be of power
To pay an armie, in the field, to buy
The king of France, out of his realmes; or Spaine,
Out of his Indies: What can you not doe,
Against lords spirituall, or temporall,
That shall oppone you?

Tri.
Verily, 'tis true.
We may be temporall lords, our selues, I take it.

Svb.
You may be any thing, and leaue off to make
Long-winded exercises: or suck vp,
Your ha, and hum, in a tune. I not denie,
But such as are not graced, in a state,
May, for their ends, be aduerse in religion,
And get a tune, to call the flock together:
For (to say sooth) a tune do's much, with women,
And other phlegmatick people, it is your bell.

Ana.
Bells are prophane: a tune may be religious.

Svb.
No warning with you? Then, farewell my patience.
'Slight, it shall downe: I will not be thus tortur'd.

Tri.
I pray you, sir.

Svb.
All shall perish. I haue spoke it.

Tri.
Let me find grace, sir, in your eyes; the man
He stands corrected: neither did his zeale
(But as your selfe) allow a tune, some-where.
Which, now, being to'ard the stone, we shall not need.

Svb.
No, nor your holy vizard, to winne widdowes
To giue you legacies; or make zealous wiues
To rob their husbands, for the common cause:
Nor take the start of bonds, broke but one day,
And say, they were forfeited, by prouidence.
Nor shall you need, ore-night to eate huge meales,
To celebrate your next daies fast the better:
The whilst the Brethren, and the Sisters, humbled,
Abate the stiffenesse of the flesh. Nor cast
Before your hungrie hearers, scrupulous bones,
As whether a Christian may hawke, or hunt;
Or whether, Matrons, of the holy assembly,
May lay their haire out, or weare doublets:
Or haue that idoll Starch, about their linnen.

Ana.
It is, indeed, an idoll.

Tri.
Mind him not, sir.
I doe command thee, spirit (of zeale, but trouble)
To peace within him. Pray you, sir, goe on.

Svb.
Nor shall you need to libell 'gainst the Prelates,
And shorten so your eares, against the hearing
Of the next wire-drawn grace. Nor, of necessitie,
Raile against playes, to please the Alderman,
Whose daily custard you deuoure. Nor lie
With zealous rage, till you are hoarse. Not one
Of these so singular arts. Nor call your selues,
By names of Tribvlation, Persecvtion,
Restraint, Long-Patience, and such like, affected
By the whole family, or wood of you,
Onely for glorie, and to catch the eare
Of the Disciple.

Tri.
Truely, sir, they are
Wayes, that the godly Brethren haue inuented,
For propagation of the glorious cause,
As very notable meanes, and whereby, also,
Themselues grow soone, and profitably famous.

Svb.
O, but the stone, all's idle to it! nothing!
The art of Angels, Natures miracle,
The diuine secret, that doth flye in clouds,
From east to west: and whose tradition
Is not from men, but spirits.

Ana.
I hate Traditions:
I do not trust them—

Tri.
Peace.

Ana.
They are Popish, all.
I will not peace. I will not—

Tri.
Ananias.

Ana.
Please the prophane, to grieue the godly: I may not.

Svb.
Well, Ananias, thou shalt ouer-come.

Tri.
It is an ignorant zeale, that haunts him, sir.
But truely, else, a very faithfull Brother,
A botcher: and a man, by reuelation,
That hath a competent knowledge of the truth.

Svb.
Has he a competent summe, there, i' the bagg,
To buy the goods, within? I am made guardian,
And must, for charitie, and conscience sake,
Now, see the most be made, for my poore orphane:
Though I desire the Brethren, too, good gayners.
There, they are, within. When you haue view'd & bought 'hem,
And tane the inuentorie of what they are,
They are readie for proiection; there's no more
To doe: cast on the med'cine, so much siluer
As there is tinne there, so much gold as brasse,
I'll gi' it you in, by waight.

Tri.
But how long time,
Sir, must the Saints expect, yet?

Svb.
Let me see,
How's the moone, now? Eight, nine, ten dayes hence
He will be siluer potate; then, three dayes,
Before he citronise: some fifteene dayes,
The Magisterium will be perfected.

Ana.
About the second day, of the third weeke,
In the ninth month?

Svb.
Yes, my good Ananias,

Tri.
What will the orphanes goods arise to, thinke you?

Svb.
Some hundred markes; as much as fil'd three raines,
Vnladed now: you'll make sixe millions of 'hem,
But I must ha' more coales laid in.

Tri.
How!

Svb.
Another load,
And then we ha' finish'd. We must now encrease
Our fire to ignis ardens, we are past
Fimus equinus, Balnei, Cineris,
And all those lenter heats. If the holy purse
Should, with this draught, fall low, and that the Saints
Doe need a present summe, I haue trick
To melt the pewter, you shall buy now, instantly.
And, with a tincture, make you as good Dutch dollers,
As any are in Holland.

Tri.
Can you so?

Svb.
I, and shall bide the third examination.

Ana.
It will be ioyfull tidings to the Brethren.

Svb.
But you must carry it, secret.

Tri.
I, but stay,
This act of coyning, is it lawfull?

Ana.
Lawfull?
We know no Magistrate. Or, if we did,
This's forraine coyne.

Svb.
It is no coyning, sir.
It is but casting.

Tri.
Ha? you distinguish well.
Casting of money may be lawfull.

Ana.
'Tis, sir.

Tri.
Truely, I take it so.

Svb.
There is no scruple,
Sir, to be made of it; beleeue Ananias:
This case of conscience he is studied in.

Tri.
I'll make a question of it, to the Brethren.

Ana.
The Brethren shall approue it lawfull, doubt not.
Where shall't be done?

Svb.
For that wee'll talke, anone.
Knock without.
There's some to speake with me. Goe in, I pray you,
And view the parcells. That's the inuentorie.
I'll come to you straight. Who is it? Face! Appeare.