Notes of Ben Jonson's Volpone

Notes of Ben Jonson's Volpone

Act I, Scene I

Line 5, the celestiall ram: The "Ram" is the first of the Signs of the Zodiac, through which the sun passes in the second part of March and the first part of April, that is, in the beginning of spring.

10. Sol: the sun personified. In alchemy "sol" came to mean gold.

12. relic: a memorial of a departed saint, martyr, or other holy person, carefully preserved and held in esteem or veneration.

15. that age: Many classical poets looked back to an imaginary golden age during which men lived simpler and more honest lives and, which according to the myth, was distinguished by an absence of precious metals. Volpone, however, identifies gold with that happy and care-free age, thus misinterpreting the metaphorical meaning of golden in the phrase "golden age".

24. with thee to boot: in your company.

37. subtill glasse: venice was famous for its glass, and the skill needed for its blowing well deserved to be called subtle' or cunning or artistic.

40. usure, usury Volpone here refers to the practice of men lending money at high rates of interest to individuals in need, particularly to young men of fashian living their means the "soft prodigals" of Line 41. Lines 40-66 are a catalogue of the various means by which the growing Elizabethan mercantile class made their fortunes. Volpone, however, does not adopt any of these methods of making money.

41. a melting heir: a young man who has just inherited wealth and who can easily be cheated. "Melting" means so soft as not to offer any resistance.

42-43. as your Dutch will pills of butter: The Dutch were known for their fondness for butter. They were mocked by other nations for the amount of butter they ate.

46. kind, clasping prison: leg-irons. These are ironically called "kind" or affectionate.

58. Romagnia or Romney was a sweet wine of Greek origin, very popular in England. Candy, in Crete, was one of the sources of Malmsey, another wine, "Lombard" is Lombardy in northern Italy.

71. cocker up my genius: indulge my bent of mind; follow my inclination.

83. counter-work the one unto the other: undermine each other's scheme: plot to cut one another out. 84. as they would seeme: in love, they pretend that their gifts are a token of their love..

88. bearing them in hand: raising false hopes; leading them on, beguiling them.

Act 1, Scene II

Note: The entertainment provided by three deformed members of Volpone's house-hold is taken chiefly from one of Lucian's Dialogues, and is intended as a mockery of the metempsychosis or the theory of the transmigration of the soul.

2. universitie show: masques and plays which English universities used for the entertainment of kings and queens, and which were acted by to present university scholars.

6. here is inclos'd: Here Nano points to Androgyno as enclosing the soul (of Pythagoras).

6. Pythagoras was a native of Samos in Greece. Nano refers, in the next line, to Pythagoras as the "juggler divine" because he is so called in Lucian's Dream (from which most of Nano's account of the soul is derived). Pythagoras not only supported the doctrine of metempsychosis (or the transmigration of the soul into different bodies) but also claimed that he remembered the different bodies in which his own soul had lived. He said that he recollected to have been Aethalides (the son of Mercury), to have helped the Greeks during the Trojan war in the character of Euphorbus, to have been Hermotimus, then a fisherman, and finally Pythagoras.

8. Fast and lose: the name of a gambling trick by means of which a juggler could always dupe a client at his performance in a fair. Here the idea is that the juggler Pythagoras could free his soul of its temporary body.

18. Cuckold of Sparta: Menelaus was the King of Sparta and the husband of Helen whose abduction by Paris started the Trojan war. He is called a "cuck- old" because his wife proved unfaithful to him. In the Elizabethan age there was a general belief that horns would grow on the head of a man whose wife proved unfaithful to him. Such a man was called a "cuckold".

17. the Sophist of Greece: The word "Sophist" literally means a wise man. The title "Sophist" was given to Pythagoras, though he refused to use it.

21. Crates the Cynic: Crates was a deformed and eccentric disciple of Diogenes, the cynic philosopher.

21. as it selfe doth relate it: In Lucian's Dream, the soul, in the shape of a cock. Tells its story to its master, a cobbler. Here, the soul, which now resides in Androgyno's body, is supposed to be telling its history which is being communicated to the audience by Nano.

26-27, one, two or three.....his golden thigh: Pythagoras tried to com- bine mysticism and mathematics. He explained the nature of things in terms of the number-sequence one, two, three, four, etc. His trigon was a triangle of four, and is still called Pythagoras's theorem. The quater was an easy refer- ence-diagram by which Pythagoreans swore, and recognized each other infor eign lands. Pythagoras was also a musician. He supposed the heavenly bodies to be separated by distances according to the law of harmony. From this belief, arose the idea of the music of the spheres. Further-more, he was believed to have the power of working miracles, one of which was that when he participated in the Olympic Games he was seen to have a golden thigh. (W.B.Yeats, in one of his poems, speaks of "golden-thighed Pythagoras").

32. counting all old doctrine heresie: This is an ironic remark from Jonson who was at this time a Roman Catholic. He means to say that those who believed only in the new learning of the Reformation were fools.

33. forbid meates: forbidden foods. Pythagoras disallowed his disciples to eat fish, flesh and beans for ever, and he disallowed them to speak for five years. Nano is here asking Androgyno if the latter has been able to observe the strict rules prescribed by Pythagoras.

34. carthusian: a member of a strict order of monks. This order was established by St. Bruno in 1086. 35. dogmatical silence: a reference to the five years' silence prescribed by Pythagoras and already mentioned above.

40. eating of beanes: See the note on Line 33 above.

43. precise, pure, illuminate brother: This is a description of a Puritan. English Calvinists were "precise" because they adhered strictly to their rules, "Pure" because they practised virtue, and "illuminate" because they were sup- posed to have seen the light of truth.

44. of those devoure flesh, and sometimes one another: The Puritans were sometimes accused of being gluttons for meat. That explains the phrase "devour flesh" Devouring one another depicts them as cannibals, but only in a metaphorical sense.

76. free from slaughter: without fear of any punishment.

80. When wit waites upone the foole: when the fool is served by wit; when the fool speaks in a witty manner.

89-90. Vulture, kite, raven, and gor-crow: These are symbolic names. "Vulture" is Voltore. "Kite" is Lady Politic Would-be. "Raven" is Corbaccio. "Gor-crow" or carrion crow is Corvino.

95. a fox.....a gaping crow: This is a reference to the fable of a fox flattering a crow for its singing so that the crow opens its beak and drops the cheese it was holding.

106. foot-cloths: richly ornamented cloths meant to be spread over horses' backs, reaching the ground on either side.

108, moyle: mule. (Judges, and sergeants as well as advocates, custom-arily rode mules).

113. ambitious: used to mean both "soaring into the air" and "aspiring"; conspicuous and not missed by anybody.

123, harpyies or harpies: fabulous monsters, greedy and filthy, each with a woman's face and body, and the wings and claws of a bird. Hence the word means "greedy and ruthless persons".

Act 1, Scene III

4. notes: signs, gifts.

10. S. Marke: St. Mark. The famous St. Mark's Cathedral was built in Venice in 830. Here, however, the reference is to the market in St. Mark's Square, well-known for its goldsmiths.

58. forked counsell: advice which points in two directions, advice which has a doubtful or double meaning.

58-9. take provoking gold.....put it up: "To provoke" is to ask for one's case to be taken up. A lawyer would take fees or bribes from both parties to a suit, and simply pocket the money. But this may also be interpreted thus: Whichever side a lawyer takes in a law-suit about gold, the gold is sure to end up in his pocket.

70. golden lard: liquid gold, or a sea of gold. "Lard" literally means the fat (obtained from pigs) which is used in cooking.

Note: Lard, liquid gold, and honey are thick liquids for a swimmer. The idea of swimming and honey is derived from Erasmus's The Praise of Folly. Mosca and Voltore seem to find the thought of bathing in liquid gold attractive, especially to the taste.

76. anon: at once. (This word is addressed to the person knocking at the door. Mosca shouts that he will immediately attend to the visitor).

Act 1, Scene IV

2. multiply: With the arrival of each visitor the day's booty will go on increasing.

2-5. Now shall wee see........over his grave: This is a reference to Corbaccio's old age and infirmity. This contemptible fellow, namely Corbaccio, is even weaker and feebler than Volpone pretends to be, and yet Corbaccio hopes that he will live longer than Volpone and step upon Volpone's grave. This is a satirical filing on Corbaccio.

18. his last sleepe: The implication is, of course, that the drug or opiate is poisoned.

19. say you?: What do you say? Corbaccio, being deaf, finds difficulty in catching Mosca's words.

52. 'tis past, the scotomy: This may mean either: His dizziness has left him; or: It is no longer a question of inere dizziness.

67. I know it too: I also do not know, but I fear the worst.

67. By your owne scale. You are judging by your own intentions; you are measuring the whole thing by your own standard.

71. your sacred medicine: The gold coins are here described as the "sacred" medicine which will cure Volpone. The idea of gold as a cure for all ailments is a recurrent ironic image in the play.

Encomium Moriae (or, The Praise of Folly) was a Latin work written by Erasmus in 1516 at the suggestion of Sir Thomas More. It was a satire principally directed against theologians and Church dignitaries.

72. elixir: a liquor once thought to have the power of prolonging life indefinitely. In alchemy, clixir was a substance which could change base metals into gold.

73. 'Tis aurum palpabile, if not potabile: Aurum potabile is drinkable gold-particles of gold in an oil, formerly taken as a medicine to invigorate the heart and stimulate the circulation of blood. Corbaccio says that, though his gold coins are not drinkable, they are touchable ("palpabile").

75. cordiall: a drink which strengthens the heart.

107. stone-dead: dead as a stone; but here, "insensible". We have such expressions as "stone-deaf" and "stone-cold".

119. Still, my invention : Corbaccio claims each new point suggested by Mosca as his own idea.

124. Rooke goes with you, raven: Addressing Corbaccio as a raven, Mosca wants him to go and be "rooked" or "fooled". Another interpretation is: "You will get as good knavery as you give."

128. Nor I, to gull my brother of his blessing: This is a reference to the Biblical story in which Jacob cheated his brother Esau of Issac's blessings by disguising himself in the skin of a goat. Mosca means to say that, just as Jacob cheated his brother Esau, so he (Mosca) will cheat his brother Bonario. Mosca here refers to Bonario as his brother because Corbaccio has just said that he will be a father to Mosca. Of course, Corbaccio is incapable of comprehending the meaning of Mosca's remark.

140. give them wordes: deceive them with words.

141. Powre oyle into their eares: pour oil into their ears; flatter them; soft-soap them; fill their ears with greasy. soothing words.

156. like Aeson: Acson was the father of Jason who was the leader of the Argonauts. The mission of the Argonauts was to obtain the golden fleece. The aged Acson was restored to youth by the magic of Medea. Volpone, speaking ironically, says that the aged Corbaccio hopes that he too would be rejuvenated as Aeson had been.

159. And all turnes aire: and everything turns to nothing.

162. Another bout, sir, with your eyes: Mosca suggests that another application of ointment to Volpone's eyes is called for. The world "bout" is used in the sense of the "act of applying" the ointment.

Act I, Scene V

9. orient: orient pearls were pearls of particular brilliance and value, as coming originally from the East. 14. caract: carat, a measure of weight used for precious stones. The pearl Corvino has brought weights twenty-four carats.

39. No more than a blind harper: This is a proverbial expression to convey absolute blindness.

47. The Dwarfe, the Foole..... are all his : It is possible that Mosca is merely trying to fool Corvino, but the idea of Volpone having begotten these deformed and pathetic bodies is quite appropriate.

48-49. He's the true father of his family,/in all, save me: An employer regarded as the "father" of his servants. Here, Volpone is not only the employer of the war, the hermaphrodite, and the eunuch, but is being depicted was as also their father in the literal sense.

55. Throughly, and throughly: through and through

58. frog-pits. frog-spits; the frothing exudation round the larvae of the frog-hopper. But a more likely meaning is: stagnant little pools of water in which frogs live.

59. Nay, helpe sir: Mosca asks Corvino to assist him in abusing Volpone The abuse differentiates this third encounter from the first (ie., with Voltore), which was all respectful whispers, and from the second (with Corbaccio), which was indeed all shouting but also all decency to the dying. This situation is comparable to that in The Alchemist when Subtle and Face abuse Surly, beliey- ing him to be a Spaniard who cannot understand them. Here, Corvino is, of course, under the impression that Volpone cannot hear the abuse being heaped upon him.

 74. Nay, at your discretion: Do as you see fit. (Corvino is anxious enough that Volpone should die, but hesitates to suggest violence to be done to him.)

92. Or fat, by eating, once a month, a man: There was a belief that eating human flesh could improve the bodily constitution or physique. Volpone says that he will improve in health by duping his victims and robbing them of their money rather than by eating human flesh.

95. This is the stile, sir, is directed mee: This is the manner in which I was instructed to announce Lady Would-be. (Obviously, Lady Would-be has given precise instructions as to the manner in which she should be announced).

101-2. Of the bold English that they dare let loose. Their wives, to all encounters: Italians, and Venetians in particular, used to keep a strict and jealous guard over their wives, as Corvino does. Volpone therefore expresses surprise at the freedom which the English husbands allow their wives in going about and meeting people without any escort.

105. shee hath not yet the face to be dishonest: She does not even have a face attractive enough to tempt anybody to seduce her. The word "yet" is here used in the sense of "even", and "dishonest" means "unfaithful to her husband". The idea is that she can move about freely and without any escort because no man would be attracted by her or have any designs on her.

108-9. a wench/O'the first yeere: a woman in the prime of her life; or, a woman in the first year of puberty.

113. And flesh, that melteth, in the touch, to bloud: And she melts into flesh and blood as soon as she is touched. Mosca means to say that she immediately responds to a man's caressing or fondling her. Mosca has described her as possessing the purity of a status; she is whiter than a swan, silver, snow, or lilies. Now, in order to lend warmth to the portrait, he adds that she will not be cold to Volpone's embraces.

114. Bright as your gold and lovely, as your gold: Even in his poetic description of Celia's beauty, Mosca employes gold as the touchstone of ex cellence.

121-2. and are watched/As neere, as they are: and she is guarded as closely as early crops of fruit. neere close or closely.

125-6, and have all their charge.... examined: Whenever he enters or leaves the house, Corvino demands a detailed report from every servant on the movements of Celia, and also the movements of other domestic spies. In other words, each servant has to report the movements of Celia and also the move-ments of his fellow-servants.

129. Maintayne mine owne shape, still, the same: All the same, I must maintain my own pose as a dying man. (Volpone means to say that he must go out of his house in some disguise because, if he goes as Volpone, the legacy- hunters will come to know that he is not really sick).

Act II, Scene I

4. salt desire: excessive desire; inordinate desire.

5. shifting a religion : changing one's faith; getting converted to an-other religion.

10. Ulysses: One of the great warriors and heroes who participated in the Trojan war and who thereafter went on a long voyage of exploration lasting many years. Ulysses is described in the opening lines of the Odyssey as a man who roamed the wide world and saw the cities of many nations and learned their ways. He became for the Renaissance a model for the curious traveler and for aristocratic young men who completed their education with a journey abroad.

12. Laid for this height of Venice': " laid a course for the parallel of Yenice"; aimed at the latitude of Venice.

14. travell, sir, with licence: No English subject was permitted to travel qverseas without a licence from the British Privy Council. This licence or pass- port was to be presented to the English embassy abroad. Its absence showed that the traveller was either a refugee or a malcontent. Hence Sir Politic's relief which is expressed in the next line.

15. I dare.....converse: I have less to fear in being seen talking to you.

17. my lord ambassador: The English ambassador at that time, Sir Henry Wotton, was himself a noted intriguer. He was also a poet and man of letters. According to one commentator, Sir Politic represents a satirical portrait of Sir Henry Wotton.

22. raven: The raven was regarded as a bird of ill omen. A raven, building a nest on a royal ship, would therefore be interpreted as inauspicious.

24. trow: do you think?

30. the spider and the bee: Peregrine ironically links Lady Would-be with the prostitutes who were then regarded as leaders of fashion. Sir Politic replies with the proverb that the bees make honey and the spider makes poison of the same nectar. Peregrine meant to say that Lady Would-be was lodging in the red-light district in Venice in order to study the fashions. Sir Politic ignores the implied insult and defends his wife's mode of studying the local fashions.

34. lyons whelping in the Tower: A lioness, being kept in the Tower of London at this time, produced cubs in 1604 and again in 1605.

36-7. The fires at Berwike! And the new starre: In 1604, there were reports of ghostly armies fighting at Berwick, on the Scottish border. In the same year, Kepler observed a brilliant star in the constellation Serpentarius. This star remained visible for seventeen months.

38. meteors: Meteors were regarded as evil portents of imminent social disorder. They were so regarded because they are a disruption of the ordinary pattern of the heavens.

46. whale: A whale did come up the Thames at this time, within eight miles of London. Many people thought that the whale would pump all the water from the river on to the land.

49. Stode-Fleet: This refers to the ships of the English Merchant Adventurers who made a prolonged stay at Stode (or Stade), on the Elbe Estuary.

51. Spinola: the Spanish General in the Netherlands at this time. He was extremely successful and was believed by the common people in England to be extraordinarily clever in devising cunning schemes and secret weapons. Sir Politic foolishly regards the whale as having been sent by Spinola into the Thames river.

53. Stone: Master Stone was a well-known London clown. (He was flogged for making satirical speeches about the Lord Admiral).

58-9. should write/But such a fellow : should just introduce a character like Sir Politic in a play and present him on the stage.

70. cabages: Cabbages were then imported into England from Holland.

80. Convey an answere in a tooth-pick. Sir Politic's foolishness and credulity could not have been better illustrated than by his belief that the spy could convey an answer in a tooth-pick. (All Sir Politic's descriptions of plots, spies, and methods of espionage are intended by Jonson to be a mockery not of genuine activities but of activities imagined by foolish people in the days im- mediately after the discovery of the Gun-Powder Plot. (The Gun-Powder Plot was a Catholic attempt to blow up King James and the assembled Parliament on November 4, 1605).

90. Mamuluchi: Mamuluchi or Mamelukes were former Christian slaves of the Turks, who became rulers of Egypt during the thirteenth century. Sir Politic is merely seizing on any rare word to support his pretence of knowing all about every political matter.

95. one of their own coat: one of their own party. Sir Politic is talking of the baboons whom he identifies with the Mamuluchi. The absurdity of his talk is obvious.

"Mass hallucinations were very common in England during this period.

114. cry'd contemptuously used to mean: "taught".

118. of ingenuous race: of noble or honourable birth.

119. Professe. boast.

120. I have been consulted with: Sir Politic pretends to be a master of all the rules and etiquette of travel, and claims that great men have been consulting him regarding the education and instruction of their sons.

Act II, Scene II

4. mountebankes: The word "mountebank" is derived from the Italian expression: "monta in banco", meaning "mount on a bench". A mountebank was a wandering quack who, standing on a platform, addressed his audience and tried to prevail on them to buy the medicines which he offered. He would tell the audience stories, anecdotes, accounts of his travels, and so on, to create an impression. Sometimes he performed juggling tricks. He was often assisted by a clown who was called a "Zany". Italian mountebanks were particularly well-known.

22. Scoto of Mantua: He was a sixteenth-century Italian actor and leader of a group of players licensed by the Duke of Mantua. He was also a renowned juggler. He appeared in England in 1576 and gave a performance before the Queen and her court. By the time this play was written, Scoto's name had become a by-word for deceit and fraud.

28. Zany: the clown who assists a mountebank. Here Nano plays that role.

35-6. Publike piazza, neere the shelter of the portico, to the procuratia, etc.: Here and in the rest of the mountebank's speech the geographical details given are said to be quite correct, and the biographical details plausible enough as a description of the life of a travelling actor-and-quack in sixteenth-century Italy. "The portico to the procuratia" refers to the Procuratie Vecchie with an arcade of fifty arches running along the north side of the Piazza di San Marco.

41. colde on my feet: in such a bad condition as to have to sell my medicines for whatever I can get.

45. a 'Sforzato : a galley slave; a person condemned to work upon a ship as a slave in those days.

46. Alessandro Buttone: Nothing is known of this man. However, it has been surmised that he was a physician contemporary with Paracelsus.

46. the Cardinall Bembo: He was a famous Italian humanist (1470- 1547) known for his pure Latin style and for the beautiful speech he delivers in Il Cortegiano, on the progress from the love of earthly beauty to love of spiritual things. Il Cortegiano was translated into English as "The Book of the Courtier by Sir Thomas Hoby in 1561, and became a handbook for the Renaissance English gentleman.

51-52. Boccaccio..... Fabulist: Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) whose collection of tales, The Decameron, is famous.

Tabarine was a Zany in a group of Italian comedians who visited France in 1572.

59. groatsworth: worth a groat; worth very little. (A groat was equal to fourpence).

60. scartoccios. "scarto" means a useless piece of paper. Pieces of paper were folded to hold spices or medicines. Each dose of medicine was wrapped in a separate bit of paper. Even today medicinal powders are sold in that form.

61. and play: and live well from it; (or this expression may mean: and to spare).

62. earthy oppilations: obstructions. (Their minds, as it were, have become constipated by gross materialism).

76. terra-firma: This is a reference to the Venetian possessions on the main land.

89. humid flux or catarrh : the mucus discharged from the nose; or, excess of heavy wetness flowing out of the head into the body.

Note: Volpone's medicine throughout the speech is based on the medi- eval and Renaissance theory of the four humours and the four elements. The four elements and their qualities were: earth (cold, heavy, and dry); water (cold, heavy, and wet); air (warm, light, and wet); and fire (hot, light, and dry). In man, these four elements took the form of humours or fluids, the four principal humours being blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholy. In a healthy man the humours were balanced but in the majority of men one homour predominated and determined a man's nature or temperament: "sanguine", "phlegmatic", "choleric" and "melancholic". When the humours became seriously unbalanced, sickness resulted. The "humid flux" which Volpone refers to was an excess of heavy wetness flowing out of the head into the body.

117. Broughtons bookes: Hugh Broughton (1549-1617) was a Puritan clergyman and scholar who wrote a number of strange books on religious subjects. Jonson had an intense dislike for the Puritans, and that dislike finds expression here (as also in Nano's speech regarding the transmigration of the soul).

118 Hippocrates: the father of Greek medicine in the fifth century B.C. He wrote about sixty books on medicine.

118. Galen: the father of medieval medicine, a Greek of the first century A.D. (Hippocrates originated, and Galen expounded, the theory of humours referred to above).

125. gaucum : the wood of a West Indian tree used in medicine, and a drug obtained from its resin. 126. Raymond Lully: He was a thirteenth-century alchemist and mis-sionary who was believed to have discovered the "Stone" or the "Elixir" which changed base metals into gold and old men into young men.

127. Gonswart: His identity has not definitely been established, though. various conjectures have been made about who he was.

128. Paracelsus: a famous sixteenth century Swiss physician and phi- losopher who in his travels carried a long sword with a hollow handle to hold his drugs and medicines. His sword became famous in fact and fable.

136, signiory of the Sanita: the Health Authorities: a body formed in 1485 with powers to issue licences to physicians and mountebanks.

164. balloo balloon, a game played by a group of men with a large inflated leather ball. The word may also mean a kind of dance.

Cardinals Montalto, Fernese: They are both historical personalities. The former became Pope Sixtus V in 1585.

176. gossip: godfather; or, familiar acquaintance or friend.

193. moist of hand: Moist hands were regarded as a sign of youth and health

205-7. the ducat, moccenigo, bagatine: These are all names of coins. There were both gold and silver ducats, the value of which varied considerably. A "moccenigo" was worth about ninepence, and a "bagatine" the third part of a farthing.

206-7. the banner of my front: probably his doctor's hat, the sign of his profession. The word "front" here may mean the front of the platform. (The whole phrase may also mean the banner hung out by the mountebank to adver- tise his goods). The mountebank here takes an oath to convince his audience.

214. a double pistolet: a valuable gold coin.

240. virginal jacks: This refers to the keys of a harpischord which strike the strings via the jacks. The "virginal" was a small "spinet" without legs, and its jack was a board with quills which plucked the strings as the keys were played (A harpischord is a kind of musical instrument). A spinet is a small harpischord.

Act II, Scene III

1. Spight o' the devill: (i) the devil's malice which Corvino sees in the mountebank's presence; the mountebank as an embodiment of Satan's ill-will. (ii) manifestation of the devil's hatred. of man; that is, woman. In this case, the phrase is addressed by Corvino to Celia, not to Volpone.

3,4,8. Flaminio, Franciscina, Pantalone: These are all names occurring in the Commedia dell' Arte, the popular Italian street comedy of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Flaminio was a noted actor in the Commedia ; Franciscina was a standard name for the amorous and witty servant-girl; and Pantalone was the name for the old Venetian merchant who was not only aged and jealous but also a cuckold*. There have been references to the Commedia throughout the mountebank's speech in the preceding scene-Zany, Tabarine, Zan Fritada. In that scene Jonson has combined three separate but related forms of showmanship designed to befool the credulous listeners: the mountebank advertising his medicines, the alchemist promising the elixir which will prolong life and beauty, and the street comedian.

Act II, Scene IV

3. bolting: springing, but also shooting. A bolt is an arrow, and Cupid's bolt was a familiar figure of speech.

"A cuckold was a person whose wife had proved unfaithful to him. It was believed that horns grew on the head of such a man.

6. ambitious fire: fire which is spreading or swelling.

9. liver: believed to be the seat of love and jealousy. But a later poetic tradition transferred these passions to the heart.

28. If you can horne him: if you can make Corvino a cuckold*.

34. Escape your epilogue: escape being beaten by Corvino. The word "epilogue" here refers to the final incident in Volpone's adventure as a mouny tebank. It will be recalled that Volpone was driven away from the street by Corvino with blows.

38. And as I prosper, so applaud my art: My performance may be assessed or evaluated by the results I achieve; praise me only if I succeed in carrying out my plans.

Act II, Scene V

2. tooth-drawing: This was one of the principle activities of wandering quacks

4. strained action: overdone theatrical gestures.

 4. dole of faces: stock of facial masks or facial expression; repertory of stock expressions; varying expressions which appear on a mountebank's face.

7. Satyres : satyrs; mythological demi-gods noted for their cruelty and lechery.

8. and fan your favours forth: The handkerchief falling down is compared to a fan refreshing the amorous and hot gazers.

10. call: a cry used to attract birds. The mountebank is compared to the decoy bird whose song lures the wild bird down into a trap. Corvino means that the mountebank acted as the agent of the mob who feasted their eyes on Celia's beauty.

11-15. copper rings?.....starched beard?: A mountebank used to wear an elaborate costume and make-up to attract his audience. Copper rings were a part of that costume. "Saffron" refers to the gilt setting for the stone which he wore. Many people believed that the toad had a jewel (toad-stone) between its eyes and that this jewel had magical properties effective in curing diseases.

Cope-stitch was a fancy, large stitch which stood out on the ornate, embroidered suit.

The hearse was traditionally a framework over a tomb used to support rich hangings: hearse cloths. The implication here is that the mountebank had stolen, or at least bought second-hand, these funeral draperies for his clothes. The tilt feather was a large, ornate feather or plume worn in helmets.

A starched beard was one of the fashions of the time.

17. fricace for the moother: a massage for an attack of hysteria, perhaps a standard medical treatment. (But Corvino is also suggesting that Volpone will seduce Celia).

18. would you not mount?: The sexual implication of this remark are obvious.

24. And save your dowrie : By the law if a husband could show that his wife had been unfaithful, he could send her away but keep her dowry.

50. this bawdy light dam'd up: The light coming from the window is a "bawd" or pimp because it reveals or sells Celia to the public gaze.

55-56. Then on a conjurer..... was laid: The conjurer (or magician) who wanted to summon a devil drew a magic circle within which he was safe until the devil was laid (that is, sent back to hell from where he had been Summoned).

Act II, Scene VI

fiddling: The fiddle was part of the equipment of all travelling enter-tainers.

 tumbling: There is a pun upon this word. Tumbling (that is, falling and getting up, falling and getting up, etc.) was part of the stock entertainment provided by travelling companies. But the other meaning has sexual implica- tions.

fasting spittle: fasting man's saliva. The implication is that Scoto is starving and poverty-stricken.

34. But some young woman must be streight sought out: This remedy is biblical in origin. For instance, we read in the Bible: "Now King David was old, and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he got no heat. Wherefore his servants said unto him, 'Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her cherish him, and let her lie in his bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.' So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not."

75. 'Slight: an exclamation, the abbreviated form of "God's light".

79. Covetous wretch: Corvino accuses the imaginary physician, Lupo, of having covetous designs on Volpone's inheritance in offering his daughter to him. (The word "Lupo" means "wolf").

84. you have cut all their throtes: you have pushed all your rivals into the background; you have beaten them all.

95. Mine owne free motion: of my own free accord; as a result of my own proposal unprompted by anybody else.

Act II, Scene VII

4-5. the lightnesse of the occasion...thee: the triviality of the occasion should have convinced you (that I was not talking seriously when snubbig you).

7. unprofitable humour: futile mood; unless whim.

9. They'll doe... the world: If women are determined to be unfaithful to their husbands, they will commit adultery in spite of all the precautions that the husbands may take. A woman's determination can outwit any number of guards in the world.

10. And that......with gold: and that the most pitiless spies can be silenced with gold. Gold can purchase the most brutal spies who will, in that case, keep the secret to themselves.

Act III, Scene I

10. I muse, the mysterie was not made a science : I wonder why this profession of a parasite was not recognised as a regular department for imparting knowledge and training to those wanting to follow this profession. The word "mysterie" is here used to mean "profession". "Science" means a recog- nised department of learning.

14. bare towne-arte: (i) knack of getting a living by knowing the inns and outs of city life; (ii) the knack of being able to get every meal in a different house in the city.

17. to bait that sense: (i) to entice their ears as a means to getting meals, (ii) to feed their hunger, or to satisfy their hunger.

18. Kitchin-invention: (i) servant's fare; the left-overs at a rich man's table; (f) a cooking recipe. 18. stale receipts: receiving stale food, or the left-over food.

19. and the groine : The word "groin" has sexual implications. The reference may be to the aphrodisiac effect of food, or to pandering (that is, suggesting new varieties of sensual pleasure to the boss).

20. court-dog-tricks: The dog symbolises "fawning" or "flattery". The word "court" also suggests flattery. The whole phrase means the tricks which flatterers or inferior parasites would employ to please their masters.

22. lick away a moath. This pharse suggests the extreme form of servility in which the flatterer picks threads or other objects, from the coats of those he is trying to please. "Moath" or "maoth" is used in the general sense of "insect".

28. Present to any humour, all occasion: take advantage of the mood of the moment and of whatever may happen.

29. And change a visor : and change his mark, that is, switch from one role to another; or, change the expression on his face.

Act.III, Scene II

14. You are unequall to me: (i) you are unjust to me; (ii) you are above me in social status.

15-16. Your sentence may be righteous.....proceed in censure: I may deserve your condemnation, but you have no right to pass an adverse judg ment on me before knowing the facts of my case.

23. to spin mine owne poore rayment: to spin my own poor cloth; that is, to make my own poor living.

25-6. done! Base offices: performed dishonourable tasks.

28. or mining men with praises: or undermining people with flattery; winning men's confidence through flattery and then betraying them.

33. That might redeeme my present estimation: that might remove the present wrong impression that you have about me. salvation perish. (ii) Let me die as I stand here full of the expectation of being

34. Let me here perish, in all hope of goodnesse: (1) Let my hopes of spiritually saved. (iii) By all my hope of salvation, let me perish.

39 to make a maine offence, in manners: to commit a serious breach of good manners (by carrying tales).

46. The worke no way ingageth me: It is no business of mine.

49. for which mere respect: only for this reason; for which reason alone.

56. Your pietie: your filial piety; your devotion to your father.

Act III, Scene III

13. And, why, a pritty ape? but for pleasing imitation: And why should a dwarf be called an ape for any reason other than his amusing mimicry? 22-3. Now, Cupid/Send it be Mosca, and with faire returne : Please Cupid, let it be Mosca bringing good news. (Volpone makes this prayer to Cupid because he is waiting for some good news regarding his desire to entrap Celia).

27. that my fit were past: I wish that the agony of her visit were over.

37-8. I feare/ A second hell too: I fear a second torment also. (The first torment is listening to Lady Would-be's incessant talk. The second, which is specified in the next line, is that his dislike of Lady Would-be may extinguish his desire for Celia).

Act III, Scene IV

6. Most favourably: Lady Would-be means" unfavourably" or "badly". She is speaking ironically.

17. tire, attire. Here, however, the word refers to Lady Would-be's coiffure or the manner in which her hair has been arranged; hair-style.

20. bird-ey'd : This expression is used to mean "to look startled or surprised or frightened". Or perhaps, the meaning here is" cock-eyed," that is, to glance knowingly or to wink. In any case, the suggestion is that the maidservant has started back as if to avoid a blow from Lady Would-be.

47. golden mediocritic: the golden mean, meaning "nothing in excess". The phrase has been used by Lady Would-be to indicate the classic guide to conduct. It is Aristotelian in origin.

52. Seed-pearle: a small pearl, once used medicinally as a restorative.

53. Tincture of gold: This was also used as a stimulant.

54. elicampane. the plant elicampane, once a famous remedy for lung complaints.

54. mirobalanes: "mirobalane" is the dried fruit of a tropical tree once used medicinally.

55. I have...by the wing: Volpone curses himself for having caught hold of a grasshopper which is notorious for its noise and its flightiness. "Grass- hopper" here refers to Lady Would-be

56. Burnt silke: Burnt silk was administered in water as a remedy against smallpox.

56. amber: ambergris was formerly used in cookery and perfumery as well as in medicine.