The alchemist. VVritten by Ben. Ionson
Jonson, Ben, 1573?-1637.
SCENE. 1.
TRIBVLATION. ANANIAS.
THese Chastisements are common to the Saints,
And such rebukes th' Elect must beare, with patience;
They are the exercises of the Spirit,
And sent to tempt our fraylties.
ANA.
In pure zeale,
I doe not like the man: He is a Heathen.
And speakes the language of Canaan, truely.
TRI.
I thinke him a prophane person, indeed.
ANA.
He beares
The visible marke of the beast, in his forehead.
And for his Stone, it is a worke of darknesse,
And, with Philosophie, blinds the eyes of man.
TRI.
Good Brother, we must bend vnto all meanes,
That may giue furtherance, to the holy cause.
ANA.
Which his cannot: The sanctified cause
Should haue a sanctified course.
TRI.
Not alwaies necessary.
The Children of perdition are, oft times,
Made instruments euen of the greatest workes.
Beside, we should giue somewhat to mans nature,
The place he liues in, still about the Fire,
And fume of Mettalls, that intoxicate
The brayne of Man, and make him prone to passion.
Where haue you greater Atheists, then your Cookes?
Or more prophane, or cholerick then your Glasse-men?
More Antichristian then your Bell-founders?
What makes the Diuell so diuelish, I would aske you,
Sathan, our common enemy, but his being
Perpetually about the fire, and boyling
Br•stone, and Arsnike? We must giue, I say,
Vnto the motiues, and the stirrers vp
Of humors in the blood. It may be so.
When as the Worke is done, the Stone is made,
This heate of his may turne into a zeale,
And stand vp for the beauteous discipline,
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Against the menstruous cloth, and ragg of Rome.
We must awayt his calling, and the comming
Of the good Spirit. You did fault, t' vpbraid him
With the Brethrens blessing of Heidelberg, waighing
What neede we haue, to hasten on the Worke,
For the restoring of the silenc'd Saints,
Which ne'er will be, but by the Philosophers Stone.
And, so a learned Elder, one of Scotland,
Assur'd me; Aurum potabile being
The onely med'cine, for the ciuill Magistr•te,
T'incline him to a feeling of the cause:
And must be dayly vs'd, in the disease.
ANA.
I haue not aedified more, truely, by man;
Not, since the beautifull light, first, shone on mee:
And I am sad my zeale hath so offended.
TRI.
Let vs call on him, then.
ANA.
The motion's good.
And of the Spirit; I will knock first: Peace be within.
