: v ;; " ' ' fa* CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ENGLISH COLLECTION THE GIFT OF JAMES MORGAN HART PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH k.tSI'&'L'l Cornell University Library PR 2605.A15 C.2 The alchemist; 3 1924 006 465 599 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924006465599 YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH ALBERT S. COOK, Editor XVII THE ALCHEMIST BY BEN JONSON EDITED WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY BY CHARLES MONTGOMERY HATHAWAY, Jr., Ph.D. ASSISTANT PKOFESSOR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE IN ADELPHI COLLEGE A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Yale University in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy NEW YORK HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 1903 H ft? A/5" b.zsn*'] (Stl ^gJaJtl OXFORD : HORACE HART PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY ; PREFACE Ben Jonson is above all the realist. Comedies such as The Alchemist and Bartholomew Fair are transcripts in accurate detail of the daily life of London in the reign of James I. Jonson lived his life in the heart of the city, and knew it to the core hence the perfection of his local color. And this same local color, which renders Jonson's comedies of exceptional interest to the student of those times, is the greatest obstacle in the way of Jonson's popularity. Not the only one to be sure—his very high intel- lectual level is another—but still the main hindrance. Most difficult of all his plays in local color is The Alchemist, for alchemy and its professors no longer figure in the popular eye. If literature is the index of civilization—and I think it should be so treated—then it is the work of the editor to make that index accurately legible. To this end care has been taken to present the text exactly as Jonson left it. The atmosphere of the times, especially with regard to alchemy, has been sought after, and an effort has been made to bring that now forgotten belief into such light as shall make this satire upon it intelligible. The editor has had in mind chiefly the requirements of the scholar, but has added some fullness of detail iv Preface in the hope that the work might be equally intel- ligible to the non-professional student of literature. Specific details about the Text, Notes, and Glossary will be found at the beginnings of those divisions. I am under obligation to many friends and scholars for help of various kinds for which I can make no adequate acknowledgment. My thanks are especially due to Mr. Robert Hoe of New York for permission to collate his copy of the quarto ; to the following professors in Yale Univer- sity: Albert S. Cook for reading the proofs and for many helpful suggestions, William Lyon Phelps for the use of his copies of the folios of 1616 and 1640 and his collation of the British Museum copy of the quarto and for several notes, H. R. Lang for assistance with the Spanish phrases, and C. C. Torrey for aid with alchemical terms from the Arabic ; to Mr. Andrew Keogh of the Yale University Library for help with the bibliographical matter ; to Dr. H. Carrington Bolton of Washington for references ; and to Mr. H. B. Brougham for the preparation of the index. An excellent popular exposition of alchemy is con- tained in The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings Chemistry by P. of M. M. Muir . N.Y., 1903, whkh has come to me too late to be of use. Charles M. Hathaway, Jr. Brooklyn, N.Y. Feb. 16, 1903. CONTENTS . INTRODUCTION: vi Contents PAGE e. Alchemy in its relation to medicine, astrology, palmistry, and to all sorts of swindling opera- tions 49 i. Its indissoluble union with them. 2. Popular exposures of cheating, 1567-1610. f. Alchemy and literature 60 g. Modern gold-making swindles . .86 D. Sources 90 a. Direct indebtedness to previous writers. b. Personal observation of London life. II. TEXT .105 III. NOTES 241 IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY 343 V. GLOSSARY 348 VI. INDEX 369 INTRODUCTION A. Editions of the Text. The principal editions of The Alchemist are as follows : Ben. Written | by | I. THE | ALCHEMIST. | IONSON. | Neque, me vt miretur turba, laboro: \ Contentus paucis lectoribus. \ Printed Thomas Snodltam, for Walter LONDON, | by Burre, and are to be fold Iohn Stepneth, at the | by | Weft-end of Paules. 1613. | | Quarto. * Collation : A—M in fours. No pagination. (A) (verso blank), title-page the as above. A2 , dedication 'To lady'; concluded on the verso. A3 , 'To the reader'; concluded on the verso, which also contains ' To my friend' by George Lucy. (A4), Dramatis Personae and Argument ; on the verso is the prolog. B—M, text of play ending on the verso. The book contains forty-seven leaves (exclusive of the two added for the binding). This collation is made from the copy of Robert Hoe in New York. This copy is in a modern binding of white vellum. Two leaves have been added for the binding, one before and one after the original leaves. II. Beniamin Jonson. THE WORKES | | OF I \ • neque me vt miretur turba, laboro; t \ \ Contentus paticis lectoribus. \ * Signatures or figures in parentheses indicate true signatures or numbers not printed on the pages. B 2 Introduction An" D. Stanfby. \ LONDON [ Printed by \ William \ 1616. I Folio. 1 commenda- Collation : title, catalog of matter, and tory verses, five leaves, the second being signatured 1 3 - from A—(Qqqqj (verso blank) in sixes. Lll is missing the alphabet. The title-page is an engraved frontispiece apparently representing a temple of Tragicomcedia, with figures of a Satyr, a Pastor, Tragcedia, Comcedia, and three PLAV- others not named ; showing also a THEATRVM, a 2 Across the strvm , and a VlSORlVM with chorus in it. front of the temple are these words Si[n]gvla QVjEQV[e] locvm teneant s[o]rtita decen[t]er. Inscribed in the lower right-hand corner is ' Guliel' Hole fecit.' The Alchemist begins page (601) recto (Eee), and ends is title-page as page 678 Kkk3 verso. (Eee) recto the follows : Comcedie. Acted in THE | ALCHEMIST. | A | the yeere 1610. the Kings Maiesties | Seruants. By | | The Author B. I. Lvcret. [ | petere inde coronam, \ Vnde pri&s nulli velarint tempora Mufie. \ London, Printed Stansby. m. dc. xvi. | by William | | (Eee) (verso blank), title-page as given. dedica- Eee2 , ' tion : on the verso, ' The Persons of the Play,' The Scene London.' Ee[e] 3 , argument, prolog: on the verso, prolog completed, play begins. Ee[e] verso (Lll recto, the play: 3 — 3) on the verso, date acted, by whom, names of comedians. (Lll title-page Catiline. 4), of In place of Lll3 is printed by mistake Kkk3 . The imprints on the separate title-pages of the volume vary. Only those of the plays have the name of the 1 Hazlitt, Bib. Coll. and Notes, 2nd Ser., 1882, p. 320, gives * different collation, apparently ' made from a defective copy. It is Title, catalogue of plays, and verses, five leaves : A Q in sixes : R, four leaves : S— — Qqqqt in sixes.' a Cf. Horace, Ars poetica, 276. : Editions of the Text 3 printer. The Poetaster has two title-pages, one engraved, one printed. Some of the title-pages have ' Printed by Wm. Stansby for' somebody. Every Man Out of his Humor, e. g., has ' Printed by Wm. Stansby for Iohn Smithwicke.' This collation is made from a copy in the library of Yale University in New Haven. Benjamin Jonson. III. THE WORKES | OF | I \ [Quotation same as in 1616] Printed by LONDON. | \ Richard Bilhop, and are to be by Andrew Crooke. | fold | | in SK Paules, church-yard D. 1640. \ | An | Folio. Collation : A—Llll4 in sixes, including a portrait : A (with the Epigrams)—T in sixes. The title-page is the 1616 engraving by Hole with changed imprint. (Cf. II.) The Alchemist begins page (523) recto (Yy4), and ends is page 591 Eee2 recto (verso blank). (Yy4) title-page as follows: in Comedy. | Acted THE | ALCHEMIST. | A the yeere 1610. the Kings Maiesties Servants, By | | | With the allowance of the Master of REVELLS. The | | Author B. J. LuCRET. I | petere inde coronam, \ Vnde priiis nnlli velarint tempora Mufae. \ Printed BISHOP. M. DC. XL. LONDON, by RICHARD | I | Device of a satyr's head above the imprint. (YyJ, title-page as given : verso blank. (Yy6), dedication on the verso, 'The Persons of the Play,' 'The Scene London,' and names of comedians. (Yy6), the argument, prolog: on the verso, prolog completed and play begins. verso title-page (Yy6) —Eee2 (verso blank), the play. Eee3 , of Catiline. Collation made from copy in library of Professor William Lyon Phelps in New Haven. This copy lacks title-page, portrait, and several following leaves. The general title- page is from copy in the New York City Library. B a 4 Introduction Which JONSON, | | BEN | OF IV. THE | WORKS are now Reprinted were formerly Printed in Two Volumes, | CALLED COMEDY, | in One. To which is added | A | With Additions never before Pu1> INN. | THE | NEW lished. | turba laboro: neque, me ut miretur \ Contentus paucis lectoribus. j Printed by Thomas Hodghin, for H. Herring- LONDON, | Brewster, T. Bassett, R. Chiswell, M. Wotton, man, E. \ G. Conyers, M DC XCII. | Folio. With a portrait by Elder. Printed in double columns. signatured Collation : five leaves preceding B, the second Conviviales etc., two A 3 . B—(BbbbbJ in fours. The Leges leaves. The Alchemist begins page 209 recto Ee, and ends verso. page 236 Hh2 Collation made from copy in library of Yale University in New Haven *.