Mammon definitely wants to meet her when he comes back. He will have sex with 50 women a night, and he will line his bedchamber with mirrors, so his reflection is multiplied as he walks naked through his “ succubae.” Subtle enters and tells Mammon to go home and fetch all his metal and iron, for they will soon make “projection.” Surly tries again to tell Mammon that Face and Subtle are conmen, but Mammon is distracted by Doll, who has just walked by. Mammon tells Face all about his plans for the elixir, which he will also use to give himself unparalleled sexual prowess.
Face greets them dressed as an alchemist’s assistant and says that Subtle is busy at “projection,” one of the final stages of the alchemical process, after which the stone is created.
Surly doesn’t believe in the magic of the philosopher’s stone, and he thinks Face and Subtle are conmen however, Mammon is convinced they are all legitimate. With the stone, Mammon will transform himself into a rich man, and he will cure the sick and stop the plague in its tracks. Mammon believes that Subtle is busy creating the philosopher’s stone for him, and Mammon has been talking around town as if he already has it. Sir Epicure Mammon arrives next, along with his friend Surly. Since it is his job to find “gulls” like Abel Drugger, Face says, he clearly deserves a larger cut of the profits. Drugger gives Subtle a handful of coins and excitedly rushes out the door. In fact, Subtle says, Drugger is so lucky, he might even come into possession of the philosopher’s stone-a rare alchemical substance that is said to turn base metals to gold and produce the elixir of life, which promises eternal youth and life. He says that Drugger was born under a “rare star” and will be very lucky in business and in life. Subtle tells Drugger that his new business should face south, and that he should place a magnet under the threshold of his door to attract business. He asks Subtle where he should place his door and shelves and how he should display his merchandise to guarantee success. Next is Abel Drugger, a local shopkeeper, who comes to Subtle looking for advice on his new business. Then, he must wash the tips of his fingers and his eyes and “hum” and “buzz” three times. Dapper must fast and place three drops of vinegar in his nose, two in his mouth, and one in each eye. He must come back, but he must first complete the ritual. Subtle agrees and tells Dapper that he must meet the “Fairy Queen” to get his “familiar,” and she doesn’t rise until the afternoon. Alchemical magic cannot be used to such immoral ends, Subtle says, but Dapper begs and promises to give half his winnings to Subtle and Face. Subtle tells Dapper that he has the skill to conjure him a “familiar,” but he is hesitant. Dapper arrives and is greeted by Face in a captain’s disguise. Dapper is in search of a “familiar,” a bit of alchemical magic that will help him win at cards and gambling, and Face has convinced him that Subtle is a respected mystic and doctor of alchemy. They are waiting for their first victim of the day: a law clerk named Dapper. Face’s master, Lovewit, has fled the city for his country home on account of an outbreak of the plague, and Face is running a criminal operation out of Lovewit’s city home in his absence. Face, a London servant and conman, enters with Subtle and Doll Common, his criminal associates.
0 kommentar(er)
