= Stage
directions
at the beginning of a scene.
Ben Jonson - The Devil's Association
3 Mrs.
Fitzdottrel's speech possesses a 'a noble and natural
eloquence,' but the character of her husband is 'almost too loathsome
to be ridiculous,' and unfit 'for the leading part in a comedy of
ethics as well as of morals. '] The prodigality of elaboration lavished
on such a multitude of subordinate characters, at the expense of all
continuous interest and to the sacrifice of all dramatic harmony, may
tempt the reader to apostrophize the poet in his own words:
You are so covetous still to embrace
More than you can, that you lose all.
Yet a word of parting praise must be given to Satan: a small part as
far as extent goes, but a splendid example of high comic imagination
after the order of Aristophanes, admirably relieved by the low comedy
of the asinine Pug and the voluble doggrel by the antiquated Vice.
TEXT
EDITOR'S NOTE
The text here adopted is that of the original edition of 1631.
No changes of reading have been made; spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, and italics are reproduced. The original pagination
is inserted in brackets; the book-holder's marginal notes are inserted
where 1716 and Whalley placed them. In a few instances modern type has
been substituted for archaic characters. The spacing of the contracted
words has been normalized.
1641 = Pamphlet folio of 1641.
1692 = The Third Folio, 1692.
1716 = Edition of 1716 (17).
W = Whalley's edition, 1756.
G = Gifford's edition, 1816.
SD.
= Stage directions at the beginning of a scene.
SN. = Side note, or book-holder's note.
om. = omitted.
ret. = retained.
f. = and all later editions.
G? = a regular change. After a single citation only
exceptions are noted. See Introduction, page xvi.
Mere changes of spelling have not been noted in the variants.
All changes of form and all suggestive changes of punctuation have
been recorded.
THE DIUELL IS AN ASSE:
A COMEDIE ACTED IN THE YEARE, 1616.
eloquence,' but the character of her husband is 'almost too loathsome
to be ridiculous,' and unfit 'for the leading part in a comedy of
ethics as well as of morals. '] The prodigality of elaboration lavished
on such a multitude of subordinate characters, at the expense of all
continuous interest and to the sacrifice of all dramatic harmony, may
tempt the reader to apostrophize the poet in his own words:
You are so covetous still to embrace
More than you can, that you lose all.
Yet a word of parting praise must be given to Satan: a small part as
far as extent goes, but a splendid example of high comic imagination
after the order of Aristophanes, admirably relieved by the low comedy
of the asinine Pug and the voluble doggrel by the antiquated Vice.
TEXT
EDITOR'S NOTE
The text here adopted is that of the original edition of 1631.
No changes of reading have been made; spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, and italics are reproduced. The original pagination
is inserted in brackets; the book-holder's marginal notes are inserted
where 1716 and Whalley placed them. In a few instances modern type has
been substituted for archaic characters. The spacing of the contracted
words has been normalized.
1641 = Pamphlet folio of 1641.
1692 = The Third Folio, 1692.
1716 = Edition of 1716 (17).
W = Whalley's edition, 1756.
G = Gifford's edition, 1816.
SD.
= Stage directions at the beginning of a scene.
SN. = Side note, or book-holder's note.
om. = omitted.
ret. = retained.
f. = and all later editions.
G? = a regular change. After a single citation only
exceptions are noted. See Introduction, page xvi.
Mere changes of spelling have not been noted in the variants.
All changes of form and all suggestive changes of punctuation have
been recorded.
THE DIUELL IS AN ASSE:
A COMEDIE ACTED IN THE YEARE, 1616.
