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    The Case is Altered
    The Case is Altered
    The Case is Altered
    Ebook125 pages1 hour

    The Case is Altered

    By Ben Jonson

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    About this ebook

    Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637) was a Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor, known best for his satirical plays and lyric poems. Jonson worked shortly as an actor in "The Admiral's Men", but soon moved on to writing original plays for the troupe. His works are particularly recognizable because of their consistencies in style, intricacy of plot, characterization and setting. One of his early comedies, "The Case is Altered," strays from the playwright's normal works in both structure and plot. These anomalies and the work's exclusion from Jonson's three folio collections lead to confusion among scholars regarding its authorship. The story borrows plots from two plays by Plautus, "Captivi" and "Aulularia," with its characters and events recreated and transported to Elizabethan England. This was Jonson's first attempt at a comedy of humors, to be followed by his more successful "Every Man in His Humour" and "Every Man Out of His Humour".
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDigireads.com Publishing
    Release dateJan 1, 2011
    ISBN9781420941944
    The Case is Altered
    Author

    Ben Jonson

    Benjamin Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637 was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satirical plays Every Man in His Humour (1598), Volpone, or The Fox (c. 1606), The Alchemist (1610) and Bartholomew Fair (1614) and for his lyric and epigrammatic poetry. He is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare.

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      Book preview

      The Case is Altered - Ben Jonson

      THE CASE IS ALTERED

      A COMEDY.

      BY BEN JONSON

      A Digireads.com Book

      Digireads.com Publishing

      Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-4091-6

      Ebook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-4194-4

      This edition copyright © 2012

      Please visit www.digireads.com

      CONTENTS

      THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY

      ACT I, Scene i.

      ACT I, Scene ii.

      ACT I, Scene iii.

      ACT I, Scene iv.

      ACT I, Scene v.

      ACT I, Scene vi.

      ACT I, Scene vii.

      ACT I, Scene viii.

      ACT I, Scene ix.

      ACT I, Scene x.

      ACT II, Scene i.

      ACT II, Scene ii.

      ACT II, Scene iii.

      ACT II, Scene iv.

      ACT II, Scene v.

      ACT II, Scene vi.

      ACT II, Scene vii.

      ACT III, Scene i.

      ACT III, Scene ii.

      ACT III, Scene iii.

      ACT III, Scene iv.

      ACT III, Scene v.

      ACT IV, Scene i.

      ACT IV, Scene ii.

      ACT IV, Scene iii.

      ACT IV, Scene iv.

      ACT IV, Scene v.

      ACT IV, Scene vi.

      ACT IV, Scene vii.

      ACT IV, Scene viii.

      ACT IV, Scene ix.

      ACT IV, Scene x.

      ACT IV, Scene xi.

      ACT V, Scene i.

      ACT V, Scene ii.

      ACT V, Scene iii.

      ACT V, Scene iv.

      ACT V, Scene v.

      ACT V, Scene vi.

      ACT V, Scene vii.

      ACT V, Scene viii.

      ACT V, Scene ix.

      ACT V, Scene x.

      ACT V, Scene xi.

      ACT V, Scene xii.

      ACT V, Scene xiii.

      THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY

      Count Ferneze

      Lord Paulo Ferneze, his son

      Aurelia }

      Phoenixella } his daughters

      Camillo Ferneze, supposed Gasper

      Maximilian, general of the Milanese

      Chamont, a soldier of France, friend to Gasper

      Angelo, friend to Paulo

      Francisco Colonnia

      Jaques de Prie, supposed a beggar (Melun, steward to Chamont's father)

      Rachel de Prie, supposed his daughter (Isabel, sister to Chamont)

      Antonio Balladino, pageant poet to the City of Milan

      Peter Onion, groom of the hall to Count Ferneze

      Juniper, a cobbler

      Christophero, steward to Count Ferneze

      Sebastian, }

      Martino, } his servants

      Vincentio, }

      Balthasar, }

      Valentine, servant to Colonnia

      Nuncio

      Pacue, page to Gasper

      Finio, page to Camillo

      Page to Paulo

      Sewer

      Servingmen

      Soldiers

      The Scene

      Milan

      A pleasant comedy, called the

      CASE IS ALTERED

      ACT I, Scene i.

      Count Ferneze's palace. The servants' hall.

      [Sound: after a flourish: Juniper a cobbler is discovered, sitting at work in his shop, and singing.]

      JUNIPER. 'You woeful wights, give ear a while,

      And mark the tenor of my style,

      [Enter Onion in haste.]

      Which shall such trembling hearts unfold,

      As seldom hath to fore been told,

      Such chances are, and doleful news'

      ONION. Fellow Juniper! Peace, a' God's name.

      JUNIPER. 'As may attempt your wits to muse.'

      ONION. God's so, hear, man! a pox a god on you.

      JUNIPER. 'And cause such trickling tears to pass,

      Except your hearts be flint or brass:'

      ONION. Juniper! Juniper!

      JUNIPER. 'To hear the news which I shall tell,

      That in Castella once befell.'

      'Sblood, where didst thou learn to corrupt a man in the midst of a verse, ha?

      ONION. God's lid, man, service is ready to go up, man: you must slip on your coat, and come in; we lack waiters pitifully.

      JUNIPER. A pitiful hearing; for now must I of a merry cobbler become mourning creature.

      ONION. Well, you'll come.

      JUNIPER. Presto. Go to, a word to the wise, away, fly, vanish.

      [Exit Onion.]

      Lie there the weeds that I disdain to wear.

      ACT I, Scene ii.

      [Enter Antonio Balladino.]

      ANTONIO. God save you, master Juniper.

      JUNIPER. What Signior Antonio Balladino! welcome sweet ingle.

      ANTONIO. And how do you, sir?

      JUNIPER. Faith you see, put to my shifts here, as poor retainers be oftentimes. Sirrah Antony, there's one of my fellows mightily enamoured of thee; and I faith, you slave, now you're come, I'll bring you together: it's Peter Onion, the groom of the hall; do you know him?

      ANTONIO. No, not yet, I assure you.

      JUNIPER. Oh, he is one as right of thy humour as may be, a plain simple rascal, a true dunce; marry he hath been a notable villain in his time: he is in love, sirrah, with a wench, and I have preferred thee to him; thou shalt make him some pretty paradox, or some allegory. How does my coat sit? well?

      ANTONIO. Aye, very well.

      [Enter Onion.]

      ONION. Nay, God's so, fellow Juniper, come away.

      JUNIPER. Art thou there, mad slave? I come with a powder. Sirrah, fellow Onion, I must have you peruse this gentleman well, and do him good offices of respect and kindnesses, as instances shall be given. [Exit.]

      ANTONIO. Nay, good master Onion, what do you mean, I pray you, sir? you are too respective, in good faith.

      ONION. I would not you should think so, sir; for though I have no learning, yet I honour a scholar in any ground of the earth, sir. Shall I request your name, sir?

      ANTONIO. My name is Antonio Balladino.

      ONION. Balladino! you are not pageant poet to the city of Milan, sir, are you?

      ANTONIO. I supply the place, sir, when a worse cannot be had, sir.

      ONION. I cry you mercy, sir; I love you the better for that, sir; by Jesu, you must pardon me, I knew you not; but I'll pray to be better acquainted with you, sir, I have seen of your works.

      ANTONIO. I am at your service, good master Onion; but concerning this maiden that you love, sir, what is she?

      ONION. Oh did my fellow Juniper tell you? Marry, sir, she is, as one may say, but a poor man's child indeed, and for mine own part, I am no gentleman born, I must confess; but my mind to me a kingdom is truly.

      ANTONIO. Truly a very good saying.

      ONION. 'Tis somewhat stale; but that's no matter.

      ANTONIO. Oh 'tis the better; such things ever are like bread, which the staler it is, the more wholesome.

      ONION. 'Tis but a hungry comparison, in my judgment.

      ANTONIO. Why I'll tell you, master Onion, I do use as much stale stuff, though I say it myself, as any man does in that kind, I am sure. Did you see the last pageant I set forth?

      ONION. No faith, sir; but there goes a huge report on't.

      ANTONIO. Why you shall be one

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