THE NEW SCIENCE AND COMEDY 79 



So; it is wonderful, my Noble Friend (the French Dancing-master), 

 to observe the Agility of this pretty Animal, which notwithstand 

 ing I impede its motions, by the detention of this Fihim, or Thread, 

 within my Teeth, which makes a ligature about its Loins, and though 

 by sudden stops I cause the Animal sometimes to sink or immerge, 

 yet with indefatigable Activity it rises, and keeps almost its whole 

 Body upon the Superficies, or surface of this humid Element".* 1 

 Later, in explaining respiration, he declares the air is expelled from 

 the lungs "farther to elaborate the Blood by refrigerating it, and 

 separating the fuliginous Streams". He talks familiarly of the 

 "follicular impulsion of Air", of the " Chrystalline from the co 

 agulation of the Aqueous Juices", of "heterogeneous and homogene 

 ous", "emittent and recipient", " cacochymious ", "fluidity", "or- 

 biculation", "fixation", "angulization", "plantananimation". 

 Many of the recently coined scientific polysyllables are sown through 

 his speeches in a wanton manner. 



In the final scene Sir Nicholas Gimcrack finds himself deserted 

 by everyone ; even his wife has turned against him when his money 

 is gone. She 'threatens to publish his letters "and send them to 

 Gresham College", where he will be "more despised than he now 

 is there". All of his property is taken to pay for his instruments 

 and the expenses of his experiments; a mob of weavers have 

 threatened to take his life for inventing a loom to displace them. 

 Under these circumstances he repents of his humor. "That I 

 should know Men no better; I would I had studied Mankind, 

 instead of Spiders and Insects. Am I deserted by all ? Well, now 

 'tis time to study for Use; I will presently find out the Philoso- * 

 pher's Stone; I had like to have found it last Year, but that I 

 wanted May-Dew, it being a dry Season ", 42 



"The Virtuoso, who piques himself on never intending any 

 thing that is of use, is certainly a very good character, but the 

 scenes in which he explains his experiments, must be very heavy 

 in presentation". 43 This is just criticism; the character is good, 

 but there is too obvious an attempt to get in all the possible hits 

 on the new science. There are scenes, however, where Sir Nicholas 



"The Virtuoso, Act II, sc. 1. 



**The Virtuoso, Act V, sc. Ultima. 



48 Genest's Some Account of the English Stage, vol. I, p. 888-9. 



