The Alchemist

Epicure Mammon and his servant, Surly, arrive at Lovewit’s house to meet Subtle. Mammon elaborates to Surly how he will use the philosopher’s stone to generate wealth and health around the town. Mammon praises Face as Subtle’s supporter, but Surly does not seem convinced of Subtle’s abilities, skeptical of the stone’s existence. Mammon tells him more of the deeds he will do with the stone, such as returning the elderly to youth, creating children of unusual size, and curing all diseases, especially the plague currently affecting London.

Surly is still not convinced, so Mammon tells him that he has read of the stone in antiquity. As evidence, Mammon claims to have writings by Moses and Solomon, major figures in the Old Testament of the Bible, as well as by Adam, the first man in Judeo-Christian origin myth. Surly, of course, asks how that can be possible, and Mammon replies that Adam’s writing is on a cedar board and written in high Dutch. When Surly still disbelieves, Mammon lists a series of myths from different cultures that he claims are all about the philosopher’s stone.