Subtle
Quote 1
"Infuse vinegar,
To draw his volatile substance and his tincture:
And let the water in glass E be filt'red,
And put into the gripe's egg. Lute him well;
And leave him clos'd in balneo." (2.2.49-53)
Subtle is playing the part of the wise alchemist…by spouting nonsense. But what does this have to do with theater? Well, it could be alluding to the fact that while many of Jonson's contemporaries (*cough, Shakespeare, *cough) were writing plays about fancy important subjects like suicidal princes of Denmark, Jonson was writing about everyday people. This alchemy gibberish is probably just as confusing (and just as made up) as certain plays' detailed language concerning noblemen from far-off lands.