Summary
At the palace, a group of ladies discuss the gallants and which one is most worthy of their time attention. They praise some for their physical appearance and criticize others for their fashion choices. Moria, an older woman, encourages the younger ladies to take advantage of their youth and vitality while they still can.
The women take turns explaining what they would wish for if given the chance to better their situations. When pressed about what she wishes for, Moria admits that she wishes to know all the secrets of court and country.
Hedon and Anaides arrive and flirt with the ladies. Amorphus and Asotus arrive shortly after. Asotus wins over the lady Argurion with his words, and Mercury speculates that Cupid has shot Argurion with an arrow. Cupid denies his power while he is in disguise.
Arete enters and instructs all the remaining lords and ladies to prepare an entertainment for Cynthia when she arrives. Mercury announces that he has a plan for the courtiers and needs to enlist Crites's help.
Analysis
While the majority of the play until this point has focused on the male courtiers, Act Four contains a rather lengthy exchange among a group of ladies, the objects of the courtiers' affections. As it turns out, the advice that Amorphus has been giving to Asotus in his attempts to become a courtier is not entirely misguided: the women of the play discuss the merits of the gallants based largely on how they look and, especially, how they dress. In early modern England, appearances were of utmost importance – indeed, Elizabeth I herself was meticulous in the way she presented herself to the public, in every aspect including her posture, clothing, and makeup – as appearance tended to represent one's social and/or political status. That the women judge the gallants based on what they wear is as much a reflection of reality as it is a commentary by Jonson on the self-absorbed and shallow nature of courtly relationships.
In much the same way that the play offers Crites as an "antidote" to performative courtiership, Act Four introduces audiences to Moria, an older woman who offers advice to the younger ladies as they fawn over the gallants. Moria speaks not from self-love or courtly favor but from experience; when asked about her wish, she strategically answers that she would like to know every secret of of court and country alike. This is a significant comment made by an otherwise minor character. Here, Jonson suggests that true power lies not in what one wears or how they behave, but in what they know – and, indeed, in early modern England under the reign of Elizabeth I, there were certainly many secrets being exchanged both inside and outside of the city. In some of Jonson's other work, he alludes to the fact that Elizabeth I often had spies circulating among those close to her. Through Moria's comment, Jonson lends credence to the queen's own ruling tactics which involved uncovering secrets and dismantling dissent before it gained enough traction to challenge her rule.
