The Story:

        Volpone and his servant, Mosca, were playing a cunning game with all
who professed to be Volpone's friends, and the two conspirators boasted
to themselves that Volpone acquired his riches not by the common means
of trade but by a method which cheated no one in a commercial sense.
Volpone had no heirs. Since it was believed he possessed a large
fortune, many people were courting his favor in the hope of rich rewards
after his death.

        For three years, while Volpone feigned gout, catarrh, palsy, and
consumption, valuable gifts had been given to him. Volpone was in truth
quite healthy and able to enjoy various vices. Mosca's role in the grand
deception was to assure each hopeful would-be friend that he was the one
whom Volpone had honored in an alleged will.

        To Voltore, one of the dupes, Mosca (which means "fly") boasted that
particular attention was being paid to Voltore's interests. When Voltore
("vulture") left, Corbaccio ("crow") followed. He brought a potion to
help Volpone ("fox"), or so he claimed. Mosca knew better than to give
his master medicine from those who were awaiting the fox's death. Mosca
suggested that to influence Volpone, Corbaccio should go home,
disinherit his own son, and leave his fortune to Volpone. In return for
this generous deed, Volpone, soon to die, would leave his fortune to
Corbaccio, whose son would benefit eventually.

        Next came Corvino, who was assured by Mosca that Volpone, now near
death, had named him in a will. After the merchant had gone, Mosca told
Volpone that Corvino had a beautiful wife whom he guarded at all times.
Volpone resolved to go in disguise to see this woman.

        Sir Politic Would-Be and his wife were traveling in Venice. Another
English visitor, Peregrine, met Sir Politic on the street and gave him
news from home. While the two Englishmen were trying to impress each
other, Mosca and a servant came to the street and erected a stage for a
medicine vendor to display his wares. Volpone, disguised as a
mountebank, mounted the platform. While he haggled with Sir Politic and
Peregrine over the price of his medicine, Celia appeared at her window
and tossed down her handkerchief. Struck by Celia's beauty, Volpone
resolved to possess her. Meanwhile Corvino brutally scolded Celia and
told her that henceforth he would confine her to her room.

        Mosca went to Corvino with news that physicians had recommended a
healthy young girl to sleep by Volpone's side and that other men were
striving to be the first to win Volpone's gratitude in this manner. Not
to be outdone, Corvino promised that Celia would be sent to Volpone.

        Mosca also told Bonario, Corbaccio's son, that his father was about to
disinherit him. He promised to lead Bonario to a place where he could
witness his father's betrayal.

        When Lady Politic Would-Be came to visit Volpone, she was so talkative
Volpone feared she would make him sick in truth. To relieve Volpone's
distress, the servant told the lady that Sir Politic was in a gondola
with a young girl. Lady Would-Be hurried off in pursuit of her husband.
Volpone retired to a private closet while Mosca led Bonario behind a
curtain so the young man could spy on Corbaccio. At that moment, eager
to win favor with Volpone, Corvino arrived with Celia, and Mosca had to
send Bonario off to another room so he would not know of her presence.
Meanwhile Corvino, who intended to deceive Celia about what he thought
was the true purpose of her lying with Volpone, had told Celia what she
had to do to prove her chastity. To quiet her fears, and to guarantee
the inheritance from Volpone, Corvino assured his distressed wife that
Volpone was so decrepit he could not harm her.

        When they were alone, Volpone leaped from his couch and displayed
himself as an ardent lover. As he was about to rape Celia, Bonario
appeared from his hiding place and saved her. While Mosca and Volpone,
in terror of exposure, bewailed their ruined plot, Corbaccio knocked.
Volpone dashed back to his couch to assume his role of an invalid. As
Mosca was assuring Corbaccio of Volpone's forthcoming death, Voltore
entered the room and overheard the discussion. Mosca drew Voltore aside
and assured the lawyer that he was attempting to get possession of
Corbaccio's money so that Voltore would inherit more from Volpone. Mosca
further explained that Bonario had mistaken Celia's visit and had burst
upon Volpone and threatened to kill him. Taken in by Mosca's lies,
Voltore promised to keep Bonario from accusing Volpone of attempted rape
and Corvino of villainy; he ordered Bonario (who, unlike Volpone, Mosca,
Corvino, Corbaccio, and Voltore, was innocent) arrested.

        Mosca proceeded with his case against Celia and Bonario. He had assured
Corvino, Corbaccio, and Voltore, independently, that each would be the
sole heir of Volpone. He added Lady Would-Be as a witness against Celia.
In court Voltore presented Celia and Bonario as schemers against
Corvino, and he further showed that Bonario's father had disinherited
his son and that Bonario had dragged Volpone out of bed and had attacked
him. Corvino and Corbaccio testified against Celia and Bonario, while
Mosca whispered to the avaricious old gentlemen that they were helping
justice. To add to the testimony, Mosca presented Lady Would-Be, who
told the court she had seen Celia beguiling Sir Politic in a gondola.
Mosca promised Lady Would-Be  that as a reward for her testimony her
name would stand first on Volpone's list of heirs.

        When the trial was over, Volpone sent his servants to announce that he
was dead and that Mosca was his heir. While Volpone hid behind a
curtain, Mosca sat at a desk taking an inventory of the inheritance as
the hopefuls arrived. The next step in Volpone's plan was to escape from
Venice with his loot. Mosca helped him disguise himself as a commodore.
Mosca also put on a disguise.

        Having lost his hopes for the inheritance, Voltore withdrew his false
testimony at the trial, and Corbaccio and Corvino trembled lest their
own cowardly acts be revealed. The court ordered Mosca to appear.
Suspecting that Mosca planned to keep the fortune for himself, the
disguised Volpone went to the court. When the dupes, learning that
Volpone was still alive, began to bargain for the wealth Mosca held,
Volpone threw off his disguise and exposed to the court the foolish
behavior of Corbaccio, Corvino, and Voltore, and the innocence of Celia
and Bonario. The court then sentenced each conspirator according to the
severity of his crime. Bonario was restored to his father's inheritance,
and Celia was allowed to return to her father because Corvino had
attempted to barter her honor for wealth. The court announced that evil
could go only so far before it killed itself.