Abstract

Jonson habitually used legal procedure to structure his plots and broaden his satire beyond the easy targets of corrupt judges or inane judgment. Examining the avocatori in relation to the entities on which they are modeled, the Venetian avogadori and the English justices of the peace, shows them to be more competent than previously thought. They are duped because the conspirators present a more rational case, in contrast to the implausible and uncorroborated accusations of Celia and Bonario. The satire is not of naive judges, or Venetian or English justice, but of reason's limits in discerning truth and plausibility.

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