Act 2
SCENE I: CAPITANO and ZANNI
They come out, saying they are going to explore the city but don't know where the bride has gone. Capitano wonders why she looks at him with an evil eye, not knowing the reason. Zanni confesses his love for Ardelia. Amidst this,
SCENE II: LUCINDA, ARDELIA, AND THE ABOVE-MENTIONED CHARACTERS
They return from outside and see Capitano. Lucinda greets him without speaking and enters the house. Ardelia does the same. Zanni teases Capitano, who becomes desperate. Amidst this,
SCENE III: COLA AND THE ABOVE-MENTIONED CHARACTERS
Cola, dressed as a doctor, comes to go to Lucinda's house. He sees the two and exchanges more jokes. Capitano asks for advice on kidney stones, and Cola jokingly says, "sicut gutta cavat lapidem" (as the drop wears away the stone), suggesting that he should bring on gout, which will cure him. Zanni asks for a remedy for toothache, and Cola instructs him to place a sliced apple in his mouth and put his head in the oven until the apple is cooked, and chewing it will cure him. They discuss Lucinda's fainting condition, and Cola claims that he will cure her. Amidst this,
SCENE IV: LUCINDA, ARDELIA, AND THE ABOVE-MENTIONED CHARACTERS
Lucinda mentions that after her excursion, she had a dream while sleeping and tells Cola, who claims to be an interpreter of dreams. She narrates that she dreamed about a young girl who pretended to be sick to avoid marrying someone her father wanted to give her to, but whom she didn't want. She claims to have seen in her dream everything that has happened to her. Cola approves and Zanni tells that he also dreamed about him, where there was a ruffian who pretended to be a doctor to achieve his goals but ended up getting beaten. Cola also talks about his own dream involving Capitano, stating that there was a certain Capitano who wanted to marry a young girl but ended up getting beaten up by her lover. Capitano overhears this and leaves. Cola sends Lucinda inside and tells her that he will send musicians to cheer her up.
SCENE V: UBALDO, PANDOLFO, AND COLA
Ubaldo says that this is an important man, and they joke around. Pandolfo talks about medicine to discover the skills of the doctor, and Cola approves everything. Afterward, they decide that it's good to entertain Lucinda with music, and Ubaldo agrees. Amidst this,
SCENE VI: THE VECCHI AND THE BOYFRIENDS DRESSED AS MUSICIANS
They come dressed as musicians, claiming they were sent by the doctor Marzocco. Ubaldo sends them into the house. Pandolfo asks Ubaldo for Ardelia's hand in marriage, but Ubaldo says he cannot give her to him, as she is already engaged to Ottavio. Then he leaves, and Pandolfo remains. Amidst this,
SCENE VII: LEONORA AND PANDOLFO
Leonora comes to her father and says she thinks it's time for her to get married. Pandolfo agrees and starts naming several young men, but none of the names please her. She expresses a desire to marry someone named Ottavio, and Pandolfo tells her that there is someone with that name, but he has already taken Lucinda's niece Ardelia for a wife. Then he leaves, and Leonora is distressed. Amidst this,
SCENE VIII: UBALDO AND LEONORA
Ubaldo sees Leonora and confesses his love for her, but she rejects him, and he leaves. She remains. Amidst this,
SCENE IX: OTTAVIO AND LEONORA
Ottavio comes out of his house, bids farewell to Ardelia, and entrusts her with the matter of their marriage. She leaves. Ottavio sees Leonora and wants to embrace her, but she slaps him and enters her house. He remains. Amidst this,
SCENE X: COLA, OTTAVIO, AND VALERIO
Cola gives them his blessing without knowing what they want, and they exchange jokes. Valerio arrives and does the same. Cola gets angry and wants to find out what's going on, but they stop him, as it would be his ruin. He calms down. Amidst this,
SCENE XI: LEONORA, HER SERVANT, AND THE ABOVE-MENTIONED CHARACTERS
Leonora gives them a letter to deliver to Ottavio, saying that she wants to be his wife, and she leaves. The boyfriends receive the letter, and her servant teases them. Cola does the same, and they play a joke of whispering into each other's ears. Cola steps forward, and Leonora returns, scolds him, and enters her house. They remain on the street, and Cola stays behind. Amidst this,
SCENE XII: CAPITANO, COLA, AND ZANNI
They impersonate the doctor, and Capitano does a lazzo of leaving, which confuses them. They act out a semblance of this character, fearing some trickery. Amidst this,
SCENE XIII: UBALDO, LUCINDA, AND THE ABOVE-MENTIONED CHARACTERS
They tell Ubaldo about the fake doctor, and he gets angry and scolds them. He calls his daughter, making her forcibly take Capitano's hand whilst telling her all about the doctor's deception. She exaggerates, saying she wants to kill herself. Ubaldo tells Capitano to fuck off, and he goes into the house. They leave, amused by Zanni's jokes.
SCENE XIV: VALERIO, OTTAVIO, AND COLA
They see Cola, wanting to know what happened. Cola has a letter he was given by Ardelia to give Valerio, but written by Lucinda, telling Valerio to be swift to marry her. Ottavio takes the letter from Cola to give to Valerio. Amidst this,
SCENE XV: LEONORA AND THE ABOVE-MENTIONED CHARACTERS
Leonora sneaks behind and takes the letter, then enters her house. They are confused, and Cola tries to ease the situation with his jokes. Leonora reads the letter at the window, then tears it up. They try to calm her down, and she comes down. They tell her everything, and she demands that they tell Ardelia, in her presence, that whatever they did, they did it as a joke. They refuse to ruin Valerio's interests. Leonora goes inside angrily, and they leave for the street, while Cola stays behind. Amidst this,
SCENE XVI: COLA AND UBALDO
Ubaldo sees Cola without his doctor's attire and recognizes him. Wondering about it, he takes Cola by the arm, and Cola says he is the brother of the doctor. Ubaldo believes him and Cola says that he and his brother don't like each other, but Ubaldo promises to reconcile them. Cola leaves, and Ubaldo remains, explaining the situation. Cola returns as the doctor, and Ubaldo greets him. Ubaldo negotiates the reconciliation between Cola and his brother, and Cola pretends to forgive him. Ubaldo leads him into the house to see his daughter. Amidst this,
SCENE XVII: ZANNI AND UBALDO
Zanni says he left his master in the square. Ubaldo, not knowing the situation, locks the doctor (Cola) in the room and goes to look for his brother. Cola climbs out of the window, and Zanni observes him and laughs. Ubaldo comes back, and they look for his brother. Zanni wants to uncover everything and teases them with his jokes. The act ends.