John Marston's The Malcontent and Parasitaster, or The Fawne are examined in the light ofan analysis of A Knack to Know a Knave (1592). Marston's plays share with the earlier play details of form that involve not only the disguised authority figure noted by critics but also his declaration of purpose, the source and sort of vice he observes, the means by which his discoveries are given expanded significance, and the technique and result of the final exposures. The study of the formal pattern of these elements provides the link between Marston's plays and an earlier example of disguise as the dramatic device upon which the plot turns. The study also clarifies Marston's purposes, in The Fawne to provide a light, satiric survey of the abuses of love and in The Malcontent to analyze with greater complexity what is necessary for a virtuous ruler to control a partly corrupt realm.