soon over, and then I am sorry-O, Mr. Careless, if so

it were not for one thing

Enter Boy with a Letter.

Lady P. How often have you been told of that, you jackanapes?

Sir P. Gad so, gads-bud-Tim, carry it to my lady, you should have carried it to my lady first. Boy. 'Tis directed to your worship.

Sir P. Well, well, my lady reads all letters firstChild, do so no more; d'ye hear, Tim.

Boy. No, and please you.

[Exit.

Sir P. A humour of my wife's; you know women have little fancies-But as I was telling you, Mr. Careless, if it were not for one thing, I should think myself the happiest man in the world; indeed that touches me near, very near.

Care. What can that be, Sir Paul?

Sir P. Why, I have, I thank Heaven, a very plen.. tiful fortune, a good estate in the country, some houses in town, and some money, a pretty tolerable personal estate; and it is a great grief to me, indeed it is, Mr, Careless, that I have not a son to inherit this. 'Tis true, I have a daughter, and a fine dutiful child she is, though I say it, blessed be Providence I may say; for indeed, Mr. Careless, I am mightily beholden to Providence-A poor unworthy sinner-But if I had a son, ah! that 's my affliction, and my only affiction; indeed, I cannot refrain tears when it comes into my mind. [Cries.

Care. Why, methinks that might be easily remedied; my lady is a fine likely woman.

Sir P. Oh, a fine likely woman as you shall see in a summer's day—Indeed she is, Mr. Careless, in all respects.

Care. And I should not have taken you to have been so old

Sir P. Alas! that 's not it, Mr. Careless: ah! that's not it; no, no, you shoot wide of the mark a mile; indeed you do? that's not it, Mr. Careless; no, no, that's not it.

Care. No, what can be the matter then.

Sir P. You'll scarcely believe me when I shall tell you my lady is so nice-It is very strange, but it is true: too true-she is so very nice, that I do n't believe she would touch a man for the world.- -"At "least not above once a year; I am sure I have found "it so; and alas what 's once a year to an old man, "who would do good in his generation!" Indeed, it is true, Mr. Careless, it breaks my heart-I am her husband, as I may say; though far unworthy of that honour, yet I am her husband; but alas-a-day, I have no more familiarity with her person-" as to that "matter"-than with my own mother-no, indeed.

Care. Alas-a-day! this is a lamentable story; my lady must be told on 't; she must, i' faith, Sir Paul; 't is an injury to the world.

Sir P. Ah! would to Heaven you would, Mr. Careless; you are mightily in her favour.

Core. I warrant you, what, we must have a son some way or other.

Sir P. Indeed, I should be mightily bound to you, if you could bring it about, Mr. Careless.

Lady P. Here, Sir Paul, it is from your steward, here's a return of 600 l. you may take fifty of it for the next half-year. [Gives him the Letter.

Enter Lord FROTH and CYNTHIA.

Sir P. How does my girl? Come hither to thy father-poor lamb, thou art melancholic.

Ld. F. Heaven, Sir Paul, you amaze me of all things in the world-You are never pleased but when we are all upon the broad grin; all laugh and no company; ah! then 't is such a sight to see some teeth» Sure you are a great admirer of my Lady Whiffer, Mr. Sneer, and Sir Laurence Loud, and that gang.

Sir P. I vow and swear she is a very merry woman, but I think she laughs a little too much.

Ld. F. Merry! O lord, what a character that is of a woman of quality-You have been at my Lady Whifler's upon her day, madam ?

Cyn. Yes, my lord-I must humour this fool.

[Aside. Ld. F. Well and how? hee! What is your sense of the conversation?

Cyn. O, most ridiculous, a perpetual concert of laughing without any harmony; for sure, my lord, to laugh out of time, is as disagreeable as to sing out of time or out of tune.

Ld. F. Hee, hee, hee, right; and then my Lady Whifler is so ready-she always comes in three bars

you

too soon-. -And then, what do they laugh at? For know laughing without a jest is as impertinent, hee!

as

Cyn. As dancing without a fiddle.

Ld. F. Just i' faith, that was at my tongue's end. Cyn. But that cannot be properly said of them, for I think they are all in good nature with the world, and only laugh at one another; and you must allow they have all jests in their persons, though they have none in their conversation.

Ld. F. True, as I am a person of honour

-For

Heaven's sake let us sacrifice them to mirth a little.

[Enter Boy, and whispers Sir Paul. Sir P. Gad so-Wife, Wife, my Lady Plyant, Ì have a word.

Lady P. I am busy, Sir Paul, I wonder at your impertinence

Care. Sir Paul, harkee, I am reasoning the matter you know: Madam, if your ladyship please we'll discourse of this in the next room

[Exit Lady P. and Care. Sir P. O ho, I wish you good success, I wish you good success. Boy, tell my lady, when she has done, I would speak with her below. [Exit Sir Paul.

Enter Lady FROTH and BRISK.

Lady F. Then you think that episode between u san the dairy-maid, and our coachman, is not amiss; you know I may suppose the dairy in town, as well as in the country.

Brisk. Incomparable, let me perish-But then being an heroic poem, had you not better call him a charioteer? Charioteer sounds great: besides your ladyship's coachman having a red face, and you comparing him to the sun- -And you know the sun is called Heaven's Charioteer.

Lady F. Oh, infinitely better; I am extremely beholden to you for the hint; stay, we'll read over those half a score lines again, [Pulls out a paper.] Let me see here, you know what goes before parison, you know.

For as the sun shines every day,

So of our coachman I may say―

the com[Reads.

Brisk. I am afraid that simile wo n't do in wet weather-Because you say the sun shines every day.

Lady F. No, for the sun it won't, but it will do for the coachman, for you know there 's most occasion for a coach in wet weather.

Brisk. Right, right, that saves all.

Lady F. Then I don't say the sun shines all the day, but that he peeps now and then, yet he does shine all the day too, you know, though we don't see him.

Brisk, Right, but the vulgar will never comprehend that.

Lady F. Well, you shall hear-Let me see, [Reads.] For as the sun shines every day,

So of our coachman I may say;
He shews his drunken fiery face.
Just as the sun does, more or less.

G