MEN. Heartwell, a furly. old Batchelor, pre-> tending to flight Women, fecretly in Love with Sylvia, Bellmour, in Love with Belinda, Vainlove, capricious in his Love; in Love with Araminta, Sharper, Sir Jofeph Wittoll, Mr. Betterton. Mr. Powel, Mr. Williams. Mr. Verbruggen. Captain Bluffe, Mr. Bowen, Mr. Dogget. Mr. Underhill. WOMEN. Araminta, in Love with Vainlove, Mrs. Bracegirdle. Belinda, her Coulis, an affected Lady; } Mrs. Mountfort, in Love with Bellmour, Latitia, Wife to Fondlewife, Sylvia, Vainlove's forfaken Mistress, Lucy, her Maid, Betty. Boy and Footmen. SCENE, LONDON. THE Ainlove, and abroad fo early! Good Mor row; I thought a Contemplative Lover could no more have parted with his Bed in a Mornings than he could have flept in't. VAINLOVE Bellmour, good Mörrow- Why truth on't is, these carly Sallies are not usual to me; but Business, as you B 2 fee, Sir Sir [Shewing Letters.] And Bufinefs must be fol low'd, or be lost. BELLMOUR. Bufinefs! -And fo muft Time, my Friend, be close purfued, or loft. Business is the Rub of Life, perverts our Aim, cafts off the Bias, and leaves us wide and short of the intended Mark. VAINLOVE. Pleasure, I guess you mean. BELLMOUR. Ay, what else has Meaning? VAINLOVE. Oh the Wife will tell you ---- BELLMOUR. More than they believe ----- or understand. VAINLOVE. How, how, Ned, a wife Man fay more than he understands ? BELLM-O U R. Ay, ay, Wisdom's nothing but a pretending to know and believe more than we really do. You read of but one wife Man, and all that he knew was, that he knew nothing. Come, come, leave Business to Idlers, and Wifdom to Fools; they have need of 'em: Wit, be my Faculty; and Pleasure, my Occupation; and let Father Time fhake his Glafs. Let low and earthly Souls grovel 'till they have work'd themselves fix Foot deep into a Grave----Business is not my Element -- I rowl in a higher Orb, and dwell.... VAIN LOVE. In Caftles i'th' Air of thy own building: That's thy Element, Ned ---- Well, as high a Flyer as you are, I have a Lure may make you stoop. [Flings a Letter. BELL MOUR. I marry, Sir, I have a Hawk's Eye at a Woman's hand hand There's more Elegancy in the false Spelling of this Superfcription. [Takes up the Letter] than in all Cicero Nay let's fee the Name (Sylvia!) How can't thou be ungrateful to that loves thee intirely tures about thee Creature? She's extreamly pretty, and VAINLOVE. Ay, or any Body that fhe's about BELL MOUR. No faith Frank you wrong her; he has been juft to you. VAIN LOVE. That's pleasant, by my troth from thee, who haft had - her. BELLMOUR. Never her Affections: 'Tis true by Heav'n, fhe own'd it to my Face; and blufhing like the Virgin Morn when it difclos'd the Cheat, which that trufty Bawd of Nature, Night, had hid, confefs'd her Soul was true to you; tho' I by Treachery had ftoll'n the Blifs VAINLOVE.. So was true as Turtle----in Imagination, Ned, ha? Preach this Doctrine to Husbands, and the married Women will adore thee. BELLMOUR. Why faith I think it will do well enough ----If the Husband be out of the way, for the Wife to fhew her Fondness and Impatience of his Abfence, by chufing a Lover as like him as fhe can, and what is unlike, she may help out with her own Fancy. B 3 VAIN of? VAIN LOVE. But is it not an Abufe to the Lover to be made a Blind BELLMOUR. As you fay the Abuse is to the Lover, not the Husband: For 'tis an Argument of her great Zeal towards him, that fhe will enjoy him in Effigie. VAINLOVE. It must be a very fuperftitious Country, where- fuch Zeal paffes for true Devotion. I doubt it will be damn'd by all our Proteftant Husbands for flat Idolatry ---- But if you can make Alderman Fondlewife of your Perswasion, this Letter will be needlefs. BELLMOUR. What, the old Banker with the handfom Wife? Ay. VAINLOVE. BELLMOUR. Let me fee, Latitia! Oh 'tis a delicious Morfel. Dear Frank thou art the trueft Friend in the World. VAINLOVE. Ay, am I not? To be continually starting of Hares for you to course. We were certainly cut out for one another; for my Temper quits an Amour, just where thine takes it upBut read that, it is an Appointment for me, this Evening; when Fondlewife will be gone out of Town, to meet the Master of a Ship, about The Return of a Venture which he's in danger of lofing. Read, read. BELLMOUR reads. Hum, Hum- Out of Town this Evening, and talks of fending for Mr. Spintext to keep me Company; but I'll take care, he shall not be at home. Good! Spintext! Oh the Fanatick one-ey'd Parfon! |