THE PLOTTING WIVES. SCENE PARIS. WILDLY'S LODGINGS. Enter Wildly, with a letter in his hand. GONE! and in fecret? what can be her design? avert the thought! the world would be a defert to me was it fo! for in fpite of all the gay thoughtless fallies of my headftrong youth, her image is fix'd for ever in my heart, not one of all that charming sex could tie me down to constancy, but she. And could I be pleas'd with one, it would, it must be her!-But this mad love of change ftill hurries me away. What fays the rest of the letter?" The moft diligent en quiry shall be made, and we hope fhortly to give you a more fatisfactory account." I hope you will, and to your care I leave the fearch, till my return to England.-Ah! dear Ned, welcome to my arms! more welcome, than all the painted belles of France! Enter Freeman. FREEMAN Hold! hold! Wildly; you must excufe me if I cannot think fo.-What! prefer a friend to a fine warm melting blooming girl. WILDLY. Yes, to millions, fuch as I find here, what are their charms, to the kind folace of a friend like thee? what I feel for thee is and will always be the fame; 'tis a lafting manly friendship, which ftronger grows, by being better known. FREEMAN. Take care the ladies don't hear you, Wildly; if they fhould, your hours of favour would be quickly over. But hark ye, do you think there is no woman endow'd with qualifications, for ftricteft friendship, as well as tendereft love? WILDLY. Why, yes, I believe I know there is one, That's form'd to fix a man her lover and her friend but yet I can't be conftant. Your wife! why what an unaccountable fellow art thou! that now haft fuch a treasure in your your poffeffion, and yet will be running out your eftate and conftitution in pursuit of that vain fhadow, variety. WILDLY. Why faith I muft own, I fhould envy any other person the poffeffion of her, and I'm convinc'd I must be unhappy in her lofs, but I can no more help my inconftancy, than an Æthiop his complexion. FREEMAN. Then I lay it down as an undeniable truth, Wildly, that it is impoffible for you, in your prefent humour, to be happy. True happiness, my friend, confifts in love of one. That tender union breeds a mutual inclination, to help and blefs each other. WILDLY. Hey-day! What the devil means all this rant! In what pious matron's company have you pass'd your time lately? Who has taught you to difcant fo feelingly on the comforts of matrimony? Faith you are like the fat pamper'd fons of Rome, who preach abstinence, chastity, and fafting to their flock, whilft they themselves riot in every kind of voluptuoufnefs! FREEMAN. You are mistaken, Wildly, I speak as I would act, had I such an amiable woman as you have. And I must condemn your levity. WILDLY. Why your modefty's beyond a mountebank's! how the devil can you, with that grave demure face, cenfure me? Thou canting hypocrite! when thou haft left a bright, a blooming bride, in the prime of youth and beauty; and left her too before the marriage yoke could gall. Where's the difference betwixt us? Yes, 'tis on my fide. I'm more honeft, and fcorn to fin in private, like you : I openly fly at every joy; nor am ashamed, whilst I have life, to purchase each delight, to make it worth the keeping. FREEMAN. I believe you speak the world's opinion of me; but you, Wildly, know my ftory better than to judge that lewdnefs is the cause of my keeping abroad. The reafon of our quitting our wives, (if mine can be call'd quitting a wife,) are very different. Your age gave you a power to judge, you chofe for yourself the maid your heart approved. But I, in my fchoolboy-days, was by a father's will conftrained, (without a thought of blifs, or knowing what I did) to marry. After my father's death, I was fent to travel, before I took poffeflion of my wife and fortune. But now in my riper years, I loath, I fcorn the flavish tie! I am determin'd never to cohabit with her, nor go to England whilft fhe lives! WILDLY. What? Did the learned doctors of the law, you confulted, conclude the marriage good? |