ling fool is as dangerous as a home-bred villain-Get you to your native plough and cart, converse with animals like yourselves, fheep and oxen; men are creatures you don't understand. Wild. Let 'em alone, colonel, their folly will be now diverting. Come, gentlemen, we'll difpute this point fome other time; I hear fome fiddles tuning, let's hear how they can entertain us.1 A Servant enters and whispers Wildair. `in the next room for a moment: [Exeunt omnes but Wildair. Wild. A lady to enquire for me! who can this be? Enter Lurewell. O! madam, this favour is beyond my expectation, to come uninvited to dance at my wedding-What d'ye gaze at, madam ? Lure. A monster-if thou'rt marry'd, thou'rt the most perjur'd wretch that e'er avouch'd deceit. Wild. Hey dey! why, madam, I'm fure I never fwore to marry you: Í made indeed a flight promife, upon. condition of your granting me a fmall favour, but you would not confent you know. Lure. How he upbraids me with my fhame.-Can you deny your binding vows when this appears a witness 'gainst your falfhood. [Shews a ring.] Methinks the motto of this facred pledge fhou'd flash confufion in your guilty face-Read, read here the binding words of love and honour, words not unknown to your perfidious: tongue, tho' utter ftrangers to your treacherous heart. Wild. The woman's ftark ftaring mad, that's certain. Lure. Was it maliciously defign'd to let me find my mifery when paft redrefs; to let me know you, only to know you falfe?-Had not curfed chance fhew'd me the furprizing motto, I had been happy-The first knowledge I had of you was fatal to me, and this fecond worse. Wild. What the devil is all this!-madam, I'm not at leifure for raillery at prefent, I have weighty affairs. upon my hands; the bufinefs of pleasure, madam; any other time. D 2 [Going Lure Lure. Stay, I conjure you ftay. Wild. Faith I can't, my bride expects me; but hark'e, when the honey-moon is over, about a month or two hence, I may do you a small favour. [Exit. Lure. Grant me fome wild expreffions, Heavens, or I shall burft-Woman's weakness, man's falfhood, my own fhame,, and love's difdain, at once fwell up my breaftWords, words, or I fhall burft. [Going. Enter Standard. Stand. Stay, madam, you need not fhun my fight; for if you are a perfect woman, you have confidence to outface a crime, and bear the charge of guilt without a blush. Lure. The charge of guilt! What? making a fool of you? I've don't, and glory in the act; the height of female justice were to make you all hang or drown ;' diffembling to the prejudice of men is virtue; and every look, or fign, or fmile, or tear that can deceive, is meritorious. Stand. Very pretty principles truly-if there be truth in woman, 'tis now in thee-Come, madam, you know that you're discovered, and being fenfible you can't efcape, you wou'd now turn to bay. That Ring, madam, proclaims you guilty. Lure. O monster, villain perfidious villain! has he told you? Stand. I'll tell it you, and loudly too. Lure. O name it not-yet, speak it out, 'tis so just a punishment for putting faith in man, that I will bear it all; and let credulous maids, that trust their honour to the tongues of men, that hear their fhame pro'claim'd.'-Speak now, what his bufy fcandal, and your improving malice both dare utter. Stand. Your falfhood can't be reach'd by malice nor by fatire; your actions are the jufteft libel on your fame your words, your looks, your tears, I did believe in fpite of common fame. Nay, 'gainst mine own eyes, I ftill maintain'd your truth. I imagin'd Wildair's boafting of your favours to be the pure refult of his own vanity at laft he urg'd your taking prefents of him, as a convincing proof of which you yesterday from him re : --- ceiv'd that ring, which ring, that I might be fure he gave it, I lent it him for that purpose ! Lure. Ha! You lent it him for that purpose! Stand. Yes, yes, madam, I lent it him for that purpofe-no denying it-I know it well, for I have worn it long, and defire you now, madam, to restore it to the juft owner. Lure. The juft owner! think, fir, think but of what importance 'tis to own it; if you have love and honour in your foul, 'tis then moft juftly yours; if not, you are a robber, and have ftol'n it bafely. Stand. Ha! your words, like meeting flints, have ftruck a light to fhew me fomething strange-but tell me inftantly, is not your real name Manly? Lure. Anfwer me first; did not you receive this ring about twelve years ago? Stand. I did. Lure. And were not you about that time entertain'd two nights at the houfe of Sir Oliver Manly in Oxfordshire? Stand. I was, I was: [Runs to her and embraces her.] The bleft remembrance fires my foul with tranfportI know the reft-you are the charming fhe, and I the happy man. Lure. How has blind fortune ftumbled on the right!: but where have you wander'd fince 'twas cruel to forfake me.. Stand. The particulars of my fortune are too tedious now; but to discharge myself from the ftain of disho nour, I must tell you, that immediately upon my return to the univerfity, my elder brother and I quarrell'd: my father, to prevent further mischief, pofts me away to travel: I writ to you from London, but fear the letter came not to your hands. Lure. I never had the leaft account of you by letter or otherwife.. Stand. Three years I liv'd abroad, and at my return, found you were gone out of the kingdom, tho' none could tell me whither: miffing you thus, I went to Flanders, ferv'd my king till the peace commenc'd; then fortunately going on board at Amfterdam, one fhip tranf ported us both to England. At the first fight I lov'd, tho tho' ignorant of the hidden caufe-You may remember, madam, that talking once of marriage, I told you I was engaged; to your dear felf I meant. - Lure. Then men are ftill moft generous and braveand to reward your truth, an estate of three thousand pounds a year waits your acceptance; and if I can fatisfy you in my paft conduct, and the reasons that engag'd me to deceive all men,' I shall expect the honourable performance of your promife, and that you will stay with me in England. Stand. Stay! nor fame, nor glory, e'er fhall part us more. My honour can be no where more concerned than here.' Enter Wildair, Angelica, and both Clinchers. Oh! Sir Harry, fortune has acted miracles to day; the ftory's ftrange and tedious, but all amounts to this, that woman's mind is charming as her perfon, and I am made a convert too to beauty. Wild. I wanted only this to make my pleasure perfect. And now, madam, we may dance and fing, and love and kifs in good earnest. A dance here. After the dance, enter Smuggler. Smug. So, gentlemen and ladies, I'm glad to find you fo merry; is my nephew gracious among ye? Wild. Sir, he dares not fhew his face among fuch honourable company, for your gracious nephew isSmug. What, fir? have a care what you say. Wild. A villain, fir. Smug. With all my heart-I'll pardon you the beating. me for that very word. And pray, Sir Harry when you fee him next, tell him this news from me, that I have difinherited him, that I will leave him as poor as a disbanded quarter-mafter. And this is the pofitive and ftiff refolution of threefcore and ten; an age that sticks as obftinately to its purpose, as to the old fashion of its cloak. Wild. You fee, madam, [To Angel.] how induftrioufly fortune has punish'd his offence to you. Ang. I can fcarcely, fir, reckon it an offence, confidering the happy confequence of it. Smug. O! Sir Harry, he is as hypocritical· Lure. who you are fo free with, fir; a woman of condition, that can call half a dozen footmen upon occafion. Wild. Nay, madam, if you have a mind to tofs me in a blanket, half a dozen chamber-maids would do better fervice. Come, come, madam, tho' the wine makes me lifp, yet it has taught me to fpeak plainer. By all the duft of my ancient progenitors, I must this night reft in your arms. Ang. Nay then, who waits there? [Enter Footmen. Take hold of that madman, and bind him. Wild. Nay, then Burgundy's the word, flaughter will enfue. Hold, do you know, fcoundrels, that I have been drinking victorious Burgunay? [Draws. Servants. We know you're drunk, fir, Wild. Then how have you the impudence, rafcals, to affault a gentleman with a couple of flasks of courage in his head? us. Servants. We must do as our young mistress commands Wild. Nay, then have among ye, dogs. [Throws money amongst them; they fcramble and take it up. He pelting them out, fhuts the door and returns. Rafcals, Poltroons,-I have charm'd the dragon, and now the fruit's my own. Ang. O, the mercenary wretches! this was a plot to betray me. Wild. I have put the whole army to flight and now I'll take the general prifoner. [Laying hold on her. Ang. I conjure you, fir, by the facred name of honour, by your dead father's name, and the fair reputa tion of your mother's chastity, that you offer not the leaft offence-already you have wrong'd me paft redress. Wild. Thou art the most unaccountable creature. Ang. What madness, Sir Harry! what wild dream of loose defire cou'd prompt you to attempt this bafenefs? View me well. The brightness of my mind, methinks, fhould lighten outwards, and let you fee your mistake in my behaviour. I think it fhines with fo much innocence in my face, that it should dazzle all your vicious thoughts: think not I am defencelefs 'caufe alone. |