Ori. No, no, I can affure you.'

Bif. Then, what d'ye whine for? Whilft I kept that in my power,' I would make a fool of any fellow in France. Well, I must confefs, I do love a little coquetting with all my heart? my business should be to break, gold with my lover one hour, and crack my promise the next; he should find me one day with a prayer-book in my hand, and with a play-book another. He fhould have my confent to buy the wedding-ring, and the next inoment would I laugh in his face.

Ori. Oh, my dear, were there no greater tie upon my heart, than there is upon my conscience, I would foon throw the contract out of doors; but the mischief on't is, I am fo fond of being ty'd, that I'm forced to be just, and the ftrength of my paffion keeps down the inclination of my fex. But here's the old gentleman.

Enter Old Mirabel.

Old Mir. Where's my wenches! Where's my two lit the girls? Eh! Have a care, look to yourfelves, faith, they're a coming, the travellers are a coming. Well! which of you, two will be my daughter-in-law now? Bifarre, Bifarre, what say you, mad-cap? Mirabel is at pure wild fellow.

Bif. I like him the worse.

:

Old Mir. You lie, huffey, you like him the better, indeed you do what fay you, my t'other little filbert? he! Ori. I fuppofe the gentleman will chufe for himself, Sir.

Old Mir. Why, that's difcreetly faid; and fo he fhall. Enter Mirabel and Duretete, they falute the Ladies. Old Mir. Bob, heark'e, you fhall marry one of these girls, firrah,

Mir. Sir, I'll marry them both, if you please.

Bif. [Afide.] He'll find that one may ferve his turn. Old Mir. Both! Why, you young dog, d'ye banter me?-Come, Sir, take your choice, Duretete, you shall have your choice too; but Robin fhall chufe first. Come, Sir, begin.

Mir. Well, I an't the first son that has made his fa ther's dwelling a bawdy-house-let me fee.

Old Mir. Well; which d'ye like?

Mir. Both.

Qld Mir. But which will you marry?

Mir

Mir.

Old either.

Bob;

Neither! Don't make me angry now, pray, don't make me angry. Look ye, firrah, if I don't dance at your wedding to-morrow, I shall be very glad to cry at your grave.

Mir. That's a bull, father.

Old Mir. A bull! Why, how now, ungrateful Sir? Did I make thee a man, that thou shouldst make me a beaft?

Mir. Your pardon, Sir; I only meant your expreffion. Old Mir. Hark ye, Bob, learn better manners to your father before ftrangers. I won't be angry this time; but, oons, if ever you do it again, you rafcal-Remem

ber what I fay

Mir. Pfhaw! what does the old fellow mean by mewing me up here with a couple of green girls? Come, Duretete, will you go?

Ori. I hope, Mr. Mirabel, you han't forgot

Mir. No, no, Madam, I han': forgot; I have brought you a thoufand little Italian curiofities. I'll affure you, Madam, as far as a hundred piftoles would reach, I han't forgot the least circumftance.

Öri. Sir, you misunderstand me.

de

Mir. Odfo, the relics, Madam, from Rome! I do re, member now, you made a vow of chastity before my parture; a vow of chastity, or fomething like it; was it not, Madam?

Ori. Oh, Sir, I am answered at prefent.

[Exit. Mir. She was coming full mouth upon me with her contract. Would I might difpatch t'other!

Dur. Mirabel- that lady there, obferve her; fhe's wond'rous pretty, faith, and feems to have but few words: I like her mainly. Speak to her, man; pr'ythee, fpeak to her.

Mr. Madam, here's a gentleman, who declares

Dur. Madam, don't believe him; I declare nothing— What the devil do you mean, man?

Mir. He fays, Madamn, that you are as beautiful as an angel.

Dur. He tells a damn'd lie, Madam; I fay no fuch thing. Are you mad, Mirabel? Why, I thall drop down with fhame.

Mir. And fo, Madam, not doubting but your Ladyfhip may like him as well as he does you, I think it proper to leave you together. [Going, Duretete bolds him.

Dur. Hold, hold-Why, Mirabel, friend, fore you won't be fo barbarous as to leave me alone. Pr'ythee, fpeak to her for yourself, as it were. Lord, Lord, that a Frenchman should want impudence!

Mir. You look mighty demure, Madam-She's deaf, Captain.

Dur. I had much rather have her dumb.

Mir. The gravity of your air, Madam, promises fome extraordinary fruits from your study, which moves us with curiofity to enquire the fubject of your Ladyfhip's contemplation. Not a word!

Dur. I hope in the lord the's fpeechlefs: if the be, fhe's mine this moment. Mirabel, d'ye think a woman's filence can be natural ?

Bif. But the forms that logicians introduce, and which proceed from fimple enumeration, are dubitable, and proceed only upon admittance

Mir. Hoity toity! what a plague have we here? Płato in petticoats?

Dur. Ay, ay, let her go on, man; fhe talks in my own mother-tongue.

Bif. 'Tis expofed to invalidity from a contradictory inftance; looks only upon common operations, and is intinite in its termination.

Mir. Rare pedantry!

Dur. Axioms, axioms! felf-evident principles.

Bif. Then the ideas wherewith the mind is pre-occupate-Oh, gentlemen, I hope you'll pardon my cogitations! I was involved in a profound point of philofophy; but I fhall difcufs it fomewhere elfe, being fatisfied that the fubject is not agreeable to your fparks that profefs the vanity of the times.

[Exit. Mir. Go thy way, good wife Bias. Do you hear, Duretate? Dot hear this ftarch'd piece of aufterity?

Dur. She's mine, man, fhe's inine! My own talent to a T. I'll match her in dialects, faith. I was feven years at the univerfity, man, nurfed up with Barbara, Celarunt, Darii, Ferio, Baralipton. Did you ever know, man, that 'twas metaphyfics made me an afs? It was, faith.

Had

fhe talked a word of finging, dancing, plays, fafhions, or the like, I had foundered at the first step; but as fhe is Mirabel, with me joy.

Mir. You don't mean marriage, I hope.

Dur. No, no, I am a man of more honour.

Mir. Bravely refolv'd, Captain. Now, for thy credit, warm me this frozen fnow-ball; 'twill be a conquest above the Alps.

Dur. But will you promise to be always near me?
Mir. Upon all occafions, never fear.

Dur. Why, then, you fhall fee me in two moments make an induction from my love to her hand, from her hand to her mouth, from her mouth to her heart, and fo conclude in bed, categorematicè.

Mir. Now the game begins, and my fool is enteredBut here comes one to fpoil my fport. Now fhall I be teized to death with this old fashioned contract. I fhould love her too, if I might do it my own way; but she'll do nothing withour witneffes, forfooth. I wonder women can be fo immodeft. Enter Oriana.

Well, Madam, why d'ye follow me?

Ori. Well, Sir, why do you thun me?

Mir. 'Tis my humour, Madam; and I'm naturally fwayed by inclination.

Óri. Have you forgot our contract, Sir?

Mir. All I remember of that contract is, that it was made fome three years ago; and that's enough in confcience to forget the rest on't.

Ori. 'Tis fufficient, Sir, to recollect the paffing of it; for in that circumftance, I prefame, lies the force of the obligation.

Mir. Obligations, Madam, that are forced upon the will, are no tie upon the confcience. I was a flave to my paffion when I paffed the inftrument; but the recovery of my freedom makes the contract void.

• Ori. Sir, you can't make that a compulfion which was your own choice; befides, Sir, a fubjection to your own defires has not the virtue of a forcible constraint: and you will find, Sir, that to plead your paffion for the killing of a man, will hardly exempt you from the justice of the punifliment.

Mir. And fo, Madam, you make the fin of murder

• and

and the crime of a contract the very fame, because ⚫ that hanging and matrimony are so much alike,'

Ori. Come, Mr. Mirabel, thefe expreffions I expected from the raillery of your humour; but I hope for very different sentiments from your honour and generofity.

Mir. Look ye, Madam; as for my generofity, 'tis at your fervice, with all my heart: I'll keep you a coach and fix horses, if you pleafe, only permit me to keep my honour to myself; for I can affure you, Madam, that the thing called honour, is a circumftance abfolutely ⚫ unneceffary in a natural correfpondence between male * and female; and he's a madman that lays it out, confi dering its fcarcity, upon any fuch trivial occafions. "There's honour required of us by our friends, and ho"nour due to our enemies, and they return it to us again; "but I never heard of a man that left but an inch of his 'honour in a woman's keeping, that could ever get the "least account on't.' Confider, Madam, you have no fuch thing among ye; and 'tis a main point of policy to keep no faith with reprobates-Thou art a pretty little reprobate; and fo get thee about thy business.

Ori. Well, Sir, even all this I will allow to the gaiety of your temper: your travels have improved your talent of talking, but they are not of force, I hope, to impair your morals.

Mir. Morals! Why, there 'tis again, now. I tell' 'I' 'thee, child, there is not the least occafion for morals in any bufinefs between you and I.' Don't you know, that of all the commerce in the world, there is no fuch cozenage and deceit as in the traffic between man and woman? We study, all our lives long, how to put tricks upon one another. What is your bufinefs now from the time you throw away your artificial babies, but how to get natural ones with the most advantage? No fowler lays ' abroad more nets for his game, nor a hunter for his " prey, than you do to catch poor innocent men.' Why do you fit three or four hours at your toilet in a morning? Only with a villainous defign to make fome poor fellow a fool before night. What are your languifhing looks, your studied airs and affectations, but fo many baits and devices, to delude men out of their dear liberty and 'freedom?" What d'ye figh for? What d'ye weep for?

C

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