Mel. No? Ld. F. Oh, no-never laugh indeed, Sir. Care. No! Why, what d'ye go there for? Ld. F. To diftinguish myself from the commonalty, and mortify the poets;-the fellows grow fo conceited. when any of their foolish wit prevails upon the fideboxes. I fwear- he, he, he, I have often constrained my inclinations to laugh-he, he, he, to avoid giving them encouragement t Mel. You are cruel to yourself, my Lord, as well as malicious to them. Ld. F. I confefs I did myself fome violence at first, but now I think I have conquered it. Brisk. Let me perish, my Lord, but there is fomething very particular in the humour; 'tis true, it makes against wit, and I'm forry for fome friends of mine that write, but 'egad, I love to be malicious.-Nay, deuce take me, there's wit in't too and wit must be foiled by wit; cut a diamond with a diamond, no other way, 'egad. Ld. F. Oh, I thought you would not be long before you found out the wit. Care. Wit! In what? Where the Devil's the wit in not laughing when a man has a mind to't? me? Brisk. O lord, why, can't you find it out ?---- -Why, there 'tis, in the not laughingDon't you apprehend My Lord, Careless is a very honest fellow, but hark ye you understand me, fomewhat heavy, a little fhallow, or fo.-Why, I'll tell you now, fuppofe now you come up to me. -Nay, pr'ythee Carelets be inftructed: Suppofe, as I was faying, you come up to me holding your fides, and laughing, as if you would- Well-I look grave, and afk the caufe of this immoderate inirthYou laugh on ftill, and are not able to tell me look grave, not fo much as fmile. Care. Smile, no, what the Devil fhould when you fuppofe I can't tell you? Still f you fmile at Brisk. Pihaw, pfhaw, pr'ythee don't interrupt me.-V But I tell you, you shall tell me at laft-But it fhall be a great while firft. Care. Well; but pr'ythee don't let it be a great while, because I long to have it over. B 3 Bri Brisk. Well then, you tell me fome good jeft, or very witty thing, laughing all the while as if you were ready to die and I hear it, and look thus.- Would not you be disappointed? Care. No for if it were a witty thing, I fhould not expect you to understand it. Ld. F. O foy, Mr. Careless, all the world allows Mr. Brisk to have wit; my wife fays he has a great deal. I hope you think her a judge. Brisk. Pooh, my Lord, his voice goes for nothing.I can't tell how to make him apprehend. Take it t'other way. Suppole I fay a witty thing to you? Care. Then I fhall be disappointed indeed. Mel. Let him alone, Brifk, he is obftinately bent not. to be inftructed. Brisk. I'm forry for him, the deuce take me. Mel. Shall we go to the ladies, my Lord? Ld. F. With all my heart; litude without them. methinks we are a for Mel. Or, what say you to another bottle of Champagne ? Ld. F. O, for the univerfe, not a drop more, I befeech you. Oh, intemperate! I have a flushing in my face already. [Takes out a pocket glass, and looks in it Brisk. Let me fée, let me fee, my Lord, I broke my glafs that was in the lid of my fnuff-box. Hum! Deuce take me, I have encouraged a pimple here too. [Takes the glass, and looks. Ld. F. Then you must mortify him with a patch; my wife fhall fupply you. Come, gentlemen, allons, here is company coming. [Exeunt. Enter Lady Touchwood and Maskwell. L. 'T. I'll hear no moreY'are faife and ungrate→ ful; come, I know you falle. Mask. I have been frail I confefs, Madam, for your Ladyfhip's fervice. L. T. That I fhould trust a man whom I had known betray his friend ! Mask. What friend have I betrayed; Or to whom? { L. T. Your fond friend Mellefont, and to me Can you deny it ? Mask. I do not. L.T. L. T. Have you not wronged my Lord, who has been a father to you in your wants, and given you be ing? Have you not wronged him in the highest manner, in his bed? Mask. With your Ladyship's help, and for your fervice, as I told you before. I cannot deny that neither. Any thing more, Madam? L. T. More audacious villain. Oh, what's more is moft my fhame- -Have you not dishonoured me? Mask. No, that I deny; for I never told in all my life: fo that accufation's anfwered.On to the next. L. T. Death, do you dally with my paffion? Infolent devil! But have a careprovoke me not; for, by the eternal fire, you fliall not escape my vengeance. Calm villain! how unconcerned he stands, confeffing treachery and ingratitude! Is there a vice more black? Oh, I have excufes, thoufands, for my faults; fire in my temper, paffions in my foul, apt to every provo cation; oppreffed at once with love and with despair: but a fedate, a thinking villain, whose black blood runs temperately bad, what excufe can clear? 2 Mask. Will you be in temper, Madam? I would not talk not to be heard. I have been [She walks about difors dered.] a very great rogue for your fake, and you reproach me with it; I am ready to be a rogue still, to do you fervice; and you are flinging confcience and honour in my face, to rebate my inclinations. How am I to behave myfelf? You know I am your creature, my life and fortune in your power; to difoblige you brings me certain ruin. Allow it, I would betray you, I would not be a traitor to myself: I do not pretend to honefty, becaufe you know I am a rafcal: but I would convince you from the neceffity of my being firm to you. L. T. Neceffity, impudence! Can no gratitude incline you, no obligations touch you? Have not my fortune and my perfon been fubjected to your pleafure'. Were you not in the nature of a fervant, and have not I in effect made you lord of all, of me, and of my Lord? Where is that humble love, the languifhing, that adoration, which once was paid me, and everlasting? ly engaged? Mask. Mask. Fixed, rooted in my heart, whence nothing can remove them, yet you L. T. Yet, what yet? Mask. Nay,. mifconceive me not, Madam, when I fay I have had a generous and a faithful paffion, which you had never favoured but thro' revenge and policy. L. T. Ha! : Mask. Look you, Madam, we are alone,-Pray contain yourself, and hear me. You know you loved your nephew when I first fighed for you; I quickly found it ; an argument that I loved: for with that art you veiled your paffion, 'twas imperceptible to all but jealous eyes. This difcovery made me bold, I confefs it; for by it 1 thought you in my power. Your nephew's fcorn of you added to my hopes; I watched the occafion, and took you, juft repulfed by him, warm at once with love and. indignation; your difpofition, my arguments, and happy opportunity, accomplished my defign; I preft the yielding minute, and was bleft. How I have loved you fince, words have not fhewn, then how should words, exprefs? L. T. Well, mollifying devil!And have I not met your love with forward fire? Mask. Your zeal I grant was ardent, but misplaced; there was revenge in view; that woman's idol had defiled the temple of the god, and love was made a mockworship. A fon and heir would have edged young Mellefont upon the brink of ruin, and left him none but you to catch at for prevention. L. T. Again, provoke me! Do you wind me like a larum, only to route my stilled foul for your diverfion ? Confufion! in Mask. Nay, Madam, I am gone, if you relapseWhat needs this? I fay nothing but what you yourself, open hours of love, have told me. Why fhould you deny it? Nay, how can you? Is not all this prefent heat owing to the fame fire? Do you not love him ftill? How have I this day offended you, but in not breaking off his match with Cynthia? which, ere to-morrow, shall be done had you but patience.. L. T. How, what faid you, Mafkwell,Another caprice to unwind my temper? Mask. Mask. By Heav'n, no; I am your flave, the flave of all your pleasures; and will not reft 'till I have given you peace, would you fuffer me. L. T. Oh, Mafkwell, in vain do I difguife me from thee, thou knowest me, knowest the very inmost windings and recefles' of my foul.-——— 'Oh, Mellefont! I • burn' married to-morrow! Despair ftrikes me! Yet my foul knows I hate him too: let him but once be mine, and next immediate ruin feize him.' Mask. Compofe yourself, you shall poffefs and ruin him too-Will that please you? L. T. How, how? thou dear, thou precious villain, how? Mask. You have already been tampering with my Lady Plyant. L.T. I have; fhe is ready for any impreffion. I think fit. Mask. She must be thoroughly perfuaded that Melle font loves her. L. T. She is fo credulous that way naturally, and likes him fo well, that she will believe it fafter than I can perfuade her. But I don't fee what you can propose from fuch a trifling defign; for her first converfing with Mellefont will convince her of the contrary. Mask. I know it-I don't depend upon it. But it will prepare fomething elfe; and gain us leifure to lay a stronger plot,——If I gain a little time, I shall not want contrivance, One minate gives invention to deftray, END of the FIRST ACT. CYNTHIA. [Exeunta NDEED, Madam! Is it poffible your Ladyfhip could have been fo much in love? L. F. I could not fleep; I did not fleep one wink for three weeks together. Cyn. |