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L. P. Gads my life, the man's distracted; why how now, who are you? What am I? Slidikins, can't I govern you? What did I marry you for? Am I not to be abfolute and uncontroulable? Is it fit a woman of my fpirit and conduct should be contradicted in a matter of this concern!

Sir P. It concerns me, and only me :--Befides, I am not to be governed at all times. When I am in tranquility my Lady Plyant fhall command Sir Paul; but when I am provoked to fury, I cannot incorporate with patience and reason,-as foon may tigers match with tigers, lambs with lambs, and every creature couple with its foe, as the poet says.

L. P. He's hot-headed ftill! 'tis in vain to talk to you; but remember I have a curtain-lecture for you, you difobedient, headstrong brute.

Sir P. No, 'tis because I won't be headstrong, becaufe I won't be a brute, and have my head fortified, that I am thus exafperated.-But I will protect my honour, and yonder is the violator of my fame.

L. P. 'Tis my honour that is concerned, and the violation was intended to me:- Your honour! you have none but what is in my keeping, and I can difpofe of it when I please-therefore don't provoke me.

Sir P. Hum, gads-bud fhe fays true- -Well, my Lady, march on, I will fight under you then; I am convinced as far as paffion will permit.

[Lady Pl. aud Sir Paul come up to Mellefont.

L. P. Inhuman and treacherous

Sir P. Thou ferpent, and first tempter of woman

kind.

Cyn. Blefs me, Sir! Madam, what mean you?

Sir P. Thy, Thy, come away Thy, touch him not; come hither, girl, go hot near him, there is nothing but deceit about him; fnakes are in his peruke, and the crocodile of Nilus is in his belly, he will eat thee up alive. L. P. Dishonourable, impudent creature!

Mel. For Heaven's fake, Madam, to whom do you direct this language?

L. P. Have I behaved myself with all the decorum and nicety, befitting the perfon of Sir Paul's wife? Have I preferved my honour as it were in a fnow-houfe for

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thefe

these three years past? Have I been white and unsullied even by Sir Paul himself?

Sir P. Nay, he has been an invincible wife, even to me, that's the truth on't.

L. P. Have I, I fay, preferved myfelf like a fair sheet of paper for you to make a blot upon ?

Sir P. And the thall make a fimile with any woman in England.

Mel. I am fo amazed, I know not what to say.

Sir P. Do you think my daughter, this pretty creature; gads-bud fhe's a wife for a cherubin! Do you think her fit for nothing but to be a ftalking horfe, to ftand before you while you take aim at my wife? Gadsbud I was never angry before in my life, and I'll never be appeafed again.

Mel. Hell and damnation! this is my aunt ; fuch malice can be engendered no where elfe. [Afide. L. P. Sir Paul, take Cynthia from his fight; leave me to ftrike him with the remorfe of his intended crime. Cyn. Pray Sir, ftay, hear him, I dare affirm he's in

nocent.

Sir P. Innocent! Why, hark'ee, come hither, Thy, hark'ee, I had it from his aunt, my fifter TouchwoodGads-bud, he does not care a farthing for any thing of thee, but thy portion; why, he's in love with my wife; he would have tantalized thee, and made a cuckold of thy poor father, and that would certainly have broke my heart I am fure if ever I should have horns, they would kill me; they would never come kindly, I should die of them, like a child that was cutting his teeth

I should indeed, Thy-therefore come away; but Providence has prevented all, therefore come away when I bid

you.

Cyn. I muft obey.

[Exeunt Sir Paul and Cynthia. L. P. Oh, fuch a thing! the impiety of it startles me to wrong fo good, fo fair a creature, and one that loves you tenderly 'Tis a barbarity of barbarities, and nothing could be guilty of it

Mel. But the greatest villain imagination can form, I grant it; and next to the villainy of fuch a fact, is the villainy of afperfing me with the guilt, How? Which way was I to wrong her? For yet I understand you not.

L. P.

L. P. Why, gads my life, coufin Mellefont, you cannot be fo peremptory as to deny it, when I tax you with it to your face; for, now Sir Paul is gone, you are corum nobus.

Mel. By Heaven I love her more than life, or

L. P. Fiddle, faddle, don't tell of this and that, and, every thing in the world, but give me mathemacular demonstration, answer me directly-But I have not patience-Oh! the impiety of it, as I was faying, and the unparalleled wickedness! O merciful father! How could you think to reverse nature fo, to make the daughter the means of procuring the mother?

Mel. The daughter to procure the mother!

L. P. Ay, for tho' I am not Cynthia's own mother, I am her father's wife, and that's near enough to make it, inceft.

Mel. Inceft! O my precious aunt, and the devil in conjunction.

[Afide. L. P. O reflect upon the horror of that, and then the guilt of deceiving every body; marrying the daughter only to make a cuckold of the father; and then feducing me, debauching my purity, and perverting me from the road of virtue, in which I have trod thus long, and never made one trip, not one faux pas; O confider it, what would you have to anfwer for, if you fhould provoke me to frailty? Alas! humanity is feeble, Heaven knows! very feeble, and unable to support itself.

Mel. Where am I? Is it day? and am I awake? Madam.

L. P. And nobody knows how circumstances may happen together; to my thinking, now I could refift the ftrongest temptation - but yet I know, 'tis impoffible for me to know whether I could or not; there's no certainty in the things of this life.

Mel. Madam, pray give me leave to ask you one quefTM tion.

L. P. O lord, afk me the question! I'll fwear I'll refuse it; I swear I'll deny it-therefore don't ask me; nay you shan't ask me,' I fwear I'll deny it. O Gemini, you have brought all the blood into my face; I warrant I am as red as a turky-cock; O fye, coufin Mellefont.. Mel. Nay, Madam, hear me; I mean

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L. P.

L. P. Hear you, no, no; I'll deny you first, and hear you afterwards. For one does not know how one's mind may change upon hearing.-Hearing is one of the fenfes, and all the fenfes are fallible; I won't trust my honour, I affure you; my honour is infallible and uncomatible.

Mel. For Heaven's fake, Madam.

L. P. O name it no more- -Blefs me, how can you talk of Heaven, and have fo much wickedness in your heart? May be you don't think it a fin,- -they fay fome of you gentlemen don't think it a fin

may be it is no fin to them that don't think it fo; indeed, if I did not think it a fin- -but still my honour, if it were no but then to marry my daughter for the conveni-· ency of frequent opportunities. -I'll never confent to that; as fure as can be I'll break the match.

fin

Mel. Death and amazementknees

Madam, upon my

L. P. Nay, nay, rife up; come, you fhall fee my goodnature. I know love is powerful, and nobody can help his paffion 'tis not your fault, nor I fwear it is not mine.- How can I help it if I have charms? And how can you help it if you are made a captive? I fwear it is pity it should be a fault- but my honour well, but your honour too-but the fin!-well, but the neceffity -Olord, here's fomebody coming, I dare not stay. Well, you must confider of your crime, and strive as much as can be against it-strive, be fure-but don't be melancholic, don't defpair--but never think that I'll grant you any thing; O lord, no;-but be sure you lay afide all thoughts of the marriage; for tho' I know you don't love Cynthia, only as a blind for your paffion to me, yet it will make me jealous-O lord, what did I fay? Jealous! no, no, I can't be jealous, for I must not love you-therefore don't hope-but don't despair neither— O, they're coming, I must fly.

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[Exit.

Mel. [after a paufe.] So then-fpite of my care and forefight I am caught, caught in my fecurity.-Yet this was but a fhallow artifice, unworthy of my Machia• velian aunt.' There must be more behind, this is but the first flash, the priming of her engine; deftruction follows hard, if not most presently prevented.

Enter

Enter Mafkwell.

Mafkwell, welcome, thy prefence is a view of land, ap pearing to my fhipwrecked hopes; the witch has raised the ftorm, and her minifters have done their work; you fee the veffels are parted.

Mask. I know it; I met Sir Paul towing away Cynthia. Come, trouble not your head, I'll join you togegether ere to-morrow morning, or drown between you in the attempt.

Mel. There's comfort in a hand ftretched out to one that's finking, though never fo far off.

Mask. No finking, nor no danger-Come, cheer up; why you don't know that while I plead for you, your aunt has given me a retaining fee ;-nay, I am your greatest enemy, and the does but journey-work under me.

Mel. Ha! how's this?

Mask. What do ye think of my being employed in the execution of all her plots? Ha, ha, ha, by Heaven it is true; I have undertaken to break the match, I have undertaken to make your uncle difinherit you, to get you turned out of doors, and to- -ha, ha, ha, I can't tell you for laughing Oh, fhe has opened her heart to

me

-I am to turn you à grazing, and to-ha, ha, ha, marry Cynthia myfelf; there's a plot for you.

Mel. Ha! O fee, I fee my rifing fun! light breaks thro' clouds upon me, and I fhall live in day O my Mafkwell! how fhall I thank or praise thee; thou haft outwitted woman..-But tell me, how couldst thou thus get into her confidence? Ha! how? But was it her contrivance to perfuade my Lady Plyant into this extravagant belief?

Mask. It was, and to tell you the truth I encouraged it for your diverfion; tho' it make you a little uneafy for the prefent, yet the reflexion of it muft needs be entertaining-I warrant she was very violent at first.

Mel. Ha, ha, ha, ay, a very fury; but I was most afraid of her violence at laft-If you had not come as you did, I don't know what fhe might have attempted.

Mask. Ha, ha, ha, I know her temper.-Well, you must know then, that all my contrivances were but bubbles; 'till at last I pretended to have been long fecretly

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