Brisk. Not I, let me perifh-But did I? Strange! I confefs your Ladyfhip was in my thoughts; and I was in a fort of dream that did in a manner represent a very pleafing object to my imagination, but-but did I indeed ? To fee how love and murder will out. But did I really name my Lady Froth?

L. F. Three times aloud, as I love letters-But did you talk of love? O Parnaffus! Who would have thought Mr. Brifk could have been in love, ha, ha, hâ. O Heavens! I thought you could have no mistress but the nine mufes.

Brifk. No more I have, 'egad, for I adore them all in your Ladyship-Let me perifh, I don't know whether to be fplenetic or airy upon it; the deuce take me if I can tell whether I am glad or forry that your Ladyfhip has made the discovery.

L. F. O, be merry by all meansin love! Ha, ha, ha.

-Prince Volfcius

Brisk. O, barbarous, to turn me into ridicule! Yet, ha, ha, ha. The deuce take me, I cannot help laughing myself, ha, ha, ha; yet by Heavens I have a violent paffion for your Ladyship feriously.

L. F. Serioufly! Ha, ha, ha.

Brisk. Seriously, ha, ha, ha. Gad I have for all I laugh.

L. F. Ha, ha, ha! What d'ye think I laugh at? Ha, ha, ha.

Brisk. Me 'egad, ha ha.

L. F. No, the deuce take me if I don't laugh at myfelf; for hang me if I have not a violent paffion for Mr. Brisk, ha, ha, ha.

Brisk. Seriously?

L. F. Serioufly, ha, ha, ha.

Brisk. That's well enough, let me perish, ha, ha, ha. O miraculous, what a happy difcovery!

charming Lady Froth!

L. F. Oh, my adored Mr. Brifk!

Enter Lord Froth.

Ld. F. The company are all ready

Ay, my dear

Brisk. Zoons, Madam, there's my Lord. [Softly to her.] L. F. Take no notice- -but obferve me -Now caft off, and meet me at the lower end of the room, and

then

then join hands again; I could teach my Lord this dance purely, but I vow, Mr. Brifk, I can't tell how to come fo near any other man. Oh, here's my Lord, now you fhall fee me do it with him.

-But I

[They pretend to practise part of a country dance. Ld. F.- -Oh, I fee there's no harm yetdon't like this familiarity.

L. F.

Mr. Brifk?

Shall you and I do our clofe dance,

Ld. F. No, my dear, do it with him.

[Afide.

to fhew

L. F. I'll do it with him, my Lord, when you are out of the way.

Brisk. That's good 'egad, that's good; deuce take me I can hardly hold laughing in his face. [Afide. Ld. F. Any other time, my dear, or we'll dance it below.

L. F. With all my heart.

Brisk. Come, my Lord, I'll wait on you-My charming witty angel!

[To her. L. F. We fhall have whispering time enough, you know, fince we are partners.

Enter Lady Plyant and Careless.

[Exeunt.

L. P. O Mr. Careless, Mr. Careless, I'm ruined, I'm undone.

Care. What's the matter, Madam ́?

L. P. O the unluckieft accident, I'm afraid I fan't live to tell it you.

Care. Heaven forbid! What is it?

L. P. I'm in fuch a fright; the strangeft quandary and premunire! I'm all over in an univerfal agitation, I dare fwear every circumftance of me trembles.your letter, your letter! By an unfortunate mistake, I have given Sir Paul your letter instead of his own.

Care. That was unlucky.

L. P. O yonder he comes reading of it, for Heaven's Take step in here and advise me quickly, before he fees. [Exeunt.

Sir P. covered

Enter Sir Paul with the letter.
Providence, what a confpiracy have I dif-
-But let me fee to make an end on't-

[Reads.] Hum After Supper in the wardrobe by the gallery. If Sir Paul should furprize us, I have a commiffion

from

from him to treat with you about the very matter of fact Matter of fact! Very pretty; it feems, then, I am conducing to my own cuckoldom; why this is a very traiterous pofition of taking up arms by my authority against my perfon! Well, let me fee-'Till then I languish in expectation of my adored charmer.

Dying Ned Careless.

Gads-bud, would that were matter of fact too. Die and be damned for a Judas Maccabeus and Iscariot both. O friendship, what art thou but a name! Henceforward let no man make a friend that would not be a cuckold: for whomfoever he receives into his bofom, will find the way to his bed, and there return his careffes with interest to his wife. Have I for this been pinioned night after night for three years paft? Have I been fwathed in blankets 'till I have been even deprived of motion?' Have I approached the marriage-bed with reverence, as to a facred fhrine, and denied myself the enjoyment of • lawful domestic pleasures to preferve its purity,' and muft I now find it polluted by foreign iniquity? O my Lady Plyant, you were chafte as ice, but you are melted now, and falfe as water.But Providence has been conftant to me in difcovering this confpiracy; ftill I am beholden to Providence; if it were not for Providence, fure, poor Sir Paul, thy heart would break.

Enter Lady Plyant.

L. P. So, Sir, I fee you have read the letter-Well, now, Sir Paul, what do you think of your friend Carelefs? Has he been treacherous, or did you give his info lence a licence to make trial of your wife's fufpected virtue? D'ye fee here? [Snatches the letter as in anger.] Look, read it! Gad's my life, if I thought it were fo, I would this moment renounce all communication with you. Ungrateful monster! He? Is it fo? Ay, I fee it, a plot upon my honour; your guilty cheeks confefs it: Oh, where fhall wronged virtue fly for reparation! I'll be divorced this inftant.

Sir P. Gads-bud, what fhall I fay? This is the strangeft fürprize! Why I don't know any thing at all, nor I don't know whether there be any thing at all in the world,

or no.

I

L. P.

L. P. I thought I fhould try you, false man. I that never diffembled in my life; yet to make trial of you, pretended to like that monster of iniquity, Careless, and found out that contrivance to let you fee this letter; which now I find was of your own inditing I do, Heathen, I do; see my face no mort; • prefenily.'

I'll be divorced

Sir P. O ftrange, what will become of me! -I am fo amazed, and fo overjoyed, fo afraid, and fo forry.-But did you give me this letter on purpose, he? Did you?

L. P. Did I? Do you doubt me, Turk, Saracen? I have a coufin that's a proctor in the Commons, I'll go to him inftantly

Sir P. Hold, ftay, I beseech your Ladyship—I am fo overjoyed, ftay, I'll confefs all.

L. P. What will you confefs, Jew?

Sir P. Why now as I hope to be faved, I had no hand in this letter-Nay, hear me, I beseech your Ladyship: The Devil take me now if he did not go beyond my commiffion -If I defired him to do any more than speak a good word only just for me; Gads-bud, only for poor Sir Paul, I am an Anabaptist, or a Jew, or what you please to call me..

L. P. Why, is not here matter of fact ?

Sir P. Ay, but by your own virtue and continency that matter of fact is all his own doing.-I confess I had a great defire to have fome honours conferred upon me, which lie all in your Ladyfhip's breaft, and he being a well-fpoken man, I defired him to intercede for me.

L. P. Did you fo, Prefumption! Oh! he comes, the Tarquin comes; I cannot bear his fight.' [Exit. Enter Careless.

Care. Sir Paul, I am glad I have met with you; 'egad I have faid all I could, but cannot prevailThen my friendship to you has carried me a little further in this

matter

Sir P. IndeedWell, Sir-I'll diffemble with him a little. [Afide.

Care. Why, faith, I have in my time known honest gentlemen abufed by a pretended coynefs in their wives, and I had a mind to try my Lady's virtue-And when I

could

could not prevail for you, 'egad I pretended to be in love myfelf-but all in vain, fhe would not hear a word upon that fubject; then I writ a letter to her; I don't know what effects that will have, but I'll be fure to tell you when I do; though, by this light, I believe her virtue is impregnable.

Sir P. O Providence! Providence! What difcoveries are here made! Why, this is better and more miraculous than the rest.

Care. What do you mean?

Sir P. I cannot tell you, I am fo overjoyed; come along with me to my Lady, I cannot contain myself; come my dear friend.

Care. So, fo, fo, this difficulty's over.

{Afide.

[Exit.

It is

Enter Mellefont and Mafkwell from different doors.
Mel. Mafkwell, I have been looking for you

within a quarter of eight.

Mask. My Lady is just gone into my Lord's closet, you had best steal into her chamber before fhe comes, and lie concealed there, otherwife fhe may lock the door when we are together, and you not eafily get in to furprize us.

Mel. He? You fay true.

Mask. You had beft make hafte, for after fhe has made fome apology to the company for her own and my Lord's abfence all this while, fhe'll retire to her chamber instantly.

Mel. I go this moment: Now, Fortune, I defy thee.

Exit

Mask. I confefs you may be allowed to be fecure in your own opinion; the appearance is very fair, but I have an after-game to play that shall turn the tables, and here comes the man that I must manage.

Enter Lord Touchwood.

Ld. T. Mafkwell, you are the man I wished to meet. Mask. I am happy to be in the way of your Lordship's commands.

Ld. T. I have always found you prudent and careful in any thing that has concerned me or my family.

Mask. I were a villain elfe-I am bound by duty and

F

grati