PROLOGUE.

COULD thofe, who never try'd, conceive the fweat,
The toil requir'd, to make a play complete,
They'd pardon, or encourage all that could
Pretend to be but tolerably good.

Plot, wit, and humour's hard to meet in one,
And yet without them all—all's lamely done :
One wit, perhaps, another humour paints;
A third defigns you well, but genius wants;

A fourth begins with firebut, ah! too weak to hold it, faints.

A modern bard, who late adorn'd the bays,
Whefe mufe advanc'd his fame to envy'd praife,
Was ftill obferv'd to want his judgment most in plays.
Thofe, be too often found, requir'd the pain
And ftronger forces of a vig'rous brain:
Nay, even alter'd plays, like old houfes mended,
Coft little less than new, before they're ended;
At least, our author finds the experience true,
For equal pains had made this wholly new:
And though the name feems old, the fcenes will fhew
That'tis, in fact, no more the fame, than now
Fam'd Chatfworth is, what 'twas fome years ago.
Pardon the boldness, that a play fhould dare,
With works of so much wonder to compare :
But as that fabrick's ancient walls or wood
Were little worth, to make this new one good;
So of this play, we hope, 'tis underfood.
For though from former fcenes fome hints he draws,
The ground-plot's wholly chang'd from what it was :
Not but he hopes you'll find enough that's new,
In plot, in perfons, wit and humour too :
Yet what's not his, he owns in others right,
Nor toils he now for fame, but your delight.
If that's attain'd, what matter's whofe the play's?
Applaud the fcenes, and ftrip him of the praife.

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THE

DOUBLE GALLANT.

The lines diftinguished by inverted comas, thus,' are omitted in the reprefentation.

CLERIMONT.

MR. Atall, your very humbie fervant.

At. O, Clerimont, fuch an adventure! I was just going to your lodgings, fuch a tranfporting accident in fhort, I am now pofitively in love for altoge-,

ther.

Cler. All the fex together, I believe.

At. Nay, if thou doft not believe me, and stand my friend, I am ruin'd paft redemption.

Cler. Dear Sir, if I ftand your friend without believ ing you, won't that do as well? But why fhould you think I don't believe you? I have seen you twice in love, within this fortnight; and it would be hard indeed to fuppofe a heart, of so much mettle could not hold out a third engagement.

At. Then, to be serious, in one word, I am honourably in love; and, if the proves the woman I am fure the mult,, will pofitively marry her.

Cler. Marry! O degenerate virtue!

At. Now will you help me?

Cler. Sir, you may depend upon me. Pray give me. leave first to ask a question or two: What is this honourable lady's name ?

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A 3

Cler. A very concife account of the perfon you defign to marry. Pray, Sir, what is't you do know of her?

At. That I'll tell you: Coming yesterday from Greenwich by water, I overtook a pair of oars, whose lovely freight was one fingle lady, and a fellow in a handsome livery in the ftern. When I came up, I had at firft refolved to use the privilege of the element, and bait her with waterman's wit, till I came to the bridge; but, as foon as she faw me, fhe very prudently prevented my defign; and, as I paffed, bow'd to me with an humble blush, that spoke at once fuch sense, so just a fear, and modefty, as put the loofeft of my thoughts to rout. And when the found her fears had moved me into manners, the cautious gloom that fat upon her beauties difappeared; her fparkling eyes refumed their native fire; fhe looked, the fmiled, fhe talked, while her diffufive charms new fired my heart, and gave my foul a softness it never felt before-To be brief, her converfation was as charming as her perfon, both eafy, unconstrained, and fprightly: but then her limbs! O rapturous thought! The fnowy down upon the wings of unfledged love, had never half that foftness.

Cler. Raptures indeed. Pray, Sir, how came you fo well acquainted with her limbs ?

At. By the moft fortunate misfortune fure that ever was: for, as we were shooting the bridge, her boat, by the negligence of the waterman, running against the piles, was overfet; out jumps the footman to take care of a fingle rogue, and down went the poor lady to the bottom. My boat being before her, the ftream drove her, by the help of her cloaths, toward me; at fight of her I plunged in, caught her in my arms, and, with much ado, fupported her till my waterman pulled in to fave us. But the charming difficulty of her getting into the boat, gave me a transport that all the wide water in

the