-I'm sure if ever I should have horns, they would kill me; they would never come kindly, I fhould die of 'em, 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 must obey.

SCENE V.

Lady PLYANT, MELLEFONT.

Lady Plyant. O, such a thing! the impiety of it startles me-to wrong fo good, so 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 such 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.

Lady Plyant. Why, Gad's my life, coufin Mellefont, you cannot be so peremptory as to deny it, when I tax you with it to your face; for, now sir Paul's gone, you are corum nobus.

Mel. By Heav'n, I love her more than life, or

Lady Plyant. Fiddle, faddle, don't tell me of this and that, and ev'ry thing in the world, but give me mathemacular demonstration, anfwer me directly-But I have not patience O! the impiety of it, as I was saying, and the unparallel'd wickedness! 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!

Lady Plyant. Ay, for the' 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.

Lady Plyant. 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 seducing 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 consider it, what would you have to answer for, if you should provoke me to frailty? Alas! humanity is feeble, Heav'n knows! very feeble, and unable to fupport itself.

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

Lady Plyant. And nobody knows how circumstances may happen together.—To my thinking, now, I could refift the strongest 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 que tion.

Lady Plyant. O Lord, afk me the question, I'll fwear I'll refuse it; I fwear I'll deny it --therefore don't ask me, nay, you shan't afk me; I fwear I'll deny it. O gemini, you have brought all the blood into my face; I warrant Į am as red as a Turky-cock; O fy, coufin Mellefont.

Mel. Nay, Madam, hear me; Imean

Lady Plyat. Hear you, no, no; I'll deny you first, and hear you afterward For one does not know how one's mind may change upon hing-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 uncomatable.

Mel For Heaven's fake, Madam

Lady Plyant. O name it no more——— -Blefs me, how can you talk of heav'n! and have so 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 fin— But then, to marry my daughter, for the conveniency of frequent opportunities, I'll never consent to that; as fure as can be, I'll break the match.

Mel. Death and amazement!-Madam, upon my knees.

Lady Plyant. Nay, nay, rise up, come you fhall fee my good nature. I know love is powerful, and no-body 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 fhould be a fault. -But my honour,—well, but your honour too -but the fin! -well but the neceffity O Lord, here's fome body coming, I dare not stay. Well, you must confider of your crime; and strive as much as can be against it,- -ftrive, be fure-But don't be melancholic, don't despair, But never think that P grant you any thing; O Lord, no;-But be fure you lay afide all thoughts of the marriage: for tho' I know you don't love Cynthia, only as a blind to your paflion for 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 defpair neither,

-O, they're coming, I must fly.

Yet

Mel. [after a pause.] So then,-fpite of my care and forefight, I am caught, caught in my fecurity,this was but a fhallow artifice, unworthy of my machiavilian aunt: there must be more behind, this is but the first flash, the priming of her engine; destruction follows hard, if not most presently prevented.

Mel. Mafkwell, welcome, thy prefence is a view of land, appearing to my shipwreck'd hopes; the witch has VOL. I.

M

rais'd the ftorm, and her minifters have done their work; you fee the veffels are parted.

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

Mel. There's comfort in a hand ftretch'd out, to one that's finking, tho' ne'er fo far off.

-Come, cheer plead for you, -Nay, I am

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

me.

Mel. Ha! How's this?

Mask. What d'ye think of my being employ'd in the execution of all her plots? Ha, ha, ha, by heav'n it's true; I have undertaken to break the match, I have undertaken to make your uncle difinherit you, to get you turn'd out of doors; and to- Ha, ha, ha, I can't tell you for laughing.-Oh fhe has open'd her heart to me,I am to turn you a grazing, and to--) -Ha, ha, ha, marry · Cynthia myfelf; there's a plot for you.

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

Mask. It was, and to tell you the truth, I encourag'd it for your diverfion: tho' it made you a little uneasy for the prefent, yet the reflection of it must needs be enter taining,- I warrant fhe was very violent at first. -Mel. Ha, ha, ha, ay, ay, a very fury; but I was most afraid of her violence at last,- -If you had not come as you did, I don't know what she might have attempted. Mask. Ha, ha, ha, I know her temper -Well, you muft know then, that all my contrivances were but bubbles;

till at last I pretended to have been long fecretly in love with Cynthia; that did my business; that convinced your aunt, I might be trusted; fince it was as much my interest as hers to break the match: then, she thought my jealousy might qualify me to affist her in her revenge. And, in fhort, in that belief, told me the fecrets of her heart. At length we made this agreement, if I accomplish her defigns (as I told you before) she has engag'd to put Cynthia with all her fortune into my power.

Mel. She is most gracious in her favour-Well, and dear Jack, how hast thou contrived?

Mask. I would not have you stay to hear it now; for I don't know but she may come this way; I am to meet her anon; after that, I'll tell you the whole matter; be here in this gallery an hour hence, by that time I imagine our confultation may be over.

Mel. I will; 'till then fuccefs attend thee.

'Till then, fuccefs will attend me; for when I meet you, I meet the only obstacle to my fortune. Cynthia, let thy beauty gild my crimes; and whatsoever 1 commit of treachery or deceit, fhall be imputed to me as a merit ́ -Treachery, what treachery? love cancells all the bonds of friendship, and fets men right upon their first foundations.

:

Duty to kings, piety to parents, gratitude to benefactors, and fidelity to friends, are different and particular ties but the name of rival cuts 'em all afunder, and is a general acquittance- -Rival is equal, and love like death an univerfal leveller of mankind. Ha! but is there not fuch a thing as honefty? Yes, and whofoever has it about him bears an enemy in his breast: for your honeft man, as I take it, is that nice, fcrupulous confcientious perfon, who will cheat nobody but himself; fuch