L. Easy. That I shall see presently; for here comes Sir Charles, and I'm sure my lord cann't be far off.

Enter Sir CHARLES.

Sir Cha. Servant, Lady Betty--my dear, how do you do?

L. Easy. At your service, my dear-but, pray what have you done with my Lord Morelove?

L. Betty. Aye, Sir Charles, pray how does your pupil do? Have you any hopes of him? Is he docible?

“Sir Cha. Well, madam, to confess your triumph "over me, as well as him, I own my hopes of him 86 are lost. I offer'd what I cou'd to his instruction, "but he is incorrigibly yours, and undone-and the 66 news, Ι presume, does not displease your ladyship. "L. Betty. Fye, fye, Sir Charles, you disparage 'your friend, I am afraid you don't take pains with "him.

"Sir Cha. Ha! I fancy, Lady Betty, your good

nature won't let you sleep a nights: don't you love ❝dearly to hurt people?

"L. Betty. O! your servant: then, without a jest, "the man is so unfortunate in his want of patience, "that, let me die, if I don't often pity him.

"Sir Cha. Ha! Strange goodness-O that I were lover for a month or two.

your

"L. Betty. What then!

"Sir Cha. I wou'd make that pretty heart's blood "of yours ach in a fortnight.

H

"L. Betty. Hugh—I should hate you: your assur"ance wou'd make your address intolerable.

"Sir Cha. I believe it wou'd, for I'd never ad"dress you at all.

"L. Betty. O! you clown you!

[Hitting him with her fan. "Sir Cha. Why, what to do? to feed a diseased "pride, that's eternally breaking out in the affectation "of an ill-nature, that in my conscience I believe "is but affectation.

"L. Betty. You, or your friend, have no great "reason to complain of my fondness, I believe. Ha, "ha, ha!"

Sir Cha. [Looking earnestly at her.] Thou insolent creature! How can you make a jest of a man, whose whole life's but one continued torment, from your want of common gratitude ?

L. Betty. Torment! for my part, I really believe him as easy as you are.

Sir Cha. Poor intolerable affectation!

You know

the contrary, you know him blindly yours, you know your power, and the whole pleasure of your life's the poor and low abuse of it.

L. Betty. Pray how do I abuse it if I have any power.

Sir Cha. You drive him to extremes that make him mad, then punish him for acting against his reason : you've almost turned his brain, "his common judg"ment fails him;" he is now, at this very moment, driven by his despair upon a project, in hopes to free

him from your power, that I am sensible, and so must every one be that has his sense, of course must ruin him with you, for ever. "I almost blush "to think of it, yet your unreasonable disdain has "forced him to it;" and should he now suspect I offered but a hint of it to you, and in contempt of his design, I know he'd call my life to answer it: but Į have no regard to men in madness, I rather choose for once to trust in your good-nature, in hopes the man, whom your unwary beauty had made miserable, your generosity wou'd scorn to make ridiculous.

L. Betty. Sir Charles, you charge me very home; I never had it in my inclination to make any thing ridiculous that did not deserve it. Pray, what is this business you think so extravagant in him?

Sir Cha. Something so absurdly rash and bold, you'll hardly forgive ev'n me that tell it you.

L. Betty. O fie! If it be a fault, Sir Charles, I shall consider it as his, not yours. Pray, what is it? "L. Easy. I long to know, methinks."

Sir Cha. You may be sure he did not want my dise suasions from it.

L. Betty. Let's hear it.

Sir Cha. Why this man, whom I have known to love you with such excess of generous desire, whom I have heard in his ecstatic praises on your beauty talk, till from the soft heat of his distilling thoughts, the tears have fall'n

L. Betty. O! Sir Charles

[Blushing. Sir Cha, Nay, grudge not, since 'tis past, to hear

what was (though you contemned it) once his merit : but now I own that merit ought to be forgotten.

L. Betty. Pray, sir, be plain.

Sir Cha. This man, I say, whose unhappy passion has so ill succeeded with you, at last has forfeited all his hopes (into which, pardon me, I confess my friendship had lately flattered him) his hopes of even deserving now your lowest pity or regard.

L. Betty. You amaze me) -For I cann't suppose his utmost malice dares assault my reputation-and what

Sir Cha. No, but he maliciously presumes the world will do it for him; and indeed he has taken no unlikely means to make them busy with their tongues : for he is this moment upon the open terrace, in the highest public gallantry with my Lady Graveairs. "And to convince the world and me, he said, he was "not that tame lover we fancied him, he'd ven"ture to give her music to-night: nay, I heard ❝him, before my face, speak to one of the hautboys "to engage the rest, and desired they would all take "their directions only from my Lady Graveairs."

L. Betty. My Lady Graveairs! truly I think my lord's very much in the right on't- -for my part, Sir Charles, I don't see any thing in this that's so very ridiculous, nor indeed that ought to make me think either the better or the worse of him for't.

Sir Cha. Pshaw! pshaw! madam, you and I know 'tis not in his power to renounce you; this is but the poor disguise of a resenting passion, vainly ruffled to

a storm, which the least gentle look from you can reconcile at will, and laugh into a calm again.

L. Betty. Indeed, Sir Charles, I shan't give myself that trouble, I believe.

Sir Cha. So I told him, madam : are not all your complaints, said I, already owing to her pride; and can you suppose this public defiance of it (which you know you cann't make good too) won't incense her more against you ?- -That's what I'd have, said he, staring wildly; I care not what becomes of me, so I but live to see her piqued at it.

L. Betty. Upon my word. I fancy my lord will find himself mistaken-I shan't be piqued, I believe —I must first have a value for the thing I lose, before it piques me: piqued! ha, ha, ha! [Disordered.

Sir Cha. Madam, you've said the very thing I urged to him; I know her temper so well, said I, that though she doated on you, if you once stood out against her, she'd sooner burst than shew the least motion of uneasiness.

L. Betty. I can assure you, Sir Charles, my lord won't find himself deceived in your opinionpiqued!

Sir Cha. She has it.

[Aside.

"L. Easy. Alas, poor woman! how little do our passions make us !"

L. Betty. Not but I would advise him to have a little regard to my reputation in this business; I would have him take heed of publicly affronting

me.