liberty, and tame cuckolds with chains about their necks. But hold, I must examine you before I go further; you look suspiciously. Are you a husband? For. I am married.

Val. Poor creature! Is your wife of Covent-garden parish?

For. No; St. Martin in the Fields.

Val. Alas; poor man! his eyes are sunk, and his hands shrivelled; his legs dwindled, and his back bowed. Pray, pray for a metamorphosis.-Change thy shape, and shake off age; get thee Medea's kettle, and be boiled anew; come forth, with labouring, callous hands, a chine of steel and Atlas' shoulders. Let Taliacotius trim the calves of twenty chairmen, and make thee pedestals to stand erect upon; and look matrimony in the face. Ha, ha, ha! that a man should have a stomach to a wedding supper, when the pigeons ought rather to be laid to his feet! ha, ha, ha!

For. His frenzy is very high now, Mr. Scandal.
Scand. I believe it is a spring tide.

ters.

with

For. Very likely truly; you understand these matMr. Scandal, I shall be very glad to confer you about these things which he has uttered.His sayings are very mysterious and hieroglyphical. Val. Oh, why would Angelica be absent from my eyes so long?

Jer. She's here, sir.

Mrs. For. Now, sister.

Mrs. F. O Lord, what must I say?

Scand. Humour him, madam, by all means. Val. Where is she? Oh, I see her ?—She comes like riches, health, and liberty, at once, to a despairing, starving, and abandoned wretch.-O welcome, wel

come!

Mrs. F. How dy'e, sir? can I serve you?

Val. Harkee-I have a secret to tell you-Endymion and the moon shall meet us upon Mount Latmos, and we'll be married in the dead of night.—But say not a word.-Hymen shall put his torch into a dark lantern, that it may be secret; and Juno shall give her peacock poppy water, that he may fold his ogling tail, and Argus's hundred eyes be shut, ha ? Nobody shall know but Jeremy.

Mrs. F. No, no, we'll keep it secret; it shall be done presently.

Val. The sooner the better-Jeremy, come hither -closer-that none may overhear us. Jeremy, I can tell you news. Angelica is turned nun; and I am turned friar: and yet we'll marry one another in spite of the pope. Get me a cowl and beads, that I may play my part-for she'll meet me two hours hence in black and white, and a long veil to cover the project; and we won't see one another's faces, till we have done something to be ashamed of-and then we'll blush once for all.

Enter TATTLE and ANGELICA.

Jer. I'll take care, and

Val. Whisper.

Ang. Nay, Mr. Tattle, if you make love to me, you spoil my design; for I intend to make you my confident.

Scand. How's this! Tattle making love to Angelica!

Tatt. But madam to throw away your person, such a person! and such a fortune, on a madman!

Ang. I never loved him till he was mad; but don't tell any body so.

Tatt. Tell, madam? alas, you don't know me.I have much ado to tell your ladyship how long I have been in love with you-but, encouraged by the impossibility of Valentine's making any more addresses to you, I have ventured to declare the very inmost passion of my heart. Oh, madam, look upon us both. There you see the ruins of a poor decayed creature! -Here, a complete lively figure, with youth and health, and all his five senses in perfection, madam; and to all this, the most passionate lover

Ang. O, fie for shame, hold your tongue.

sionate lover, and five senses in perfection!

A pas

When

you are as mad as Valentine, I'll believe you love me; and the maddest shall take me.

Val. It is enough. Ha! who's there;

Mrs. F. O Lord, her coming will spoil all.

[To Jeremy.

Jer. No, no, madam; he won't know her; if he should, I can persuade him.

Val. Scandal, who are these? Foreigners? If they are, I'll tell you what I think.—Get away all the com

her.

pany but Angelica, that I may discover my design to [Whispers. Scand. I will.-I have discovered something of Tattle, that is of a piece with Mrs. Frail. He courts Angelica; if we could contrive to couple them together- -Hark'ee[Whispers.

Mrs. For. He won't know you, cousin; he knows nobody.

For. But he knows more than any body.-Oh, niece, he knows things past and to come, and all the profound secrets of time.

Tatt. Look you, Mr. Foresight; it is not my way to make many words of matters, and so I shan't say much. But in short, d'ye see, I will hold you a hundred pounds now, that I know more secrets than he. For. How? I cannot read that knowledge in your face, Mr. Tattle. Pray what do you know;

Tatt. Why, d'ye think I'll tell you, sir ?-Read it in my face! No, sir, it is written in my heart; and safer there, sir, than letters written in juice of lemon, for no fire can fetch it out. I'm no blab, sir.

Val. Acquaint Jeremy with it; he may easily bring it about. They are welcome, and I'll tell them so myself. [To Scandal.] What, do you look strange upon me?—Then I must be plain. [Coming up to them.} I am Honesty and hate an old acquaintance with a new face. [Scandal goes aside with Jeremy.

Tatt. Do you know me, Valentine?
Val. You? Who are you? I hope not.
Tatt. I am Jack Tattle, your friend.

Val. My friend! what to do? I'm no married man, and thou canst not lie with my wife. I am very poor, and thou canst not borrow money of me. Then what employment have I for a friend?

Tatt. Ha! a good open speaker, and not to be trusted with a secret.

Ang. Do you know me, Valentine ?

Val. Oh, very well.

Ang. Who am I?

Val. You're a woman-one to whom Heaven gave beauty, when it grafted roses on a briar. You are the reflection of heaven in a pond; and he that leaps at you is sunk. You are all white, a sheet of lovely spotless paper, when you were first born; but you are to be scrawled and blotted by every goose's quill. I know you; for I loved a woman, and loved her so long, that I found out a strange thing; I found out what a woman was good for.

Tatt. Ay, pr'ythee, what's that ?

Val. Why, to keep a secret.

Tatt. O Lord!

Val. O, exceeding good to keep a secret: for though she should tell, yet she is not believed.

Tatt. Ha! good again, faith.

"Val. I would have music.-Sing me the song that

"I like.

"SONG.

"I tell thee, Charmion, could I time retrieve,
"And could again begin to love and live,

To you

I should my earliest offering give;