from thee? You might fooner tear a penfion out of the hands of a courtier, a fee from a lawyer, a pretty woman from a looking-glafs, or any woman from quadrille.But to tear me from thee is impoffible !

Polly.

AIR XVI. Over the hills and far away.

Were I laid on Greenland's coast,

And in my arms embrac'd my lass ;
Warm amidst eternal frost,

Too foon the half year's night would pass.
Were I fold on Indian foil,

Soon as the burning day was clos'd,
I could mock the fultry toil,

1

When on my charmer's breaft repos'd.

Mac. And I would love you all the day,
Polly. Every night would kifs and play,
Mac. If with me you'd fondly ftray
Polly. Over the hills and far away.

Polly. Yes, I would go with thee. But, Oh!. how fhall I speak it? I must be torn from thee. We muft part.

Mac. How! Part!

Polly. We muft, we muft.-My papa and mama are fet against thy life. They now, even now, are in search after thee. They are preparing evidence against thee. Thy life depends upon a moment.

AIR XVII. Gin thou wert my awn thing.

O what pain it is to part!

Can I leave thee? Can I leave thee?

O what pain it is to part!

Can thy Polly ever leave thee?

But left death my love fhould thwart,

And bring thee to the fatal cart,

Thus I tear thee from my bleeding heart!
Fly hence, and let me leave thee,

One kifs and then

-one kiss

-begone

farewel.

Mac.

Mac. My hand, my heart, my dear, is fo riveted to thine, that I cannot unloofe my hold.

Polly. But my papa may intercept thee, and then I fhould loofe the very glimmering of hope. A few weeks, perhaps may reconcile us all. Shall thy Polly hear from

thee?

Mac. Muft I then go ?

Polly. And will not abfence change your love?

Mac. If you doubt it, let me stay.

hang'd.

Polly. O how I fear! how I tremble !

and be

-Go-but

when fafety will give you leave, you will be fure to fee me again, for 'till then Polly is wretched.

AIR XVIII. O the broom, &c.

[Parting and looking back at each other with fondness; he at one door, he at the other.]

Mac. The mifer thus a fhilling fees,
Which he's oblig'd to pay,

With fighs refigns it by degrees,

And fears 'tis gone for aye..

Polly. The boy thus, when his sparrow's flown,
The bird in filence eyes;

But foon as out of fight 'tis gone,
Whins, whimpers, fobs, and cries.

END of the FIRST ACT.

ACT II.

SCENE, a Tavern near Newgate.

Jemmy Twitcher, Crook-finger'd Jack, Wat. Dreary, Robin of Bagfhot, Nimming Ned, Henry Paddington, Matt. of the Mint, Ben Budge, and the reft of the gang, at the table, with wine, brandy, and tobacco.

B

BEN.

UT, pr'ythee, Matt, what is become of thy brother Tom? I have not feen him fince iny return from tranfportation.

Mat.

Matt. Poor brother Tom had an accident this time twelvemonth; and fo clever made a fellow he was, that I could not fave him from those fleaing rafcals, the furgeons; and now, poor man, he is among the otamys at Surgeon's-hall.

Ben. So it feems, his time was come.

Jem. But the prefent time is ours; and nobody alive hath more. Why are the laws levelled at us? Are we more dishonest than the rest of mankind? What we win, gentlemen, is our own by the law of arms, and the right of conqueft.

Crook. Where fhall we find fuch another fet of prac tical philofophers, who, to a man, are above the fear of death?

Wat. Sound men, and true!

Robin. Of tried courage, and indefatigable industry! Ned. Who is there here, that would not die for his friend?

Harry. Who is there here, that would betray him for his interest?

Matt. Shew me a gang of courtiers that can fay as much.

Ben. We are for a juft partition of the world; for every man hath a right to enjoy life.

Matt. We retrench the fuperfluities of mankind. The world is avaricious, and I hate avarice. A covetous fel low, like a jack-daw, fteals what he was never made to enjoy, for the fake of hiding it. Thefe are the robbers of mankind; for money was made for the free-hearted and generous; and where is the injury of taking from another, what he hath not the heart to make use of ?

Jem. Our feveral stations for the day are fixed. Good luck attend us all. Fill the glaffes.

AIR XIX. Fill ev'ry glass, &c.

Matt. Fill ev'ry glass; for wine infpires us,
And fires us

With courage, love, and joy.

Women and wine fhould life employ
Is there ought elfe on earth defirous?

Chorus. Fill ev'ry glass, &c.

3

Enter

Enter Macheath.

Mac. Gentlemen, well met. My heart hath been with you this hour; but an unexpected affair hath detained me. No ceremony, I beg you,

Matt. We were just breaking up, to go upon duty. Am I to have the honour of taking the air with you, Sir, this evening, upon the Heath? I drink a dram now and then with the ftage-coachmen, in the way of friendship and intelligence; and I know that about this time there will be paflengers upon the western road, who are worth fpeaking with.

Mac. I was to have been of that party—but-
Matt. But what, Sir?

Mac. Is there any man who fufpects my courage ?
Matt. We have all been witneffes of it.

Mac. My honour and truth to the gang?

Matt. I'll be anfwerable for it.

Mac. In the divifion of our booty, have I ever shewn the least marks of avarice or injustice?

Mett. By thefe queftions fomething feems to have ruffled you. Are any of us fufpected?

Mac. I have a fixed confidence, gentlemen, in you all, as men of honour, and as fuch I value and respect you. Peachum is a man that is ufeful to us.

Matt. Is he about to play us any foul play? I'll shoot him through the head.

Mac. I beg you, gentlemen, act with conduct and difcretion. A pistol is your last resort.

Matt. He knows nothing of this meeting..

Mac. Bufinefs cannot go on without him. He is a man who knows the world, and is a neceflary agent to us. We have had a flight difference; and till it is accommodated, I fall be obliged to keep out of his way. Any private difpute of mine, fhall be of no ill confequence to my friends. You must continue to act under his direction; for the moment we break loofe from him, our gang is ruined.

Matt. As a bawd to a whore, I grant you, he is to us of great convenience.

Mac. Make him believe I have quitted the gang, which I can never do, but with life. At our private quar

ters

ters I will continue to meet you. A week, or fo, will probably reconcile us.

Matt. Your inftructions fhall be observed. 'Tis now high time for us to repair to our feveral duties: fo, till the evening, at our quarters in Moorfields, we bid you farewel.

Mac. I shall wish myself with you. Succefs attend [Sits down melancholy at the table.

you.

AIR XX. March in Rinaldo, with drums and trumpets.
Matt. Let us take the road.

Hark, I hear the found of coaches!
The hour of attack approaches,
To your arms, brave boys, and load.
See the ball I held!

Let the chymifts toil like affes,
Our fire their fire furpaffes,

And turns all our lead to gold.

[The gang, ranged in the front of the ftage, load their piftols, and flick them under their girdles, then go off, finging the first part in chorus.

Mac. What a fool is a fond wench! Polly is moft confoundedly bit. I love the fex: and a man who loves money, might as well be contented with one guinea, as Iwith one woman. The town, perhaps, hath been as much obliged to me, for recruiting it with free-hearted ladies, as to any recruiting officer in the army. If it were not for us, and the other gentlemen of the fword, Drury-lane would be uninhabited.

AIR XXI. Would you have a young virgin, &c.

If the heart of a man is deprefs'd with cares,
The mist is difpell'd when a woman appears;
Like the notes of a fiddle, the fweetly, fweetly
Raifes the fpirits, and charms our ears.
Rofes and lilies her cheeks difclofe,

But her ripe lips are more sweet than those :
Prefs her,

Carefs her,

With bliffes,

Her kiffes

Diffolve us in pleasure, and foft repose.

C

I must