My father, being afraid of an impeachment by the rogues that are taken to-night, is gone off; but if you can procure him a pardon, he will make great discoveries that may be useful to the country. Could I have met you instead of your master to-night, I would have delivered myself into your hands, with a sum that much exceeds that in your strong box, which I have sent you, with an assurance to my dear Martin that I shall ever be his most faithful friend till death. 218 Cherry Bonniface There's a billet-doux for you! As for the father, I think he ought to be encouraged; ARCHER. Humph! What do you mean by humph? Sir, you shall deliver her-In short, sir, we have saved you and your family; and if you are not civil, we'll unbind the rogues, join with 'um, and set fire to your house. What does the man mean? Not part with his wife! 258 COUNT. Aye, garzoon, de man no understan common justice. MRS. SULLEN. Hold, gentlemen, all things here must move by consent; compulsion would spoil us. Let my dear and I talk the matter over, and you shall judge it be265 SULLEN. Let me know first who are to be our judges. Pray, sir, who are you? tween us. 314 MRS. SULLEN. Have we not been a perpetual offence to each other-a gnawing vulture at the heart? SULLEN. A frightful goblin to the sight? MRS. SULLEN. A porcupine to the feeling? SULLEN. Perpetual wormwood to the taste? MRS. SULLEN. Is there on earth a thing we could agree in? SULLEN. Yes-to part. MRS. SULLEN. With all my heart. MRS. SULLEN. Here. 322 [Offering his] [Accepting] SULLEN. These hands joined us, these shall part us.-Away! MRS. SULLEN. North. SULLEN. South. MRS. SULLEN. East. 330 SULLEN. West-far as the poles asunder. COUNT. Begar, the ceremony bevera pretty! SIR CHARLES. Now, Mr. Sullen, there wants only my sister's fortune to make us easy. SULLEN. Sir Charles, you love your sister, and I love her fortune; everyone to his fancy. ARCHER. Then you won't refund? 340 ARCHER. Then I find, madam, you must e'en go to your prison again. COUNT. What is the portion? SIR CHARLES. Ten thousand pound, sir. COUNT. Garzoon, I'll pay it, and she shall go home wid me. 346 ARCHER. Ha! ha! ha! French all over.Do you know, sir, what ten thousand pound English is? 350 COUNT. No, begar, not justement. ARCHER. Why, sir, 'tis a hundred thousand livres. COUNT. A hundre tousand livres! A garzoon! me canno' do't: your beauties and their fortunes are both too much for me. ARCHER. Then I will.-This night's adventure has proved strangely lucky to us all -for Captain Gibbet in his walk had made bold, Mr. Sullen, with your study and escritoire, and had taken out all the writings of your estate, all the articles of marriage with AN EPILOGUE1 [t]his lady, bills, bonds, leases, receipts, to an infinite value: I took 'em from him, and I deliver them to Sir Charles. 364 (Gives him a parcel of papers and parchments) SULLEN. HOW, my writings!-my head aches consumedly.-Well, gentlemen, you shall have her fortune, but I can't talk. If you have a mind, Sir Charles, to be merry, and celebrate my sister's wedding and my divorce, you may command my house-but my head aches consumedly.-Scrub, bring me a dram. 372 ARCHER. Madam (to MRS. SULLEN), there's a country dance to the trifle that I sung to-day; your hand, and we'll lead it up. (Here a dance) 'Twould be hard to guess which of these parties is the better pleased-the couple joined, or the couple parted; the one rejoicing in hopes of an untasted happiness, and the other in their deliverance from an experienced misery. 381 Both happy in their several states we find, Those parted by consent, and those conjoined. Consent, if mutual, saves the lawyer's fee; FINIS CATO A TRAGEDY by JOSEPH ADDISON Ecce spectaculum dignum, ad quod respiciat, intentus operi suo, Deus! Ecce par Deo dignum vir fortis cum mala fortuna compositus! Non video, inquam, quid habeat in terris Jupiter pulchrius, si convertere animum velit, quam ut spectet Catonem, jam partibus non semel fractis, nihilominus inter ruinas publicas erectum. |