him, if I catch you again with your stockings about your heels, your brogues shall soon follow their example: there he was, looking up earnestly at the weathercock. You had better turn that graceless face of yours, upon your dirty dog's-leav'd book, my young master, said I; but in less than a minute, I caught him looking up at the weathercock again, and then he look'd at me, and then I look'd at the weathercock; and there it was sure enough, it stood south-west as it could blow. Thought I to myself, are you in that quarter at last, and be damn'd to you? So I proclaimed silence :-My little men, said I, you have all lately been very good boys; and as it seems to be a fine evening for walking, said I, looking up to see the wind hadn't chang'd again, you may all take the fag-end of it for a holiday.

Tod. Why then I'll just step to deliver a letter. (Feels for it.) Oh, I must have put it into the other pocket-why, what the devil's become of it? O'Blar. What have you lost?

Tod. A letter from my master to his mistress come, come, you have taken it out of my pocket. O'Blar. Not a word of it.

Tod. What the devil's to be done?

O'Blar. Done-write another yourself.

Tod. Impossible, my parents gave me an excellent

X

education, but somehow or other, they forgot writing and reading.

O'Blar. Never mind it, I'll give you one of my grammars, where you may learn both at the same time. Don't be alarm'd, I'll write you a letter. Tod. Will you?

O'Blar. I have said it.

Tod. But can you?

O'Blar. Can I? Go back to where you dropt the letter, and then meet me at the Blackamoor's Head. Tod. Grant heaven I may find it, for if I return without an answer, I shall certainly be murdered. [Exit.

O'Blar. (solus) Whether I can write a love-letter? Faith, by his doubting that, one would almost suppose he had heard of the small misfortune that I met with in my own country.

AIR 2d.
I.

In the town of Kilkenny, I once kept a school,
Where I sat like a gander 'mongst ducks in a pool,
Spare the rod, spoil the child, is a maxim quite right,
So I whip'd them all round of a Saturday night.
It was physick, before they were sick, to be sure,
But you know that prevention is better than cure;

And you'll find it the sooner, the deeper you search, That the great tree of knowledge they talk of, was birch :

If you'd quicken the wit, let the diet be spare,

So faith, of starvation, they had a full share;

Tho' their bellies might grumble out - non quantum

suff.

Yet no one could say, but their backs had enough.

II.

Thus I taught them, till told by an impudent elf,
I had better begin, by first learning myself,
For he swore that my impudence couldn't be small,
To set up in a business with no stock at all ;

My boys took the hint, and I caught an arch rogue,
With a grin on his face, slily smoking my brogue;
They broke my best cane, burnt my wig to the call,
And scribbled "O'Blarney's a dunce" on the wall.
So I lock'd up my school room, and wrote on the door,
"The devil may teach here, for I teach no more;
"And that he may know how to get in with ease,
"If he breaks the door open, he'll soon find the keys."

[Exit.

Scene, another part of the Village.

Enter GRACE CONSTANT.

AIR 3d.

I.

Fair to the shepherd's anxious eye,
Tho' storms succeed, doth glow,
Amid' the half-relumin'd sky,
The many-colour'd bow.

II.

So hope's fond dreams still sooth despair,

And tho' we wake to pain,

So warmly bright her visions are,

We wish to sleep again.

How sweetly custom teaches us to reap comfort from adversity, as the bird gathers the down that warms his humble dwelling, from the thistle that wounds his breast. The fifteen months I have spent in the service of this honest man but he comes.

-

Enter STURDY.

Stur. Two strangers have alighted at the house. Gra. I wish I had been there to attend them.

Stur. Perhaps it's as well as 'tis: they are young, and you are handsome. I take them for a couple of London sparks; gentlemen who have too much pride to marry a poor girl, yet sufficient condescension to ruin, and just spirit enough to desert her.

Gra. I hope you are mistaken, sir.

Stur. I hope so too. I have been so often deceived in my good opinion of mankind, that I'm always heartily glad to be honestly ashamed of a bad one: but come, we'll talk more of them as we go along.

[Exeunt.

Scene, a Room in Justice FrDGET's House.

Enter SOPHIA and SUSAN.

Sus. Well, madam, and how did you and the old gentleman settle the affair at last?

Soph. I have agreed to marry the lawyer, in case upon further acquaintance he should like me.

Sus. And how will you prevent his liking you? Soph. I have a scheme for that, which I have been for some time putting in execution; but run and see who the fellow is, that you say is lurking about the house.

Sus. Yes, ma'am, he wants to speak with some of