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Scand. Well, on that condition-Take heed you don't fail me.

Mrs. F. I shall get a fine reputation, by coming to see fellows in a morning! Scandal, you devil, are you here too? Oh, Mr. Tattle, every thing is safe with you, we know.

Scand. Tattle!

Tatt. Mum

honour.

-O madam, you do me too much

Val. Well, lady Galloper, how does Angelica?
Mrs. F. Angelica ?—Manners!

Val. What, you will allow an absent lover

Mrs. F. No, I'll allow a lover present with his mistress to be particular-but otherwise I think his passion ought to give place to his manners."

Val. But what if he has more passion than man

ners?

Mrs. F. Then let him marry, and reform.

Val. Marriage indeed may qualify the fury of his passion; but it very rarely mends a man's manners.

Mrs. F. You are the most mistaken in the world; there is no creature perfectly civil, but a husband: for in a little time he grows only rude to his wife; and that is the highest good-breeding, for it begets his civility to other people. Well, I'll tell you news; but, I suppose, you heard your brother Benjamin is landed. And my brother Foresight's daughter is come out of the country-I assure you, there's a match talk'd of by the old people.-Well, if he be but as great a sea beast, as she is a land monster, we

shall have a most amphibious breed-the progeny will be all otters: he has been bred at sea, and she has never been out of the country.

Val. Pox take them! their conjunction bodes me no good, I'm sure.

Mrs. F. Now you talk of conjunction, my brother Foresight has cast both their nativities, and prognosticates an admiral and an eminent justice of the peace to be the issue male of their two bodies. 'Tis the most superstitious old fool! He would have persuaded me, that this was an unlucky day, and would not let me come abroad: but I invented a dream, and sent him to Artemidorus for interpretation, and so stole out to see you. Well, and what will you give me now? Come, I must have something.

Val. Step into the next room-and I'll give you something.

Scand. Ay, we'll all give you something.

Mrs. F. Well, what will you give me?

Val. Mine's a secret.

Mrs. F. I thought you would give me something that would be a trouble to you to keep.

Val. And Scandal shall give you a good name.

Mrs. F. That's more than he has for himself. And

what will you give me, Mr. Tattle?

Tatt. I My soul, madam.

Mrs. F. Pooh, no, I thank you, I have enough to do to take care of my own. Well; but I'll come and see you one of these mornings: I hear, you have a great many pictures.

Tatt. I have a pretty good collection, at your ser

vice; some originals.

Scand. Hang him, he has nothing but the Seasons and the Twelve Cæsars, paltry copies; and the Five Senses, as ill represented as they are in himself; and he himself is the only original you will see there.

Mrs. F. Ay, but I hear he has a closet of beauties. Scand. Yes, all that have done him favours, if you will believe him.

Mrs. F. Ay, let me see those, Mr. Tattle.

Tatt. Oh, madam, those are sacred to love and contemplation. No man but the painter and myself was ever blest with the sight.

Mrs. F. Well, but a woman

Tatt. Nor woman, till she consented to have her picture there too-for then she is obliged to keep the

secret.

Scand. No, no? come to me if you'd see pictures Mrs. F. You?

Scand. Yes, faith, I can shew you your own picture, and most of your acquaintance, to the life, and as like as at Kneller's.

Mrs. F. O lying creature!-Valentine, does not he lie-I can't believe a word he says.

Val. No, indeed he speaks truth now for, as Tattle has pictures of all that have granted him favours, he has the pictures of all that have refused him-if satires, descriptions, characters, and lampoons, are pictures.

Scand. Yes, mine are most in black and white-and

Who hopes to purchase wealth by selling land;
Or win a mistress with a losing hand.

ACT 11. SCENE I.

[Exeunt.

A Room in FORESIGHT'S House.

Enter FORESIGHT

and Servant.

Foresight.

HEY-DAY! What are all the women of my family abroad? Is not my wife come home? nor my sister? nor my daughter!

Serv. No, sir.

For. Mercy on us! what can be the meaning of it? Sure the moon is in all her fortitudes! Is my niece Angelica at home?

Serv. Yes, sir.

For. I believe you lie, sir.

Serv. Sir?

For. I say, you lie, sir. It is impossible that any thing should be as I would have it; for I was born, sir, when the crab was ascending; and all my affairs go backward.

Serv. I can't tell indeed, sir.

For. No, I know you can't sir. But I can tell, and foretell, sir.

Enter NURSE.

For. Nurse, where's your young mistress?

Nurse. Wee'st heart! I know not, they're none of them come home yet. Poor child, I warrant she's fond of seeing the town!-Marry, pray Heaven they have given her any dinner!—Good lack-a.day, ha, ha, ha! O strange; I'll vow and swear now, ha, ha, ha! marry, and did you ever see the like!

For. Why, how now, what's the matter?

Nurse. Pray Heaven send your worship good luck! marry, and amen, with all my heart! for you have put on one stocking with the wrong side outward.

omens.

For. Ha, how? Faith and troth, I'm glad of it; and so I have; that may be good luck in troth ; in troth it may, very good luck : nay I have had some I got out of bed backwards too this morning, without premeditation; pretty good that too. But then I stumbled coming down stairs, and met a weasel; bad omens those! Some bad, some good; our lives are checquered: mirth and sorrow, want and plenty, night and day, make up our time.-But, in troth, I am pleased at my stocking-very well pleased at my stocking!-Oh, here's my niece !— Sirrah, go tell Sir Sampson Legend I'll wait on him if he's at leisure.-'Tis now three o'clock, a very good hour for business; Mercury governs this hour. [Exit Servant.

Enter ANGELICA.

Ang. Is it not a good hour for pleasure too, uncle? Pray lend me your coach; mine's out of order. For. What, would you be gadding too? Sure all

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