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Drudge to feed loathsome life.

Home, home, I say.—

Jaff. Yes, if my heart would let me

[Exit,

This proud, this swelling heart, home would I go,

But that my doors are hateful to my eyes,

Fill'd and damm'd up with gaping creditors.
I've now not fifty ducats in the world;
Yet still I am in love, and pleas'd with ruin.
Oh, Belvidera! Oh! she is my wife-

And we will bear our wayward fate together-
But ne'er know comfort more.

IV.-Boniface and Aimwell.-BEAUX STARTAGEM.
Bon. THIS way, this way, Sir.

Aim. You're my landlord, I suppose.

Bon. Yes, Sir, I'm old Will Boniface; pretty well known upon this road, as the saying is.

Aim. O, Mr. Boniface, your servant.

Bon. O, Sir-What will your honor please to drink, as the saying is?

Aim. I have heard your town of Litchfield much famed for ale; I think I'll taste that.

Bon. Sir, I have now in my cellar ten tun of the best ale in Staffordshire; 'tis smooth as oil, sweet as milk, clear as amber, and strong as brandy; and will be just fourteen years old the fifth day of next March old style. Aim. You're very exact, I find, in the age of your

ale.

Bon. As punctual, Sir, as I am in the age of my children :---I'll show you such ale !---Here, tapster, broach number 1706, as the saying is.---Sir, you shall taste my anno domini.---I have lived in Litchfield, man and boy, above eight and fifty years, and I believe, have not consumed eight and fifty ounces of meat.

Aim. At a meal, you mean, if one may guess by your bulk.

Bon. Not in my life, Sir: I have fed purely upon ale: I have eat my ale, drank my ale, and I always sleep upon ale. [Enter tapster, with a tankard.] Now, Sir, you shall see.- -Your worship's health: [drinks]-Ha!-delicious, delicious! Fancy it Burgun dy, only fancy it-and 'tis worth ten shillings a quart.

Aim. [drinks] 'Tis confounded strong.

Bon. Strong! It must be so, or how should we be strong that drink it!

Aim And have you lived so long upon this ale, landlord?

Bon. Eight and fifty years, upon my credit, Sir; but it killed my wife, poor woman, as the saying is.

Aim. How came that to pass!

Bon. I don't know how, Sir.-She would not let the ale take its natural course, Sir; she was for qualifying it every now and then with a dram, as the saying is; and an honest gentleman, that came this way from Ireland, made her a present of a dozen bottles of usquebaugh-but the poor woman was never well after-but, however, I was obliged to the gentleman, you know.

Aim. Why, was it the usquebaugh that killed her? Bon. My lady Bountiful said so-she, good lady, did what could be done: she cured her of three tympanies --but the fourth carried her off. But she's happy, and I'm contented, as the saying is.

en.

Aim. Who is that lady Bountiful you mentioned?

Bon. Odd's my life, Sir, we'll drink her health :[drinks]--My lady Bountiful is one of the best of womHer last husband, Sir Charles Bountiful, left her worth a thousand pounds a year; and I believe she lays out one half on't in charitable uses, for the good of her neighbors.

Aim. Has the lady been any other way useful in her generation?

Bon. Yes, Sir, she has had a daughter by Sir Charles --the finest woman in all our country, and the greatest fortune. She has a son, too, by her first husband; 'squire Sullen, who married a fine lady from London t'other day; if you please, Sir, we'll drink his health. [drinks.] Aim. What sort of a man is he?

Bon. Why, Sir, the man is well enough; says little thinks less, and does-nothing at all, faith; but he's a man of great estate, and values nobody.

Aim. A sportsman, I suppose.

Bon. Yes, he's a man of pleasure; he plays at whist,

and smokes his pipe eight and forty hours together

sometimes.

Aim. A fine sportsman truly !---and married, you say ? Bon. Aye; and to a curious woman, Sir.---But he's my landlord; and so a man, you know, would notSir, my humble service to you. [drinks.]-Though I "value not a farthing what he can do to me; I pay him his rent at quarter day: I have a good running trade... I have but one daughter, and I can give her but no matter for that.

Aim. You're very happy, Mr. Boniface; pray what other company have you in town?

Bon. A power of fine ladies; and then we have the French officers. :

Aim. O, that's right, you have a good many of those gentlemen: Pray how do you like their company?

Bon. So well as the saying is, that I could wish we had as many more of them. They're full of money, and pay double for every thing they have. They know, Sir, that we paid good round taxes for the taking of 'em ;and so they are willing to reimburse us a little one of 'em lodges in my house. [Bell rings.]--I beg your worship's pardon-I'll wait on you again in half a minute.

V.-Lovegold and Lappet-MISER.

Love. ALL's well hitherto; my dear money is safe. -Is it you, Lappet?

Lap. I should rather ask if it be you, Sir: why you look so young and vigorous

Love. Do I? Do I?

Lap. Why, you grow younger and younger every day, Sir; you never looked half so young in your life, Sir, as you do now. Why, Sir, I know fifty young fellows of five and twenty, that are older than you are.

Love. That may be, that may be, Lappet, considering the lives they lead! and yet I am a good ten years above fifty.

Lap. Well, and what's ten years above fifty? 'tis the very flower of a man's age. Why, Sir, you are now in the very prime of your iife.

Love. Very true, that's very true, as to understanding; but I am afraid, could I take off twenty years, it would do me no harm with the ladies, Lappet.-How goes on our affair with Marianna? Have you mentioned any thing about what her mother can give her? For nowadays nobody marries a woman, unless she bring something with her besides a petticoat.

Lap. Sir, why, Sir, this young lady will be worth to you as good a thousand pounds a year, as ever was told. Love. How! A thousand pounds a year?

Lap, Yes, Sir. There's in the first place the article of a table; she has a very little stomach:-she does not eat above an ounce in a fortnight; and, then, as to the quality of what she eats, you'll have no need of a French cook upon her account. As for sweetmeats, she mortally hates them; so there is the article of desserts wiped off all at once. You'll have no need of a confectioner, who would be eternally bringing in bills for preserves, conserves, biscuits, comfits, and jellies, of which half a dozen ladies would swallow you ten pounds worth at a meal. This, I think, we may very moderately reckon at two hundred pounds a year at least. For clothes she has been bred up at such plainness in them, that should we allow but for three birthnight suits in a year, saved, which are the least a town lady would expect, there go a good two hundred pounds a year more.-For jewels (of which she hates the very sight) the yearly interest of what you must lay out in them would amount to one hundred pounds -Lastly, she has an utter detestation for play, at which I have known several moderate ladies lose a good two thousand pounds a year. Now, let us take only a fourth part of that, which amounted to five hundred, to which if we add two hundred pounds on the table account, two hundred pounds in clothes, and one hundred pounds in jewels-there is, Sir, your two thousand pounds a year, in hard money.

Love. Aye, aye, these are pretty things, it must be confessed, very pretty things; but there is nothing real in

them.

Lap. How, Sir! Is it not something real to bring you a vast store of sobriety, the inheritance of a love for sim

plicity of dress, and a vast acquired fund of hatred for play?

Love. This is downright raillery, Lappet, to make me up a fortune out of the expenses she won't put me to.But there is another thing that disturbs me. You know this girl is young, and young people generally love one another's company; it would ill agree with a person of my temper to keep an assembly for all the young rakes. and flaunting girls in town.

Lap. Ah, Sir, how little do you know of her! This is another peculiarity that I had to tell you of;-she has a most terrible aversion to young people, and loves none but persons of your years. I would advise you, above all things, to take care not to appear too young. She insists on sixty, at least. She says that fifty-six years are not able to content her.

Love. This humor is a little strange, methinks.

Lap. She carries it further, Sir, than can be imagined. She has in her chamber several pictures; but, what do you think they are? None of your smoothfaced young fellows, your Adonises, your Parises and your Apollos: No, Sir, you see nothing there, but your handsome figures of Saturn, king Priam, old Nestor, and good father Anchises upon his son's shoulders.

Love. Admirable! This is more than I could have hoped; to say the truth, had I been a woman, I should never have loved young fellows.

Lap. I believe you: pretty sort of stuff, indeed, to be in love with your young fellows! Pretty masters, indeed, with their fine complexions, and their fine feathers!

Love. And do you really think me pretty tolerable?

Lap. Tolerable! you are ravishing: If your picture was drawn by a good hand, Sir, it would be invaluable ! Turn about a little, if you please-there, what can be more charming! Let me see you walk-there's a person for you; tall, straight, free and degagee: Why, Sir, you have no fault about you.

Love. Not many-hem-hem-not many, I thank heaven; only a few rheumatic pains now and then, and a small catarrh that seizes me sometimes.

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