heir young grew a fine gen

Cen. "The "tleman in this last act."

Exp. "So he did, gossip, and kept the "best company."

Cen. "And feasted 'em, and his mis"tress."

Tat." And show'd her to 'em all! was "not jealous!"

Mirth. "But very communicative and li"beral, and began to be magnificent, if the "churl his father would have let him " alone."

Cen." It was spitefully done o' the poet, "to make the chuff take him off in his height, "when he was going to do all his brave "deeds!"

Exp. "To found an academy!"
Tat. "Erect a college!"

Exp. "Plant his professors, and water his "lectures!"

Mirth." With wine, gossips, as he "meant to do; and then to defraud his "purposes?"

Exp. "Kill the hopes of so many to"wardly young spirits?"

Tat. As the doctors?"

Cen." And the courtiers! I protest I was "in love with master Fitton: he did wear "all he had, from the hat-band to the shoe"tie, so politically, and would stoop, and ❝ leer!"

Mirth." And lie so in wait for a piece "of wit, like a mouse-trap!"

Exp." Indeed, gossip, so would the little "doctor! all his behaviour was mere glister! "O' my conscience, he would make any "party's physick i' the world work with his "discourse."

Mirth." I wonder they would suffer it, 66 a foolish old fornicating father, to ravish "away his son's mistress."

Cen." And all her women at once, as he • did!"

Tat. "I would ha' flown in his gipsy's "face, i' faith."

Mirth." It was a plain piece of political "incest, and worthy to be brought afore "the high commission of wit. Suppose “we were to censure him, you are the "youngest voice, gossip Tattle, begin."

Tat. Marry, I would ha' the old co"ney-catcher cozen'd of all he has, i' the

young heir's defence, by his learned "counsel, Mr. Picklock!"

Cen. "I would rather the courtier had "found out some trick to beg him for his "estate!"

Exp. Or the captain had courage "enough to beat him!"

Cen." Or the fine Madrigal-man in "rhyme, to have run him out o' the coun "try, like an Irish rat."

Tut." No, I would have master Pyed"mantle, her grace's herald, to pluck down "his hatchments, reverse his coat-armour, " and nullify him for no gentleman."

Exp. "Nay, then, let master doctor dis"sect him, have him open'd, and his tripes "translated to Lick-finger, to make a pro"bation-dish of."

Cen. Tat. " Agreed! agreed !"

Mirth. "Faith, I would have him flat "disinherited by a decree of court, bound "to make restitution of the lady Pecunia, "and the use of her body, to his son."

Exp. "And her train to the gentlemen." Cen. "And both the poet, and himself, to "ask them all forgiveness !"

Tat. "And us too."

"

Cen. "In two large sheets of paperExp. "Or to stand in a skin of parch"ment, (which the court please.)"

Cen. "And those fill'd with news!" Mirth." And dedicated to the sustaining "of the Staple!"

Exp. "Which their poet hath let fall "most abruptly."

Mirth. "Bankruptly indeed."

Cen. "You say wittily, gossip; and "therefore let a protest go out against "him."

Mirth. "A mournival of protests, or a gleek, at least."

Exp. "In all our names."
Cen. "For a decay'd wit-
Exp.
"Broken-

Tat. "Non-solvent---"

Cen. "And for ever forfeit——”
Mirth. "To scorn of Mirth!"
Cen." Censure!"

Exp. "Expectation!"

Tat. "

Subsign'd, Tattle. Stay, they

come again."

Court of Fairy.

common use.

Penny-boy jun. [To him] Tho. Barber.
After Pick-lock.

He comes out in the patcht cloke his father left him.

P. jun.

NAY,

AY, they are fit, as they had been made for me, And I am now a thing worth looking at! The same I said I would be in the morning! No rogue, at a comitia of the canters, Did ever there become his parent's robes Better than I do these. Great fool! and beggar!

Why do not all that are of those societies Come forth, and gratulate me one of theirs? Methinks I should be on every side saluted, Dauphine of beggars, prince of prodigals! That have so fall'n under the ears, and eyes, And tongues of all, the fable of the time, Matter of scorn, and mark of reprehension ! I now begin to see my vanity

Shine in this glass, reflected by the foil!
Where is my fashioner? my feather-man?
My linener, perfumer, barber? all

That tail of riot follow'd me this morning?
Not one! but a dark solitude about me,
Worthy my cloke and patches; as I had
The epidemical disease upon me:
And I'll sit down with it.

Tho. My master! maker!

How do you? why do you sit thus o' the ground, sir?

Hear you the news?

P. jun. No, nor I care to hear none. Would I could here sit still, and slip away The other one-and-twenty, to have this Forgotten, and the day raz'd out, expung'd In every ephemerides, or almanack. Or if it must be in, that time and nature Have decreed; still let it be a day Of tickling prodigals about the gills, Deluding gaping heirs, losing their loves, And their discretions, falling from the faLhopes, Of their best friends and parents, their own And entering the society of canters.

yours

Tho. Our Staple is all to pieces, quite dis solv'd!

Whom they had so devoured i' their hopes,
To be their patroness, and sojourn with 'em,
Our emissaries, register, examiner,
Flew into vapour: our grave governor
Into a subt'ler air, and is return'd
(As we do hear) grand captain of the jeerers.
I and my fellow melted into butter,
And spoil'd our ink, and so the office va-
nish'd.
[father
The last hum that it made, was, that your
And Pick-lock are fall'n out, the man o'law.
P. jun. How? this awakes me from my

lethargy. [He starts up at this. Tho. And a great suit is like to be between

'em ;

He's a hard-hearted gentleman! I am sorry
To see his rigid resolution!

That any man should so put off affection,
And human nature, to destroy his own,
And triumph in a victory so cruel!
He's fallen out with me, for being yours,
And calls me knave, and traitor to his trust,
Says he will have me thrown over the
bar--

P. jun. Ha' you deserv'd it?

Pic. O, good heaven knows
My conscience and the silly latitude of it;
A narrow-minded man! my thoughts do
dwell

All in a lane, or line indeed: no turning,
Nor scarce obliquity in them. I stili look

made.

Which he would go from now.

P. jun. Had you a trust then? Pic. Sir, I had somewhat will keep you still lord

Of all the estate, if I be honest, as

I hope I shall. My tender scrupulous breast Will not permit me to see the heir defrauded,

And like an alien thrust out of the blood. The laws forbid that I should give consent To such a civil slaughter of a son.

P. jun. Where is the deed? hast thou it with thee?

Pic. No,

To use your credit for moneys.
P. jun. What thou wilt,

So we be safe, and the trust bear it.
Pic. Fear not,

'Tis he must pay arrearages in the end. We'll milk him, and Pecunia, draw their cream down,

Before he get the deed into his hands. My name is Pick-lock, but he'll find me 2 padlock.

SCENE II.

Penny-boy Can. Penny-boy jun. Pick-lock, Tho. Burber.

P. Ca. Ilow now? conferring wi' your learn'd counsel

Upo' the cheat? Are you o' the plot to

cozen me?

P. jun. What plot ?

P. Ca. Your counsel knows there, Mr.
Pick-lock.

Will you restore the trust yet?

Pic. Sir, take patience

And memory unto you, and bethink you, What trust? where does't appear? I have your deed :

Doth your deed specify any trust? is't not
A perfect act and absolute in law?
Seal'd and deliver'd before witnesses?
The day and date emergent?

P. Ca. But what conference,
What oaths and vows preceded?

Pic. I will tell you, sir,

Since I am urg'd, of those, as I remember, You told me you had got a grown estate, By griping means, sinisterly.

(P. Ca. How!)

Pic. And were

Ev'n weary of it; if the parties lived
From whom you had wrested it-
(P. Ca. Ha!)

Pic. You could be glad
To part with all, for satisfaction:

But since they had yielded to humanity,
And that just heaven had sent you for a pu-

nishment

I not repent it, neither have I cause, yet— P. Ca. Forehead of steel, and mouth of brass! hath impudence

Polish'd so gross a lie, and dar'st thou vent it?

Engine, compos'd of all mixt metals! hence,
I will not change a syllable with thee more,
Till I may meet thee at a bar in court,
Before thy judges.

Pic. Thither it must come,
Before I part with it to you, or you, sir.
P. Ca. I will not hear thee.

P. jun. Sir, your ear to me tho'.

[His son entreats him.
Not that I see through his perplexed plots,
And hidden ends; nor that my parts depend
Upon th' unwinding this so knotted skean,
Do I beseech your patience. Unto me
He hath confest the trust.

Pic. How? I confess it?
P. jun. I, thou false man.

P. Ca. Stand up to him, and confront him.
Pic. Where? when? to whom?

P.jun. To me, even now, and here:
Canst thou deny it?

Pic. Can I eat or drink?

Sleep, wake, or dream? arise, sit, go, or stand?

Do any thing that's natural?

P. jun. Yes, lie

[natural.

It seems thou canst, and perjure; that is Pic. O me! what times are these of frontless carriage!

An egg of the same nest! the father's bird! It runs in a blood, I see!

P. jun. I'll stop your mouth.

Pic. With what?

P.jun. With truth!

Pic. With noise; I must have witness. Where is your witness? you can produce witness?

P. jun. As if my testimony were not twenty,

Tho. And he would milk Pecunia, and draw down

Her cream, before you got the trust again. P. Ca. Your ears are in my pocket, knave, go shake 'em

The little while you have them.
Pic. You do trust
To your great purse.

P. Ca. I ha' you in a purse-net, Good master Pick-lock, wi' your worming brain,

And wriggling engine-head of maintenance,' Which I shall see you hole with very shortly. A fine round head, when those two lugs are

off,

To trundle through a pillory. You are sure You heard him speak this?

P. jun. I, and more.

Tho. Much more!

Pic. I'll prove yours maintenance and combination,

And sue vou all.

maintenance.

Lic. Why did you send a countermand ? Pic. Who, I?

Lic. You, or some other you, you put

in trust.

Pic. In trust?

Lic. Your trust's another self, you know; And without trust, and your trust, how should he

Take notice of your keys, or of my charge? Pic. Know you the man?

Lic. I know he was a porter,

And a seal'd porter; for he bore the badge On's breast, I am sure.

Pic. I am lost! a plot! I scent it!

Lic. Why! and I sent it by the man you sent,

Whom else I had not trusted.

Pic. Plague o' your trust! I am truss'd up among you. P. jun. Or you may be.

noose.

Pic. In mine own halter, I have made the
[Pick-lock goes out.
P. jun. What was it, Lick-finger?
[Young Penny-boy discovers it to his
father to be his plot of sending for it
by the porter, and that he is in posses-
sion of the deed.
Lic. A writing, sir,

He sent for't by a token: I was bringing it,
But that he sent a porter, and he seem'd
A man of decent carriage.

P. Ca. 'Twas good fortune!

To cheat the cheater, was no cheat, but

P. jun. The office is down, how should Lic. But of your uncle?

P. jun. No.

Lic. He's run mad, sir.

P. Ca. How, Lick-finger?

Lic. Stark staring mad, your brother,

H' has almost kill'd his maid.

P. Ca. Now heav'n forbid.

[Elder Penny-boy startles at the news. Lic. But that she's cat-liv'd, and squirrellimb'd, [set wide With throwing bed-staves at her: he has His outer doors, and now keeps open house For all the passers-by to see his justice. First, he has apprehended his two dogs, As being o' the plot to cozen him; And there he sits like an old worm o' the peace, [screwing, Wrapp'd up in furs, at a square table,

3 Wine!

SCENE IV.

Penny-boy sen. Porter.

[He is seen sitting at his table, with papers before him.]

P. sen. Where are the prisoners?
Por. They are forth-coming, sir,

Or coming forth, at least.

P. sen. The rogue is drunk,

Since I committed them to his charge. Come hither,

[Wine3! Near me, yet nearer; breathe upon me. [He smells him.

Wine o' my worship! Sack! Canary sack! Could not your badge ha' been drunk with fulsom ale,

Or beer, the porters element? but sack! Por. I am not drunk; we had, sir, but one pint,

An honest carrier and myself.
P. sen. Who paid for't?

Por. Sir, I did give it him.

P. sen. What? and spend six-pence ! A frock spend six-pence! six-pence! Por. Once in a year, sir.

P. scn. In seven years, varlet! know'st thou what thou hast done.?

What a consumption thou hast made of a

" state?

[young) It might please heav'n (a lusty knave and To let thee live some seventy years longer, Till thou art fourscore and ten, perhaps, a hundred. [in seventy Say seventy years; how many times seven Why seven times ten, is ten times seven, mark me,

I will demonstrate to thee on my fingers. Sixpence in seven year (use upon use) Grows in that first seven year to be a twelvepence; [four shillings; That, in the next, two shillings; the third, The fourth seven year, eight shillings; the fifth, sixteen;