Quarried.] This is an allusion to falconry. Latham, who wrote in the time of James I., explains the word quarrie' to be taken for the fowle which is flowne at and slaine at any time, especially when young hawks are flowne thereunto.' R.

Preferr'd and crowded to. What full place

of credit,

And what stile now? your lordship? no,

'tis common;

But that I'll think tomorrow on: Now for my business.

Aub. Who's there?

Aub. But I will see you better paid: Go,

whip them!

Norb. We do beseech your lordship! we were hir'd.

Aub. I know you were, and you shall have your hire:

Whip 'em extremely; whip that doctor there,

Lat. Ha! dead? my master dead? Aubrey Till he record himself a rogue.

alive too?

Now what are you?

Norb. Mathematicians, An't like your lordship.

Aub. And ye drew a figure?
Fiske. We have drawn many.
Aub. For the duke, I mean, sir.
Latorch's knaves you are!

Norb. We know the gentleman.
Aub. What did he promise you?
Norb. We're paid already.

what full place of credit,

Norb. I am one, sir.

And what place now?] The second place seems to have been accidentally repeated, instead of some word that implies title, honour, or dignity. Stile seems to bid fairest of any monosyllable that occurs. Seward.

THE WILD-GOOSE CHASE:

A COMEDY.

The Commendatory Verses by Hills ascribe this Comedy wholly to Fletcher. In 1647, (the Playhouse Copy having been lent out of the honse, and lost) The Wild-Goose Chase could not be inserted among our Authors' other Plays: It was, however, afterwards recovered, and published in 1652, by Lowin and Taylor, two Players. Farquhar's Inconstant is built on this Play; the mad scene of Oriana, and others, are almost transcribed; al though both the Author in his Preface, and Mr. Rowe in the Epilogue, assert that only the hint was taken from this piece of our Author.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

DE GARD, a noble Gentleman.
LA CASTRE, Father to Mirabell.
MIRABELL, the Wild-Goose.

PINAC, his Fellow-traveller, Servant to Lil-
lia-Bianca.

BELLEUR, Companion to both, in love with
Rosalura.

NAVTOLET, Father to Rosalura and Lillia-
Bianca.

LUGIER, Tutor to the Ladies.

A young Factor.
Two Merchants.
Singing-Boy.

ORIANA, tethrothed to Mirabell.
ROSALURA,

LILLIA-BIANCA, Daughters of Nantolet.
PETELLA, their Waiting-woman.
MARIANA, an English Courtezan.

Foge, Servants, Priest, and four Women.

SCENE, Paris.

SCENE I.

ACT I.

De Ga. In truth, you shall not take it; 'tis
not meant for you:

There's for your provender. Bespeak a dinner
For monsieur Mirabell, and his companions;
They'll be in town within this hour. When
you have done, sirrah,

Make ready all things at my lodging, for me,
And wait ine there.

Boy. The ten-crown ordinary?

De Ga. Yes, sir, if you have not forgot it.
Boy. I'll forget iny feet first:

'Tis the best part of a footman's faith.

[Exit Boy.

De Ga. These youths,
For all they have been in Italy to learn thrift,
And seem to wonder at men's lavish ways,
Yet they can't rub off old friends, their French
itches;
[bodies

They must meet sometimes to disport their
With good wine, and good women; and good
[all points,
Let 'em be what they will, they are arm'd at

store too.

And then hang saving, let the sea grow high!
This ordinary can fit 'em of all sizes. [toms.
They must salute their country with old cus-

Enter La Castre and Oriana.

Ori. Brother!

De Gu. My dearest sister!
Ori. Welcome, welcome!

Indeed, you are welcome home, most wel-
come!

De Ga. Thank ye!

You're grown a handsome woman, Oriana:
Blush at your faults. I'm wondrous glad to
see you!

Monsieur La Castre, let not my affection
To my fair sister make me held unmannerly:
I'm glad to see you well, to see you lusty,
Good health about you, and in fair company;
Believe me, I am proud-

La Ca. Fair sir, I thank you.
Monsieur De Gard, you're welcome from
your journey!,

Good men have still good welcome : Give me your hand, sir.

Once more, you're welcome home! You look

still younger.

[us; De Ga. Time has no leisure to look after We wander every where; age cannot find us. La Ca. And how does all?

De Ga. All well, sir, and all lusty. [sir, La Cu. I hope my son be so: I doubt not, But you have often seen him in your journies, And bring me some fair news.

De Gu. Your son is well, sir,

La Ca. I thank you for this news, sir. He
shall be welcome,
[heartily!
And his friends too: Indeed, I thank you
And how (for I dare say you will not flatter
him)

Has Italy wrought on him? has he mew'd yet
His wild fantastic toys? They say that climate
Is a great purger of those humorous fluxes.
How is he improv'd, I pray you?

De Ga. No doubt, sir, well. [man;
H' has borne himself a full and noble gentle-
To speak him further is beyond my charter.
La Ca. I'm glad to hear so much good.
Come, I see

You long to enjoy your sister; yet I must entreat you,

And over-cy'd him, having some slight business

That forc'd me out o' th' way.] Over-ey'd is plainly a corruption, and out o'th' satisfactory. Mr. Seward reads with me,

'And over-rid him

on the way:

way un

But yet I have some doubt whether over-rid is the true lection, there being a reading which has occurred to me, much nearer the traces of the letters than that advanced above, viz.

And over-yed him,

i. e. over-went him; though I am afraid the reader will think this too obsolete a word to stand in the text, as fitter for Chaucer or Spenser, than Mr. Fletcher, and therefore I have chose to leave the passage just as I found it. Sympson.

The opening of the play, Sirrah, I have rid hard, seems to countenance the conjectural reading of over-rid him.' Obsolete and uncouth indeed is Mr. Sympson's over-yed him.' Were we to offer a reading near the trace of the letters,' we would rather propose' overhied him,' which might, we think, much more familiarly express De Gard's having gone on before his fellow-traveller. As to out of the way, we see no difficulty requiring an alteration,

➖➖➖➖➖➖ a love-sick wench will allow it.] As plausible as this passage may seem at first sight, yet I am afraid it is unsound; for whatever reasons the poor wench might have to induce her to allow her lover's absence, yet notwithstanding them, she might bear it still with the utmost impatience. Why may not we read, therefore,

love-sick wench will swallow it!'

A three-years absence (De Gard says) is nothing; it will go easily down, even with a lovesick girl. So, in the concluding scene of this play, Mirabell says,

I am pleas'd ye have deceiv'd me;

And willingly I swallow it, and joy in't.'

Sympson.

Mr. Sympson's conjecture, enforced by the authority which he quotes, is not unplausible yet he mistakes the sense of the word allow as here used, supposing it to be genuine: 'A love-sick wench will allow it' not meaning that she will permit her lover to be absent for three years; but that she will allow, i. e. agree, that three years' absence is no such great

matter.

Nor will know, nor be ever brought to en-
Than I do how to build a church: He was ever
A loose and strong defier of all order; [door,
His loves are wanderers, they knock at each
And taste each dish, but are no residents.

3 All his travel, and bought experience.] Mr. Theobald fills up the measure thus,

and his bought experience;'

and dear-hought experience;'

which he thinks is not only a completion of the measure, but an improvement of the sense.

Sympson. Theobald's filling up measure, and Seward's completion of the measure, and improvement of the sense, are both unnecessary. The measure and sense are each sufficiently perfect; especially supposing the word experience, after the manner of our Authors, to be resolved into distinct syllables.

2 A