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Mathemacular Demonftration, answer me directly But I have not Patience Oh! The Impiety of it, as I was faying, and the unparallell'd Wickedness! O merciful Father! How could you think to reverse Nature fo, to make the Daughter the Means of procuring the Mother?

Mel. The Daughter to procure the Mother! L. P. Ay, for tho' I am not Cynthias own Mother I am her Fathers Wife > ; and that's near enough to make it Incest.

Mel. Inceft! Omy precious Aunt, and the Devil in Conjunction.

[Afide. L. P. O reflect upon the Horror of that, and then the Guilt of deceiving every Body; marrying the Daughter, only to make a Cuckold of the Father; and then feducing me, debauching my Purity, and perverting me from the Road of Vertue, in which I have trod thus long, and never made one Trip, not one faux pas; O confider it. What would you have to answer for, if you should provoke me to Frailty? Alas! Humanity is feeble, Heav'n knows! very feeble, and unable to Lupport it self.

Mel. Where am I? Is it Day? and am I awake Madam

L. P. And no Body knows how Circumstances may happen together, To my thinking, now I could refift the ftrongeft Temptation, -But yet I know, 'tis impoffible for me to know whether I could or not, there's no certainty in the Things of this Life.

Mel. Madam, pray give me leave to ask you one Question.

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L. P. O Lord, aks me the Question, I'll (wear I'll refufe it; Ifwear I'll deny it. therefore don't ask me, nay you shan't ask me, Ifwear I'll deny it. O Gemini, you have brought all the Blood

into

into my Face; I wartant I am as red as a TurkyCock; Ofie, Coufin Mellefont!

Mel. Nay, Madam, hear me; I mean →

L. P. Hear you, no, no, I'll deny you first, and hear you afterwards. For one does not know how ones Mind may change upon hearing-Hearing is one of the Senfes, and all the Senfes are fallible; I wont truft my Honour, I affure you; my Honour is infallible and uncompatible.

Mel. For Heav'ns fake, Madam,

L. P. O name it no more - Bless me, how can you talk of Heav'n! and have fo much Wickedness in your Heart? May be you don't think it a Sin

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They fay fome of you Gentlemen don't think it a Sin,May be it is no Sin to them that don't think it fo; Indeed, ifI did not think it a Sin But ftill my Honour, if it were no Sin, But then, to marry my Daughter, for the Conveniency of frequent Opportunities,- I'll never confent to that, as fure as can be, I'll break the Match.

Mel. Death and Amazement, -Madam, upon my Knees

L. P. Nay, nay, rife up, come you shall see my good Nature. I know Love is powerful, and no Body can help his Paffion: 'Tis not your Fault; nor I fwear it is not mine,- How can I help it, if I have Charms? And how can you help it, if you are made a Captive? I swear it is pity it fhould be a Fault,But my Honour, well, but your Honour toobut the Sin!-well but the Neceffity O Lord, here's fome Body coming, I dare not stay. Well, you must confider of your Crime; and strive as much as can be against it, ftrive be fure-But But never

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don't be melancholick, don't defpair, think that I'll grant you any thing; O Lord, no;But be fure you lay afide all Thoughts of the Marriage, for tho' I know you don't love Cynthia, but only.

as

as a blind for your Paffion to me; yet it will make me Jealous, O Lord, what did I say? Jealous! no, no, I can't be jealous, for I must not love you, therefore don't hope, -But don't despair neither, O, they're coming, Imuft fly.

by CREEEERREREDEI

SCENE VI.

MELLEFONT alone.

MILLEFONT (after a Paufe.)

then, fpight of my Care and Forefight, I

Sam caught, caught in my Security, Yet this

was but a fhallow Artifice, unworthy of my Matchiavilian Aunt: There must be more behind, this is but the first Flash, the priming of her Engine; Deftruction follows hard, if not moft prefently prevented.

Mi

SCENE VII.

[To him] MASK WELL.

MELLE FONT.

Askwell, welcome, thy Prefence is a view of Land, appearing to my shipwrack'd Hopes: The Witch has rais'd the Storm, and her Ministers have done their Work; you fee the Vessels are parted.

Mask. I know it; I'met Sir Paul towing away Cynthia: Come, trouble not your Head, I'll join you

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together e'r to- morrow Morning tween you in the Attempt.

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Mel. There's Comfort in a Hand ftretch'd out, to one that's finking, tho' ne'er to far off. Mask. No finking, nor no Danger,

Come,

cheer up; why you don't know, that while I plead for you, your Aunt has given me a retaining Fee; Nay, I am your greatest Enemy, and the does but Journey-Work under me.

Mel. Ha! How's this?

Mask. What d'ye think of my being employ'd in the Execution of all her Plots? Ha, ha, ha, by Heav'n it's true; I have undertaken to break the Match, I have undertaken to make your Uncle difinherit you, to get you turn'd out of Doors; and to Ha, ha, ha, I can't tell you for Laughing, Oh fhe has open'd her Heart to me,

I am

to turn you a grazing, and to Ha, ha, ha, marry Cynthia my felf; there's a Plot for you.

Mel. Ha! Ofee, I fee my rifing Sun! Light breaks thro' Clouds upon me, and I fhall live in Day Omy Maskwell! How fhal I thank or praise thee; Thou haft out-witted Woman. But tell me, how could't thou thus get into her Confidence? How? But was it her Contrivance to perfwade my Lady Plyant to this extravagant belief?

Ha!

Mask. It was; and to tell you the Truth, I encourag'd it for your Diverfion: Tho' it made you a little uneafie for the present, yet the Reflection of of it must needs be entertaining. I warrant fhe

was very violent at first.

Mel. Ha, ha, ha, ay, a very Fury; but I was moft afraid of her Violence at last, If you had not come as you did'; I don't know what the might have attempted.

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Mask. Ha, ha, ha, I know her Temper. Well, you must know then, that all my Contrivances were.

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but Bubbles 'till ; at last I pretended to have been long fecretly in love with Cynthia; that did my Bufinefs; that convinc'd your Aunt, I might be trusted; fince it was as much my Intereft as hers to break the Match: Then, the thought my Jealousie might qualifie me to affift her in her Revenge. And in fhort, in that Belief, told me the Secrets of her Heart. At length we made this Agreement, if I accomplish her Defigns (as I told you before) fhe has ingag'd to put Cynthia with all her Fortune into my Power.

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Mel. She is moft gracious in her Favour, Well, and dear Jack, how haft thou contrived?

Mask. I would not have you stay to hear it now? for I don't know but fhe may come this Way; I am to meet her anon; after that, I'll tell you the whole Matter ; be here in this Gallery an Hour hence, by that time I imagine our Confultation may bę

over.

Mel. I will; 'till then Success attend thee.

SCENE VII I.

MASKWELL alone.

TILL then, Succefs will attend me; for when meet you, I meet the only Obstacle to my Fotune. Cynthia, let thy Beauty gild my Crimes; and what foever I commit of Treachery or Deceit, fhall be imputed to me as a Merit Treachery what Treachery? Love cancels all the Bonds of Friendship, and fets Men right upon their first Foun

dations.

Duty to Kings, Piety to Parents, Gratitude to Benefactors, and Fidelity to Friends', are different and particular Ties: But the Name of Rival cuts 'em

all

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