SCENE IV.

_The Fields_.

_Enter_ Brazen _leading in_ Lucy _mask'd_.

_Brazen._ The Boat is just below here.

_Enter_ Worthy _with a Case of Pistols under his Arm_.

_Wor._ Here, Sir, take your choice.

[_Going between 'em and offering them._

_Brazen._ What! Pistols! are they charg'd, my Dear?

_Wor._ With a brace of Bullets each.

_Brazen._ But I'm a Foot Officer, my Dear, and never use Pistols, the Sword is my way—and I won't be put out of my Road to please any Man.

_Wor._ Nor I neither, so have at you.

[_Cocks one Pistol._

_Brazen._ Look'e, my Dear, I don't care for Pistols—Pray oblige me, and let us have a bout at Sharps; dam it, there's no parrying these Bullets.

_Wor._ Sir, if you han't your Belly full of these, the Swords shall come in for second Course.

_Brazen._ Why then Fire and Fury! I have eaten Smoak from the Mouth of a Cannon, Sir; don't think I fear Powder, for I live upon't. Let me see. [_Takes one_.] And now, Sir, how many Paces distant shall we fire?

_Wor._ Fire you when you please, I'll reserve my Shot till I am sure of you.

_Brazen._ Come, where's your Cloak?

_Wor._ Cloak! what d'ye mean?

_Brazen._ To fight upon, I always fight upon a Cloak, 'tis our way Abroad.

_Lucy._ Come, Gentlemen, I'll end the Strife.

[_Unmasks._

_Wor._ _Lucy!_ Take her.

_Brazen._ The Devil take me if I do Huzza! [_Fires his Pistol_.] D'ye hear, d'ye hear, you plaguy Harrydan, how those Bullets whistle, suppose they had been lodg'd in my Gizzard now!

_Lucy._ Pray, Sir, pardon me.

_Brazen._ I can't tell, Child, till I know whether my Money be safe, [_Searching his Pockets_.] Yes, yes, I do pardon you; but if I had you in the Rose Tavern, Covent-Garden, with three or four hearty Rakes, and three or four smart Napkins, I wou'd tell you another Story, my Dear.

[_Exit._

_Wor._ And was Melinda privy to this?

_Lucy._ No, Sir, she wrote her Name upon a piece of Paper at the Fortune-tellers last Night, which I put in my Pocket, and so writ above it to the Captain.

_Wor._ And how came Melinda's Journey put off?

_Lucy._ At the Town's end she met Mr. Ballance's Steward, who told her that Mrs. Silvia was gone from her Father's, and no Body cou'd tell whither.

_Wor._ Silvia gone from her Father's! This will be News to Plume. Go home, and tell your Lady how near I was being shot for her.

[_Exeunt._

_Enter_ Balance _with a Napkin in his Hand, as risen from Dinner, and_ Steward.

_Stew._ We did not miss her till the evening, sir; and then, searching for her in the chamber that was my young master's, we found her clothes there; but the suit that your son left in the press, when he went to London, was gone.

_Bal._ The white, trimm'd with silver?

_Stew._ The same.

_Bal._ You ha'n't told that circumstance to any body?

_Stew._ To none but your worship.

_Bal._ And be sure you don't. Go into the dining-room, and tell Captain Plume that I beg to speak with him.

_Stew._ I shall. [_Exit._

_Bal._ Was ever man so imposed upon! I had her promise, indeed, that she would never dispose of herself without my consent--I have consented with a witness, given her away as my act and my deed--and this, I warrant, the captain thinks will pass. No, I shall never pardon him the villany, first, of robbing me of my daughter, and then the mean opinion he must have of me, to think that I could be so wretchedly imposed upon: her extravagant passion might encourage her in the attempt, but the contrivance must be his. I'll know the truth presently.

_Enter_ PLUME.

Pray, captain, what have you done with our young gentleman soldier?

_Plume._ He's at my quarters, I suppose, with the rest of my men.

_Bal._ Does he keep company with the common soldiers?

_Plume._ No, he's generally with me.

_Bal._ He lies with you, I presume?

_Plume._ No, 'faith; the young rogue fell in love with Rose, and has lain with her, I think, since she came to town.

_Bal._ So that between you both, Rose has been finely managed.

_Plume._ Upon my honour, sir, she had no harm from me.

_Bal._ All's safe, I find--Now, captain, you must know, that the young fellow's impudence in court was well grounded; he said I should heartily repent his being listed, and so I do, from my soul.

_Plume._ Ay! for what reason?

_Bal._ Because he is no less than what he said he was--born of as good a family as any in this county, and he is heir to twelve hundred pounds a-year.

_Plume._ I'm very glad to hear it--for I wanted but a man of that quality to make my company a perfect representative of the whole commons of England.

_Bal._ Won't you discharge him?

_Plume._ Not under a hundred pounds sterling.

_Bal._ You shall have it, for his father is my intimate friend.

_Plume._ Then you shall have him for nothing.

_Bal._ Nay, sir, you shall have your price.

_Plume._ Not a penny, sir; I value an obligation to you much above an hundred pounds.

_Bal._ Perhaps, sir, you shan't repent your generosity----Will you please to write his discharge in my pocket-book? [_Gives his Book._] In the mean time, we'll send for the gentleman. Who waits there?

_Enter_ STEWARD.

Go to the captain's lodging, and inquire for Mr. Wilful; tell him his captain wants him here immediately.

_Serv._ Sir, the gentleman's below at the door, inquiring for the captain.

_Plume._ Bid him come up. Here's the discharge, sir.

_Bal._ Sir, I thank you--'Tis plain he had no hand in't. [_Aside._

_Enter_ SYLVIA.

_Syl._ I think, captain, you might have used me better, than to leave me yonder among your swearing drunken crew; and you, Mr. Justice, might have been so civil as to have invited me to dinner, for I have eaten with as good a man as your worship.

_Plume._ Sir, you must charge our want of respect upon our ignorance of your quality--but now you are at liberty, I have discharged you.

_Syl._ Discharged me!

_Bal._ Yes, sir, and you must once more go home to your father.

_Syl._ My father! then I am discovered----Oh, sir! [_Kneeling._] I expect no pardon.

_Bal._ Pardon! no, no, child; your crime shall be your punishment: here, captain, I deliver her over to the conjugal power, for her chastisement. Since she will be a wife, be you a husband, a very husband--When she tells you of her love, upbraid her with her folly; be modishly ungrateful, because she has been unfashionably kind; and use her worse than you would any body else, because you can't use her so well as she deserves.

_Plume._ And are you, Sylvia, in good earnest?

_Syl._ Earnest! I have gone too far to make it jest, sir.

_Plume._ And do you give her to me in good earnest?

_Bal._ If you please to take her, sir.

_Plume._ Why then I have saved my legs and arms, and lost my liberty; secure from wounds, I am prepared for the gout; farewell subsistence, and welcome taxes--Sir, my liberty and the hope of being a general, are much dearer to me than your twelve hundred pounds a-year--but to your love, madam, I resign my freedom, and, to your beauty, my ambition--greater in obeying at your feet, than commanding at the head of an army.

_Enter_ WORTHY.

_Wor._ I am sorry to hear, Mr. Balance, that your daughter is lost.

_Bal._ So am not I, sir, since an honest gentleman has found her.

_Enter_ MELINDA.

_Mel._ Pray, Mr. Balance, what's become of my cousin Sylvia?

_Bal._ Your cousin Sylvia is talking yonder with your cousin Plume.

_Mel. and Wor._ How!

_Syl._ Do you think it strange, cousin, that a woman should change; but I hope you'll excuse a change that has proceeded from constancy: I altered my outside, because I was the same within, and only laid by the woman, to make sure of my man: that's my history.

_Mel._ Your history is a little romantic, cousin; but since success has crowned your adventures, you will have the world on your side, and I shall be willing to go with the tide, provided you'll pardon an injury I offered you in the letter to your father.

_Plume._ That injury, madam, was done to me, and the reparation I expect, shall be made to my friend: make Mr. Worthy happy, and I shall be satisfied.

_Mel._ A good example, sir, will go a great way--When my cousin is pleased to surrender, 'tis probable I shan't hold out much longer.

_Enter_ BRAZEN.

_Brazen._ Gentlemen, I am yours--Madam, I am not yours.

_Mel._ I'm glad on't, sir.

_Brazen._ So am I--You have got a pretty house here, Mr. Laconic.

_Bal._ 'Tis time to right all mistakes--My name, sir, is Balance.

_Brazen._ Balance! Sir, I am your most obedient--I know your whole generation--had not you an uncle that was governor of the Leeward Islands, some years ago?

_Bal._ Did you know him?

_Brazen._ Intimately, sir, he played at billiards to a miracle--You had a brother too, that was a captain of a fire-ship--poor Dick--he had the most engaging way with him of making punch--and then his cabin was so neat--but his poor boy Jack was the most comical bastard--Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! a pickled dog, I shall never forget him.

_Plume._ Have you got your recruits, my dear?

_Brazen._ Not a stick, my dear!

_Plume._ Probably I shall furnish you, my dear! instead of the twenty thousand pounds you talked of, you shall have the twenty brave recruits that I have raised, at the rate they cost me----My commission I lay down, to be taken up by some braver fellow, that has more merit, and less good fortune--whilst I endeavour, by the example of this worthy gentleman, to serve my king and country at home.

_With some regret I quit the active field,_ _Where glory full reward for life does yield;_ _But the recruiting trade, with all its train_ _Of endless plague, fatigue, and endless pain,_ _I gladly quit, with my fair spouse to stay,_ _And raise recruits the matrimonial way._ [Exeunt omnes.

THE END.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

A number of obvious misspellings have been corrected and missing punctuation has been silently added. Contemporary spellings have generally been retained (e.g. but for butt, ideot, quinted for squinted). One character name appears in the text as both Tummus and Tummas.

Two additional changes were made:

In Act 3, scene 2, one instance of "are" was deleted in the sentence: You lie; and you are a son of a whore.

In Act 4, scene 1, build has replaced built in the sentence: I'll build a watch-tower.