Sir _Sig_. Poor Devil, how fearful "tis of losing me! [_Aside_.
_Gal_. That"s some Atonement for thy other Sins,-- Come, break thy Word, and wash it quite away.
Sir _Sig_. That cogging won"t do, my good Friend, that won"t do.
_Gal_. Thou shall be just and perjur"d, and pay my Heart the debt of Love you owe it.
_Cor_. And wou"d you have the Heart--to make a Wh.o.r.e of me?
_Gal_. With all my Soul, and the Devil"s in"t if I can give thee a greater proof of my Pa.s.sion.
_Cor_. I rather fear you wou"d debauch me into that dull slave call"d a Wife.
_Gal_. A Wife! have I no Conscience, no Honour in me?
Prithee believe I wou"d not be so wicked-- No,--my Desires are generous, and n.o.ble, To set thee up, that glorious insolent thing, That makes Mankind such Slaves, almighty Curtezan!
--Come, to thy private Chamber let us haste, The sacred Temple of the G.o.d of Love; And consecrate thy Power.
[_Offers to bear her off_.
_Cor_. Stay, do you take me then for what I seem?
_Gal_. I am sure I do, and wou"d not be mistaken for a Kingdom: But if thou art not, I can soon mend that fault, And make thee so.--Come, I"m impatient to begin the Experiment.
[_Offers again to carry her off_.
_Cor_. Nay, then I am in earnest,--hold, mistaken Stranger--I am of n.o.ble Birth; and shou"d I in one hapless loving Minute destroy the Honour of my House, ruin my Youth and Beauty, and all that virtuous Education my hoping Parents gave me?
_Gal_. Pretty dissembled Pride and Innocence! And wounds no less than smiles!--Come, let us in,--where I will give thee leave to frown and jilt; such pretty Frauds advance the Appet.i.te.
[_Offers again_.
_Cor_. By all that"s good, I am a Maid of Quality, Blest with a Fortune equal to my Birth.
_Gal_. I do not credit thee; or if I did, For once I wou"d dispense with Quality, And to express my Love, take thee with all these Faults.
_Cor_. And being so, can you expect I"ll yield?
_Gal_. The sooner for that reason, if thou"rt wise; The Quality will take away the Scandal.
Do not torment me longer-- [_Offers to lead her again_.
_Cor_. Stay and be undeceiv"d,--I do conjure ye.--
_Gal_. Art thou no Curtezan?
_Cor_. Not on my life, nor do intend to be.
_Gal_. No Prost.i.tute? nor dost intend to be?
_Cor_. By all that"s good, I only feign"d to be so.
_Gal_. No Curtezan! hast thou deceiv"d me then?
Tell me, thou wicked honest cozening Beauty, Why didst thou draw me in, with such a fair Pretence, Why such a tempting Preface to invite, And the whole Piece so useless and unedifying?
--Heavens! not a Curtezan!
Why from thy Window didst thou take my Vows, And make such kind Returns? Oh, d.a.m.n your Quality: What honest Wh.o.r.e but wou"d have scorn"d thy Cunning?
_Cor_. I make ye kind Returns?
_Gal_. Persuade me out of that too; "twill be like ye.
_Cor_. By all my Wishes I never held Discourse with you--but this Evening, since I first saw your Face.
_Gal_. Oh, the Impudence of Honesty and Quality in Woman!
A plague upon "em both, they have undone me!
Bear witness, oh thou gentle Queen of Night, G.o.ddess of Shades, ador"d by Lovers most; How oft under thy Covert she has d.a.m.n"d her self, With feigned Love to me! [_In Pa.s.sion_.
_Cor_. Heavens! this is Impudence: that Power I call to witness too, how d.a.m.nably thou injur"st me. [_Angry_.
_Gal_. You never from your Window talk"d of Love to me?
_Cor_. Never.
_Gal_. So, nor you"re no Curtezan?
_Cor_. No, by my Life.
_Gal_. So, nor do intend to be, by all that"s good?
_Cor_. By all that"s good, never.
_Gal_. So, and you are real honest, and of Quality?
_Cor_. Or may I still be wretched.
_Gal_. So, then farewel Honesty and Quality--"Sdeath, what a Night, what Hopes, and what a Mistress, have I all lost for Honesty and Quality!
[_Offers to go_.
_Cor_. Stay.--
_Gal_. I will be rack"d first, let go thy hold!
[_In fury_.
--Unless thou wou"dst repent.-- [_In a soft tone_.
_Cor_. I cannot of my fixt Resolves for Virtue!
--But if you could but--love me--honourably-- For I a.s.sum"d this Habit and this Dress--
_Gal_. To cheat me of my Heart the readiest way: And now, like gaming Rooks, unwilling to give o"er till you have hook"d in my last stake, my Body too, you cozen me with Honesty.--Oh, d.a.m.n the Dice--I"ll have no more on"t, I, the Game"s too deep for me, unless you play"d upon the square, or I could cheat like you.-- Farewel, Quality-- [_Goes out_.
_Cor_. He"s gone; _Philippa_, run and fetch him back; I have but this short Night allow"d for Liberty; Perhaps to morrow I may be a Slave.
[_Ex_. Phil.
--Now o" my Conscience there never came good of this troublesome Virtue-- hang"t, I was too serious; but a Devil on"t, he looks so charmingly--and was so very pressing, I durst trust my gay Humour and good Nature no farther.
[_She walks about, Sir_ Signal _peeps and then comes out_.