Mrs. CROAKER.

Sir, the happiness and honour are all mine; and yet, I'm only robbing the public while I detain

you.

LOFTY.

Sink the public, madam, when the fair are to be attended. Ah, could all my hours be fo charmingly devoted! Sincerely, don't you pity us poor creatures in affairs? Thus it is eternally; folicited for places here, teized for penfions there, and courted every where. I know you pity me. Yes, I fee you

do.

Mrs. CROAKER.

Excufe me, Sir. "Toils of empires pleasures are,"

Waller, Waller; is he of the house?

Mrs. CROAKER.

The modern poet of that name, Sir.

LOFTY.

Oh, a modern! We men of business despise the moderns; and as for the ancients, we have no time to read them. Poetry is a pretty thing enough for our wives and daughters; but not for us. Why now, here I stand that know nothing of books. I say, madam, I know nothing of books; and yet, I believe, upon a land carriage fishery, a ftamp act, or a jag-hire, I can talk my two hours without feeling the want of them.

D 4

Mrs.

Mrs. CROAKER.

The world is no ftranger to Mr. Lofty's eminence in every capacity.

LOFTY.

I'm

I vow to gad, madam, you make me blush. nothing, nothing, nothing in the world; a mere obfcure gentleman. To be fure, indeed, one or two of the prefent minifters are pleafed to reprefent me as a formidable man. I know they are pleafed to be-fpatter me at all their little dirty levees. Yet, upon my foul, I wonder what they fee in me to treat me fo! Measures, not men, have always been my mark; and I vow, by all that's honourable, my refentment has never done the men, as mere men, any manner of harm-that is as mere men. Mrs. CROAKER.

What importance, and yet what modesty !

LOFTY.

Oh, if you talk of modefty, madam! there I own, I'm acceffible to praife: modefty is my foible: it was fo, the duke of Brentford ufed to fay of me. "I love Jack Lofty, he used to say :" no man has a finer knowledge of things; quite a man of information; and when he fpeaks upon his legs, by the Lord he's prodigious, he fcouts them; and yet all men have their faults; too much modefty is his, fays his grace.

Mrs,

Mrs. CROAKER.

And yet, I dare fay, you don't want affurance when you come to folicit for your friends.

LOFTY.

O, there indeed I'm in bronze. Apropos! I have just been mentioning Mifs Richland's cafe to a certain perfonage; we must name no names. When I afk, I'm not to be put off, madam. No, no, I take my friend by the button. A fine girl, Sir; great justice in her cafe. A friend of mine. Borough intereft. Bufinefs must be done, Mr. Secretary. I fay, Mr. Secretary, her business must be done, Sir, That's my way, madam.

Mrs. CROAKER.

Blefs me! you faid all this to the fecretary of ftate, did you?

LOFTY.

I did not fay the fecretary, did I? Well, curfe it, fince you have found me out I will not deny it. It was to the fecretary.

Mrs. CROAKER.

This was going to the fountain head at once, not applying to the understrappers, as Mr. Honeywood would have had us.

LOFTY.

Honeywood! he! he! He was, indeed, a fine folicitor. I fuppofe you have heard what has just happened to him?

Mrs.

Mrs. CROAKER.

Poor dear man; no accident, I hope.

LOFTY.

Undone, madam, that's all. His creditors have taken him into cuftody. A prifoner in his own houfe.

Mrs. CROAKER.

A prifoner in his own houfe! How! At this very time! I'm quite unhappy for him.

LOFTY.

Why fo am I. The man, to be fure, was immenfely good-natur'd. But then I could never find that he had any thing in him.

Mrs. CROAKER.

His manner, to be fure, was exceffive harmless; fome, indeed, thought it a little dull. For my part, I always concealed my opinion.

LOFTY.

It can't be concealed, madam; the man was dull, dull as the laft new comedy! A poor impracticable creature? I tried once or twice to know if he was fit for business; but he had scarce talents to be groom-porter to an orange barrow.

Mrs. CROAKER.

How differently does Mifs Richland think of him! For, I believe, with all his faults, fhe loves him.

LOFTY.

Loves him! Does fhe? You fhould cure her of that by all means. Let me fee; what if he were fent

sent to him this instant, in his present doleful fituation? My life for it, that works her cure. Diftress is a perfect antidote to love. Suppofe we join her in the next room? Miss Richland is a fine girl, has a fine fortune, and muft not be thrown away. Upon my honour, madam, I have a regard for Mifs Richland; and rather than fhe fhould be thrown away, I should think it no indignity to marry her myfelf. [Exeunt.

Enter OLIVIA and LEONTINE.

LEONTINE.

And yet, trust me, Olivia, I had every reafon to expect Mifs Richland's refufal, as I did every thing in my power to deferve it. Her indelicacy furprises me!

OLIVIA.

Sure, Leontine, there's nothing fo indelicate in being fenfible of your merit. If fo, I fear, I fhall be the moft guilty thing alive.

LEONȚINE.

But you mistake, my dear. The fame attention I used to advance my merit with you, I practised to leffen it with her. What more could I do?

OLIVIA,

Let us now rather confider what's to be done. We have both diffembled too long-I have always been afhamed-I am now quite weary of it. Sure I could