HONEYWOOD.

We should not be fo fevere against dull writers, madam. It is ten to one, but the dulleft writer exceeds the most rigid French critic who prefumes to despise him.

FOLLOWER.

Damn the French, the parle vous, and all that belongs to them.

Sir!

Mifs RICHLAND.

HONEYWOOD.

Ha, ha, ha! honeft Mr. Flanigan. A true Englifh officer, madam; he's not contented with beating the French, but he will fcold them too.

Mifs RICHLAND.

Yet, Mr. Honeywood, this does not convince me but that severity in criticism is neceffary. It was our first adopting the feverity of French tafte, that has brought them in turn to taste us.

BAILIFF.

Tafte us! By the Lord, madam, they devour us. Give monfeers but a tafte, and I'll be damn'd but they come in for a bellyful.

Mifs RICHLAND.

Very extraordinary this!

FOLLOWER.

But very true. What makes the bread rifing? the parle vous that devour us. What makes the mutton fivepence a pound? the parle vous that eat

it

it up. What makes the beer threepence-halfpenny a pot?

HONEYWOOD.

Ah! the vulgar rogues; all will be out. (Afide.) Right, gentlemen, very right, upon my word, and quite to the purpose. They draw a parallel, madam, between the mental taste and that of our fenfes. We are injured as much by French feverity in the one, as by French rapacity in the other. That's their meaning.

Mifs RICHLAND.

Though I don't fee the force of the parallel, yet, I'll own, that we should sometimes pardon books, as we do our friends, that have now and then agreeable abfurdities to recommend them.

That's all my eye.

as the laws fays: for,

BAILIFF.

The king only can pardon, fet in cafe

HONEYWOOD.

I'm quite of your opinion, Sir. I fee the whole drift of your argument. Yes, certainly, our prefuming to pardon any work, is arrogating a power that belongs to a another. If all have power to condemn, what writer can be free?

BRILIFF.

By his habus corpus. His habus corpus can fet him free at any time: for, fet in cafe

HONEYWOOD.

I'm obliged to you, Sir, for the hint. If, madam, as my friend obferves, our laws are fo careful

of

of a gentleman's perfon, fure we ought to be equally careful of his dearer part, his fame.

FOLLOWER.

Ay, but if fo be a man's nabb'd, you know-
HONEYWOOD.

Mr. Flanigan, if you spoke for ever, you could not improve the laft obfervation. For my own part, I think it conclufive.

BAILIFF.

As for the matter of that, mayhap-
HONEYWOOD.

Nay, Sir, give me leave in this inftance to be pofitive. For, where is the neceffity of cenfuring works without genius, which muft fhortly fink of themselves? what is it, but aiming our unnecessary blow against a victim already under the hands of juftice?

BAILIFF.

Juftice! O, by the elevens, if you talk about juftice, I think I am at home there: for, in a course of law

HONEYWOOD.

My dear Mr. Twitch, I difcern what you'd be at perfectly; and I believe the lady must be fenfible of the art with which it is introduced. I fuppofe you perceive the meaning, madam of his course of law. Mifs RICHLAND.

I proteft, Sir, I do not. I perceive only that you anfwer one gentleman before he has finished, and the other before he has well begun.

BAILIFF.

BAILIFF.

Madam, you are a gentlewoman, and I will make the matter out. This here queftion is about feverity and juftice, and pardon, and the like of they. Now to explain the thing

HONEYWOOD.

O! curfe your explanations.

Enter SERVANT.

SERVANT.

[Afide.

Mr. Leontine, Sir, below, defires to speak with you upon earnest business.

HONEYWOOD.

That's lucky. (Afide.) Dear madam, you'll excufe me and my good friends here, for a few minutes. There are books, madam, to amuse you. Come, gentlemen, you know I make no ceremony with fuch friends. After you, Sir. Excufe me.

Well, if I muft. But I know your natural politeness. BAILIFF.

Before and behind, you know.

FOLLOWER.

Ay, ay, before and behind, before and behind. [Exeunt Honeywood, Bailiff, and Follower.

Mifs RICHLAND.

What can all this mean, Garnet?

GARNET.

Mean, madam! why, what fhould it mean, but what Mr. Lofty fent you here to fee! These peo

ple

ple he calls officers are officers fure enough: fheriff's officers; bailiffs, madam.

Mifs RICHLAND.

Ay, it is certainly fo. Well, though his perplexities are far from giving me pleasure, yet I own there's fomething very ridiculous in them, and a just punishment for his diffimulation.

GARNET.

And fo they are. But I wonder, madam, that the lawyer you just employed to pay his debts, and fet him free, has not done it by this time. He ought at least to have been here before now. But lawyers are always more ready to get a man into troubles, than out of them.

Enter Sir WILLIAM.

Sir WILLIAM.

For Mifs Richland to undertake fetting him free, I own, was quite unexpected. It has totally unhinged my schemes to reclaim him. Yet, it gives me pleasure to find, that, among a number of worthlefs friendships, he has made one acquifition of real value; for there must be fome fofter paffion on her fide that prompts this generofity. Ha! here before me: I'll endeavour to found her affections. Madam, as I am the perfon that have had fome demands upon the gentleman of this house, I hope you'll excufe me, if, before I enlarged him, I wanted to see yourself.