all.-Now then for my magnificence!-my battle!-my noise! -and my procession!-You are all ready?

Und. Promp. [Within.] Yes, sir.
Puff Is the Thames dressed?

"Enter THAMES with two ATTENDANTS."

Thames. Here I am, sir.

Puff. Very well, indeed!—See, gentlemen, there's a river for you! This is blending a little of the masque with my tragedy-a new fancy, you know-and very useful in my case; for as there must be a procession, I suppose Thames, and all his tributary rivers, to compliment Britannia with a fête in honour of the victory.

Sneer. But pray, who are these gentlemen in green with him?

Puff. Those?-those are his banks.

Sneer. His banks?

Puff. Yes, one crowned with alders, and the other with a villa!—you take the allusions?-But hey! what the plague! you have got both your banks on one side.-Here, sir, come round. Ever while you live, Thames, go between your banks.-[Bell rings.] There, so! now for 't!-Stand aside my dear friends!-Away, Thames!

[Exit THAMES between his banks. [Flourish of drums, trumpets, cannon, &c. &c. Scene changes to the sea-the fleets engage—the music plays "Britons strike home."-Spanish fleet destroyed by fire-ships, &c.—English fleet advances-music plays "Rule Britannia."-The procession of all the English rivers, and their tributaries, with their emblems, &c., begins with Handel's water music, ends with a chorus, to the march in Judas Maccabæus.-During this scene, PUFF directs and applauds every thing-then

Puff. Well, pretty well-but not quite perfect. So, ladies and gentlemen, if you please, we 'll rehearse this piece again [Curtain drops.

to-morrow.

A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH.

A COMEDY.

DRAMATIS PERSONA.

AS ORIGINALLY ACTED AT DRURY-LANE THEATRE IN 1777.

PROLOGUE,

SPOKEN BY MR. KING.

WHAT various transformations we remark,

From east Whitechapel to the west Hyde Park!

Men, women, children, houses, signs, and fashions,

State, stage, trade, taste, the humours and the passions;

The Exchange, 'Change Alley, wheresoe'er you 're ranging,
Court, city, country, all are changed or changing :

The streets, some time ago, were paved with stones,

Which, aided by a hackney-coach, half broke your bones.
The purest lovers then indulged in bliss;
They run great hazard if they stole a kiss.
One chaste salute !-the damsel cried-Oh, fie!
As they approach'd-slap went the coach awry-
Poor Sylvia got a bump, and Damon a black eye.
But now weak nerves in hackney-coaches roam,
And the cramm'd glutton snores, unjolted, home:
Of former times, that polish'd thing a beau,
Is metamorphosed now from top to toe;
Then the full flaxen wig, spread o'er the shoulders,
Conceal'd the shallow head from the beholders !
But now the whole 's reversed-each fop appears,
Cropp'd and trimm'd up, exposing head and ears:
The buckle then its modest limits knew,
Now, like the ocean, dreadful to the view,
Hath broke its bounds, and swallows up the shoe;

The wearer's foot, like his once fine estate,
Is almost lost, the encumbrance is so great.
Ladies may smile-are they not in the plot?
The bounds of nature have not they forgot?
Were they design'd to be, when put together,
Made up, like shuttlecocks, of cork and feather?
Their pale-faced grandmammas appear'd with grace,
When dawning blushes rose upon the face;
No blushes now their once-loved station seek;
The foe is in possession of the cheek!
No heads of old, too high in feather'd state,
Hinder'd the fair to pass the lowest gate;
A church to enter now, they must be bent,
If ever they should try the experiment.

As change thus circulates throughout the nation,
Some plays may justly call for alteration;,
At least to draw some slender covering o'er,
That graceless wit* which was too bare before:
Those writers well and wisely use their pens,
Who turn our wantons into Magdalens ;
And howsoever wicked wits revile 'em,
We hope to find in you their stage asylum.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-The Hall of an Inn.

Enter TOM FASHION and LORY, POSTILION following with a portmanteau. Fash. Lory, pay the postboy, and take the portmanteau.

Lory. [Aside to TOM FASHION.] Faith, sir, we had better let the postboy take the portmanteau and pay himself.

Fash. [Aside to LORY.] Why, sure, there's something left in it!

Lory. Not a rag, upon my honour, sir! We eat the last of your wardrobe at Newmalton-and, if we had had twenty miles further to go, our next meal must have been of the cloak-bag.

Fash. Why, 'sdeath, it appears full!

Lory. Yes, sir-I made bold to stuff it with hay, to save appearances, and look like baggage.

Fash. [Aside.] What the devil shall I do?[Aloud.] Hark 'ee, boy, what's the chaise?

Post. Thirteen shillings, please your honour.

Fash. Can you give me change for a guinea?

Post. Oh, yes, sir.

Lory. [Aside.] So, what will he do now?-[Aloud.] Lord, sir, you had better let the boy be paid below.

Fash. Why, as you say, Lory, I believe it will be as well.

Lory. Yes, yes; I'll tell them to discharge you below, honest friend.

Post. Please your honour, there are the turnpikes too,

Fash. Ay, ay, the turnpikes by all means.

Post. And I hope your honour will order me something for myself.

* "And Van want grace, who never wanted wit."—POPE.

Fash. To be sure; bid them give you a crown.

Lory. Yes, yes-my master doesn't care what you charge them—so get along, you

Post. And there's the hostler, your honour.

Lory. Psha! damn the ostler!—would you impose upon the gentleman's generosity?[Pushes him out.] A rascal, to be so cursed ready with his

change!

Fash. Why, faith, Lory, he had nearly posed me.

Lory. Well, sir, we are arrived at Scarborough, not worth a guinea! I ope you'll own yourself a happy man-you have outlived all your cares. Fash. How so, sir?

Lory. Why you have nothing left to take care of.

Fash. Yes, sirrah, I have myself and you to take care of still.

Lory. Sir, if you could prevail with somebody else to do that for you, I fancy we might both fare the better for it. But now, sir, for my Lord Foppington, your elder brother.

Fash. Damn my eldest brother!

Lory. With all my heart; but get him to redeem your annuity, however. Look you, sir, you must wheedle him, or you must starve.

Fash. Look you, sir, I will neither wheedle him nor starve.

Lory. Why, what will you do, then?

Fash. Cut his throat, or get some one to do it for me.

Lory. 'Gad so, sir, I'm glad to find I was not so well acquainted with the strength of your conscience as with the weakness of your purse.

Fash. Why, art thou so impenetrable a blockhead as to believe he'll help

me with a farthing?

Lory. Not if you treat him de haut en bas, as you used to do.

Fash. Why, how wouldst have me treat him?

Lory. Like a trout-tickle him.

Fash. I can't flatter.

Lory. Can you starve?

Fash. Yes.

Lory. I can't-good by t'ye, sir.

Fash. Stay-thou 'lt distract me. But who comes here? My old friend, Colonel Townly.

Enter COLONEL TOWNLY.

My dear Colonel, I am rejoiced to meet you here.

Col. Town. Dear Tom, this is an unexpected pleasure! What, are you come to Scarborough to be present at your brother's wedding?

Lory. Ah, sir, if it had been his funeral, we should have come with pleasure. Col Town. What, honest Lory, are you with your master still?

Lory. Yes, sir, I have been starving with him ever since I saw your honour last.

Fash. Why, Lory is an attached rogue-there's no getting rid of him. Lory. True, sir, as my master says, there's no seducing me from his service.-[Aside.] Till he's able to pay me my wages.

Fash. Go, go, sir-and take care of the baggage.

Lory. Yes, sir-the baggage!-O Lord! [Takes up the portmanteau.] 1 suppose, sir, I must charge the landlord to be very particular where he stɔws this?

Fash. Get along, you rascal.-[Exit LORY, with the portmanteau.] But, Colonel, are you acquainted with my proposed sister-in-law?

Col. Town. Only by character-her father, Sir Tunbelly Clumsy, lives within a quarter of a mile of this place, in a lonely old house, which nobody comes near. She never goes abroad, nor sees company at home; to prevent all misfortunes, she has her breeding within doors; the parson of the parish teaches her to play upon the dulcimer, the clerk to sing, her nurse to dress, and her father to dance ;-in short, nobody has free admission there but our old acquaintance, Mother Coupler, who has procured your brother this match, and is, I believe, a distant relation of Sir Tunbelly's.

Fash. But is her fortune so considerable?

Col. Town. Three thousand a year, and a good sum of money, independent of her father, beside.

Fash. 'Sdeath! that my old acquaintance, Dame Coupler, could not have thought of me, as well as my brother, for such a prize.

Col. Town. Egad, I wouldn't swear that you are too late-his lordship, I know, hasn't yet seen the lady-and, I believe, has quarrelled with his patroness.

Fash. My dear Colonel, what an idea have you started!

Col. Town. Pursue it, if you can, and I promise you you shall have my assistance; for, besides my natural contempt for his lordship, I have at present the enmity of a rival towards him.

Fash. What, has he been addressing your old flame, the widow Berinthia? Col. Town. Faith, Tom, I am at present most whimsically circumstanced. I came here a month ago to meet the lady you mention; but she failing in her promise, I, partly from pique and partly from idleness, have been diverting my chagrin by offering up incense to the beauties of Amanda, our friend Loveless's wife.

Fash. I never have seen her, but have heard her spoken of as a youthful wonder of beauty and prudence.

Col. Town. She is so indeed; and, Loveless being too careless and insensible of the treasure he possesses, my lodging in the same house has given me a thousand opportunities of making my assiduities acceptable; so that, in less than a fortnight, I began to bear my disappointment from the widow with the most Christian resignation.

Fash. And Berinthia has never appeared?

Col. Town. Oh, there's the perplexity! for, just as I began not to care whether I ever saw her again or not, last night she arrived. Fash. And instantly resumed her empire.

Col. Town. No, faith-we met-but, the lady not condescending to give me any serious reasons for having fooled me for a month, I left her in a huff. Fash. Well, well, I'll answer for it she'll soon resume her power, especially as friendship will prevent your pursuing the other too far.-But my coxcomb of a brother is an admirer of Amanda's too, is he?

Col. Town. Yes, and I believe is most heartily despised by her. But come with me, and you shall see her and your old friend Loveless.

Fash. I must pay my respects to his lordship—perhaps you can direct me to his lodgings.

Col. Town. Come with me; I shall pass by it.

Fash. I wish you could pay this visit for me, or could tell me what I should say to him.