Nimb. I don't think it will be dear at that. Nimb. I gave Mrs. Elder the trifle I had from you to buy her evidence, in case it shou'd come to a trial. Loves I'll run and buy ber evidence too. Nimb. Do, and confefs your guilt. I fent mine by another hand. Lovef. Pl find fomebody to carry mine too. Nimb. And that fomebody will be another evidence against you. Lovef. What fhall I do? Nimb. Come, come, Sir, I fee I was born to be your drudge Give me the money and I'll run with it.Lovef There, give her thefe Five Pounds.-But, harkee, I wou'd rather you fhou'd fwear I had no hand in it at all.. Nimb. Thank you-I'll foon be back again. [Exit. Lovef. Now, perhaps, the rogue won't give her the money, and I dare not ask her I'll go and found her at a diftance -Oh dear! oh dear!-I'm afraid this will make a moft terrible story. SCENE. Mrs. ELDER'S Houfe. CLEEKIM and FLOURISH. Cleek. Come, General Domineer, your health. [Exit. Cleek. Oh! I dare fay not.-Soft's your horn, my old Buck, you'll not deceive me as you did the Convention.— Come, give us a defcription of the Gullotine:-A fharp inftrument, I fuppofe. Now, we fhall fuppofe this to be the fcaffold, and my finger the malefactor. (Laying down his finger on the table.) Now, how does the ax come down? Flour. This way. [Striking his finger with a fwitch. Cleek. What, Sir,-do you pretend to frike any man upon duty? 1 Flour. I pretend nothing Enter Mrs. ELDER. Mrs. Eld. What is all this noife about.-Come, come, pay your reckoning, and go about your business. Cleek Mitrefs, this is General Domineer. Mrs. Eld. What do I care, it he were twenty Drumreers? We have Soldiere and Volunteers, and Fen. cibles, enough to face the Whole Boiling of them. Bu theres a Gentleman juft new-lighted, his fervant fays he's a Juftice of Peace. Oh, blefs me speak of the devil, and he'll appear. Enter Sir ANTHONY. Flour. My dear Sir Anthony,-this fcoundrel has mif taken me for General Dumourier. Sir Anth. General Dumourier !—Mr. Flourish. Sir Anth. No, you blockhead !— Cleek. I'm too long here, Sir; I beg your pardon, and we'll fojourn the court. [Exit. Sir Anth. Landlady, fend this watch to the repairing; I mean to be your lodger all night. Mrs. Eld. It fhall be done, your bonour. [Exit. Flour. My dear Sir Anthony, what happy ftar brought you to my relief? Sir Anth. No ftar at all; I came by fun light. Flour. Will you only ftep a quarter of a mileSir Ant. I never could ftep or jumpfo far in my life time. Flour. Are you acquainted with Mr. Lovestory? Sir Anth. I know nobody in this neighbourhood. Flour. I've been curfedly affronted, but I'll never forgive it, that's my temper. Sir Anth. Good night. I'll fee you to the door. SCENE Before Loveflory's house. [Pushes him off. Enter Mrs. ELDER and LOVESTORY. Love. How the devil shall I speak to her? Mrs. Eld Yes, your honour. Love I fuppofe I need not recommend fecrecy, Mrs Eld. I'm told he was troublesome about your worship's house. Lovef Ay, that lie was. off, by poifon, or how? But how did you take him Mrs Eld. By poifon! no, by my, troth. no, I made the hoftler cut his throat. Love. Lord have mercy upon us! where is he now? Loves. Softly, foftly. When 'tis dark we muft carry him out and bury him privately. Mrs E. Bury him privately! By my fegs, we'll do no fuch thing. To-morrow I mean to expofe him in the market. Love In the market, the public market! Mrs Eld. I hope to make a pretty penny of him. Mrs Eld. And as your worship (as I may fay) is the father of the feaft, I'll fend you a quarter, Love. Not as you value your life. Mrs Eld. What can they fay, only that you were in a paffion when you ordered Nimble Lovef. Stop, flop. Mrs Eld. I with you wou'd allow me to publifh your goodness. Love Will you hold your tongue. She is quite mad. Mrs Eld. Tho you were the caufe of his death you paid handfomely. Lovef. Do you mean to hang me? Mrs Eld. Hang him! blefs me, the man is not compass meant us; if he had not been crazy he had not fent me the guinea. Good day to your worship. Love. There he goes and I'm expos'd, Enter Nimble and Captain. Capt. Nimble its all over. [Exit. Nim. May be not, Sir; were he alive wou'd you give him your daughter? Lovef. If he were worth fix million. Nim. I give you joy, he's not dead then. Lone. How do you know? Nim. Maw him. Lovef. Dam'me if he fhall have her then, this is all a trick. Nim. afide to Capt.] You see this won't do yet, I must try some; other scheme--and there's a worfe trick than that, Sir, the captaine and Caper mean to fteal away your daughter this night. But my coufin and I will affift you to watch. Lovef. Is he a ftout fellow Nim. If you doubt him, try him. For inftance, let him give you a blow, I'll lay he knocks you down as flat as a pancake. Lovef. I thank you, but I wont give him the trouble. Nim. Only for a bit of fun. Lovef. No, no, I'm no way funnily inclined. Enter Flouris. Mr. Loveftory, was ever man led fuch a danec. Love. But your dance woudn't do, you scoundrel. Flour. Scoundrel! Love. Yes, Beelzebub-mammon, and Lucifer Pluto, fine names for a gentleman, you rafcal! Flour. Is this Mr. Loveftory? Love. Ay is it, Mr. Caper. So you fee we know each other, tho' you must wear a fpencer to make you look like a hen wanting the tail. Flour. Mr Caper! what do you mean? Love. To put you through your facings.. Lovef. Yes, this way. Flour. I can't dance. [Shuffling. Loves. Oho! you shant deceive old Beelzebub-mammon twice in one day. Toll, loll, begin; perhaps you don't like that music. Come, lads, play away with your sticks. [They beat, he jumps about.] None of your elephant fteps, I'll make you fkip like a roebuck. He runs off, Lovestory fnatches bis wig.] What, has he carried away Nim. Had you not better retire to reft, Sir? If any danger appears we'll alarm you. Lovef. With all my heart; this will make a most excellent story. [Exit. Nim. Now, now, off with you, I'll run and befpeak a chaife. [Exit. Enter Sopby.. Capt. Come now, my fweet angel. Sophy. Oh ay, it's fweet angel now, but how long will that con-tinue? [Jenny entering.] Come, come, you both continue too long here. [Pufbing them off] I don't care how foon you use me in the fame manner. SCENE Mrs ELDER'S. Enter NIMBLE and MRS ELDER. Nim. Come, quick! a chaife and four for a friend of mine.. Mrs Eld. Troth Sir, we can do nothing we have such a ringing devil up ftairs. The old gentleman who gave me his watch to repair; I gave her to the tinker in the barn, and he is run off with her. Nim. A tinker repair a watch, ha, ha, ha! 1 Mrs Eld. Lord bless you! he can do any thing, from a needle to an anchor. Enter JENNY. Jenny. Where is my cousin ? her father mift her and he is coming like a roaring lion. Nim. I never faw a roaring lion, I'll go and fee what like he is. [Exit with Jenny.. Sir Anth. (entering.) I will not believe it. Woman, you want to sheat me, where's my watch? Mrs. Eld. I know nothing about her; the man that had the charge of her ran off with her. Lovef. (entering running.) So he did, where is she? I'll never bee happy till I have her in my poffeffion. Sir Anth. In your poffeffion? Love. Yes, who has a better right to her? [Afide. Sir Anth. I gave him 40 guineas and he gave me a week's trial of her. Lovef. Hold your tongue! hold your tongue, if that's the cafe you had better take her altogether. Sir Anth. Will you bring her? Lovef. Yes, but I will tell you honestly I meant to have disposed of her another way. Sir Anth. I believe that, curfed old rogue.. [Afide. Love. Make her your companion by day, and the friend of your bofom by night. Sir Anth. Hark you, I have a better companion at home. Sir Anth. The fellow is certainly mad, but I must humour him. (Afide.) I will tell you what I will do. Lovef. What will you do? Sir Anth. To pleafe you I'll hang her on a nail at my bed head. Lovef. What do you fay, you affaffinating old villain? hang my daughter on a nail! Sir Anth. Your daughter! I mean my watch. Love Your watch! is your watch of the feminine gender that you call it the. Sir Anth. She's of what gender I please, and I'll call her what I choofe. Enter Flourish. Flou. Oh Sir Anthony, are you there, tell them I'm neither Cap... er nor Dumourier. Sir Anth. Mr. Flourish you were always remarkable for talking nonsense. Lovef. What the devil, is this really Flourish? I beg ten thoufand pardons. Flour. Beg what you like, but give me my wig. Lovef. There it is; as they have prohibited the use of powder, it will need little dreffing. Flour. If they had prohibited the ufe of bullets too it wou'd be nothing the worfe for the country. (puts it on) Now you and your daughter may go to the devil, that's my temper. [Exit. Enter CAPTAIN, SOPHY, and NIMBLE Sir Anth. Hey dey, de.dey, my fun Dick. What's the meaning of that difguife? Capt. Look there, Sir. (pointing to Sophy) I confefs I was forc'd to have recourse to ftratagem. Love and war's the foldier's motto, and I hope that every one who bears the name of volunteer will always be as ready to exert himself for the one as the other. But do you approve, Sir.. Sir Anth. What fays her father? Love. I understand you're Sir Anthony, and this is your fun. Lovef. Here then, (joins their bands.) Now, are not you a great rogue? [To Nimble. Nim. A very honeft one, Sir! I've done you a great fervice against your will, the Captain fhall be happy, your daughter fhall be happy, and you fhall be happy to see them all fo. For my part I'll enter a volunteer in the navy, and if I can contribute to the defeat of our enemy, I'll return if fpar'd to enjoy the bleffings of peace and liberty with the reft of my fellow fubjects. [Enter Tom finging. Thom. We're no very fu' but we're gayly yet.- news! news! Mifs Jenny's Captain is arrived, from the Continent. There will be nothing in this houfe but-we're no very fu' but we're gayly yet. I will go and have a peep at him. Old King Cowl was a jolly old foul. flammers off. Capt. I'm happy to hear he is returned. Love Young man, give me your hand, and if any danger should approach, I hope you will always be ready to protect that family of which you are now a member. Capt. Do you doubt it, Sir? In the time of danger we should reckon the whole nation as one large family, under one head, who is the father of us all. Lovef. Egad that would make a moft excellent ftory. Finale, Air, British Granadiers. E loyal fons of Scotia, let's join in mirth and glee, YE And when the glaffes circle our fav'rite toast shall be, The focial friends of order, who know no doubts nor fears, Our country's brave defenders the Scottish Volunteers. Sophy. With glitt'ring arms when shining they march to the parade, I felt a ftrange diforder, 'twas very hard to bear, |