Honey. Don't account it loft, Mr. Twitch. The ingratitude of the world can never deprive us of the conscious happiness of having acted with humanity ourfelves.

Bail. Humanity, fir, is a jewel. It's better than gold. I love humanity. People may fay, that we, in our way, have no humanity; but I'll shew you my humanity this moment. There's my follower, here, little Flanigan, with a wife and four children, a guinea or two would be more to him, than twice as much to another. Now, as I can't fhew him any humanity myself, I muft beg leave you'll do it for me.

Honey. I affure you, Mr. Twitch, yours is a moft powerful recommendation. (Giving money to the follower.) Bail. Sir, you're a gentleman. I fee you know what to do with your money. But, to business: we are to be with you here as your friends, I fuppofe. But fet in cafe company comes.- Little Flanigan here, to be fure, has a good face; a very good face: but then, he is a little feedy, as we fay among us that practise the law. Not well in cloaths. Smoke the pocket-holes. Honey. Well, that fhall be remedied without delay. Enter SERVANT.

Serv. Sir, Mifs Richland is below.

We

Honey. How unlucky! Detain her a moment. muft improve my good friend, little Mr. Flanigan's appearance firft. Here, let Mr. Flanigan have a fuit of my cloaths-quick-the brown and filver-Do you hear?

Serv. That your honour gave away to the begging gentleman that makes verfes, because it was as good as

new.

Honey. The white and gold then.

Serv. That, your honour, I made bold to fell, because it was good for nothing.

Honey. Well, the first that comes to hand then. The blue and gold then. I believe Mr. Flanigan will look best in blue. [Exit Flanigan.

Bail. Rabbit me, but little Flanigan will look well in any thing. Ah, if your honour knew that bit of fleth as well as I do, you'd be perfectly in love with him. 'There's not a prettier fcout in the four counties after a fhy-cock than he scents like a hound; fticks like a weazle. He was mafter of the ceremonies to the black queen of Morocco, when I took him to follow me. (Reenter Flanigan.) Heh, ecod, I think he looks fo well, that I don't care if I have a fuit from the fame place for myself.

Honey. Well, well, I hear the lady coming. Dear Mr. Twitch, I beg you'll give your friend directions not to speak. As for yourself, I know you will fay nothing without being directed.

Bail. Never fear me you ; I'll fhew the lady that I have fomething to fay for myself as well as another. One man has one way of talking, and another man has another, that's all the difference between them.

Enter Miss RICHLAND and her MAID.

Mifs Rich. You'll be furprifed, fir, with this vifit. But you know I'm yet to thank you for chufing my little library.

Honey. Thanks, madam, are unneceffary; as it was I that was obliged by your commands. Chairs here.

Two of my very good friends, Mr. Twitch and Mr. Flanigan. Pray, gentlemen, fit, without ceremony. Mifs Rich. Who can thefe odd-looking men be! I fear it is as I was informed. It must be fo.

[Afide.

Bail. (After a paufe.) Pretty weather, very pretty weather for the time of the year, madam.

Fol. Very good circuit weather in the country.

Honey. You officers are generally favourites among the ladies. My friends, madam, have been upon very difagreeable duty, I affure you. The fair fhould, in fome measure, recompence the toils of the brave!

Mifs Rich. Our officers do indeed deferve every favour. The gentlemen are in the marine fervice, I prefume, fir?

Honey. Why, madam, they do occafionally ferve in the fleet, madam, a dangerous fervice!

Mifs Rich. I'm told fo. And I own, it has often furprifed me, that, while we have had fo many inftances of bravery there, we have had fo few of wit at hone to praise it.

Honey. grant, madam, that our poets have not written as our foldiers have fought; but they have done all they could, and Hawke or Amherst could do no more. Mifs Rich. I'm quite difpleafed when I fee a fine fubject spoiled by a dull writer.

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

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

Mifs Rich. Sir!

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

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

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

us.

Mifs Rich. Very extraordinary this.

Foll. But very true.

What makes the bread rif

ing the parle vous that devour us. What makes the mutton five pence a pound the parle vous that eat it

up.

pot?

-What makes the beer three pence halfpenny a

Honey. 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 tafte and that of our fenfes. We are injured as much by French severity in the one, as by French rapacity in the other. That's their meaning.

Mifs Rich. Tho' I don't fee the force of the parallel, yet, I'll own, that we fhould fometimes pardon books, as we do our friends, that have now and then agreeable abfurdities to recommend them.

Bail. That's all my eye. The king only can pardon, as the law fays: for, fet in cafe

Honey. I'm quite of your opinion, fir. I fee the whole drift of your argument. Yes, certainly, our prefuming to pardon any work, is arrogating a power

5

that belongs to another. If all have power to condemn,

what writer can be free?

Bail By his habus corpus

His habus corpus can

fet him free at any time: for, fet in cafe

Honey. I'm oblig'd to you, fir, for the hint. If, madain, as my friend obferves, our laws are fo careful of a gentleman's perfon, fure we ought to be equally careful of his dearer part, his fame.

Foll. Ay, but if fo be a man's nabb'd, you know. Honey. Mr. Flanigan, if you spoke for ever, you could not improve the laft obfervation. For my own part, I think it conclufive.

Bail. As for the matter of that, mayhap

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

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

Honey. 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 Rich. I proteft, fir, I do not. I perceive only that you answer one gentleman before he has finished, and the other before he has well begun.

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

Honey. O curfe your explanations.

[Afide.