whether you think yourself safer in the Count's hands, or Mr. Manly's.

Mrs. M. Nay, nay, child, there is no choice in the matter! Mr. Manly may be a friend indeed, if any thing in our power can make him so.

Myr. Well, madam, and now, pray, how stand matters at home here? What has the Count done with the ladies?

Mrs. M. Why, every thing he has a mind to do, by this time, I suppose. He is in as high favour with miss, as he is with my lady. [Exit MYRTILLA.

Enter SIR FRANCIS WRONGHEAD.

Sir Fran. What! my wife and daughter abroad, say you?

Mrs. M. Oh, dear sir, they have been mighty busy all the day long; they just came home to snap up a short dinner, and so went out again.

Sir Fran. Well, well, I shan't stay supper for them, I can tell them that: for, od's heart! I have nothing in me, but a toast and tankard, since morning.

Mrs. M. I am afraid, sir, these late parliament hours won't agree with you.

Sir Fran. Why, truly, Mrs. Motherly, they don't do right with us country gentlemen; to lose one meal out of three, is a hard tax upon a good stomach.

Mrs. M. It is so, indeed, sir.

Sir Fran. But housomever, Mrs. Motherly, when we consider, that what we suffer is for the good of our country.

Mrs. M. Why, truly, sir, that is something.

Sir Fran. Oh, there's a great deal to be said for't—I have heard of some honest gentlemen so very zealous, that, for the good of their country-they would sometimes go to dinner at midnight.

Mrs. M. Oh, the goodness of them! sure their country must have a vast esteem for them?

Sir Fran. So they have, Mrs. Motherly; they are so respected, when they come home to their boroughs, after a session, and so beloved-that their country will come and dine with them every day in the week.

Mrs. M. Dear me! What a fine thing 'tis to be so populous! Here's company, sir.

Enter MANLY.

Manly. Sir Francis, your servant.
Sir Fran. Cousin Manly!

[Exit.

Manly. I am come to see how the family goes on here.

Sir Fran. Troth, all as busy as bees! I have been upon the wing ever since eight o'clock this morning. Manly. By your early hour, then, I suppose you have been making your court to some of the great men.

Sir Fran. Why, 'faith, you have hit it, sir!—I was advised to lose no time; so I e'en went straight forward to one great man I had never seen in my life before. Manly. Right! that was doing business: but who had you got to introduce you?

Sir Fran. Why, nobody-I remember I had heard a wise man say-My son, be bold-so, troth, I introduced myself.

Manly. As how, pray?

Sir Fran. Why, thus-Lookye-Please your lordship, says I, I am Sir Francis Wronghead, of Bumper Hall, and member of parliament for the borough of Guzzledown-Sir, your humble servant, says my lord; tho'f I have not the honour to know your person, I have heard you are a very honest gentleman, and I am glad your borough has made choice of so worthy a representative; and so, says he, Sir Francis, have you any service to command me? Naw, cousin, those last words, you may be sure, gave me no small

encouragement. And tho'f I know, sir, you have no extraordinary opinion of my parts, yet, I believe, you won't say I mist it naw.

Manly. Well, I hope I shall have no cause.

Sir Fran. So, when I found him so courteous-My lord, says I, I did not think to ha' troubled your lordship with business upon my first visit; but, since your lordship is pleased not to stand upon ceremony,-why, truly, says I, I think naw is as good as another time.

Manly. Right! there you pushed him home.

Sir Fran. Ay, ay, I had a mind to let him see that I 'was none of your mealy-mouthed ones.

Manly. Very good.

Sir Fran. So, in short, my lord, says I, I have a good estate- -but-a-it's a little awt at elbows: and, as I desire to serve my king as well as my country, I shall be very willing to accept of a place at court.

Manly. So, this was making short on't.

Sir Fran. 'Icod, I shot him flying, cousin! some of you hawf-witted ones, naw, would ha' hummed and hawed, and dangled a month or two after him, before they durst open their mouths about a place, and, mayhap, not ha' got it at last neither.

Manly. Oh, I'm glad you're so sure on't

Sir Fran. You shall hear, cousin-Sir Francis, says my lord, pray what sort of a place may you ha' turned your thoughts upon? My lord, says I, beggars must not be choosers; but ony place, says I, about a thousand a year, will be well enough to be doing with, till something better falls in-for I thowght it would not look well to stond haggling with him at first.

Manly. No, no, your business was to get footing any

way.

Sir Fran. Right! there's it! ay, cousin, I see you know the world.

Manly. Yes, yes, one sees more of it every dayWell, but what said my lord to all this?

Sir Fran. Sir Francis, says he, I shall be glad to serve you any way that lies in my power; so he gave me a squeeze by the hand, as much as to say, give yourself no trouble I'll do your business; with that he turned him abawt to somebody with a coloured ribbon across here, that looked, in my thowghts, as if he came for a place too.

Manly. Ha! so, upon these hopes, you are to make fortune!

your

Sir Fran. Why, do you

sir?

think there's any doubt of it,

Manly. Oh, no, I have not the least doubt about it -for, just as you have done, I made my fortune ten

years ago.

Sir Fran. Why, I never knew you had a place, cousin.

Manly. Nor I neither, upon my faith, cousin. But you, perhaps, may have better fortune; for I suppose my lord has heard of what importance you were in the debate to-day-You have been since down at the house, I presume?

Sir Fran. Oh, yes; I would not neglect the house for ever so much.

Manly. Well; and, pray, what have they done there?

Sir Fran. Why, troth, I can't well tell you what they have done; but I can tell you what I did: and, I think, pretty well in the main; only I happened to make a little mistake at last, indeed.

Manly. How was that?

Sir Fran. Why, they were all got there into a sort of a puzzling debate, about the good of the nation-and I were always for that, you know-but, in short, the arguments were so long winded o'both sides, that, waunds! I did not well understand 'um: hawsomever, I was convinced, and so resolved to vote right, according to my conscience-so, when they came to put the ques

tion, as they call it-I don't know haw 'twas-but I doubt I cried, Ay! when I should ha' cried, No!

Manly. How came that about?

Sir Fran. Why, by a mistake, as I tell you-for there was a good-humoured sort of a gentleman, one Mr. Totherside, I think they call him, that sat next me, as soon as I had cried, Ay! gives me a hearty shake by the hand-Sir, says he, you are a man of honour, and a true Englishman! and I should be proud to be better acquainted with you-and so, with that he takes me by the sleeve, along with the crowd, into the lobby-so, I knew nowght-but, ods flesh! I was got o' the wrong side the post-for I were told, afterwards, I should have staid where I was.

Manly. And so, if you had not quite made your fortune before, you have clinched it now!-Ah, thou head of the Wrongheads!

Lady W. [Without.] Very well, very well.

[Aside.

Sir Fran. Odso! here's my lady come home at last!

Enter LADY WRONGHEAD, COUNT BASSET, and Miss JENNY.

Lady W. Cousin, your servant: I hope you will pardon my rudeness; but we have really been in such a continual hurry here, that we have not had a leisure moment to return your last visit.

Manly. Oh, madam, I am a man of no ceremony; you see that has not hindered my coming again.

Lady W. You are infinitely obliging; but I'll redeem my credit with you.

Manly. At your own time, madam.

Count B. I must say that for Mr. Manly, madam: if making people easy is the rule of good-breeding, he is certainly the best bred man in the world.

Manly. Soh! I am not to drop my acquaintance, I find. [Aside.]-I am afraid, sir, I shall grow vain upon your good opinion.