BAILIFF, after a Paufe: Pretty weather, very pretty weather for the time of the year, madam. FOLLOWER. Very good circuit weather in the country. 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 RICHLAND. Our officers do indeed deserve every favour. The gentlemen are in the marine fervice, I prefume, Sir? HONEYWOOD. Why, madam, they do occafionally ferve in the fleet, madam. A dangerous fervice! I'm told fo. Mifs RICHLAND. And I own, it has often furprized me, that while we have had fo many inftances of bravery there, we have had fo few of wit at home to praise it. HONEYWOOD. I 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 RICHLAND. I'm quite difpleased when I fee a fine subject spoiled by a dull writer. HONEY HONEYWOOD. We should not be so severe against dull writers, madam. It is ten to one, but the dulleft writer exceeds the moft 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! honest Mr. Flanigan. A true Eng. lish officer, madam; he's not contented with beating the French, but he will fcold them too. 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 taste us. BAILIFF. Tafte us! By the Lord, madam, they devour us. Give monfeers but a taste, 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 purpofe. They draw a parallel, madam, between the mental tafte 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. The king only can pardon, as the laws fays: for, fet in cafe HONEY WOOD. 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 another. If all have power to condemn, what writer can be free? BAILIFF. By his habus corpus. His habus corpus can fet him free at any time: for, fet in case HONEYWOOD. I'm oblig'd to you, Sir, for the hint. If, madam, as my friend obferves, our laws are fo careful of १ of a gentleman's perfon, fure we ought to be equally careful of his dearer part, his fame. FOLLOWER. Ay, but if so be a man's nabb'd HONEYWOOD. you know 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 unneceffary blow against a victim already under the hands of justice ? 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 discern 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 courfe 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. HONEY WOOD. That's lucky. (Afide.) Dear madam, you'll excufe me and my good friends here, for a few minutes. There are books, madam, to amufe 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 sent you here to see! These peo ple |