THE BRITISH DRAMA; COMPREHENDING THE BEST PLAYS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. COMEDIES. VOL. II.-PART II. LONDON, PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM MILLER, OLD BOND-STREET. PRINTED BY JAMES BALLANTYNE, EDINBURGH. 1804. THE BRITISH DRAMA. THE BUSY BODY. BY MRS CENTLIVRE. DRAMATIS PERSON/E. MEN. WOMEN. SIR GEORGE AIRY, a gentleman of four thou- MIRANDA, an heiress, worth thirty thousand sund a-year, in love with MIRANDA. pounds, really in love with Sir GEORGE, but Sir Francis GRIPE, guardian to MIRANDA and pretends to be so with her guardian, Sir Marplot, father to CHARLES, in love with FRANCIS MIRANDA ISABINDA, daughter to Sir JEALOUS, in love CHARLES, friend to Sir GEORGE, in love with with CHARLES, but designed for a Spanish ISABINDA. merchant by her father. SIR JEALOUS TRAFFICK, a merchant that had | Patch, her woman. lived some time in Spain, father to ISABINDA. SCENTWELL, woman to MIRANDA. MARPLOT, a sort of silly fellow, cowardly, but very inquisitive to know every body's business. WHISPER, servant to CHARLES. Scene-London. ACT 1. Sir Geo. Why, there it is now! a man, that wants money, thinks none can be unhappy that Sir George Airy meeting CHARLES, I has it ; but, my affairs are in such a whimsical Cha. Ha! Sir George Airy a birding thus posture, that it will require a calculation of my early! what forbidden game roused you so soon: | nativity to find if my gold will relieve me or not. for no lawful occasion could invite à person of Cha. Ha, ha, ha! never consult the stars about your figure abroad, at such unfashionable hours. that; gold has a power beyond them; gold un Sir Geo. There are some men, Charles, whom locks the midnight councils ; gold outdoes the fortune has left free from inquietudes, who are wind, becalms the ship, or fills her sails; gold is diligently studious to find out ways and means to omnipotent below; it makes whole armies fight make themselves uneasy. ir fiy; it buys even souls; and bribes wretches to Cha. Is it possible that any thing in nature car hetray their country: then, what can thy busiFuffle the temper of a man whom the four season: wess be that gold won't serve thee in? of the year compliment with as many thousana | Sir Geo. Why, I'm in love. pounds, nay, and a father at rest with his ancestors : Cha. In love!- Ha, ha, ha, ha! in love! |