A Will and No Will; or, A Bone for the Lawyers. (1746) The New Play Criticiz'd, or the Plague of Envy. (1747)Macklin, Charles
General
A Will and No Will; or, A Bone for the Lawyers. (1746) The New Play Criticiz'd, or the Plague of Envy. (1747)
Macklin, Charles
English drama -- 18th century
_Little._ It is now too late, Sir; you have put it out of your Power.
_Skin._ Out of my Power?
_Doct._ Ay, and out of the Power of Westminster Hall! Sir Isaac, you
know I gave you my Opinion upon it before you made it.
_Skin._ What, is the man mad?
_Doct._ No, Sir, I am not mad; and I would advise you not to be
foolish and whimsical as you owned about half an hour since you were
subject to.
_Skin._ Why the men are drunk or mad, I think.
_Maigre._ Pardie, somebody be drunk or mad among you, for by gar, me
no understand your Vards.
_Skin._ Why Gentlemen, I sent for you to make my Will.
_Doct._ You did so, Sir, and you have made it. And it is registered.
And there is the Copy. Ask your Nephew, and these Ladies, and your
maid Lucy, and the Footman here.
_Shar._ No pray, Sir, don't bring me into it; I was not here.
_Doct._ You are right, Friend, I believe you were not here, but ask
all the rest.
_Skin._ Nephew, do you know anything of all this?
_Bell._ Upon my word, Sir, what the Doctor says is true.
_Skin._ How! True, Lucy?
_Lucy._ Indeed, Sir, you did make a Will before you had your fit, but
you have forgot it, I suppose.
_Skin._ Why this is all a Contrivance, a Conspiracy, a--pray when did
I make this Will?
_Doct._ Why, Sir, it is not ten minutes since you signed it, and all
these are Witnesses. (_Pointing on their own side of the room_)
_Shar._ No pray, Sir, leave me out. I will be sworn in any Court in
Westminster, Sir Isaac, that I know nothing of the matter.
_Maigre._ By Gar, this Doctor Leatherhead be one ver great
Fripon.--Harkee, Sir, you say he make de Signature to the Will in
these ten a Minute.
_Doct._ Yes Sir.
_Maigre._ By Gar, dat cannot be, fo[r] Monsieur Cormorant and myself
be vid him above thirteen, and he make no Will in that time, Jarnie
bleu.
_Coun._ It is very true, Gentlemen, that we can attest.
_Skin._ Pray Doctor, let me see this Will; read it if you please.
_Doct._ Sir Isaac Skinflint being seated in his great Chair--um
underwritten--Sound Senses tho' infirm in Body.
_Skin._ No matter for the Preamble.
_Doct._ Um, um, um, committed to writing his underwritten Will, in
Manner and Form following; Imprimis, I will that all my Debts be paid.
_Skin._ Debts! I do not owe one Shilling in the World.
_Doct._ You forget, Sir Isaac, you owe for the Nursing of a Bastard
Child at Wandsor, and several little dribbling Debts where you used to
meet your Wenches.
_Skin._ How a Bastard; why I never had a Bastard in my Life--but
once--and that was forty years ago with a great red Hair Wench, a Maid
that my Father had--but it was when I was a Lad and I did not know
what I was about.
_Doct._ Item, I do constitute my Nephew Bellair whole and sole
Executor, disinheriting and cutting off all other Persons.
_Skin._ This is a scene of Villainy.
_Doct._ Saving those hereafter mentioned-unto Harriet Lovewealth my
Niece that shall be, I do bequeath the set of Diamond
Bracelets--Mortgaged by the----
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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