_Sir Pat._ Upon my Honour, Sir, I think you talk mighty reasonably. I think there should be no Law [at] all, and then everybody might do what they please. _Trif._ Right, right, Sir Patrick! Liberty and Property, I say--demme I am not for Criticks--your Homers and your Virgils--and your Coke upon Littleton, and a parcel of Fellows--who talk of Nothing but Gods and Goddesses--and a Story of a Cock and a Bull--as hard to be understood as a Welch Pedigree. _Sir Pat._ Upon my Honour, so they are very hard! And that Milton's a strange Fellow too--_he has got a devilish sight of Devils along with him that nobody knows any thing of but himself_--the Devil a one of 'em all I know but one--and that was old Belzebub--you know we have often heard of him, for he was Lucifer's Wife. _Trif._ For my Part I assure you I never could understand Milton. _Sir Pat._ Nor I, upon my Honour, Mr. Trifle--tho' I admire him greatly, him and Shakespear are my Favourites, but I could never understand them. _Trif._ O Shakespear--old Shakespear--O Shakespear is a clever Fellow, ay, ay,--I admire Shakespear to the Skies--I understand him very well, Sir Patrick. _Lady._ Mr. Canker, finding fault in general is unfair. _Cank._ Madam, if you will hear me, I will come to particulars and if I don't convince you, and all the Company that it is void of Plot, Character, Wit, Humour, Manners, and Moral, I will ever after submit to be thought as ignorant as I now think those Criticks are who so much admire it. _Nib._ As to his want of Manners, that I think is as obvious as Mathematical Demonstration--was there ever anything so rude as to bring the Character of our Friend Jack Maggot on the Stage, who is a young Fellow of Family and Fortune, and as well known about Town as I am, and is as good natured and as inoffensive a Creature as ever travelled. I vow as soon as ever I saw him come upon the Stage, I was shocked.--It was vastly unpolite to introduce a young Fellow of his Figure in Life upon a publick Theatre--I suppose he will bring some of our Characters on the Stage in his next Play--if he does I protest I'll make a party to hiss it. _Lady._ You may be mistaken, Mr. Nibble, i[t] may be a general and not a particular Character that is meant by Mr. Maggot. _Cank._ Madam, Mr. Nibble's Observation is just, and it is impossible he can be mistaken. For my part, I know Jack Maggot as well as I do myself, or as I do who is meant by Mr. Strictland. _Heart._ Mr. Canker, this is most invidious Criticism and what the best Writers from Fools and Knaves are most liable to. But instead of injuring, it serves an Author with the Judicious; for it only proves the Copies to be so highly finished that Ignorance and Malice compliment them as known Originals. _Lady._ I protest, Mr. Heartly, I think you quite right in your Answer, and if Mr. Canker has nothing more Material to offer against the Play, he will be very Singular in his Censure.