MRS. FRAIL. Lord, what shall we do? There’s my brother Foresight and Sir Sampson coming. Sister, do you take Miss down into the parlour, and I’ll carry Mr. Benjamin into my chamber, for they must not know that they are fallen out. Come, sir, will you venture yourself with me? [_Looking kindly on him_.] BEN. Venture, mess, and that I will, though ’twere to sea in a storm. SCENE IX. SIR SAMPSON _and_ FORESIGHT. SIR SAMP. I left ’em together here; what, are they gone? Ben’s a brisk boy: he has got her into a corner; father’s own son, faith, he’ll touzle her, and mouzle her. The rogue’s sharp set, coming from sea; if he should not stay for saving grace, old Foresight, but fall to without the help of a parson, ha? Odd, if he should I could not be angry with him; ’twould be but like me, a chip of the old block. Ha! thou’rt melancholic, old Prognostication; as melancholic as if thou hadst spilt the salt, or pared thy nails on a Sunday. Come, cheer up, look about thee: look up, old stargazer. Now is he poring upon the ground for a crooked pin, or an old horse-nail, with the head towards him. FORE. Sir Sampson, we’ll have the wedding to-morrow morning. SIR SAMP. With all my heart. FORE. At ten a’clock, punctually at ten. SIR SAMP. To a minute, to a second; thou shalt set thy watch, and the bridegroom shall observe its motions; they shall be married to a minute, go to bed to a minute; and when the alarm strikes, they shall keep time like the figures of St. Dunstan’s clock, and _consummatum est_ shall ring all over the parish. SCENE X. [_To them_] SCANDAL. SCAN. Sir Sampson, sad news. FORE. Bless us! SIR SAMP. Why, what’s the matter? SCAN. Can’t you guess at what ought to afflict you and him, and all of us, more than anything else? SIR SAMP. Body o’ me, I don’t know any universal grievance, but a new tax, or the loss of the Canary fleet. Unless popery should be landed in the West, or the French fleet were at anchor at Blackwall. SCAN. No. Undoubtedly, Mr. Foresight knew all this, and might have prevented it. FORE. ’Tis no earthquake! SCAN. No, not yet; nor whirlwind. But we don’t know what it may come to. But it has had a consequence already that touches us all. SIR SAMP. Why, body o’ me, out with’t. SCAN. Something has appeared to your son Valentine. He’s gone to bed upon’t, and very ill. He speaks little, yet he says he has a world to say. Asks for his father and the wise Foresight; talks of Raymond Lully, and the ghost of Lilly. He has secrets to impart, I suppose, to you two. I can get nothing out of him but sighs. He desires he may see you in the morning, but would not be disturbed to-night, because he has some business to do in a dream.