Richard Steele: Edited, with an Introduction and Notes by G. A. AitkenSteele, Richard, Sir
General
Richard Steele: Edited, with an Introduction and Notes by G. A. Aitken
Steele, Richard, Sir
English drama (Comedy); Steele, Richard, Sir, 1672-1729
_Sab._ That's reasonably enough said, but they regard themselves only
in all they act for the deceased, and the poor dead are delivered to
my custody, to be embalmed, slashed, cut, and dragged about, not to do
them honour, but to satisfy the vanity or interest of their survivors.
_Cam._ This fellow's every way an undertaker! How well and luckily he
talks! His prating so aptly has methinks something more ridiculous in
it than if he were absurd. [_Aside to_ CABINET.
_Cab._ But, as Mr. Campley says, how could you dream of making a
fortune from so chimerical a foundation as the provision of things
wholly needless and insignificant?
_Sab._ Alas, gentlemen, the value of all things under the sun is merely
fantastic. We run, we strive, and purchase things with our blood and
money, quite foreign to our intrinsic real happiness, and which have
a being in imagination only, as you may see by the pudder[17] that
is made about precedence, titles, court favour, maidenheads, and
china-ware.
_Cam._ Ay, Mr. Sable, but all those are objects that promote our
joy, are bright to the eye, or stamp upon our minds pleasure and
self-satisfaction.
_Sab._ You are extremely mistaken, sir; for one would wonder to
consider that after all our outcries against self-interested men,
there are few, very few, in the whole world that live to themselves,
but sacrifice their bosom-bliss to enjoy a vain show, and appearance
of prosperity in the eyes of others; and there is often nothing more
inwardly distressed than a young bride in her glittering retinue, or
deeply joyful than a young widow in her weeds and black train; of both
which, the lady of this house may be an instance, for she has been the
one, and is, I'll be sworn, the other.
_Cab._ You talk, Mr. Sable, most learnedly!
_Sab._ I have the deepest learning, sir, experience. Remember your
widow cousin that married last month.
_Cab._ Ay! But how could you imagine she was in all that grief an
hypocrite? Could all those shrieks, those swoonings, that rising,
falling bosom be constrained? You're uncharitable, Sable, to believe
it----What colour, what reason had you for it?
_Sab._ First, sir, her carriage in her concerns with me, for I never
yet could meet with a sorrowful relict, but was herself enough to make
an hard bargain with me.[18]--Yet I must confess they have frequent
interruptions of grief and sorrow when they read my bill--but as for
her, nothing, she resolved, that looked bright or joyous should after
her love's death approach her. All her servants that were not coal
black must turn out; a fair complexion made her eyes and heart ache,
she'd none but downright jet, and to exceed all example she hired my
mourning furniture by the year, and in case of my mortality tied my
son to the same article; so in six weeks' time ran away with a young
fellow----Prithee push on briskly, Mr. Cabinet, now is your time to
have this widow, for Tattleaid tells me she always said she'd never
marry----
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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