Richard Steele: Edited, with an Introduction and Notes by G. A. Aitken — John Shaqi
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
_Grav._ I carried home to your house the shroud the gentleman was
buried in last night. I could not get his ring off very easily,
therefore I brought the finger and all; and sir, the sexton gives his
service to you, and desires to know whether you'd have any bodies
removed or not. If not, he'll let 'em lie in their graves a week longer.
_Sab._ Give him my service, I can't tell readily; but our friend, tell
him, Dr. Passeport, with the powder, has promised me six or seven
funerals this week. I'll send to our country-farm at Kensington Gravel
Pits, and our City-house in Warwick Lane for news; you shall know time
enough. Harkee, be sure there's care taken to give my Lady Languishe's
woman a fee to keep out that young fellow came last from Oxford; he'll
ruin us all.
_Enter_ GOODY TRASH.
I wonder, Goody Trash, you could not be more punctual, when I told you
I wanted you, and your two daughters, to be three virgins to-night to
stand in white about my Lady Katherine Grissel's body; and you know
you were privately to bring her home from the man-midwife's, where she
died in childbirth, to be buried like a maid; but there is nothing
minded. Well, I have put off that till to-morrow; go and get your
bag of brick-dust and your whiting. Go and sell to the cook-maids;
know who has surfeited about town. Bring me no bad news, none of your
recoveries again. And you, Mr. Blockhead, I warrant you have not called
at Mr. Pestle's, the apothecary: Will that fellow never pay me? I stand
bound for all the poison in that starving murderer's shop. He serves
me just as Dr. Quibus did, who promised to write a treatise against
water-gruel, a damned healthy slop, that has done me more injury than
all the faculty. Look you now, you are all upon the sneer; let me have
none but downright stupid countenances----I've a good mind to turn you
all off, and take people out of the play-house; but, hang 'em, they are
as ignorant of their parts as you are of yours, they never act but when
they speak; when the chief indication of the mind is in the gesture,
or indeed in case of sorrow in no gesture, except you were to act a
widow, or so----But yours, you dolts, is all in dumb show; dumb show? I
mean expressive eloquent show: As who can see such an horrid ugly phiz
as that fellow's and not be shocked, offended, and killed of all joy
while he beholds it? But we must not loiter----Ye stupid rogues, whom I
have picked out of all the rubbish of mankind, and fed for your eminent
worthlessness, attend, and know that I speak you this moment stiff and
immutable to all sense of noise, mirth, or laughter [_Makes mouths at
them as they pass by him to bring them to a constant countenance_]. So,
they are pretty well--pretty well----
_Enter_ TRUSTY _and_ LORD BRUMPTON.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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