The Lame Lover: A Comedy in Three ActsFoote, Samuel
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The Lame Lover: A Comedy in Three Acts
Foote, Samuel
Comedy plays; English drama -- 18th century
Pshaw! nonsense and stuff.--The eye!--The eye has no authority in a
court of law.
CHARLOT.
Perhaps not, Sir, but it is a decisive evidence in a court of love.
SERJEANT.
Hark you, hussy, why you would not file an information against the
virtue of madam your mother; you would not insinuate that she has been
guilty of crim. con.?
CHARLOT.
Sir, you mistake me; it is not the lady, but the gentleman I am about
to impeach.
SERJEANT.
Have a care, Charlot! I see on what ground your action is
founded--jealousy.
CHARLOT.
You were never more deceiv'd in your life; for it is impossible, my
dear Sir, that jealousy can subsist without love.
SERJEANT.
Well.
CHARLOT.
And from that passion (thank heaven) I am pretty free at present.
SERJEANT.
Indeed!
CHARLOT.
A sweet object to excite tender desires!
SERJEANT.
And why not, hussy?
CHARLOT.
First as to his years.
SERJEANT.
What then?
CHARLOT.
I own, Sir, age procures honor, but I believe it is very rarely
productive of love.
SERJEANT.
Mighty well.
CHARLOT.
And tho' the loss of a leg can't be imputed to Sir Luke Limp as a
fault--
SERJEANT.
How!
CHARLOT.
I hope, Sir, at least you will allow it a misfortune.
SERJEANT.
Indeed!
CHARLOT.
A pretty thing truly, for a girl, at my time of life, to be ty'd to a
man with one foot in the grave.
SERJEANT.
One foot in the grave! the rest of his body is not a whit the nearer
for that.--There has been only an execution issued against part of
his personals, his real estate is unencumbered and free--besides, you
see he does not mind it a whit, but is as alert, and as merry, as a
defendant after non-suiting a plaintiff for omitting an S.
CHARLOT.
O! Sir! I know how proud Sir Luke is of his leg, and have often heard
him declare, that he would not change his bit of timber for the best
flesh and bone in the kingdom.
SERJEANT.
There's a hero for you!
CHARLOT.
To be sure, sustaining unavoidable evils with constancy is a certain
sign of greatness of mind.
SERJEANT.
Doubtless.
CHARLOT.
But then to derive a vanity from a misfortune, will not I'm afraid be
admitted as a vast instance of wisdom, and indeed looks as if the man
had nothing better to distinguish himself by.
SERJEANT.
How does that follow?
CHARLOT.
By inunendo.
SERJEANT.
Negatur.
CHARLOT.
Besides, Sir, I have other proofs of your hero's vanity, not inferior
to that I have mention'd.
SERJEANT.
Cite them.
CHARLOT.
The paltry ambition of levying and following titles.
SERJEANT.
Titles! I don't understand you?
CHARLOT.
I mean the poverty of fastening in public upon men of distinction, for
no other reason but because of their rank; adhering to Sir John till
the Baronet is superceded by my Lord; quitting the puny Peer for an
Earl; and sacrificing all three to a Duke.
SERJEANT.
Keeping good company! a laudable ambition!
CHARLOT.
True, Sir, if the virtues that procur'd the father a peerage, could
with that be entail'd on the son.
SERJEANT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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