Will. But here, behold the Life and Soul of Man! this is the amorous
Pouder, which _Venus_ made and gave the God of Love, which made him
first a Deity; you talk of Arrows, Bow, and killing Darts; Fables,
poetical Fictions, and no more: ’tis this alone that wounds and fires
the Heart, makes Women kind, and equals Men to Gods; ’tis this that
makes your great Lady doat on the ill-favour’d Fop; your great Man be
jilted by his little Mistress, the Judge cajol’d by his Semstress, and
your Politican by his Comedian; your young Lady doat on her decrepid
Husband, your Chaplain on my Lady’s Waiting-Woman, and the young Squire
on the Landry-Maid—In fine, Messieurs,
’Tis this that cures the Lover’s Pain,
And _Celia_ of her cold Disdain.
Feth. A most devilish Fellow this!
Blunt. Hold, shartlikins, _Fetherfool_, let’s have a Dose or two of
this Pouder for quick Dispatch with our Monsters.
Feth. Why Pox, Man, Jugg my Giant would swallow a whole Cart-Load
before ’twould operate.
Blunt. No hurt in trying a Paper or two however.
Car. A most admirable Receit, I shall have need on’t.
145
Will. I need say nothing of my divine Baths of Reformation, nor the
wonders of the old Oracle of the Box, which resolves all Questions, my
Bills sufficiently declare their Virtue. [Sits down. They buy.
Enter _Petronella Elenora_ carried in a Chair, dress’d like a Girl of
Fifteen.
Shift. Room there, Gentlemen, room for a Patient.
Blunt. Pray, Seignior, who may this be thus muzzl’d by old Gaffer Time?
Car. One _Petronella Elenora_, Sir, a famous outworn Curtezan.
Blunt. _Elenora!_ she may be that of _Troy_ for her Antiquity, tho
fitter for God _Priapus_ to ravish than _Paris_.
Shift. _Hunt_, a word; dost thou see that same formal Politician
yonder, on the Jennet, the nobler Animal of the two?
Hunt. What of him?
Shift. ’Tis the same drew on the Captain this Morning, and I must
revenge the Affront.
Hunt. Have a care of Revenges in _Spain_, upon Persons of his Quality.
Shift. Nay, I’ll only steal his Horse from under him.
Hunt. Steal it! thou may’st take it by force perhaps; but how safely is
a Question.
Shift. I’ll warrant thee—shoulder you up one side of his great Saddle,
I’ll do the like on t’other; then heaving him gently up, _Harlequin_
shall lead the Horse from between his Worship’s Legs: All this in the
Crowd will not be perceiv’d, where all Eyes are imploy’d on the
Mountebank.
Hunt. I apprehend you now—
[Whilst they are lifting _Petronella_ on the Mountebank’s Stage, they
go into the Crowd, shoulder up _Carlo’s_ Saddle. _Harlequin_ leads the
Horse forward, whilst _Carlo_ is gazing, and turning up his Mustachios;
they hold him up a little while, then let him drop: he rises and stares
about for his Horse.
146
Car. This is flat Conjuration.
Shift. What’s your Worship on foot?
Hunt. I never saw his Worship on foot before.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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