L. Des. Are you in earnest, _Freeman?_ and wou’d you take what Honour will not suffer me to grant? Free. With all my Heart, Honour’s a poor Excuse. 389 Your Heart and Vows (your better part) are mine; you’ve only lent your Body out to one whom you call Husband, and whom Heaven has mark’d for Cuckoldom. Nay, ’tis an Act of honest Loyalty, so to revenge our Cause; whilst you were only mine, my honest Love thought it a Sin to press these Favours from you; ’twas injuring my self as well as thee; but now we only give and take our Right. L. Des. No more, my Husband’s old— Free. Right, my dear _Maria_, and therefore— L. Des. —May possibly die— Free. He will be hang’d first. L. Des. —I hope so—either of which will do our Bus’ness—unreasonable _Freeman_, not to have Patience till my Husband be hang’d a little. Free. But what if Destiny put the Change upon us, and I be hang’d instead of _Desbro?_ L. Des. Why then thou art not the first gallant Fellow that has died in the Good and Royal Cause; and a small taste of Happiness will but turn thee off the Ladder with the sadder Heart. Free. Hast thou the Conscience, lovely as thou art, To deal out all thy Beauty to a Traitor? Is not this Treason of the highest Nature, To rob the Royal Party of such Treasure, And give it to our mortal Enemies? For Shame, be wise, and just, And do not live a Rebel to our Cause; ’Tis Sin enough to have Society with such a wicked Race. L. Des. But I am married to him. Free. So much the worse, to make a League and Covenant with such Villains, and keep the sinful Contract; a little harmless Lying and Dissimulation I’ll allow thee, but to be right down honest, ’tis the Devil. L. Des. This will not do, it never shall be said I’ve been so much debauch’d by Conventicling to turn a sainted Sinner; No, I’m true to my Allegiance still, true to my 390 King and Honour. Suspect my Loyalty when I lose my Virtue: a little time, I’m sure, will give me honestly into thy Arms; if thou hast Bravery, shew it in thy Love. Free. You will o’ercome, and shame me every way;—but when will this Change come? and till it do, what Pawn will you give me, I shall be happy then? L. Des. My Honour, and that Happiness you long for, and take but two Months time for their Redemption. Free. How greedily I’ll seize the Forfeiture! L. Des. But what am I like to get if this Change do come? Free. A Slave, and whatever you please to make of him. L. Des. Who knows, in such an universal Change, how you may alter too?