The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 03Dryden, John
General
The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 03
Dryden, John
English drama -- 17th century
_Enter Lord, Lady_ DUPE, _Sir_ MARTIN, WARNER, ROSE, MILLISENT _veiled,
and Landlord_.
_Lord._ How, gentlemen! what, quarrelling among yourselves!
_Mood._ Coxnowns! help me down, and let me have fair play; he shall
never marry my daughter.
_Sir Mart._ [_Leading_ ROSE.] No, I'll be sworn that he shall not;
therefore never repine, sir, for marriages, you know, are made in
heaven; in fine, sir, we are joined together in spite of fortune.
_Rose._ [_Pulling off her mask_.] That we are, indeed, Sir Martin, and
these are witnesses; therefore, in fine, never repine, sir, for
marriages, you know, are made in heaven.
_Omn._ Rose!
_Warn._ What, is Rose split in two? Sure I have got one Rose!
_Mill._ Ay, the best Rose you ever got in all your life.
[_Pulls off her mask._
_Warn._ This amazeth me so much, I know not what to say, or think.
_Mood._ My daughter married to Warner!
_Sir Mart._ Well, I thought it impossible that any man in England should
have over-reached me: Sure, Warner, there is some mistake in this:
Pr'ythee, Billy, let's go to the parson to make all right again, that
every man have his own, before the matter go too far.
_Warn._ Well, sir! for my part, I will have nothing farther to do with
these women, for, I find, they will be too hard for us; but e'en sit
down by the loss, and content myself with my hard fortune: But, madam,
do you ever think I will forgive you this, to cheat me into an estate of
two thousand pounds a-year?
_Sir Mart._ An I were as thee, I would not be so served, Warner.
_Mill._ I have served him but right, for the cheat he put upon me, when
he persuaded me you were a wit----now, there's a trick for your trick,
sir.
_Warn._ Nay, I confess you have outwitted me.
_Sir John._ Let me down, and I'll forgive all freely.
[_They let him down._
_Mood._ What am I kept here for?
_Warn._ I might in policy keep you there, till your daughter and I had
been in private, for a little consummation: But for once, sir, I'll
trust your good nature.
[_Takes him down too._
_Mood._ An thou wert a gentleman, it would not grieve me.
_Mill._ That I was assured of before I married him, by my lord here.
_Lord._ I cannot refuse to own him for my kinsman, though his father's
sufferings in the late times have ruined his fortunes.
_Mood._ But yet he has been a serving man.
_Warn._ You are mistaken, sir, I have been a master; and, besides, there
is an estate of eight hundred pounds a year, only it is mortgaged for
six thousand pounds.
_Mood._ Well, we'll bring it off; and, for my part, I am glad my
daughter has missed _in fine_ there.
_Sir John._ I will not be the only man that must sleep without a
bed-fellow to-night, if this lady will once again receive me.
_L. Dupe._ She's yours, sir.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account