Outcry.

that the earth would open, and swallow me up alive! Throws himself down on the floor. Lies some time, as stopified with the fall, then gathers himself up.] Oh! oh! oh! Who has done this? Who has robbed me? Who has got my money? Where is the thief? the murderer, the traitor? Where shall I go to find him? Where shall I search? Where shall I not search? Is he gone this way? Running to the right.] Is he gone that way? Running the contrary way.] Stop thief, stop thief, stop thief! Here is nobody. Are they all gone out of the house? They have robbed me, and are all gone off. My son, my daughter, my servants are all concerned; they have Liftening conspired together to ruin me.-Heh! [Listening] What do you say? Is he caught, villain! Lamenta- [Catching himself.] I have you.-Alas, I have

tion.

Distrefs.

Affectation

caught myself; I am going out of my senses; and that is not to be wondered at.—I will go to a magistrate. I will have every body examined, that ever was in my house. I will have half the town imprisoned, tried and hanged; and if I cannot, with all this, recover my money, I will hang myself.

[Returns with Justice Nosewell.]

Just. Nosewell. Let me alone. I know what of wisdom. I have to do, I'll warrant you. This is not the

first piece of roguery I have found out. If I had but a purse of ten guineas for every fellow I have been the hanging of, there are not many of his Majesty's Justices of the peace, would carry Question, their heads higher. There were, you say, in your strong-box ?

Lamenta.

Wonder.

Weeping.

Question.

Lamenta

tion.

Scr. A thousand guineas well told..

Nosew. A thousand guineas! A large sum! Scr. A thousand guineas of gold. Hoo! hoo! hoo! [Weeps.]

Nosew. Have you any suspicion of any particular person?

Scr. Yes, I suspect every body.

Nosew. Your best way, Sir, will be to keep Affectation very quiet, and not to seem to suspect any one, till of wisdom. you can lay hold of some proof or presumption, at least. Then you may proceed to the rigour of the law. [While they are talking without the door of Scrapely's house, James, the cook, comes out, and speaks with his face from them, leaving directions with the scullion boy.]

James. You understand me, Jack. I shall Directing be back presently. Kill him directly. Put him in boiling water. Scrape him, and hang him

up.

Ser. What, the rogue who has robbed me? Do hang him, drown him, burn him, slay him alive.

Anger.

James. I mean a pig, Sir, that is come from Submiffion. Mr. Rachum, your honour's worship's steward

in the country.

Anger.

Scr. Pig, me no pigs, Sir. I have other things to think of than pigs.-You may be the rogue for what I know of. A cook may carry off a strong-box as soon as another man. Examine Intreating. him, pray, good Mr. Justice Nosewell.

Noser. Don't frighten yourself, friend. I am Affectation not a man who loves to blase things abroad.

James. Sir, you honour, I ask your honour's pardon; I am a little hard of hearing, your bonour. Often hot, and often cold, your honour. Your honour's worship sups this evening with my master's honour's worship, I suppose, and your honour's worship would, mayhap, like to have a little plate of something tossed up to your honour's worship's liking, mayhap. If your honour's worship pleases to let me know what your honour's worship fancies, I will do my best to please your honour's worship.

of wisdom.

Flattery.

Nosew. No, no, my business with you is quite Affectation, another matter. Friend, it will be your wisdom not to conceal any thing from your master. It will be the better for you.

Flattery

James. Sir, your honour, I assure your honour's worship, I will do my very best to please your honour's worship, upon my honour. If there be Promising. a better way than another, I will use it, as far as I have minterials and ingratitudes. I wish my

master's honour's worship would go to the expence of a few morrels and truffles, and a little Flattery. right East-India catchup. There's your high flaAccufing, your, your honour. And our niggardly steward, hang him, downright spoils my master's honour's worship. I could engage to send up as pretty a little collation, as your honour's worship could Accufing. wish to sit down to, if that narrow hearted soul, Rachum our steward, did not clip my wings with the scissors of his nigardliness.

Arguing.

Surprise.

We

Scr. Hold your tongue, you scoundrel. don't want to hear your nonsense about eating. Hold your tongue, and answer to the questions, which Justice Nosewell is going to put to you about the money I have lost, and which I suppose you have taken.

James. I take your honour's worship's money, Sir! Mercy defend me from thinking of such a Self defence thing! I did not so much as know that your honour's worship had lost any money.

Threatning

Anxiety.

Scr. Yes, you rogue, I have lost money, and I'll have you and twenty others hang'd, if I don't

recover it.

James. Mercy defend me your honour! Why should your honour's worship suspect me of such Self defence a thing? Did your honour's worship ever know me rob your honour's worship of a farthing, or a farthing's worth?

Affectation

Nosew. Hold, Mr. Scrapely. There is no need of wisdom. of scolding. My Clerk shall administer to him Directing, the oath. Here, Mr. Longscroll, administer the oath to this man. Not the common oath. No

body minds kissing the book now-a-days. Give him the great oath. [Clerk comes forward.] Affectation. Clerk. Fall down on your knees before his Authority. worship, and say after me. [James kneels before

the Justice, in great trepidation.] May the Authority.

Clerk. The great devil of devils.

James. The gre-e-e--at devil of devils.
Clerk. With his great iron claws.

Fear.

Authority.

Trembling.

Authority.

Terror.

Authority.

Fright.

James. With his gre-e-e-at iron-Ah ! Mercy defend me, your noble honour's worship, Intreating. I am frightened out of my wits! I can't say any more of this dreadful oath. I expect the devil to come up through the ground before my very nose in a minute. I'll tell your honour's worship all the whole truth without the oath, if your honour's worship will but give me a little time to fetch breath.

Nosew. Rise then, James. Don't frighten Affectation yourself; but frankly confess the foul fact like of wisdom. an honest christian. [To Scrapely.] I knew he would not trifle with the great oath. We shall have a full confession presently.

James. Why then-why then-I confess the Self defence foul fact frankly, and like an honest christian, that I do not know who has taken my master's worship's money, no more than the child that was unborn forty years ago, as I am a sinner to be saved for ever and ever, and amen.

Nosew. O that won't do, James. You must Affectation kneel down again, and take all the whole great of wisdom. oath. And, if you won't give up the truth, my Threatning clerk shall write your mittimus to prison, James.

Fright.

James. O mercy defend me! O your noble honour's worship, have mercy on a poor harmless criminal, that is as innocent of the fact he is Self defence convicted of, as your honour's worship, or your honour's worship's clerk, there where he stands. If I ever do such a thing again, your worship shall hang me twenty times over. For I am sure, I never touched my master's honour's

Submiffion.

Anger.

worship's money, nor any man's money, in all my born days, in an unfair or unconscionable way, saving your honour's worship's presence, and my master's honour's worship's presence, and

[Enter SMOOTHLY, leading in MARIANA, Scrapely's daughter.]

Smoothly. Behold, Sir, you son and daughter, present themselves to beg your pardon, favour, and blessing.

Scr. My son (if you be my son) and my daughter may hang themselves. That is all the blessing I have to bestow on them, or myself. 0 Lamenta. my dear strong-box! O my lost guineas! 0 Weeping. poor ruined, beggared old man! Hoo! hoo! hoo! -[Weeps.]

Submiffion.

Surprife and joy.

Self defence

Eagerness.
Joy.
Blame with
fubmiffion.

Smooth. Sir, if you please to look upon our union with a favourable eye, no uneasiness about your strong-box need trouble your repose. It shall be forth-coming immediately.

Scr. What do you say? My strong-box? With all that was in it? The thousand guineas? The whole thousand? Shall it be forth-coming? If you make your words good, you shall eat my daughter, if you please, and my son too.

James. I told your honour's worship, I knew nothing of your honour's worship's money.

Scr. Where is my precious, precious treasure, my life, my joy, my all?

Mariana. Sir, your unreasonable anxiety about money, which appears on the present, as on many former occasions, in your lamentations about what, to a man of your fortune, are trifles, has been the cause of constant anxiety to yourself, and all Apology. your family, and has forced me upon what I am Gratitude. ashamed of. This worthy gentleman has long had a regard for me, much above my deserving. He has always declared, that he desired no fortun Blame with with me. Your excessive penuries denied me the fubmiffion. decencies of dress suitable to your daughter. 1

Esteem.