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traordinary; fuch things happen every day; and as the world has only heard generally of a treaty between the families, when this marriage takes place, no body will be the wifer, if we have but difcretion enough to keep our own counsel.

STERL. True, true; and fince you only transfer from one girl to the other, it is no more than transferring so much ftock, you know.

SIR JOHN. The very thing. STERL. Odfo! I had quite forgot. We are reckoning without our hoft here. There is another difficultySIR JOHN. You alarm me. What can that be? STERL. I cannot ftir a step in this bufinefs without confulting my fifter Heidelberg. The family has very great expectations from her, and we must not give her any offence.

SIR JOHN. But if you come into this meafure, furely fhe will be fo kind as to confent

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However, I will do the and break the matter to

STERL. I do not know that. Betfey is her darling, and I cannot tell how far she may resent any flight that seems to be offered to her favourite niece. beft I can for you. You shall go her first, and by the time that I may fuppofe that your rhetoric has prevailed on her to liften to reason, I will step in to reinforce your arguments.

SIR JOHN. I will fly to her immediately: you promise me your affistance ?

STERL. I do.

SIR JOHN. attend me!

Ten thoufand thanks for it! and now fuccefs

STERL. Harkee, Sir John!

thirty thousand to my fifter, Sir John.

Not a word of the

SIR JOHN. Oh, I am dumb, I am dumb, Sir.
STERL. You remember it is thirty thousand.

SIR JOHN. To be fure I do.

STERL. But Sir John! one thing more. My Lord must know nothing of this ftroke of friendship between us.

SIR JOHN.

alone.

Not for the world. Let me alone! let me

STERL. And when every thing is agreed, we must give each other a bond to be held fast to the bargain.

SIR JOHN. To be fure. A bond by all means! a bond, or whatever you please.

STERL. I fhould have thought of more conditions, he is in a humonr to give me every thing. Why, what mere children are your fellows of quality; that cry for a plaything one minute, and throw it by the next! as changeable. as the weather, and as uncertain as the ftocks. Special fellows to drive a bargain! and yet they are to take care of the intereft of the nation truly! Here does this whirligig man of fashion offer to give up thirty thoufand pounds in hard money, with as much indifference as if it was a China orange. By this mortgage, I fhall have a hold on his Terra Firma; and if he wants more money, as he certainly will, let him have children by my daughter or no, I fhall have his whole eftate in a net for the benefit of my family. Well; thus it is, that the children of citizens, who have acquired fortunes, prove perfons of fashion; and thus it is, that perfons of fashion, who have ruined their fortunes, reduce the next generation to cits.

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STOCK. M

R. Belcour, I am rejoiced to fee you; you are welcome to England.

BEL. I thank you heartily, good Mr. Stockwell; you and I have long converfed at a distance; now we are met, and the pleasure this meeting gives me, amply compensates for the perils I have run through in accomplishing it.

STOCK. What perils, Mr. Belcour? I could not have thought you would have met a bad paffage at this time o'year.

BEL. Nor did we: courier like, we came posting to your fhores; upon the pinions of the fwiftest gales that ever blew; it is upon English ground all my difficulties have arifen; it is the paffage from the river-fide I complain of. STOCK. Ay, indeed! What obstructions can you have met between this and the river-fide?

BEL. Innumerable! Your town's as full of defiles as the island of Corfica; and, I believe, they are as obftinately defended; fo much hurry, buftle, and confufion, on your quays; fo many fugar-cafks, porter-buts, and common council-men, in your ftreets; that unless a man marched with artillery in his front, it is more than the labour of a Hercules can effect, to make any tolerable way through your

town.

STOCK. I am forry you have been fo incommoded.

BEL. Why, faith it was all my own fault; accustomed to a land of flaves, and, out of patience with the whole tribe of custom-houfe extortioners, boat-men, tide-waiters, and water-bailiffs, that befet me on all fides, worse than a fwarm of mufquetoes, I proceeded a little too roughly to brush them away with my rattan ; the sturdy rogues took this in dudgeon, and beginning to rebel, the mob chofe different fides, and a furious fcuffle enfued; in the courfe of which, my perfon and apparel fuffered fo much, that I was obliged

obliged to step into the first tavern to refit, before I could make my approaches in any decent trim.

STOCK. Well Mr. Belcour, it is a rough fample you have had of my countrymen's spirit; but, I trust, you will not think the worfe of them for it.

BEL. Not at all, not at all; I like them the better; was I only a visitor, I might, perhaps, wish them a little more tractable; but as a fellow-fubject, and a sharer in their freedom, I applaud their fpirit, though I feel the effects of it in every bone of my skin.-Well, Mr. Stockwell, for the first time in my life, here am I in England; at the fountain head of pleasure, in the land of beauty, of arts and elegancies. My happy stars have given me a good estate, and the confpiring winds have blown me hither to spend it.

STOCK. To ufe it, not to waste it, I should hope; to treat it, Mr. Belcour, not as a vassal, over whom you have a wanton defpotic power, but as a subject, which you are bound to govern with a temperate and restrained authority.

BEL. True, Sir; most truly faid; mine's a commission, not a right: I am the offspring of diftrefs, and every child of forrow is my brother; while I have hands to hold, therefore, I will hold them open to mankind, but, Sir, my paffions are my masters; they take me where they will; and oftentimes they leave to reafon and virtue nothing but my wishes and my fighs.

STOCK. Come, come, the man who can accuse corrects himself.

BEL. Ah! that is an office I am weary of; I wish a friend would take it up: I would to Heaven you had leisure for the employ but, did you drive a trade to the four corners of the world, you would not find the task so toilfome as to keep me free from faults.

STOCK.

STOCK. Well, I am not difcouraged; this candour tells me I fhould not have the fault of self-conceit to combat; that, at least, is not amongst the number.

BEL. No; if I knew that man on earth who thought more humbly of me than I do of myself, I would take up his opinion and forego my own.

STOCK. And, was I to chufe a pupil, it fhould be one of your complexion; fo if you will come along with me, we will agree upon your admiffion, and enter upon a courfe of lectures directly.

BEL. With all my heart.

WEST INDIAN.

CHA P. VIII.

LORD EUSTACE AND FRAMPTON.

LD. EUST.

WEI

7ELL, my dear Frampton, have you fecured the letters?

FRAM. Yes, my Lord, for their rightful owners.

LD. EUST. As to the matter of property, Frampton, we will not difpute much about that. Neceffity, you know, may, fometimes render a trefpafs excufable.

FRAM. I am not cafuift fufficient to answer you upon that fubject; but this I know, that you have already trespassed against the laws of hospitality and honour, in your condu&ttowards Sir William Evans, and his daughter-And as your friend and counsellor, both, I would advise you to think feriously, of repairing the injuries you have committed, and not increase your offence, by a farther violation.

LD. EUST. It is actually a pity you were not bred to the bar, Ned; but I have only a moment to ftay, and am all

impatience

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