Lady A. Indeed I did not-I wish | to speak to you. Mor. (To Lennox retiring.) Stay where you are, Lennox. What, man, you are in no fear of foothing infult! You are not married. Len. I'd return in five minutes. [Exit. [Mordent-following. Lady A. Pray, Mr. Mordent Mor, Phaw! I know I am a bar at the ftake: don't fhorten my tether. Lady A. I have a paper-(Shery ing the Letter.) Mor. (Returning.) Ay, ay! I knew it. Come, begin! I am prepared. Lady A. It fell into my hands by the reprehenfible but unauthorised curiofity of my woman. Mor. Ha, ha, ha! Lady A. Indeed, I have never opened it. Mor. Nor the either! Lady A. Yes; but that is not my fault. Mor. Yours indeed? Impoffible! Lady A. The heart which I cannot fecure by affection, I will not alienate by fufpecting, [Returns the letter. Mor. Pihaw! leekness is but mockery, forbearance infult. Lady A. How fhall, I behave? Which way frame my words and looks, fo as not to offend? Would I could difcover ! Mor. You never complain? You have no jealoufy? Lady A. Indeed, I have been very obstinately blind. Mer. Ay, ay! Patience on a mo- : nument! འ Lady A, Reproach, at least, has never escaped my lips.... Mor. Ha, ha, ha! As if lips were: the only instruments of upbraiding ! No deep-fetched fighs? No pale melancholy glances? No obvious: hiding of the ever ready tear? Lady A. I fear I have been to blame! Indeed. I am forry that my fenfations have been fo acute. Mor. You accufe? You give a husband paja? Infolent fuppofition!. Lady A. I fincerely with, my dear, you gave no more than I intend to give! Mor. There! Did not I fay fo? Ha, ha, ha! You accafe? Lady A. I am wrong! I forgot mylelt! Pray forgive me! Why am fubject to thete iniflakes ? Mor. You are all angel! Lady A. Would I were! Mor. And I all demon! Lady A. Di not, Mr. Mordent, by the dear affection you once bore→→ Mor, There! There The affection I once bore? Lady A. Heavens! Maft I ever! be fated to wound, when it is mot the wifh of my foul to heal? Mor. Why was the Earl of Oldcrelt here this morning? Why are thefe family confultations held ? Lady A. They are contrary to my with. Mor. A feparation, I hear, is the fubject of thein? me. Lady A. But not countenanced by Mor. Pretending in pity to fpare me yourself, they are to be let upon me! Lady A. Never! Heaven be my judge, never! Mor. I am to be fubje&ed to their imperious dictates! Lady A. I own they have lately. been very urgent with me, to return to my father; but, were you only kind, their folicitations would he vain indeed. O! take pity on yourself and me, and teach me to regain your loft affections! or, if that be too great a bleffing to hope, there is ftill one evil, which I would fuffer any other torture to escape. Think, if you can, that I no longer love; treat me with unkindness; neglect, accufe, do any thing-but hate me! Let me not endure that laft ftage of mifery! But-Oh heavens!-if our former endearments must end in that, have mercy, and retard or conceal it as long as you can! [Exit. Mor. Ha, ha, ha! What are barbs, and flings, and poifoned arrows? Pitiful inftruments! Thou, triumphant wretchednefs, ufeft these but on fmall occafions; they want pungency! SCENE XI. Enter LENNOX. Len. May I come in? Mor. Ay, ay 1-Now am I ripe for milchief! Len. You feem out of temper! What has happened? Mor. Trifles, trifles! She has got the letter. Len. From whom? Mo. An invitation to a new fame ple of beauty. She has feen it ; returned it; has graciously forgiven; has driven me mad! Len. (fufpiciously.) And do you mean to go? Mor. (Wildly.) Ay will I! Since devil 1 am, devil let me be ! It will be fome, though but a petty vengeance for prying. Len. You must not. will. Len. We have long been friends, ard fellow-finners; but in these affairs, we have always benaved honourably. Mar. What then? Len. I have leen the girl! Len. At Enfeld's. Mr. Did the write to you, too? Len. An angel! I am feriously and deeply fmitten. and honour? on your word Mor. I tell you, I will! Len. Why then, fee her you fhall; but in my company, obferve. Mor. Ha, ha, ha! Right! antici pate your torments! thank you for your affistance and adLen. On this condition, I fhall vice. Mor. Why ay! Advice! I too, tence of man to avert mifchief, I fool that I am, knowing the impomay be danger in telling him? with for advice!-I (Afide.) There Len. Well? Mor. A-A friend of mine has a child; fuppofe it a-a natural child; difpofe of. that he knows not how properly to child that he knows not how properLen (Ironical gravity.) A natural ly to difpofe of? Mor. Yes. Len. Could net fell it to the kidnappers? Mor. Pihaw! Len. There are honeft overseers that will take it, fifty pounds down! Mar. Not an infant: twenty years of age. crimp ferjeants! Mor. Mor. When I put a ferious queftion, I expect a serious answer. Len. (indignation.) Serious! And afk what a man is to do with his child! Mor. Suppofe he fhould have legitimate offspring? Len. (Sneer.) Oh, oh! Legitimate! Hah! Made of other metal? A different manufacture ? Mor. You won't hear ! He provided for her. Len. A female, too? Mor. Would have continued to provide, but she rejected his affiftance. Len. How fo? Mor. Unless he would fee her, embrace her; that is, whine over, acknowledge her, and beftow his blefling. Len. And he refused? Mor. Why not? Of what benefit are bleffings? Where all is evil, why torment confcience concerning the mode? Len. He is a monster! Mor. But, fir, appearancesLen. Damn appearances! Mor. Friends Len. Damn his friends! Len. Damn his wife! He has friends, appearances, and a wife; but he has no heart! Scene XII. * great Enter Donald in agitation. Don. She is gone! She is loft for aye! I'ze e'en red wude! Mor. (Afide to Donald.) How now? Herald of malice and mischief! Den. I canna forgether her! Fair fa' yeer hairt! 'ze ne'er fet eyes o' her mair, Mor. Peace, hound! Don. I tell you I wunna! Misca' me an ye wull, the de'el ma' care! A father turn his back o' his bairn! Len, Oh, ho! What? it was yourfelf, your own daughter, you were talking of? Don. Gin earth haud her, I'ze hae her yet; ay and I'ze gar ye do her recht. (Return.) She laft a maffige for ye! Mor. (Anxiously.) What message ?i Don. Tell him, gin ye wunna gi his child ane kefs, ane ferimpet blaffing, that child woll wark, stairve and die, ore the wull leve like a parish pauper on fcraps and alms. Tell him he has a pridefoo' fpirit, that wunna bag, gin the canna win: and, gif he fcorn his dochtor, she fcorns akfapt his charity. (Go.) Len. So you commit crime, and then invent a fyftem for its juftifica tion Excellent philofopher! Don. (Returning.) Why dunna ye fpier a'ter her yeerfal? Hech ! Waefucks! Ye dunna ken yeer ain bairn! Len. How? Don. Ye never faw the face o' her, fin fhe hung a wee giglet at the breaft! Weel, weel! Nothing comes more furely tul licht than that which is long hidden! An ill life, an ill end! [Exit. Mor. Wolves, tigers, ferpents were first created, and then man! Len. You are truly a high fellow, Mordent you spend your fortune, wrong your wife, and difown your child! That is, you inflict mifery, and then tell us all are miferable. Mor. I act and I am acted upon. The precept and the proof go to gether. Len. You are incorrigible! But come; we must about this business. My heart is deeply interested. Mor. My affairs are at a crifis; and if I augur rightly, it will foon be all over with me. Len. Hope better. Come; come with me to Enfield's. Mor. I'll meet you there in half an hour. it but compreffing the fum af evil nal, and fupported by pillars, in fuch a manner that small veffels can pafs under it, to crois the city from the canal of Oftend to that of Ghent, The fquare where the Wednesday's market is kept is very fine, for it DESCRIPTION of the CITY of contains feveral walks between two BRUGES. (With a View elegantly engraved BRUG rows of trees, and a new guarda large fquare, in which is the town houfe in the middle. The Burg is RUGES is a city of the here- houfe, built in the Gothic manner, tofore Auftrian Netherlands, and adorned with a variety of his and the capital of the territory of gures of the ancient counts and Bruges, with a bishop's fee. It is counteffes of Flanders. In the fame fituated in a plain, eight miles from fquare there are feveral other pubthe fea, and has feveral canals, cut lic buildings. The church dedicated for the benefit of trade, one of to the Virgin Mary is very fine, with which leads to Ghent, another to a high steeple, which ferves as a fea Oftend, another to Sluys, to New- mark for the fhips that come to port, to Furnes, to Ypres, and to Oftend on the infide are two tombs Dunkirk, which may be reached in of copper gilt, of an extraordinary a day in the fummer-time. All the magnificence. Befides the cathewaters about Bruges are without drai and two collegiate churches, any current; but they may be there are five parith churches, fourchanged in half an hour's time, by teen chapels, and twelve convents opening the fluices and letting the for men and women. There are water run into the fea. There are a great number of alms-houfes and feveral bridges about the city; and hofpitals, one of which is called the that which was built in 1739, of free- fchool of Bogards, where there are ftone, is very ftately. Bruges was in about one hundred and eighty boys, a very flourishing condition upwards fome of whom are brought up to of two hundred years ago, and every learning, others to trades, according nation had a conful here; but fince to their genius. Their habit is cloth, the enlargement of Amfterdam and and half of them wear blue, and Antwerp, the trade is diminished, half red, with a black bonnet. There and its inhabitants are not fufficient- is alfo a fchool for poor girls, to the ly numerous for fo large a place. number of one hundred and twenty, However, there are many rich mer-clothed with red or blue. In thort chants, and a chamber for trade. There are feveral fine churches, in the firit rank of which is the cathedral, whofe rich ornaments and treasure deferve notice. The finest fquare in the city is the great market, in which Itand the halls, with public galleries, and a large court in the middle, and on one of its fides a high fteeple, fupported only with four pillars. It is full of bells, with the most harmonious chimes in all the country. On the fide of the great fquare there is a ftructure, which ferves for a public magazine to lay cloth in. It is built on a ca there is no place in the low countries where more care is taken of widows and orphans. The order of the knights of the golden fleece was inBituted in this city in 1430, when the marriage of Philip the Good was celebrated with Elizabeth princess of Portugal. The fortifications of Bruges are but trifling, infomuch that in time of war it always yields to the ftrongest party. Bruges is fituated eight miles east of Oltend, twenty-four north-eaft of Ghent, and forty-fix welt of Antwerp. Lat. 51 cég. 14 min. N. Long. 3 deg. 5 min. E. |