signs of injured lovers, I'll instantly peruse, and

make them all my own.

Enter DORCAS, WORTHY following.

[Exit.

Wor. By all my honour and my love 'tis true; nay more, she loved, and said she had long.

Dor. Nay, then I am convinced her falsehood's great; I ne'er expressed a satisfaction for thee, but still she strove to cool my friendship, by strange stories of thy inconstancy and unfaithfulness, which I must own I ne'er believed.

Wor. Kind creature! since by envious ways she strives to break the cord of our united hearts, let us instantly put it out of hers and fortune's power.

Dor. To-morrow then I will be thine; according to the foolish custom of thy church the priest shall join our hands.

Wor. Then I am completely blessed!—Now I must tell you I have discovered a most villanous design against your person.

Dor. As how?

Wor. This day you were to have been stolen by a nauseous coxcomb of the navy; 'twas luckily discovered by Rovewell and myself, who hope to coun terplot their design so far as to punish the vain fop's intentions: if you meet us about two hours hence at Belinda's, you then shall know the whole story.

Dor. I had thoughts of spending this evening with her; I'll to her instantly, for she is so much my friend, that she will be overjoyed thou art arrived:

but I think I will not mention the vileness of my
sister, lest she becometh a laughing-stock unto the
whole town.

Wor. Do as you think fit in that. Adieu, my soul.
Dor. Fare thee well.

Enter FLIP's Cockswain; to him a Sailor.

[Exeunt.

Sail. Oh, Cockswain, have I found you! Yonder's the Commodore swearing and storming as if the ship had struck on a rock; there's all the boat's crew with him excepting yourself; he sits with as good a bucket of flip before him as e'er was tossed up betwixt the stem and stern of a ship.

Cock. A pox of his kindness, I'd rather be in an engagement of twenty-four hours than mess with him to-night; I know his way well enough, he makes us half-seas over, and then we grow saucy; then after shipping in two or three ladles full more, we fancy we're all before the mast, and so shall go together by the ears: for which, as soon as we come on board, there's whips, pickles, guns, gears, and bilboes for us all.

Sail. Pshaw, pshaw! who would not stand all this, to have their upper and lower tier well stowed with flip? Besides, we shall each of us have a whore at his charge,

Cock. Ay, and so be clapp'd. If he would force the surgeon to cure us at the government's charge, it would be a mighty encouragement to us; but our rogue of a loblolly doctor, being not satisfied with

01

2

01

he

pay

his two-pences, must have a note for two months for every cure; and the last time the ship was paid, between the officers and the sailors, he swept above half the ship's company's money into his own hat.

Sail. That's a grievance truly; but come, pr'ythee go, for an the commodore gets into his trantrum humours, there's no coming within a cable's length of him.

Cock. Ay, that's true, therefore bear a hand.

[Exeunt running.

ACT II. SCENE I

Enter Sir CHARLES PLEASANT, Lieut. CRIBBIDGE, and Lieut. EASY.

Pleasant.

WHY, by your report, old Flip makes your life a very uneasy one; thank Heaven, my captain has another way of management; with the affable, easy, and genteel air, he gains applause from all.

Easy. I know he's a gentleman, by being civil to our corps; 'tis only the brutes of the navy that we marine officers disagree with.

Crib. Why, I believe I shall frighten the old pimp into some civility; for that day we came to anchor, he had some friends aboard: in the height of their mirth, I was called into the cabin; the negro fills a glass, and hands it over his shoulder, with a Here,

lieutenant, will you drink? I made as if I would take it, but overset it in his collar, laid the fault upon him, and pretending to be wet myself, went out of the cabin in a passion.

Easy. Pho, these are small faults, and natural to you subs of the navy; but the old dog had the impudence to confine me three months to my cabin, only for knocking down a boatswain's mate that had struck one of my marines; nay, if it had not been for Captain Worthy, would have broke me at a court-martial. If the colonels of our corps don't hinder this rascally imposition upon us, nobody will buy commissions of them.

Plea. That is a new trick put upon you, gentlemen, and I fear will breed ill blood amongst us.

Easy. Hang it, we agree well enough with all the young fellows, 'tis the old sots that hate we should come aboard them.

Crib. We agree well enough upon an equal par; but most of you stay ashore 'till all the money's gone, and then you come aboard and expect to mess with us: who must find fresh provisions for you ?

C

Plea. We often slight them for their poverty, indeed; but, hang it, what a strange want of mercury do we young fellows shew, to have been a ten months voyage, safely return'd, and landed two hours, without having been among the females! There's many a lad in the navy gets a clap before the ship's moored. Easy. I believe my friend Cribbidge is in a better condition to give than to receive one,

C

da

Da

ter

ger

ап of

his

ad

sel

the

and

ma

and

Crib. I could wish a punk of my noble captain's was well peppered with it; I would fain see the old dog snuffle once.

Plea. The design's good; but first let's have a sneaker of punch.

Easy. With all my heart; I'll just go and draw a bill upon our agent, get some necessaries for the men, cheat my captain a little in the sum total, and wait upon you immediately. [Exit.

[Indent crosses the stage.

Crib. See, yonder's Indent, our purser, gone to Daniel's; he'll be glad to be of our company.

Plea. A very honest fellow, and keeps a much better character in the navy, than people of his employ generally do.

Crib. Why, the fellow has lived well; he was bred a mercer in Covent-Garden, was ruin'd by a whore of his own, and a bully of his wife's: but managed his matters so well, he cleared himself of a gaol, by a commission of bankrupt, without forswearing himself, which is the only precedent of that nature since the act was made.

Plea. They say his wife's handsome.

Crib. She was, when but eighteen; but whoring, and the misfortunes which commonly follow that, has made her look somewhat hagged, though but three and twenty.

Plea. If the young wenches of fifteen did but consider that the vices of the age ruin their beauty more