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Show , the ProvoVd Wife. , i -rL true - But 1 like him, and have fortune S^uS-iSMi Man! love, and .* die'State of Life, than that Gentleman in the Char, .here and mice your Lady W » Sple^our T a' B lntruthl Niece, you are in the nght on t: ft, 1 a m ve'ry unafywith m y kmhirion But perhaps U 1 Zr<tod as you'll do, I might have been as ,11 us d. «W Some Rifque, I do confefs, there always B; B u f f a S a n h s V e leaft Spark, either o Honour ot Gooa-Natwe, he can never ufe a W o m a n .11, that loves W m and makes his fortune both. Yet I muftowiuo vo"; fome little Struggling 1 ftill have, With this too. Ambition of ours. For Pride, you know, is as a rt fo a W o m a n , as 'tis to a Saint. I can't help bemg fon of Z Zou e •, and yet it goes » my Heart to ihmk 1 f t neve" whisk to Me-P*ri, with above aP»of S e s T h a v r n o C o r o n e t upon my Coach, nora | m rarrv ut) m v Train. Bur above all that ton- X f V a c e ! ! - Well, taking Place is a Noble Pre-rotative. _ * La B. Efpecially after a Quarrel. , , Bel Or of a Rival. But pray fay no more on t, for fear I change m y Mind, -,. . , Fo o' m v Confcience, were't not for your Affair mt Mlance/l fhou'd go near to pick up fome odiou to of Quality yet, and only take poor H*ar,fne to a Gal UnLa. B. Then him you muft have, however 04 go? U n T W h y w e may pretend what w e will, but^ a hard matter to live without the M a n w e love. Bel. Efpecially when w e are married to the Man Pray tell me: Do the Men of the Town ever believe i virtuous, when they fee us do fo? b La. B. O , n o ; Nor indeed hardly, let us will. The The ProvoPd Wife. - 195 They moft of'em think, there is no fuch thin* as Virtue, confider d in the ftrideft Notions of it; And therefore when you bear 'em fay, Such a one is a W o m a n of Reputation, they only mean fhe's a W o m a n of Difcretion. For they confider, w e have no more Reli<non than they have, nor fo much Morality ; and between you and I, Belinda, I'm afraid the want of Inclination fcldom protects any of us. Bel. But what think you o f the fear of being found out? La.B. I think that never kept any W o m a n virtuous long. W e are not fuch Cowards neither. N o : Let u» once pafs Fifteen, and w e have too good an Opinion of our own Cunning, to believe the World can penetrate into what w e wou'd keep a Secret. And fo in fhort w e cannot reafonably blame the M e n for judging of us by themfelves. Bel. But fure w e are not fo wicked as they are after all? La. B. W e are as wicked, Child, but our Vice lies another w a y : M e n have more Courage than we, fo they commit more bold impudent Sins. They quarrel fight, fwear, drink, blafpheme, and the like : Whereas we, being Cowards, only backbite, tell lyes, cheat at Cards, and fo forth. But 'tis late: Let's end our Difcourfe for to-night, and out of an excefs of Charity, take a fmall Care of that nafty Drunken Thing t h e r e - Do but look at him, Belinda. Bel. Ah 'tis a favoury Difh. La. B. As favoury as 'tis, I'm cloy'd with't. Prithee call the Butler to take it away. ^j Bel. Call the Butler ? Call the Scavenger. ' lo a Servant within.] Who's there? Call Rafor / Let him take away his Mafter, fcous him clean with a Httle Soap and Sand, and fo put him to Bed. La. B. C o m e Belinda, I'll e'en lie with you to-night; and in the Morning we'll fend for our Gentlemen to fet this Matter even. M. With all m y heart. La. B, Good Night, m y Dear. [Makinga low Curtfy. K. 2 B»th. |