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Show *38 The ^Disappointment; or, Had y°u been temperate, you had fooner known it Alph. Thou haft redeem'd m y Soul from fuch a Sin xxr°u]y' an aban<3on'd Confcience, leagu'd * with Hell, could have found out to damn me. Oh' M y Soul's Preferver, h o w fhall I repay thee? What (hall I fay ? oh there is yet behind The Quiet, or the Torment of ray Life; I dare not ask thee-, but if fhe be falfe . Lor. T h y Wife, thy much wrong'd Wife, is innocent! 1 ve prov'd and found her Innocence. *tl Alph. N o more. Ler Yes. I have promis'd you fhall fee her. ' flP\ See her, m y Friend! why, is fhe Innocent? O Jet the Tongues of Angels tune that word, W h e n they fpeak Comfort to defpairingSouls; For there are Charms in ev'ry Letter tfiere: The very Winds in filent Reverence, Muft liften to the Mufick of that Sound, And bear about the Accents of m y Joy. Lor. C o m e ! you delay. Alph. I had forgot m y felf. I thought I only dream'd of Happinefs: And fear'd to wake to Wretchednefs again," But lead m e to her: O I do confefs I a m to blame: N o w , when m y fparing Fate Hardly allows m e a few happy Hours, T o trifle out m y Minutes idly here; W h e n Love invites m e with his fofteft Charms, T o improve m y Joys in m y Erminia's Arms. Enter Erminia. Erm. W h o calls upon Erminia! Lor. See, your Wife, inpatient of her Longings, comes her felf T o meet your Steps, and blefs you on your Way* Alph. M y Wife, Lorenzo! Erm. O 'tis Heav'n to hear. O n any Terms, that dear lovxl Voice again: Though m y Misfortunes ever muft defpair O f any Comfort from thofe Lips: Yet fpeak, Ox it you will be gentler to m y Prayers, [^* The M O T H E R in Fajhion. 139 Sneak kindly to me, fpeak a*S you were wont; With thofe undoing Charms upon your Tongue j That have fo often trembled to m y Soul, ID the foft Rapture of protefting Joys ! Lor. Can you hear this, yet fee her on her Knees? Alph. Alas! I am unworthy, do thou raife hers And tell her, Friend, the guilty Memory, § How 1 have wrong'd her Innocence, turns m y Brain, And fixes m e a fenfelefs Statue here. Erm Then I will rufh upon you with my Charms, Break thro' the Bars of Modefty and Form, To your Aftiftance: Thus to fold you in, And with m y Paflion w a r m you into Life! My Love! m y Soul! Alph. M y Being! all that Heav'n, From the deep Councils of Eternity, Could have fent d o w n in Bleftings on Mankind To fweeten Life, and beautifie the World. Lor. W h y this is as it fhould be! Alph. O my Friend! How is m y Peace indebted to thy Care ? And how, Erminia, h o w fhall I reward Thy Virtue? H o w iatreat thee to forget Thy Wrongs ? Irm. I k n o w of none. Alph. Their Memory! Erm. I have no Thought, but of m y inftant Joy, Of Love, and thee. Alph. Thou art too good for M a n - . But thy Example fhall inftruft m y Love, And make m e worthy of thee. Erm. 0 for this! May the recorded Perjuries of Men, Ne'er meet a Faith in our believing Sex; To injure the fwift Progrefs of their Joys: Men are all Truth, all Conftancy, all Love! And they w h o do traduce their Virtues, wrong Their Conferences: But yet it does belong To th' envious Old, fo to inftrucl: the Young. Alph. |