Sir Tho. Where is that rafcal loitering? Inv. Would my Harriet accompany my flight- Inv. I do, I do; my dearest angel, I do! By all that's facred, your honour shall be as fecure with me as in the cell of a faint! Har. But character, decency, prudence-- moment Har. Should you, Mr. Invoice, deceive meInv. When I do, may my last hope deceive me! Har. It is a bold, a dangerous ftep! Inv. Fear nothing, my love! Advances to the window, and gets out. Sir Tho. Drive at the pannel. Marg. [without.] I enter my protest! Sir Thomas, adieu! Harriet gets out at the window. Sir The. Wrench open the lock! Sir Tho. Down with the door! Marg. Then you fhall all be fwingingly foused. Produce your authority. Sir Tho. Mine! Marg. You have none; not fo much as the fanction of a general warrant. Sir The. What, then, I fee I must do it myself; There it goes! Pretty law indeed, to lock a man out of his own house! Enter Enter Sir Thomas, Margaret, and Servants. Now, Mrs. Heyday! what are become of the parties? vanished? Marg. Deceived by your fpies! no uncommon thing, brother, for a blundering general, Sir Tho. You are fure you saw him come in? Serv. Certain, Sir Thomas. Sir Tho. Then I warrant we will ferret them out. Come, lads! let not a corner escape you! Exeunt Sir Tho. and Servants. Marg. I fhall wait on your motions, and bring up the rear. Scene changes to the Chymift's. Enter Invoice and Harriet, through the fash. Inv. Safely landed, however. [Exit. Har. Are you fure you are not pursued? Inv. Not a foul: Never fear! they will hardly venture this road. Har. What a step have you induced me to take! to what distress and difficulties have I exposed myself! Inv. Banish your fears, and let us look forward, my love. Har. Nay, I have gone too far to retreat. Well, Sir, what is next to be done? Inv. The Spaniards are naturally generous; perhaps, upon hearing our ftory, the owner of the house may lend his affiftance. This, I fuppose, is the Laboratory, and this door leads to the shop. Devil [in a bottle.] Heigh-ho! Har. Who is that? Inv. That! where? Har. Did not you hear a voice? Inv. None. Fancy, my love; only your fears. Har. There again! Inv. I hear it now. Who is there? Inv. Me? he speaks English! Who and where are you? Devil. Here in this bottle; where I have been cork'd up for these fix months. Inv. Cork'd up in a bottle! I never heard of fuch a thing in my life, unlefs, indeed, in the Haymarket once.-Cork'd up in a bottle, d'ye fay? Devil. Ay; by the master of this house, a magician. Inv. A magician! Why then you are a spirit, I suppose. Devil. You are right; I am the Devil. Har. Mercy on us! Devil. Don't be terrified, Mifs: You remember the old proverb, "The Devil is not fo black "as he is painted." Inv. Well, but Sir Devil. A truce to your questions, my good Sir, for the prefent!-Confider, ramm'd up in this narrow compafs, I can't be much at my cafe ; now if you will but break the bottle before you on the floor Har. For heaven's fake, Mr. Invoice, take care what you do. Devil. Why, my pretty Mifs, what rifque do you run? your affairs can hardly be changed for the worse. Har. That's true, indeed! Devil. Believe me, Mifs, as matters ftand, we can be of mutual ufe: Your lover may deliver me from L from prison, and I can prevent you both from going into confinement. Inv. What fays my Harriet? fhall I rely on the gentleman's word? Devil. Do, madam! I am a Devil of honour. Befides, you have but a little time to confider; in less than five minutes, you will have the Conful and all his crew in the houfe. Inv. Nay, then-Pray which is the bottle? Devil. That in the middle, right before you. Inv. There it goes! [He breaks the bottle, and Devil rifes out of it. Thunder. Har. Oh, what a—— Devil. I am not furprized, Mifs, that you are a little shocked at my figure: I could have affumed a much more agreeable form; but as we are to be a little better acquainted, I thought it beft to quit all difguife and pretence; therefore, madam, you fee me just as I am. Har. I am fure, Sir, you are ve-ve-very agreeable. Devil. Yo-yo-you are pleased to compliment, madam-Come, anfwer me fincerely; am I such a being as you expected to fee? Har. Really, Sir, I can hardly fay what I expected to fee. Devil. I own it is a puzzling queftion; at least, if the world does us juftice in the contradictory qualities they are pleafed to afford us. Inv. You will forgive me, if I don't understand you. Devil. Why, for all their fuperlative epithets, you cannot but fee how much men are beholden to us; by our means it is that you measure the extent both of your virtues and vices. Inv. As how? Devil. As thus: In defcribing your friends, or your foes, they are devilish rich, devilish poor, devilish ugly, devilish handfome; now and then, indeed, to vary the mode of converfing, you make a little free with our condition and country, as, bellish dull, damn'd clever, hellish cold; Píha! how damn'd hot it is! Inv. True, Sir, but I confider this as a rhetorical figure, a manner of speaking devised and practised by dulnefs, to conceal the lack of ideas, and the want of expreffions. Devil. Partly that, I confefs: Not but there is fome truth in the cafe; for at different times we have the power, and do affume the various forms, you affign us. Inv. We? I observe you always make use of the plural; is that, Sir, by way of distinction, or, is your family pretty large and extenfive? Devil. Multitudinous as the fands on the beach, or the moats in a fun beam: How the deuce elfe do you think we could do all the business below? Why, there's scarce an individual amongst you, at least of any rank or importance, but has five or fix of us in his train. Inv. Indeed! Devil. A little before I got rammed in that phial, I had been for fome time on very hard duty in this part of the world. Inv. Of what kind? Devil. The Dæmon of Power and I had long laid fiege to a subject, the man a grandee; I was then a popular spirit, and wore the mask of a patriot; at different times, we poffeffed him by turns; but, in the midst of a violent ftruggle (by which means I got lame on this leg, and ob |