nikin and wife, as I live! How fares it, my old City friends?

Min. Thank you, thank you, Sir Harry! What, you have been the grand tower, I fuppose.

Sir H. Ay, Matt: What's money without manners? I have enough of the first, to be fure; and I wanted to fee if I could not pick up a little of the laft.

Clack. And how does your honour like France? Sir H. Only the firft fpot in the world, Mrs, Clack: For eating, drinking, laughing, and loving, vive la France! hey, Domine?

Mrs. Min. Eating! fure your honour does not think their wictuals are better than our'n.

Sir H. Wictuals! Lord help your roaft-beef and plumb-pudding foul! why, there are no fuch things in the country.

Min. No! I have heard, indeed, they had not over much plenty; but I didn't think the poor creatures were so bad off as that.

Sir H. What, because a whole family does not get round a fir-loin of beef, or a faddle of mutIon, and devour it like a kennel of hound! Can there be any thing fo favage, as to eat up sheep and oxen like a parcel of cannibals: I wonder they don't dress them in their fleece and their hides; hey, Domine!

Viper. Doubtless, Sir Harry, the French elegance would never be able to digeft fuch grofs animal food in its natural form; he therefore is the best cook with them who can disguise it the beft.

Mrs. Min. Indeed!

Sir H. To be fure. Why, except a fide difh of ftewed fnails, or fome fricafeed frogs, I haven't known

F 4

known the name of any thing I have tasted since I came over.

Min. Lord have mercy upon us! And as to love, Sir Harry, I fhould think that was pretty near over with you.

Sir H. Domine, did you ever hear fuch a blockhead !-Why, fool, it was my own fault, or I might have gone into keeping.

Min. Into keeping? you!

Sir H. Me! afk Domine only. What was the name of the duchefs?

Viper. What fignifies naming of one? there was not a day that I didn't receive feveral commiffions of a fimilar nature.

Mrs. Min. Indeed!

Sir H. Domine Viper received the letters, and used to read 'em to me in English,

Viper. They at laft became fo exceedingly troublesome, that I was obliged to recommend to Sir Harry the entertaining an Opera girl, in order to convince them that they had mistaken their man; and that, fo far from receiving, we were able to pay.

Sir H. And fo he got me Mademoiselle Mouche, a fweet lovely fyren; and the little rogue was fo exceffively fond, Domine Viper thinks he will hardly furvive my departure.

Min. Wonderful!

Sir H. Fell into 'ftericks at my going off in the chay; didn't fhe? fo I left Domine to confole her a little; but you found the way to make her easy at last.

Viper. A difficult job.

Sir H. I had fome thoughts of carrying her over to England, and taking a box for her at the Opera during the feafon; but I thought it

might give offence in a certain quarter that you know, Mrs. Clack.

Clack. There might have been fome danger in

that.

Sir H. Otherwife, Mademoiselle, the Doctor, and I, fhould have made a fweet tête-à-tête on the road.

Min. I reckon the muft ha' coft you a power of money.

Sir H. Coft! that's always uppermoft in a citizen's mouth: Not a farthing, you fool! I ain fure she would have quitted me, if I had but made her the offer. Domine!

Viper. Oh! mere paffion; not an idea of interest.

Sir H. Domine heard, indeed, by accident, she had contracted fome debts to fupport her relations, for fhe is the best creature on earth; and wanted vaftly to have a small service of plate, and fome ear-rings.

Mrs. Min. Which you gave her, I reckon ?

Sir H. Not I: I was obliged to get Domine to manage the business. Had the had the least fufpicion of me, there would have been the devil to pay; we should have all been off in an inftant.

Mrs. Min. The Doctor has, I find, been very ufeful to you, Sir Harry.

Sir H. Could have done nothing without him: Not a week ago, he got me out of a devilish fcrape.

Min. How?

Sir H. Got to picquet with a count, a great man of the Doctor's acquaintance; I can't fay I know much of the game; but what of that? one wou'dn't appear ignorant amongst

the

the French, you know, for the honour of England.

Clack. Oh fy! by no means.

Sir H. Egod, the count gave me a trimming; loft a devilish deal more than I had in the coun

try; but Domine made it up for me, among his acquaintance, upon my only giving my note. Mrs. Min. All one as if you had been in London?

Sir H. The very fame thing.

Clack. And pray, your honour, what news is ftirring in France?

Sir H. Toujours gay, as they say, Mrs. Clack. Clack. I reckon there be powers of our coun-try folks there.

Sir H. I fuppofe fo; for I faw a good many aukward people, as they fay, a la bowlivards, and at the Coloffus; but I chose to avoid them.

Min. Why fo? I fhould have been ready to leap out of my fkin at the fight of a countryman in foreign parts.

Sir H. Like enough, Matthew; but you are a burgois, as you know; but the Doctor fays, that un humm de quality, when he voyages, ought to fhun les Anglois.

Clack. I hope you left the royal family all in good health,

Sir H. Yes; Mr. le Roi, as the French fay, looked pretty jolly and well; I faw him in one of the glafs-cafes at church, and was afterwards at his grand couvert, as they call it; his majefty looked at me very hard: Domine thinks he was truck with my figure.

Viper. I overheard him whisper as much to the Duke de Tremouille.

Clack.

Clack. How long was your honour coming from Paris?

Sir H. Two days and a night.

Clack. Are the accommodations good on the road?

Sir H. Their chevauxes, their horfes, as the French call 'em, arn't quite fo nimble as our'n; but then, to make amends, like the French, I cowrir the poft without ftopping; unless, indeed, to take aflight repas of jambunn or a hamlet.

Clack. The country's vaft pleasant, I reckon. Sir H. La-la: Their country-folks, their pheafants, as the French call 'em, don't seem quite fo tidy as our'n: but they don't look upon them there creatures in France; mere hogs, cowhons, as they say.

Mrs. Min. Why, fure, they be Christians, as well as

Sir H. Christians! why, fo may all the world, if they like it; but it a'n't in every body's power to be a gentleman born: Hey, Domine Viper?

Viper. True, true, Sir Harry. The laws of fubordination are too much neglected in England; all is mere anarchy there; it must be owned, France is the only fpot for a gentleman.

Sir H. True. Why, a gentleman born may kill a common fellow in Paris, for lefs money than it would cost an unqualified man in England to shoot a hare or a partridge.

Viper. Right, Baronet: Poor rogues are fo plenty in Paris, there is no danger of destroying the game.

Sir H. Well faid, Domine Viper! But, Madam Clack, what makes all your family here? Like me, come oyer to be polished, I reckon.