Brit. I call all the ftars to witness.

Sir Peter. Come, trouble us no more, but afk her pardon.

Brit. I ask her pardon !-What, fhe offends, and I muft afk

Sir Peter. Do not expoftulate with me, left you repent it.

Brit. Ah! Barnaby Brittle, what haft thou brought thyfelf to !

Lady. Daughter, come down.

Sir Peter. Make haste, that your husband may afk your pardon before we go.

Lady. I'll pull down your ftubborn heart-I'll teach you what it is to abufe a gentlewoman fo.

Enter Wife and Damaris.

Come, clown, and afk your wife forgivenefs quickly. Wife. Shall I forgive him, madam? No; 'tis impoffible! I defire to be divorc'd from him.

Sir Peter. Daughter, such separations are fcandalous : though he's fo foolish to deferve it, yet you ought to be wifer, child have patience, and try him once again, Wife. After fo many affronts, I can't endure him longer.

:

Sir Peter. You must: I command you to do it.

Wife. That stops my mouth: your power is abfoluteCome, dear, give me your hand; we will be friends. I afk your pardon.

Sure I was mad with a kind spouse like this,
To think of wronging fuch a lovely piece;
Behold his eyes fo bright, his fkin fo fleek,
His winning love, and dimple in his cheek.
Well, 'tis refolv'd: I'll frive with Hymen's grace
To doat upon this venerable face.

Brit. Patience long time has been the husband's cure,
For what we cannot mend we must endure ;
Wives, at the beft, they fay, are but an evil,
But an unequal match is fure the devil.-

DAPHNE AND AMINTOR.

A COMIC OPERA.

Altered from the ORACLE of Monfieur St. Foix and MRS. CIBBER..

The Curtain rifing, difcovers a Veftibule of white Marble, with a Gate fuppofed to belong to fome Building near the Garden to Mindora's Palace. Mindora enters with her Wand, followed by Amintor feemingly in a Pafion.

Mindora, Amintor.

Min. PRITHEE, fon

Amin. Nay, prithee, mother.

Min. Was there ever fuch another!

Amin. Cruel :

Min. Silly! Hear but reason!

Only wait a proper season.

Amin. This is now the proper feason.

What has love to do with reafon ?

Min. Once more, Amintor, I defire you will go a

bout

bout your bufinefs. How dare you venture here, when I have fo often, and fo folemnly forbid you? And what have you been doing? The thing on earth which I have told you would prove your destruction: you have feen Daphne.

Amin. I confefs it. Overcome by the heat of the day, the flept upon a bank of flowers.

Min. And did the fee you?

Amin. Nay, madam, don't I tell you fhe was afleep? No, the did not fee me. Transported at the fight of so charming an object, I feized one of her fnowy hands, and kiffed it as the lay; but she stirred; and, fearing the might awake, I retired: however, madam, 'tis in vain. you command me any longer to keep out of her fight; I cannot obey you; I have a paffion for her; I will fee her again, and pofitively tell her fo.

Min. My art is great; I can, in an instant, build palaces, raise tempefts, and change a place, the most charming, into a frightful defert; but I fee it is beyond my ability to govern a young fool, whofe head is turned with love. Well, fon, go on; and, by your own im. prudence, lofe Daphne.

Amin. But what reafons can you have for infisting she fhould not fee me?

Min. You will know them? be attentive then. At your birth, I confulted the oracle about your destiny; and this was its anfwer: "The fon of Mindora, the ma"gician is threatened with great misfortunes; but shall "avoid them, and even be happy, if he can make him"felf beloved by a young princefs, who believes him "deaf, dumb, and infenfible."

Amin. Deaf, dumb, and infenfible!

At

Min. Judge, Amintor, by the tenderness I have foryou, how I was fhocked at fo dreadful à fentence. length, however, after much reflection, I hoped, by taking certain measures, not only to overcome the dangers with which you were menaced, but even to bring about the accomplishment of the oracle.

Amin. Dear madam, impoffible!

Min. Hear me. When you were about two years old, there was born a princefs, the daughter of a neighbouring king; 'twas your Daphne: I inftantly conveyed her

away;

away; and, tranfporting her to this palace, inacceffible to all human beings, fhe has been here educated, and ferved only by ftatues, to which, by my art, I gave motion. In short, I have taken every method to perfuade her, that she and I are the only two creatures that fpeak, think, and reafon; and that all others, formed merely for our use and amusement, are abfolutely infenfible, and incapable alike of love and hatred, pain and pleasure.

Amin. And to what purpose, I beseech you, have filled her mind with all these ftrange prejudices?

you.

Min. To make her believe, when I prefent you to herAmin. Oh! I understand you; that I also am fome uninformed being, fome puppet, but better organized than the reft. The thought pleafes me, and may fucceed. Pfyche, before the faw Cupid, believed him a monster; yet she loved him: and Daphne, full of the notions you have prepoffeffed her with, will believe me what the oracle requires the fhould; and, notwithstanding, love me. Yes, madam, nature will instruct her; that intellectual intelligence, that fympathetic force of hearts, will work! and I shall be the happiest of mortals! Come, dear mother, let us go this inftant and find her out: I will be a ftatue, a piece of infenfible marble.

Min. Hold; it is not time for you to appear yet. I fee Daphne croffing the gallery yonder: leave us; and, in the converfation we have together, depend upon it I will endeavour to prepare things fo as to bring them to your fatisfaction.

Amin. Mut I go? Well then-But remember, in leaving you, how much I trust to your care: my fate is in your hands; on you it depends whether I shall be: happy or miserable.

Think, oh! think, within my breast,

While contending paffions reign,

How my heart is robb'd of rest;

And, in pity, ease my pain..

To a lover thus distrest,

Torn with doubts, and hopes, and fears,

Every moment, till he's bleft,

Is-a thousand, thousand years..

SCENE