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Fred. Madam, I am heartily glad to meet your ladyship here; we have been in very great diforder fince we faw you :--- -What's here, our landlady and the child again ?

Enter Duke, Petruchio, and Landlady, with the child.

Pet. Yes, we met her going to be whipp'd, in a drunken conftable's hands, that took her for another.

John. Why, then, pray let her e'en be taken, and whipp'd for herself, for on my word the deferves it.

Land. Yes, I'm fure of your good word at any time.'

1 Con. Hark ye, dear landlady.

Land. O fweet goodnefs! is it you? I have been in fuch a peck of troubles fince I faw you, they took me, and they tumbled me, and they haul'd me, and they pull'd me, and they call'd me painted Jezebel, and the poor little babe here did fo take on. Come hither, my lord, come hither; here is Conftantia.

1 Con. For heaven's fake, peace; yonder's my brother, and, if he discovers me, I'm certainly -ruin'd.

Duke. No, madam, there's no danger.

1 Con. Were there a thousand dangers in those arms, I would run thus to meet them.

Duke. O my dear! it were not safe that any should be here at prefent; for now my heart is fo o'erprefs'd with joy, that I fhould fcarce be able to defend thee.

Petr. Sifter, I'm fo afham'd of all the faults, which my mistake has made me guilty of, that I know not how to ask your pardon for them.

1 Con. No, brother, the fault was mine, in mistaking you so much, as not to impart the whole truth to you at firft; but having begun my love without your confent, I never durft acquaint you with the progrefs of it.

Duke. Come, let the confummation of our prefent joys blot out the memory of all thefe past mistakes.

John. And when fhall we confummate our joys?

2 Con,

2 Con. Never :

We'll find out ways fhall make 'em last for ever. John. Now fee the odds, 'twixt married folks and friends;

Our love begins juft where their paffion ends,

Perhaps you, gentlemen, expect to-day

The author of this fag end of a play,
According to the modern way of wit,
Should strive to be before-hand with the pit;
Begin to rail at you, and subtly to

Prevent th' affront by giving the first blow.
He wants not precedents, which often sway
In matters far more weighty than a play :
But he, no grave admirer of a rule,
Won't by example learn to play the fool.
The end of plays should be to entertain,
And not to keep the auditors in pain.

Giving our price, and for what trash we please,

He thinks, the play being done, you should have

eafe.

No wit, no sense, no freedom, and a box,
Is much like paying money for the stocks.
Befides, the author dreads the strut and mien
Of new-prais'd poets, having often feen
Some of his fellows, who have writ before,
When Nell has danc'd her jig, fteal to the door,
Hear the pit clap, and with conceit of that

Swell, and believe themselves the Lord knows

what.

Moft

am

Moft writers now a-days are grown fo vain,
That, once approv'd, they write, and write again ;
Till they have writ away the fame they got:
Our friend this way of writing fancies not;

And hopes you will not tempt him with your
praife,

To rank himself with fome, that write new plays :
For he knows ways enough to be undone,
Without the help of poetry for one.

Hive

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