Husband! no; even husband is too soft a
name for him.--But, come, I expect my brother
here to-night or to-morrow; he was abroad when
my father married me; perhaps he 'll find a way to
make me easy.

_Dor_. Will you promise not to make yourself easy in the
meantime with my lord's friend?

_Mrs. Sul_. You mistake me, sister. It happens with
us as among the men, the greatest talkers are
the greatest cowards? and there's a reason for
it; those spirits evaporate in prattle, which might
do more mischief if they took another course.--
Though, to confess the truth, I do love that fellow;
--and if I met him dressed as he should be, and I
undressed as I should be--look 'ee, sister, I have no
supernatural gifts--I can't swear I could resist the
temptation; though I can safely promise to avoid
it; and that's as much as the best of us can do.

[_Exeunt_.

ACT IV., SCENE II.

_A Room in Bonifaces Inn_.
_Enter Aimwell and Archer laughing_.

_Arch_. And the awkward kindness of the good motherly
old gentlewoman--

_Aim_. And the coming easiness of the young one--
'Sdeath, 'tis pity to deceive her!

_Arch_. Nay, if you adhere to these principles, stop where
you are.

_Aim_. I can't stop; for I love her to distraction.

_Arch_. 'Sdeath, if you love her a hair's-breadth beyond
discretion, you must go no further. 9

_Aim_. Well, well, anything to deliver us from sauntering
away our idle evenings at White's, Tom's, or Will's
and be stinted to bare looking at our old acquaintance,
the cards; because our impotent pockets can't
afford us a guinea for the mercenary drabs.

_Arch_. Or be obliged to some purse-proud coxcomb for a
scandalous bottle, where we must not pretend to
our share of the discourse, because we can't pay
our club o' th' reckoning.--Damn it, I had rather
sponge upon Morris, and sup upon a dish of bones
scored behind the door!

_Aim_. And there expose our want of sense by talking
criticisms, as we should our want of money by
railing at the government.

_Arch_. Or be obliged to sneak into the side-box, and
between both houses steal two acts of a play, and
because we han't money to see the other three, we
come away discontented, and damn the whole five.

_Aim_. And ten thousand such rascally tricks--had we
outlived our fortunes among our acquaintance.--
But now-- {30}

_Arch_. Ay, now is the time to prevent all this:--strike
while the iron is hot.--This priest is the luc