ACTTHESECOND
actthesecond
scene.—anapartmentinwoodvilhall.
johnwoodvil—alone.
(readingpartsofaletter.)
"whenlovegrowscold,andindifferencehasusurpeduponoldesteem,itisnomarveliftheworldbegintoaccountthatdependence,whichhithertohasbeenesteemedhonorableshelter.thecourseihavetaken(inleavingthishouse,noteasilywroughtthereunto,)seemedtomebestfortheonce-for-allreleasingofyourself(whointimespasthavedeservedwellofme)fromthenowdaily,andnot-to-be-endured,tributeofforcedlove,andill-dissembledreluctanceofaffection.
"margaret."
gone!gone!mygirl?sohasty,margaret!
andneverakissatparting?shallowloves,
andlikingsofatendays'growth,usecourtesies,
andshewredeyesatparting.whobids"farewell"
inthesametonehecries"godspeedyou,sir?"
ortellsofjoyfulvictoriesatsea,
wherehehathventures?doesnotrathermuffle
hisorganstoemitaleadensound,
tosuitthemelancholydull"farewell,"
whichtheyinheavennotuse?—
sopeevish,margaret?
but'tisthecommonerrorofyoursex,
whenouridolatryslackens,orgrowsless,
(aswhoofwomanborncankeephisfaculty
ofadmiration,beingadecayingfaculty,
foreverstrain'dtothepitch?orcanatpleasure
makeitrenewable,assomeappetitesare,
as,namely,hunger,thirst?—)thisbeingthecase,
theytaxuswithneglect,andlovegrowncold,
coinplainingsoftheperfidyofmen,
whichintomaximspass,andapothegms
toberetailedinballads.—
iknowthemall.
theyarejealous,whenourlargerheartsreceive
moregueststhanone.(loveinawoman'sheart
beingallinone.)forme,iamsureihaveroomhere
formoredisturbersofmysleepthanone.
loveshallhavepart,butloveshallnothaveall.
ambition,pleasure,vanity,allbyturns,
shalllieinmybed,andkeepmefreshandwaking;
yetlovenotbeexcluded.—foolishwench,
icouldhavelov'dhertwentyyearstocome,
andstillhavekeptmyliking.butsince'tisso,
why,faretheewell,oldplay-fellow!i'lltry
tosqueezeatearforoldacquaintancesake.
ishallnotgrudgesomuch.—
tohimenterslovel.
lovelblessus,woodvil!whatisthematter?iprotest,man,ithoughtyouhadbeenweeping.
woodvilnothingisthematter,onlythewenchhasforcedsomewaterintomyeyes,whichwillquicklydisband.
lovel
icannotconceiveyou.
woodvil
margaretisflown.
lovel