Gal. Constancy! and wou’dst thou have me one of those dull Lovers, who believe it their Duty to love a Woman ‘till her Hair and Eyes change Colour, for fear of the scandalous Name of an Inconstant? No, my Passion, like great Victors, hates the lazy stay; but having vanquisht, prepares for new Conquests.
Fil. Which you gain as they do Towns by Fire, lose ‘em even in the taking; thou wo’t grow penitent, and weary of these dangerous Follys.
Gal. But I am yet too young for both: Let old Age and Infirmity bring Repentance,—there’s her feeble Province, and even then too we find no plague like being deprived of dear Woman-kind.
Fil. I hate playing about a Flame that will consume me.
Gal. Away with your antiquated Notions, and let’s once hear sense from thee: Examine but the whole World, Harry, and thou wilt find a beautiful Woman the Desire of the noblest, and the Reward of the bravest.
Fil. And the common Prize of Coxcombs: Times are alter’d now, Frank; why else shou’d the Virtuous be cornuted, the Coward be caress’d, the Villain roll with six, and the Fool lie with her Ladyship?
Gal. Mere accident, Sir; and the kindness of Fortune: but a pretty witty young Creature, such as this Silvianetta and Euphemia, is certainly the greatest Blessing this wicked World can afford us.
Fil. I believe the lawful enjoyment of such a Woman, and honest too, wou’d be a Blessing.
Gal. Lawful Enjoyment! Prithee what’s lawful Enjoyment, but to enjoy ’.m according to the generous indulgent Law of Nature; enjoy ‘em as we do Meat, Drink, Air, and Light, and all the rest of her common Blessings?— Therefore prithee, dear Knight, let me govern thee but for a Day, and I will shew thee such a Signiora, such a Beauty, another manner of piece than your so admired Viterboan, Donna Marcella, of whom you boast so much.
Fil. And yet this rare piece is but a Curtezan, in coarse plain English a very Whore,—who filthily exposes all her Beauties to him can give her most, not love her best.