Sancho upon reading a Letter which he did not like, cries Damn it, it must be all Orthodox.p. 63.[138] Damn and Orthodox clapt together, make a lively Rant, because it looks like Cursing the Creeds. The most extraordinary passage is behind; Sancho was unhappily Married: Carlos tells him, For your Comfort, Marriage they say is Holy. Sancho replies: Ay, and so is Martyrdom as they say, but both of them are good for just nothing, but to make an end of a Mans Life.p. 72.[139] I shall make no Reflections upon This: There needs no Reading upon a Monster: 'Tis shown enough by its own Deformity. Love for Love has a Strain like this, and therefore I shall put them together: Scandal solicits Mrs. Foresight; She threatens to tell her Husband. He replys, He will die a Martyr rather then disclaim his Passion.Love for Love. p. 42.[140] Here we have Adultery dignified with the stile of Martyrdom: As if 'twas as Honourable to perish in Defence of Whoring, as to dye for the Faith of Christianity. But these Martyrs will be a great while in burning, And therefore let no body strive to grace the Adventure, or encrease the Number. And now I am in this Play the Reader shall have more. Jeremy who was bred at the University, calls the Natural Inclinations to Eating and Drinking, Whoreson Appetites. This is strange Language! The Manicheans who made Creation the work of the Devil, could scarcely have been thus Coarse.26.[141] But the Poet was Jeremy's Tutor, and so that Mystery is at an end. Sr. Samson carries on the Expostulation, rails at the Structure of Human Bodies, and says,p. 27.[142] Nature has been Provident only to Bears, and Spiders; This is the Authors Paraphrase on the 139 Psalm; And thus he gives God thanks for the Advantage of his Being! The Play advances from one wickedness to another, from the Works of God, to the Abuse of his Word. Foresight confesses 'tis Natural for Men to mistake.p. 47.[143] Scandal replies, You say true, Man will err, meer Man will err——but you are something more——There have been wise Men; but they were such as you——Men who consulted the Stars, and, were observers of Omens——Solomon was wise but how?——by his judgment in Astrology. 'Tis very well! Solomon and Foresight had their Understandings qualified alike. And pray what was Foresight? Why an Illiterate Fellow. A pretender to Dreams, Astrology, Palmistry &c. This is the Poets account of Solomon's Supernatural Knowledge!Vid. Person. Dram.[144] Thus the wisest Prince is dwindled into a Gypsie! And the Glorious Miracle resolved into Dotage, and Figure-flinging! Scandal continues his Banter, and says, the wise Men of the East owed their Instruction to a Star; which is rightly observ'd by Gregory the Great in favour of Astrology. This was the Star which shone at our Saviour's Birth. Now who could imagine by the Levity of the occasion, that the Author thought it any better than an Ignis Fatuus, or Sydrophel's Kite in Hudibras? Sr. Sampson and the fine Angelica, after some lewd raillery continue the Allegory, and drive it up into Profaness. For this reason the Citation must be imperfect.

Sr. Samps. Sampson's a very good Name for——your Sampsons were strong Dogs from the Beginning.p. 80.[145]

Angel. Have a care——If you remember the strongest Sampson of your Name, pull'd an old House over his Head at last. Here you have the Sacred History burlesqu'd, and Sampson once more brought into the House of Dagon, to make sport for the Philistines! To draw towards an end of this Play. Tattle would have carried off Valentine's Mistress. This later, expresses his Resentment in a most Divine manner! Tattle I thank you, you would have interposed between me and Heaven, but Providence has laid Purgatory in your way.p. 91.[146] Thus Heaven is debas'd into an Amour, and Providence brought in to direct the Paultry concerns of the Stage! Angelica concludes much in the same strain: Men are generally Hypocrites And Infidels, they pretend to Worship, but have neither Zeal, nor Faith; How few like Valentine would persevere unto Martyrdom? &c.p. 92.[147] Here you have the Language of the Scriptures, and the most solemn Instances of Religion, prostituted to Courtship and Romance! Here you have a Mistress made God Almighty, Ador'd with Zeal and Faith, and Worship'd up to Martyrdom! This if 'twere only for the Modesty, is strange stuff for a Lady to say of her self. And had it not been for the profane Allusion, would have been cold enough in all Conscience.

The Provok'd Wife furnishes the Audience with a Drunken Atheistical Catch: 'Tis true this Song is afterwards said to be Full of Sin and Impudence.Prov. Wife p. 38.[148] But why then was it made? This Confession is a miserable Salvo; And the Antidote is much weaker than the Poyson: 'Tis just as if a Man should set a House in a Flame, and think to make amends by crying Fire in the Streets. In the last Act Rasor makes his Discovery of the Plot against Belinda in Scripture phrase. I'le give it the Reader in the Authors Dialogue.

Belind. I must know who put you upon all this Mischief.Id. p. 77.[149]

Rasor. Sathan And his Equipage. Woman tempted me, Lust weaken'd,——And so the Devil overcame me: As fell Adam so fell I.

Belind. Then pray Mr. Adam will you make us acquainted with your Eve?

Rasor unmasks Madamoselle and says, This is the Woman that tempted me: But this is the Serpent (meaning Lady Fanciful) that tempted the Woman; And if my Prayers might be heard, her punishment for so doing should be like the Serpents of old, &c. This Rasor in what we hear of him before, is all Roguery, and Debauch: But now he enters in Sackcloth; and talks like Tribulation in the Alchemist. His Character is chang'd to make him the more profane; And his Habit, as well as Discourse, is a Jest upon Religion. I am forced to omit one Line of his Confession. The Design of it is to make the Bible deliver an obscene Thought: And because the Text would not bend into a Lewd Application; He alters the words for his purpose, but passes it for Scripture still. This sort of Entertainment is frequent in the Relapse. Lord Foplington laughs at the publick Solemnities of Religion, as if 'twas a ridiculous piece of Ignorance, to pretend to the Worship of a God. He discourses with Berinthia and Amanda in this mannerRelapse. p. 32, 33.[150]: Why Faith Madam,——Sunday is a vile Day, I must confess. A man must have very little to do at Church that can give an account of the Sermon. And a little after: is to mind what one should not do. Lory tells young Fashion, I have been in a lamentable Fright ever since that Conscience had the Impudence to intrude into your Company. His Master makes him this Comfortable Answer. Be at peace, it will come no more:——I have kick'd it down stairs. A little before he breaks out into this Rapture. Now Conscience I defie thee!p. 44, 45.
Vid. Infra.[151] By the way we may observe, that this young Fashion is the Poets Favorite.[152] Berinthia and Worthy, two Characters of Figure, determine the point thus in defence of Pimping.

Berinth. Well, I would be glad to have no Bodies Sins to answer for but my own. But where there is a necessity——p. 51.[153]

Worth. Right as you say, where there is a Necessity; A Christian is bound to help his Neighbour.