O. Book. They're names I never heard before; but go on.
Y. Book. This lady, sir, I saw in a public assembly; at the first sight she made me hers for ever. From that instant I languished, nor had vital heat out of her presence. The sun to me shed influence in vain; he rose and set both unobserved, nor was to any living this human life so much a dream as me. All this she observed, but not untouched observed. She shewed a noble gratitude to a noble passion; favours I soon received, but severely modest ones.
Lat. Oh! that's pre-supposed; you, to be sure, would ne'er desire any other. [Aside.
Y. Book. We had contrived to meet o'nights,
The sweetest hours of love; and there was I
One evening in her lodging—'Twas, as I remember,
Yes, 'twas on the second of December;
That's the very night I was caught——
Lat. 'Tis strange, a fellow of his wit to be trepanned into a marriage——[Aside.
Y. Book. Her father supped abroad that night, which made us think ourselves secure. But coming home by accident sooner than we expected, we heard him at the door. How did that noise surprise us! She hid me behind the bed, then lets him in.
O. Book. I tremble for the poor young lady.—Pray go on. How did she recover herself?
Y. Book. She fell into the prettiest artful little tales to divert him and hide her discomposure—which he interrupted by telling her she must be married suddenly to one proposed to him that evening. This was to me daggers.
O. Book. But she!——
Y. Book. She, by general answers, in that case managed it so well that he was going down, when instantly my watch in my pocket struck ten. He turns him short on his amazed daughter, asked where she had it. She cried her cousin Martha sent it out of the country to be mended for her. He said he would take care on't. She comes to me, but as I was giving it her the string was so entangled in the cock of a pistol I always had about me on those occasions, that my haste to disengage it fired it off. My mistress swoons away. The father ran out, crying out murder. I thought her dead, feared his return, which he soon did with two boisterous rogues, his sons, and his whole family of servants. I would have made my escape, but they opposed me with drawn swords. I wounded both; but a lusty wench, with a fireshovel, at one blow struck down my sword, and broke it all to pieces.