Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A67192
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The country-wife a comedy acted at the Theatre Royal / written by Mr. Wycherley ...
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Wycherley, William, 1640-1716.; Molière, 1622-1673.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing W3738; ESTC R21398
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67,694
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107
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hark you Madam your Sister went out in the morning and I have not seen her within since Mrs. Pin. A lack a day she has been crying all day above it seems in a corner Mr. Pin. Where is she let me speak with her Mrs. Pin. O Lord then he 'l discover all Aside Pray hold Budd what d'y mean to discover me she 'l know I have told you then pray Budd let me talk with her first Mr. Pin. I must speak with her to know whether Horner ever made her any promise and whether she be married to Sparkish or no. Mrs. Pin. Pray dear Budd don't till I have spoken with her and told her that I have told you all for she 'll kill me else Mr. Pin. Go then and bid her come out to me Mrs. Pin. Yes yes Budd Mr. Pin. Let me see Mrs. Pin. I 'le go but she is not within to come to him I have just got time to know of Lucy her Maid who first set me on work what lye I shall tell next for I am e'ne at my wits end Exit Mrs. Pinchwife Mr. Pin Well I resolve it Horner shall have her I 'd rather give him my Sister than lend him my Wife and such an alliance will prevent his pretensions to my Wife sure I 'le make him of kinn to her and then he won't care for her Mrs. Pin. returns Mrs. Pin. O Lord Budd I told you what anger you would make me with my Sister Mr. Pin. Won't she come hither Mrs. Pin. No no alack a day she 's asham'd to look you in the face and she says if you go in to her she 'l run away down stairs and shamefully go her self to Mr. Horner who has promis'd her marriage she says and she will have no other so she won't Mr. Pin. Did he so promise her marriage then she shall have no other go tell her so and if she will come and discourse with me a little concerning the means I will about it immediately go Exit Mrs. Pin. His estate is equal to Sparkish's and his extraction as much better than his as his parts are but my chief reason is I 'd rather be of kin to him by the name of Brother-in-law than that of Cuckold Well what says she now Enter Mrs. Pin. Mrs. Pin. Why she says she would only have you lead her to Horners lodging with whom she first will discourse the matter before she talk with you which yet she cannot doe for alack poor creature she says she can't so much as look you in the face therefore she 'l come to you in a mask and you must excuse her if she make you no answer to any question of yours till you have brought her to Mr. Horner and if you will not chide her nor question her she 'l come out to you immediately Mr. Pin. Let her come I will not speak a word to her nor require a word from her Mrs. Pin. Oh I forgot besides she says she cannot look you in the face though through a mask therefore wou'd desire you to put out the Candle Exit Mrs. Pin puts out the Candle Mr. Pin. I agree to all let her make haste there 't is out My case is something better I 'd rather fight with Horner for not lying with my Sister than for lying with my Wife and of the two I had rather find my Sister too forward than my Wife I expected no other from her free education as she calls it and her passion for the Town well Wife and Sister are names which make us expect Love and duty pleasure and comfort but we find 'em plagues and torments and are equally though differently troublesome to their keeper for we have as much a doe to get people to lye with our Sisters as to keep ' emfrom lying with our Wives Enter Mrs. Pinchwife Masked and in Hoods and Scarves and a night Gown and Petticoat of Alitheas in the dark What are you come Sister let us go then but first let me lock up my Wife Mrs. Margery where are you Mrs. Pin. Here Budd Mr. Pin. Come hither that I may lock you up get you in Come Sister where are you now Locks the door Mrs. Pin. gives him her hand but when he lets her go she steals softly on t'other side of him and is lead away by him for his Sister Alithea The Scene changes to Horners Lodging Quack Horner Quack What all alone not so much as one of your Cuckolds here nor one of their Wives they use to take their turns with you as if they were to watch you Hor. Yes it often happens that a Cuckold is but his Wifes spye and is more upon family duty when he is with her gallant abroad hindring his pleasure than when he is at home with her playing the Gallant but the hardest duty a married woman imposes upon a lover is keeping her husband company always Quack And his fondness wearies you almost as soon as hers Hor. A Pox keeping a Cuckold company after you have had his Wife is as tiresome as the company of a Country Squire to a witty fellow of the Town when he has got all his Mony Quack And as at first a man makes a friend of the Husband to get the Wife so at last you are faine to fall out with the Wife to be rid of the Husband Hor. Ay most Cuckold-makers are true Courtiers when once a poor man has crack'd his credit for 'em they can't abide to come neer him Quack But at first to draw him in are so sweet so kind so dear just as you are to Pinchwife but what becomes of that intrigue with his Wife Hor. A Pox he 's as surly as an Alderman that has been bit and since he 's so coy his Wife's kindness is in vain for she 's a silly innocent Quack Did she not send you a Letter by him Hor. Yes but that 's a riddle I have not yet solv'd allow the poor creature to be willing she is silly too and he keeps her up so close Quack Yes so close that he makes her but the more willing and adds but revenge to her love which two when met seldome faile of satisfying each other one way or other Hor. What here 's the man we are talking of I think Enter Mr. Pinchwife leading in his Wife Masqued Muffled and in her Sisters Gown Hor. Pshaw Quack Bringing his Wife to you is the next thing to bringing a Love Letter from her Hor. VVhat means this Mr. Pin. The last time you know Sir I brought you a love Letter now you see a Mistress I think you 'l say I am a civil man to you Hor. Ay the Devil take me will I say thou art the civillest man I ever met with and I have known some I fancy I understand thee now better than I did the Letter but hark thee in thy eare Mr. Pin. VVhat Hor. Nothing but the usual question man is she sound on thy word Mr. Pin. VVhat you take her for