Sil. Madam, you need not make such haste away, the Stranger that follow’d us from St. Peter’s Church pursues us no longer, and we have now lost sight of him: Lord, who wou’d have thought the approach of a handsome Cavalier should have possest Donna Laura Lucretia with fear?

Lau. I do not fear, my Silvio, but I wou’d have this new Habitation which I have design’d for Love, known to none but him to whom I’ve destin’d my Heart:—ah, wou’d he knew the Conquest he has made, [Aside.] Nor went I this Evening to Church with any other Devotion, but that which warms my heart for my young English Cavalier, whom I hop’d to have seen there; and I must find some way to let him know my Passion, which is too high for Souls like mine to hide.

Sil. Madam, the Cavalier’s in view again, and hot in the pursuit.

Lau. Let’s haste away then; and, Silvio, do you lag behind, ‘twill give him an opportunity of enquiring, whilst I get out of sight.—Be sure you conceal my Name and Quality, and tell him—any thing but truth—tell him I am La Silvianetta, the young Roman Curtezan, or what you please to hide me from his knowledge.

[Exeunt Lau. and Ant.

Enter Julio and Page in pursuit.

Jul. Boy, fall you into discourse with that Page, and learn his Lady’s Name—whilst I pursue her farther. [Ex. Jul.

[Page salutes Silvio, who returns it; they go out as talking to each other.

Enter Sir Harry Fillamour and Galliard.

Fil. He follows her close, whoe’er they be: I see this trade of Love goes forward still.

Gal. And will whilst there’s difference in Sexes. But, Harry, the Women, the delicate Women I was speaking of?

Fil. Prithee tell me no more of thy fine Women, Frank; thou hast not been in Rome above a Month, and thou’ast been a dozen times in love, as thou call’s! it; to me there is no pleasure like Constancy.

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.

Gal. Why, faith, to thy comfort be it spoken, she does distribute her Charms at that easy rate.

Fil. Oh, the vast distance between an innocent Passion, and a poor faithless Lust!

Gal. Innocent Passion at Rome! Oh, ‘tis not to be nam’d but in some Northern Climate: to be an Anchoret here, is to be an Epicure in Greenland; impossibilities, Harry. Sure thou hast been advising with Sir Signal Buffoon’s Governour, that formal piece of Nonsense and Hypocrisy.

Fil. No, faith, I brought the humour along with me to Rome; and for your Governour I have not seen him yet, though he lodge in this same House with us, and you promis’d to bring me acquainted with him long since.

Gal. I’ll do’t this very minute.

Fil. No, I’m oblig’d not to engage my self this Evening, because I expect the arrival of Count Julio, whose last Letters assured me it would be to night.

Gal. Julio! What, the young Italian Count you made me acquainted with last Summer in England?

Fil. The same, the Ambassador’s Nephew, a good Youth, and one I esteem.

Enter Julio.

Jul. I hope my Page will bring intelligence who this Beauty is.

Fil. Hah, Julio! Welcome, dear Friend. [Embraces him.

Jul. Sir Harry Fillamour! how glad am I to meet you in a Country, where I have power to repay you all those Friendships I receiv’d when I was a stranger in yours. Monsieur Galllard too! nay, then I’m sure to want no diversion whilst I stay in Rome. [Salutes Galliard.

Fil. But, pray, what made you leave England so soon?

Jul. E’en the great business of Mankind, Matrimony. I have an Uncle here, who has provided me Fetters, which I must put on, he says they will be easy; I lik’d the Character of my Mistress well enough, a brave masculine Lady, a Roman of Quality, Donna Laura Lucretia; till as luck wou’d have it, at my arrival this Evening, stepping into St. Peter’s Church, I saw a Woman there that fir’d my heart, and whom I followed to her house: but meeting none that cou’d inform me who she was, I left my Page to make the discovery, whilst I with equal impatience came to look you out; whose sight I prefer even to a new Amour, resolving not to visit home, to which I have been a stranger this seven years, till I had kist your hands, and gained your promise to accompany me to Viterbo.

Fil. Viterbo! is that your place of Residence?

Jul. Yes, ‘tis a pretty Town, and many noble Familys inhabit there, stor’d too with Beauties, at least ‘twas wont to be: have you not seen it?

Gal. Yes, and a Beauty there too, lately, for his repose, who has made him sigh and look so like an Ass ever since he came to Rome.

Jul. I am glad you have so powerful an Argument, to invite you back; I know she must be rare and of quality, that cou’d engage your heart.

Fil. She’s both; it most unluckily fell out, that I was recommended by a Person of Quality in England to a Nobleman at Viterbo, who being a Man of a Temper frank and gallant, received me with less Ceremony than is usual in Italy. I had the freedom of the House, one of the finest Villa’s belonging to Viterbo, and the pleasure to see and converse at a distance with one of the loveliest Persons in the World, a Niece of this old Count’s.

Jul. Very well, and cou’d you see her but at a distance, Sir?

Fil. Oh, no, ‘twas all I durst desire, or she durst give; I came too late to hope; she being before promised in Marriage to a more happy man, the Consummation of which waits only the arrival of a Brother of hers, who is now at the Court of France, and every day expected.

Enter Petro like a Barber.

Gal. Hah! Signior Petro.

Fil. Come, Sir, we’ll take a turn i’th’ Gallery, for this Pimp never appears, but Francis desires to be in private.

Gal. Thou wrong’st an honest ingenious Fellow, to call him Pimp.

Pet. Ah, Signior, what his Worship pleases!

Gal. That thou art I’ll be sworn, or what any man’s Worship pleases; for let me tell ye, Harry, he is capacitated to oblige in any quality: for, Sir, he’s your brokering Jew, your Fencing, Dancing, and Civility-Master, your Linguist, your Antiquary, your Bravo, your Pathick, Your Whore, your Pimp; and a thousand more Excellencies he has to supply The necessities of the wanting Stranger.—Well, Sirrah—what design now Upon Sir Signal and his wise Governour?—What do you represent now?

Pet. A Barber, Sir.

Gal. And why a Barber, good Signior Petro?

Pet. Oh, Sir, the sooner to take the heights of their Judgments; it gives handsome opportunities to commend their Faces; for if they are pleas’d with flattery, the certain sign of a Fool’s to be most tickled when most commended, I conclude ‘em the fitter for my purpose; they already put great confidence in me, will have no Masters but of my recommending, all which I supply my self, by the help of my several disguises; by which, and my industry, I doubt not but to pick up a good honest painful livelihood, by cheating these two Reverend Coxcombs.

Gal. How the Devil got’st thou this credit with ‘em?

Pet. O, easily, Sir, as Knaves get Estates, or Fools Employments.

Fil. I hope amongst all your good qualities, you forgot not your more natural one of pimping.

Pet. No, I assure you, Sir; I have told Sir Signal Buffoon, that no Man lives here without his Inamorata: which very word has so fir’d him, that he’s resolved to have an Inamorata whate’er it cost him; and, as in all things else, I have in that too promised my assistance.

Gal. If you assist him no better than you have done me, he may stay long enough for his Inamorata.

Pet. Why, faith, Sir, I lie at my young Lady night and day; but she is so loth to part with that same Maiden-head of hers yet—but to morrow night, Sir, there’s hopes.—

Gal. To morrow night; Oh, ‘tis an Age in Love! Desire knows no time but the present, ‘tis now I wish, and now I wou’d enjoy: a new Day ought to bring a new Desire.

Pet. Alas, Sir, I’m but an humble Bravo.

Gal. Yes, thou’rt a Pimp, yet want’st the Art to procure a longing Lover the Woman he adores, though but a common Curtezan—Oh, confound her Maiden-head—she understands her Trade too well, to have that badge of Innocence.

Pet. I offered her her Price, Sir.

Gal. Double it, give any thing, for that’s the best receipt I ever found to soften Womens hearts.

Pet. Well, Sir, she will be this Evening in the Garden of Medices Villa, there you may get an opportunity to advance your Interest—I must step and trim Mr. Tickletext, and then am at your service. [Exit Petro.

Jul. What is this Knight and his Governour, who have the blessed Fortune to be manag’d by this Squire?

Fil. Certain Fools Galliard makes use of when he has a mind to laugh, and whom I never thought worth a visit since I came to Rome: and he’s like to profit much by his Travels, who keeps company with all the English, especially the Fops.

Gal. Faith, Sir, I came not abroad to return with the formality of a Judge; and these are such antidotes against Melancholy as wou’d make thee fond of fooling.—Our Knight’s Father is even the first Gentleman of his House, a Fellow, who having the good fortune to be much a Fool and Knave, had the attendant blessing of getting an Estate of some eight thousand a year, with this Coxcomb to inherit it; who (to aggrandize the Name and Family of the Buffoons) was made a Knight; but to refine throughout, and make a compleat Fop, was sent abroad under the Government of one Mr. Tickletext, his zealous Father’s Chaplain, as errant a blockhead as a man wou’d wish to hear preach; the Father wisely foreseeing the eminent danger that young Travellers are in of being perverted to Popery.

Jul. ‘Twas well considered.

Gal. But for the young Spark, there is no description can reach him; ’.is only to be done by himself; let it suffice, ‘tis a pert, saucy, conceited Animal, whom you shall just now go see and admire, for he lodges in the house with us.

Jul. With all my heart, I never long’d more for a new acquaintance.

Fil. And in all probability shall sooner desire to be rid on’t.— Allons.

[Exeunt.