66 Quarried.] This is an allusion to falconry. Latham, who wrote in the time of James I., explains the word quarrie to be taken for the fowle which is flowne at and slaine at any timè, especially when R. hawks are flowne thereunto.' young

And what place now? The second place seems to have been accidentally repeated, instead of some word that implies title, honour, or dignity. Stile seems to bid fairest of any monosyllable that occurs.

THE WILD-GOOSE CHASE:

A COMEDY.

The Commendatory Verses by Hills ascribe this Comedy wholly to Fletcher. In 1647, (the Playhouse Copy having been lent out of the honse, and lost) The Wild-Goose Chase could not be inserted among our Authors' other Plays: It was, however, afterwards recovered, and published in 1652, by Lowin and Taylor, two Players. Farquhar's Inconstant is built on this Play; the mad scene of Oriana, and others, are almost transcribed; al though both the Author in his Preface, and Mr. Rowe in the Epilogue, assert that only the hint was taken from this piece of our Author.

SCENE I.

ACT I.

De Ga. In truth, you shall not take it; 'tis
not meant for you:

There's for your provender. Bespeak a dinner
For monsieur Mirabell, and his companions;
They'll be in town within this hour. When
you have done, sirrah,

Make ready all things at my lodging, for me,
And wait me there.

Boy. The ten-crown ordinary?

De Ga. Yes, sir, if you have not forgot it.
Boy. I'll forget my feet first:

'Tis the best part of a footinan's faith.

[Exit Boy.

De Ga. These youths, For all they have been in Italy to learn thrift, And seem to wonder at men's lavish ways, Yet they can't rub off old friends, their French itches; [bodies They must meet sometimes to disport their With good wine, and good women; and good fall points,

store too.

Let 'em be what they will, they are arm'd at

And then hang saving, let the sea grow high!
This ordinary can fit 'em of all sizes. [toms.
They must salute their country with old cus-

Enter La Castre and Oriana.

Ori. Brother!

De Gu. My dearest sister!

Ori. Welcome, welcome!

And grown a proper gentleman; he's well,
and lusty.

Within this eight hours I took leave of him,
And over-rid him ', having some slight busi-
[you,
That fore'd me out o' th' way: I can assure
He will be here to-night.

ness

La Ca. You make me glad, sir,

Indeed, you are welcome home, most wel- For, o' my faith, I almost long to see him!

come!

De Ga. Thank ye!

You're grown a handsome woman, Oriana:
Blush at your faults. I'm wondrous glad to
see you!

Monsieur La Castre, let not my affection
To my fair sister make me held unmannerly:
I'm glad to see you well, to see you lusty,
Good health about you, and in fair company;
Believe me, I am proud-

La Ca. Fair sir, I thank you.
Monsieur De Gard, you're welcome from
your journey!

Good men have still good welcome: Give me your hand, sir.

Once more, you're welcome home! You look

still younger.

[us ; De Ga. Time has no leisure to look after We wander every where; age cannot find us. La Ca. And how does all?

De Ga. All well, sir, and all lusty. [sir, La Ca. I hope my son be so: I doubt not, But you have often seen him in your journies, And bring me some fair news.

De Gu. Your son is well, sir,

Methinks, he has been away

De Ga. 'Tis but your tenderness; What are three years? a love-sick wench will allow it 2.

His friends, that went out with him, are come

back too,

[little, Belleur, and young Pinac: He bid me say Because he means to be his own glad mes

And over-ey'd him, shaving some slight business

That fore'd me out o' th' way.] Over-cy'd is plainly a corruption, and out o'th' way unsatisfactory. Mr. Seward reads with me,

And over-rid him

on the way:

But yet I have some doubt whether over-rid is the true lection, there being a reading which has occurred to me, much nearer the traces of the letters than that advanced above, viz.

And over-yed him,

i. e. over-went him; though I am afraid the reader will think this too obsolete a word to stand in the text, as fitter for Chaucer or Spenser, than Mr. Fletcher, and therefore I have chose to leave the passage just as I found it. Sympson.

6

The opening of the play, Sirrah, I have rid hard, seems to countenance the conjectural reading of over-rid him.' Obsolete and uncouth indeed is Mr. Sympson's over-yed him.' Were we to offer a reading near the trace of the letters,' we would rather propose overs hied him, which might, we think, much more familiarly express De Gard's having gone ou before his fellow-traveller. As to out of the way, we see no difficulty requiring an alteration. a love-sick wench will allow it.] As plausible as this passage may seem at first sight, yet I am afraid it is unsound; for whatever reasons the poor wench might have to induce her to allow her lover's absence, yet notwithstanding them, she might bear it still with the utmost impatience. Why may not we read, therefore,

2

love-sick wench will swallow it:'

A three-years absence (De Gard says) is nothing; it will go easily down, even with a lovesick girl. So, in the concluding scene of this play, Mirabell says,

Mr. Sympson's conjecture, enforced by the authority which he quotes, is not unplausible; yet he mistakes the sense of the word allow as here used, supposing it to be genuine: 'A love-sick weuch will allow it' not meaning that she will permit her lover to be absent for three years; but that she will allow, i. e. agree, that three years' absence is no such great

matter.

tell me,

And tell me true, what end had you, Oriana,
In trusting your money here? He is no kins-
Nor any tie upon him of a guardian; [man,
Nor dare I think you doubt my prodigality.

Ori. No, certain, sir; none of all this pro-
vok'd me;

Another private reason.

De Ga. 'Tis not private, Nor carried so; 'tis common, my fair sister; Your love to Mirabell: Your blushes tell it. 'Tis too much known, and spoken of too largely;

And with no little shame I wonder at it.

Ori. Is it a shame to love?

De Ga. To love undiscretely:

A virgin should be tender of her honour,
Close, and secure.

[too;

Ori. I am as close as can be,
And stand upon as strong and honest guards
Unless this warlike age need a portcullis.
Yet, I confess, I love him.

[dares

De Ga. Hear the people.
Ori. Now I say, Hang the people! he that
Believe what they say, dares be mad, and give

His mother, nay, his own wife, up to rumour.
All grounds of truth, they build on, is a tavern;
And their best censure's sack, sack in abun-
dance;

For as they drink, they think: They ne'er
speak modestly,

Unless the wine be poor, or they want money.
Believe them? Believe Amadis de Gaul,
The Knight o' th' Sun, or Palmerin of Eng-
land;
[ries!
For these, to them, are modest and true sto-
'Pray understand me; if their tongues be truth,
And if In vino veritas be an oracle,
What woman is, or has been ever honest?
Give 'em but ten round cups, they'll swear
Lucretia

Died not for want of power to resist Tarquin,
But want of pleasure, that he stay'd no longer;
And Portia, that was famous for her piety
To her lov'd lord, they'll face ye out, died
o' th' pox.

De Ga. Well, there is something, sister.
Ori. If there be, brother, [strous:
'Tis none of their things; 'tis not yet so mon-
My thing is marriage; and, at his return,
I hope to put their squint eyes right again.
De Ga. Marriage? 'Tis true, his father is
a rich man,

Rich both in land and money; he his heir,
A young and handsome man, I must confess

What the conditions and the ties of love are,
The honest purposes and grounds of mar-
[deavour,

riage,
Nor will know, nor be ever brought to en-
Than I do how to build a church: He was ever
A loose and strong defier of all order; [door,
His loves are wanderers, they knock at each
And taste each dish, but are no residents.

3 All his travel, and bought experience.] Mr. Theobald fills up the measure thus,

Mr. Seward thus,

and his bought experience;'

and dear-bought experience;'

which he thinks is not only a completion of the measure, but an improvement of the sense. Sympson.

Theobald's filling up the measure, and Seward's completion of the measure, and improvement of the sense, are both unnecessary. The measure and sense are each sufficiently perfect; especially supposing the word experience, after the manner of our Authors, to be resolved into distinct syllables.

VOL. II.

2 A