THE. POSITIVE MAN. ACT I SCENE I. St. James's Park. Enter Captain BELLCAMP and Servant. CAPT. BELLCAMP. HERE, Robert! Serv. Sir. Capt. B. Defire my man to fee the baggage removed from the hotel. Serv. Yes. Sir. Capt. B. Is not this my friend Enter LAKE. Ha! my dear Lake! [Exit. Lake. Captain Bellcamp! Welcome to England; when did you arrive? Capt. B. Not eight hours ago. But my lovely Cornelia Lake. I fhall fee Mifs Tacit this morning. Lake. I faid Mifs Tacit. In half an hour, Lady Tacit fits to me. be. Capt. B. My comely mother-in-law that is to Lake. That is not to be. (afide) You had better not vifit there immediately. Capt. B. Why? has any thing happen'd during my abfence to-is Cornelia-fpeak. Lake. Cornelia, to-morrow, is to be wedded to another. Capt. B. Another! Is it poffible—can she be false? Lake. No, no, you wrong her-her heart is as true to you as you can wifh. Enter MAURICE. Mau. Oh Mafter! I-Mr. Lake! by the word of a traveller, I'm glad to fee your honour. Lake. I thank you, Maurice. Bellcamp, yonder goes your rival. Capt. B. What that tawdry spark! Lake. Yes, that's young Rupee. Capt. B. He fhall refign her, I'll oblige him to it. Mau. Don't do any thing to oblige him, Sir; but if you please, I'll just walk over, and decently knock him down. Lake. Stop! Have a care-no quarrels here, Maurice. Mau. Quarrel! I know my diftance. I make fo free as to affront a gentleman! No, no, I'd only only handsomely knock him down, and then leave my mafter to quarrel with him. Capt. B. Who is that fea-faring looking man, arm in arm with him? Lake. That, Sir, is Tom Grog; formerly belonged to the Royal Navy, but fince, acquiring a tolerable fortune in the Eaft-Indies, under Rupee's father, he is moft gratefully attach'd to the fon; tho' fuch a whimfical contraft, they are conftant companions. Capt. B. A whimsical contraft indeed. Lake. Yes, Rupee the Beau, dances Tom Grog, the Tar, to every place of fashionable refort at this end of the town: and the Man of War. convoys the Indiaman from the Gun at Billingsgate, to the Artichoak at Blackwall. They are now at a picture-fale in Pall Mall, prefently to fee a fhip launch'd at Portsmouth: to-night they may be feen fliding the promenade at Soho, and tomorrow, fmoaking a fegar at the Anchor in Wapping. Capt. B. A Greyhound and a Mastiff coupled. Mau. By the word of a traveller, a fea-gull and a jack-daw might as well put their horfes together. Capt. B. But what did you want, Maurice? Mau. Faith, Sir, I wanted only-oh, I thought your honor might want this card that Mr. Lake left at the lodgings juft now; I brought it along with me, but forgot it on the table-but now that he is here, he may deliver it to you himself by word of mouth. [Exit. Capt. B. My dear Lake, you're going to Sir Toby Tacit's will you convey a few lines from me to Cornelia ? Lake. Lake. With pleafure-but come, courage captain; what a foldier, and afraid! Capt. B. Oh, my dear Lake, to lofe the field when I thought I had only to claim the triumph of victory. Enter RUPEE and GROG. [Exeunt. Grog. Avaft, d'ye fee, you fteer right in the wind's eye. Rup. Pardon me, pardon me, dear Tom Grog. Grog. Your brain is fhoal-water d'ye fee, and you come bump upon the rock of nonfenfe. Rup. But, my good friend, a coach is a vehicle out of your element-Ha, ha, ha! A coach, built by a fhip carpenter; I suppose you'd have a Lion for your coachman, apropos, I loft ten rouleaus at an E. O. Table last night—Oh, but Tom, you accompany me to Ranelagh? Grog. A bargain; and remember you take a meridian with me at the Three Jolly Sailors. Rup. Meridian! Apropos, we are to be at the Masquerade next Thursday night; do you go in a domino? Grog. I'll go in a coach. Rup. Pha! take me, Tom. Grog. I will, if you'll come. Rup. Still wrong-Understand me, I mean what drefs? Grog. Drefs! Oh I'll fail to the Pantheon as a British feaman. go Rup. Oh there's no difguife in that-now I'll. like a fool. Grog. Not much difguife in that either. Rup. Apropos-I am to fee Signor Squalini, the 1 |