I'll ufe you for my mirth, yea for my laughter, Caf. Is it come to this? Bru. You fay you are a better foldier ; Let it appear fo; make your vaunting true, And it fhall pleafe me well. For my own part, I fhall be glad to learn of noble men. Caf. You wrong me every way-you wrong me, Brutus. I faid, an older foldier, not a better; Did I fay a better? Bru. If you did, I care not. Caf. When Cæsar liv'd he durst not thus have mov'd me. Bru. Peace, peace; you durft not so have tempted him. Caf. I durft not? Bru. No. Caf. What, durft not tempt him? Bru. For your life you durft not. Caf. Do not prefume too much upon my love; I may do what I fhall be forry for. Bru. You have done what you shall be sorry for. you denied me ; For I can raise no money by vile means. And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring To you for gold to pay my legions, Which you denied me; was that done like Caffius? Caf. I denied Bru. You did. you not. Caf. I did not he was but a fool That bro't my answer back. Brutus hath rived my heart; A friend fhould bear a friend's infirmities, Bru. I do not like your faults. Caf. A friendly eye could never fee fach faults. Bru. A flatterer's would not, tho they do Appear as huge as high Olympus. Caf. Come, Antony and young Octavius, come! Revenge yourselves alone on Caffius, For Caffius is a-weary of the world; Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother; When thou did't hate him worst, thou loved'ft him better Bru. Sheath your dagger; Be angry when you will, it fhall have scope; Caf. Hath Caffius lived To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, Bru. When I fpoke that, I was ill-temper'd too. Caf. O Brutus ? Bru. What's the matter? Caf. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rash humor which my mother gave me, Makes me forgetful? Bru. Yes, Caffius, and from henceforth BEVIL and MYRTLE. Bro. SIR, I am extremely obliged to you for this honor. Myrt. The time, the place, our long acquaintance and many other circumstances, which affect me on this occafion, oblige me, without ceremony or conference, to desire, that you will comply with the requeft in my letter, of which you have already acknowledged the receipt. Bev. Sir, I have received a letter from you in a very uou-' fual ftyle. But as I am confcious of the integrity of Iny behavior with refpect to you, and intend that every thing in this matter fhall be your own feeking, I fall underftand nothing but what you are pleased to confirm face to face. You are therefore to take it for granted, that I have forgot the contents of your epiftic. Myrt. Your cool behavior, Mr. Bevil, is agreeable to the Daworthy afe you have made of my fimplicity and franknefs to And I fee your moderation tends to your own advan tage, not mine; to your own fafety, not to juftice for the wrongs you have done your friend. you. Bev. My own fafety! Mr. Myrtle. Bev. Mr. Myrtle, there is no difguifing any longer that I understand what you would force me to. You know my prin ciple upon that point; and you have often heard me exprefs my difapprobation of the favage manner of deciding quarrels, which tyrannical cultom has introduced, to the breach of all laws both divine and human. Myrt. Mr. Bevil, Mr. Bevil! It would be a good firft principle in thofe who have so tender a confcience that way, to have as much abhorrence at doing injuries, as-Turns away abruptly] Bro. As what 2 Myrt. As fear of anfwering them. Beo. Mr. Myrtle, I have no fear of anfwering any injury I have done you; becaufe I have meant you none; for the truth of which I am ready to appeal to any indifferent perfos, even of your own choofing. But I own I am afraid of doing a wicked action; I mean of fhedding your blood, or giving you an opportunity of fhedding mine. I am not afraid of you Mr. Myrtle. But I own I am afraid of him who gave me this life in truft, on other conditions and with other defigns, than that I should hazard, or throw it away, because a rash, inconfiderate man is pleased to be offended, without knowing whether he is injured or not. No, I will not for you or any man's humor commit a known crime; a crime which I cannot repair, or which may in the very act, cut me off from all poffibility of repentance. Myrt. Mr. Bevil, I must tell you, this coolness, this moralizing, fhall not cheat me of my love. You may wish to preferve your life, that you may poffefs Lucinda. And I have reafon to be indifferent about it, if I am to lofe all that from which I expect any joy in life. But I fhall first try one means towards recovering her, I mean by fhewing her what a dauntless here fhe has chofen for her protector. Bev. Show me but the leaft glimpse of argument, that I am authorised to contend with you at the peril of the life of one of us, and I am ready upon your own terms. If this will not fatisfy you, and you will make a lawless afault upon me, I will defend myself as against a ruffian. There is no fuch terror, Mr. Myrtle, in the anger of those who are quickly hot, and quickly cold again, they know not how or why. I defy you to fhew wherein I have wrong'd you. Myrt. Mr. Bevil, it is easy for you to talk coolly on this occafion. You know not, I suppose, what it is to love, and from your large fortune, and your fpecious outward carriage, have it in your power to come, without any trouble or anxiety, to the poffeffion of a woman of honor; you know nothing of what it is to be alarmed, diftracted with the terror of lofing what is dearer than life. You are happy; your marriage goes on like common bufinefs; and in the interim, you have your foft moments of dalliance, your rambling captive, your Indian princefs, your convenient, your ready Indiana. Bev. You have touched me beyond the patience of a man ; and the defence of spotlefs innocence, will I hope, excuse my accepting your challenge, or at least obliging you to retract your infamous afperfions, I will not, if I can avoid it, fhed your blood, nor fhall you mine. But Indiana's purity I will defend. Who waits? Serv. Did you call, Sir? Bev. Yes, go call a coach. Serv. Sir Mr. Myrtle-gentlemen-you are friendsam but a fervant-but Bev. Call a coach. [Exit Servant. [A long paufe. They walk fullenly about the room] [Afide] Shall I (though provoked beyond fufferance) recover myself at the entrance of a third perfon, and that my' fervant too; and fhall I not have a due refpect for the dictates of my own confcience; for what I owe to the best of fathers, and to the defenfelefs innocence of my lovely Indiana, whose very life depends on mine? [To Mr. Myrtle.] I have, thank Heaven, had time to recollect myself, and have determined to convince you, by means I would willingly have avoided, but which yet are preferable to murderous duelling, that I am more innocent of nothing, than of rivaling you in the affections of Lucinda. Read this letter; and confider what effect it would have had upon you, to have found it about the man you had murdered. [Myrtle reads.]"I hope it is confiftent with the laws, a woman ought to impofe upon herself, to acknowledge, that' your manner of declining what has been propofed, of a treaty of marriage in our family, and defiring that the refufal might come from me, is more engaging than the Smithfield courtship of him, whofe arms I am in danger of being thrown into, unless your friend exerts himfelf for our common fafety and happiness."-O, I want no more, to clear your innocence my injured worthy friend-I fee her dear name at the bottom. I fee that you have been far enough from defigning any obflacle to my happiness, while I have been treating my bene factor as my betrayer-O Bevil, with what words fhall I Bew. There is no need of words. To convince is more than to conquer. If you are but fatisfied, that I meant you no wrong, all is as it should be. Myrt. But can you-forgive-fuch madness? Bev. Have not I myself offended? I had almoft been as guilty as you, though I had the advantage of you, by knowing, you did not know. what Myrt. That I fhould be fuch a precipitate wretch ! Bev. Prithee no more. Myrt. How many friends have died by the hands of friends, |