TATTLE, JEREMY.

TATT. Is not that she gone out just now?



JERE. Ay, sir; she's just going to the place of appointment. Ah,

sir, if you are not very faithful and close in this business, you'll



certainly be the death of a person that has a most extraordinary

passion for your honour's service.



TATT. Ay, who's that?

JERE. Even my unworthy self, sir. Sir, I have had an appetite to



be fed with your commands a great while; and now, sir, my former

master having much troubled the fountain of his understanding, it is



a very plausible occasion for me to quench my thirst at the spring

of your bounty. I thought I could not recommend myself better to



you, sir, than by the delivery of a great beauty and fortune into

your arms, whom I have heard you sigh for.



TATT. I'll make thy fortune; say no more. Thou art a pretty

fellow, and canst carry a message to a lady, in a pretty soft kind



of phrase, and with a good persuading accent.

JERE. Sir, I have the seeds of rhetoric and oratory in my head: I



have been at Cambridge.

TATT. Ay; 'tis well enough for a servant to be bred at an



university: but the education is a little too pedantic for a

gentleman. I hope you are secret in your nature: private, close,



ha?

JERE. Oh, sir, for that, sir, 'tis my chief talent: I'm as secret



as the head of Nilus.

TATT. Ay? Who's he, though? A privy counsellor?



JERE. O ignorance! [Aside.] A cunning Egyptian, sir, that with

his arms would overrun the country, yet nobody could ever find out



his head-quarters.

TATT. Close dog! A good whoremaster, I warrant him: --the time



draws nigh, Jeremy. Angelica will be veiled like a nun, and I must

be hooded like a friar, ha, Jeremy?



JERE. Ay, sir; hooded like a hawk, to seize at first sight upon the

quarry. It is the whim of my master's madness to be so dressed, and



she is so in love with him she'll comply with anything to please

him. Poor lady, I'm sure she'll have reason to pray for me, when



she finds what a happy exchange she has made, between a madman and

so accomplished a gentleman.



TATT. Ay, faith, so she will, Jeremy: you're a good friend to her,

poor creature. I swear I do it hardly so much in consideration of



myself as compassion to her.

JERE. 'Tis an act of charity, sir, to save a fine woman with thirty



thousand pound from throwing herself away.

TATT. So 'tis, faith; I might have saved several others in my time,



but, i'gad, I could never find in my heart to marry anybody before.

JERE. Well, sir, I'll go and tell her my master's coming, and meet



you in half a quarter of an hour with your disguise at your own

lodgings. You must talk a little madly: she won't distinguish the



tone of your voice.

TATT. No, no; let me alone for a counterfeit. I'll be ready for



you.

SCENE IV.



TATTLE, MISS PRUE.

MISS. O Mr Tattle, are you here? I'm glad I have found you; I have



been looking up and down for you like anything, till I'm as tired as

anything in the world.



TATT. Oh, pox, how shall I get rid of this foolish girl? [Aside.]

MISS. Oh, I have pure news, I can tell you, pure news. I must not



marry the seaman now--my father says so. Why won't you be my

husband? You say you love me, and you won't be my husband. And I



know you may be my husband now, if you please.

TATT. Oh, fie, miss; who told you so, child?



MISS. Why, my father. I told him that you loved me.

TATT. Oh, fie, miss; why did you do so? And who told you so,



child?

MISS. Who? Why, you did; did not you?



TATT. Oh, pox, that was yesterday, miss, that was a great while

ago, child. I have been asleep since; slept a whole night, and did



not so much as dream of the matter.

MISS. Pshaw--oh, but I dreamt that it was so, though.



TATT. Ay, but your father will tell you that dreams come by

contraries, child. Oh, fie; what, we must not love one another now.



Pshaw, that would be a foolish thing indeed. Fie, fie, you're a

woman now, and must think of a new man every morning and forget him

• complain [kəm´plein] vi.抱怨，叫屈；控诉 (初中英语单词)


• absolute [´æbsəlu:t] a.绝对的 n.绝对 (初中英语单词)


• despise [di´spaiz] vt.轻视，藐视 (初中英语单词)


• considerable [kən´sidərəbəl] a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词)


• pretend [pri´tend] v.假装；借口；妄求 (初中英语单词)


• blossom [´blɔsəm] n.花；开花期 vi.开花 (初中英语单词)


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• deserve [di´zə:v] v.应受；值得 (初中英语单词)


• commit [kə´mit] vt.犯(罪)；把…判处 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• agreeable [ə´gri:əbəl] a.适合的；符合的 (初中英语单词)


• reasonable [´rizənəbəl] a.合理的；有理智的 (初中英语单词)


• consequence [´kɔnsikwəns] n.结果；后果；推断 (初中英语单词)


• poverty [´pɔvəti] n.贫穷(乏，瘠)；不足 (初中英语单词)


• scarce [skeəs, skers] a.缺乏的；稀有的 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• mexico [´meksikəu] n.墨西哥 (初中英语单词)


• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)


• oblige [ə´blaidʒ] vt.责成；迫使；使感激 (初中英语单词)


• disguise [dis´gaiz] vt.假装；隐瞒 n.伪装 (初中英语单词)


• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)


• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中英语单词)


• consult [kən´sʌlt] v.商量；磋商；请教 (初中英语单词)


• lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)


• obligation [,ɔbli´geiʃən] n.义务；职责；合约 (初中英语单词)


• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)


• fountain [´fauntin] n.泉水；源泉；根源 (初中英语单词)


• thirst [θə:st] n.渴，口渴；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• recommend [,rekə´mend] vt.推荐；使受欢迎 (初中英语单词)


• phrase [freiz] n.短语；词组；措词 (初中英语单词)


• talent [´tælənt] n.天才；才干；天资 (初中英语单词)


• egyptian [i´dʒipʃən] n.埃及人a.埃及的 (初中英语单词)


• consideration [kən,sidə´reiʃən] n.考虑；原因；体谅 (初中英语单词)


• distinguish [di´stiŋgwiʃ] v.区分；识别；立功 (初中英语单词)


• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)


• courtier [´kɔ:tiə] n.朝臣；奉承者 (高中英语单词)


• fashionable [´fæʃənəbəl] a.流行的，时髦的 (高中英语单词)


• inherit [in´herit] v.继承；遗传 (高中英语单词)


• honesty [´ɔnisti] n.诚实，老实 (高中英语单词)


• malice [´mælis] n.恶意；怨恨；预谋 (高中英语单词)


• jealousy [´dʒeləsi] n.妒忌；猜忌 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• concerned [kən´sə:nd] a.有关的；担心的 (高中英语单词)


• shrine [ʃrain] n.神龛；神殿；圣地 (高中英语单词)


• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)


• ingenious [in´dʒi:niəs] a.富于创新的；巧妙的 (高中英语单词)


• concerning [kən´sə:niŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)


• vigour [´vigə] (=vigor) n.活力；精力 (高中英语单词)


• quench [kwentʃ] v.熄灭；平息；压制 (高中英语单词)


• bounty [´baunti] n.慷慨；恩惠；赠物 (高中英语单词)


• delivery [di´livəri] n.送交；分娩；交货 (高中英语单词)


• charity [´tʃæriti] n.施舍；慈悲；博爱 (高中英语单词)


• hamper [´hæmpə] vt.&n.妨碍，阻止 (英语四级单词)


• beforehand [bi´fɔ:hænd] ad.事先；提前 (英语四级单词)


• severity [si´veriti] n.严厉；严重；苛刻 (英语四级单词)


• hopeful [´həupfəl] a.有希望的，激励人的 (英语四级单词)


• seemingly [´si:miŋli] ad.表面上；似乎 (英语四级单词)


• warrant [´wɔrənt] n.根据；委任书；权利 (英语四级单词)


• unworthy [ʌn´wə:ði] a.不值得的；不足道的 (英语四级单词)


• comply [kəm´plai] vi.照做 (英语四级单词)


• accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)


• compassion [kəm´pæʃən] n.同情；怜悯 (英语四级单词)


• counterfeit [´kauntəfit] a.伪造的 v.&n.伪造 (英语四级单词)


• contemptible [kən´temptəbəl] a.可鄙的；可轻视的 (英语六级单词)


• fourscore [´fɔ:´skɔ:] n.&a.八十 (英语六级单词)


• devilish [´devəliʃ] a.魔鬼般的，凶恶的 (英语六级单词)


• insolent [´insələnt] a.傲慢的；无礼的 (英语六级单词)


• posture [´pɔstʃə] n.姿势 v.故作姿态 (英语六级单词)


• incomparable [in´kɔmpərəbəl] a.无可比拟的 (英语六级单词)


• practicable [´præktikəbəl] a.可实行的；适用的 (英语六级单词)


• rhetoric [´retərik] n.修辞学(书)；辩术 (英语六级单词)


• oratory [´ɔrətəri] n.演讲(术)；修辞 (英语六级单词)


• madman [´mædmən] n.疯子；狂人 (英语六级单词)


• seaman [´si:mən] n.海员，水手 (英语六级单词)