Nor, like those peevish wits, his play maintain,

Who, to assert their sense, your taste arraign.



Some plot we think he has, and some new thought;

Some humour too, no farce--but that's a fault.



Satire, he thinks, you ought not to expect;

For so reformed a town who dares correct?



To please, this time, has been his sole pretence,

He'll not instruct, lest it should give offence.



Should he by chance a knave or fool expose,

That hurts none here, sure here are none of those.



In short, our play shall (with your leave to show it)

Give you one instance of a passive poet,



Who to your judgments yields all resignation:

So save or damn, after your own discretion.



DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

MEN.



FAINALL, in love with Mrs. Marwood,--Mr. Betterton

MIRABELL, in love with Mrs. Millamant,--Mr. Verbruggen



WITWOUD, follower of Mrs. Millamant,--Mr. Bowen

PETULANT, follower of Mrs. Millamant,--Mr. Bowman



SIR WILFULL WITWOUD, half brother to Witwoud, and nephew to Lady

Wishfort,--Mr. Underhill



WAITWELL, servant to Mirabell,--Mr. Bright

WOMEN.



LADY WISHFORT, enemy to Mirabell, for having falsely pretended love

to her,--Mrs. Leigh



MRS. MILLAMANT, a fine lady, niece to Lady Wishfort, and loves

Mirabell,--Mrs. Bracegirdle



MRS. MARWOOD, friend to Mr. Fainall, and likes Mirabell,--Mrs. Barry

MRS. FAINALL, daughter to Lady Wishfort, and wife to Fainall,



formerly friend to Mirabell,--Mrs. Bowman

FOIBLE, woman to Lady Wishfort,--Mrs. Willis



MINCING, woman to Mrs. Millamant,--Mrs. Prince

DANCERS, FOOTMEN, ATTENDANTS.



SCENE: London.

The time equal to that of the presentation.



ACT I.--SCENE I.

A Chocolate-house.



MIRABELL and FAINALL rising from cards. BETTY waiting.

MIRA. You are a fortunate man, Mr. Fainall.



FAIN. Have we done?

MIRA. What you please. I'll play on to entertain you.



FAIN. No, I'll give you your revenge another time, when you are not

so indifferent; you are thinking of something else now, and play too



negligently: the coldness of a losing gamester lessens the pleasure

of the winner. I'd no more play with a man that slighted his ill



fortune than I'd make love to a woman who undervalued the loss of

her reputation.



MIRA. You have a taste extremely delicate, and are for refining on

your pleasures.



FAIN. Prithee, why so reserved? Something has put you out of

humour.



MIRA. Not at all: I happen to be grave to-day, and you are gay;

that's all.



FAIN. Confess, Millamant and you quarrelled last night, after I

left you; my fair cousin has some humours that would tempt the



patience of a Stoic. What, some coxcomb came in, and was well

received by her, while you were by?



MIRA. Witwoud and Petulant, and what was worse, her aunt, your

wife's mother, my evil genius--or to sum up all in her own name, my



old Lady Wishfort came in.

FAIN. Oh, there it is then: she has a lastingpassion for you, and



with reason.--What, then my wife was there?

MIRA. Yes, and Mrs. Marwood and three or four more, whom I never



saw before; seeing me, they all put on their grave faces, whispered

one another, then complained aloud of the vapours, and after fell

• honourable [´ɔnərəbəl] a.荣誉的；正直的 (初中英语单词)


• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


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


• sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)


• security [si´kjuəriti] n.安全；证券；抵押品 (初中英语单词)


• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)


• disturb [di´stə:b] vt.扰乱；使不安；打乱 (初中英语单词)


• audience [´ɔ:diəns] n.听众；观众；接见 (初中英语单词)


• reflection [ri´flekʃən] n.反射；映象；想法 (初中英语单词)


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


• criticism [´kritisizəm] n.批评；评论(文) (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


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


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• protection [prə´tekʃən] n.警戒；护照；通行证 (初中英语单词)


• countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情；脸色；面容 (初中英语单词)


• writer [´raitə] n.作者；作家 (初中英语单词)


• assist [ə´sist] v.协助；援助；搀扶 (初中英语单词)


• extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)


• purity [´pjuəriti] n.纯净；贞洁 (初中英语单词)


• affect [ə´fekt] vt.影响；感动；假装 (初中英语单词)


• multitude [´mʌltitju:d] n.大群(批)；众多 (初中英语单词)


• solution [sə´lu:ʃən] n.解答；解决；溶解 (初中英语单词)


• encourage [in´kʌridʒ] vt.鼓励；怂勇；促进 (初中英语单词)


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


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


• polite [pə´lait] a.有礼貌的；温和的 (初中英语单词)


• privilege [´privilidʒ] n.特权 vt.给….特权 (初中英语单词)


• formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)


• gratitude [´grætitju:d] n.感激，感谢 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• capacity [kə´pæsiti] n.容量；智能；能力 (初中英语单词)


• meantime [´mi:ntaim] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)


• instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)


• extreme [ik´stri:m] a.尽头的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)


• humanity [hju:´mæniti] n.人类；人性；仁慈 (初中英语单词)


• portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)


• trifling [´traifliŋ] a.微小的；轻浮的 (初中英语单词)


• venture [´ventʃə] n.投机 v.冒险；敢于 (初中英语单词)


• squire [skwaiə] n.护卫，侍从；乡绅 (初中英语单词)


• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• assert [ə´sə:t] vt.认定；维护；坚持 (初中英语单词)


• humour [´hju:mə] n.幽默，诙谐 (初中英语单词)


• instruct [in´strʌkt] vt.教育；指导；通知 (初中英语单词)


• passive [´pæsiv] a.被动的 n.被动性 (初中英语单词)


• follower [´fɔləuə] n.追随者，信徒；执行者 (初中英语单词)


• nephew [´nevju:, ´nɛfju] n.侄子；外甥 (初中英语单词)


• fortunate [´fɔ:tʃənət] a.幸运的，侥幸的 (初中英语单词)


• entertain [,entə´tein] vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴 (初中英语单词)


• revenge [ri´vendʒ] vt.报复 n.报仇；报复 (初中英语单词)


• coldness [´kəuldnis] n.寒冷；冷淡 (初中英语单词)


• extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• dedicate [´dedikeit] vt.献给；献身于 (高中英语单词)


• comedy [´kɔmidi] n.喜剧；喜剧场面 (高中英语单词)


• lordship [´lɔ:dʃip] n.贵族权力；阁下 (高中英语单词)


• expectation [,ekspek´teiʃən] n.期待(望)；预期 (高中英语单词)


• divert [dai´və:t] vt.转移注意力；消遣 (高中英语单词)


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


• ridiculous [ri´dikjuləs] a.荒谬的；可笑的 (高中英语单词)


• formation [fɔ:´meiʃən] n.形成；构成；排列 (高中英语单词)


• hazard [´hæzəd] n.危险 vt.冒…险 (高中英语单词)


• mistaken [mis´teikən] mistake的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• distinguished [di´stiŋgwiʃt] a.卓越的，著名的 (高中英语单词)


• notwithstanding [,nɔtwiθ´stændiŋ] prep.&conj.虽然；还是 (高中英语单词)


• delicacy [´delikəsi] n.精美；娇弱，微妙 (高中英语单词)


• severely [si´viəli] ad.剧烈地；严格地 (高中英语单词)


• successor [sək´sesə] n.继承人，接班人 (高中英语单词)


• perfection [pə´fekʃən] n.完美；极致；熟练 (高中英语单词)


• architecture [´ɑ:kitektʃə] n.建筑术；建筑学 (高中英语单词)


• esteem [i´sti:m] n.尊重 vt.认为；感到 (高中英语单词)


• pretence [pri´tens] n.假装；托词；无理要求 (高中英语单词)


• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• mature [mə´tjuə] a.成熟的 v.(使)成熟 (高中英语单词)


• resent [ri´zent] vt.不满于；怨恨；忿恨 (高中英语单词)


• indifferent [in´difrənt] a.不关心的；中立的 (高中英语单词)


• lasting [´lɑ:stiŋ] a.持久的；永远的 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• epistle [i´pisl] n.书信 (英语四级单词)


• incapable [in´keipəbəl] a.无能力的；不能的 (英语四级单词)


• disciple [di´saipəl] n.门徒，弟子 (英语四级单词)


• ascribe [ə´skraib] vt.归因于；把…归于 (英语四级单词)


• patronage [´pætrənidʒ] n.保护；赞助 (英语四级单词)


• apology [ə´pɔlədʒi] n.道歉(的话)；辩解 (英语四级单词)


• obedient [ə´bi:djənt] a.服从的，恭顺的 (英语四级单词)


• cuckoo [´kuku:] n.杜鹃，布谷鸟 (英语四级单词)


• unequal [ʌn´i:kwəl] a.不平等的；不同的 (英语四级单词)


• heretofore [,hiətu´fɔ:] ad.以前，迄今为止 (英语四级单词)


• winner [´winə] n.胜利者，得奖者 (英语四级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• dignify [´dignifai] vt.使高贵，使显赫 (英语六级单词)


• affected [ə´fektid] a.做作的；假装的 (英语六级单词)