As children, when they throw one toy away,
Strait a more foolish gewgaw comes in play:
So we, grown penitent, on serious thinking,
Leave whoring, and devoutly fall to drinking.
Scowering the watch grows out-of-fashion wit,
Now we set up for tilting in the pit,
Where 'tis agreed by bullies chicken-hearted,
To fright the ladies first, and then be parted.
A fair attempt has twice or thrice been made,
To hire night murderers, and make death a trade.*
When murder's out, what vice can we advance?
Unless the new-found poisoning trick of France.
And, when their art of rats-bane we have got,
By way of thanks, we'll send them o'er our Plot.

Alluding apparently to the assassination of Thomas Thynne, Esq. in PallMall, by the hired bravoes of Count Coningsmark.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

TORRISMOND, Son of SANCHO, the deposed King, believing himself Son of RAYMOND.

BERTRAN, a Prince of the blood.

ALPHONSO, a general Officer, Brother to RAY

MOND.

LORENZO, his Son.

RAYMOND, a Nobleman, supposed Father of TOR

RISMOND.

PEDRO, an Officer.

GOMEZ, an old Usurer.

DOMINICK, the Spanish Friar.

LEONORA, Queen of Arragon.

TERESA, Woman to LEONORA.
ELVIRA, Wife to GOMEZ.

THE

SPANISH FRIAR;

OR, THE

DOUBLE DISCOVERY.

ACT I. SCENE I.

ALPHONSO and PEDRO meet, with Soldiers on each side, Drums, &c.

Alph. Stand: give the word.
Ped. The Queen of Arragon.

Alph. Pedro ?-how goes the night?

Ped. She wears apace.

Alph. Then welcome day-light; we shall have warm work on't.

The Moor will 'gage

His utmost forces on this next assault,

To win a queen and kingdom.

Ped. Pox on this lion-way of wooing, though. Is the queen stirring yet?

VOL. VI.

2 B

Alph. She has not been abed, but in her chapel All night devoutly watch'd, and bribed the saints With vows for her deliverance.

Ped. O, Alphonso!

I fear they come too late. Her father's crimes
Sit heavy on her, and weigh down her prayers.
A crown usurp'd; a lawful king deposed,

In bondage held, debarr'd the common light;
His children murder'd, and his friends destroy'd,—
What can we less expect than what we feel,
And what we fear will follow ?

Alph. Heaven avert it!

Ped. Then heaven must not be heaven. Judge the event

By what has pass'd. The usurper joy'd not long
His ill-got crown:-'tis true, he died in peace,-
Unriddle that, ye powers!-but left his daughter,
Our present queen, engaged upon his death-bed,
To marry with young Bertran, whose cursed father
Had help'd to make him great.

Hence, you well know, this fatal war arose ;
Because the Moor Abdalla, with whose troops
The usurper gain'd the kingdom, was refused;
And, as an infidel, his love despised.

Alph. Well, we are soldiers, Pedro; and, like lawyers,

Plead for our pay.

Ped. A good cause would do well though: It gives my sword an edge. You see this Bertran Has now three times been beaten by the Moors: What hope we have, is in

Your brother's son.

young Torrismond,

Alph. He's a successful warrior,

And has the soldiers' hearts: upon the skirts
Of Arragon our squander'd troops he rallies.
Our.watchmen from the towers with longing eyes
Expect his swift arrival.

Ped. It must be swift, or it will come too late. Alph. No more. Duke Bertran.

Enter BERTRAN, attended.

Bert. Relieve the sentries that have watch'd all night.

[TO PED.] Now, colonel, have you disposed your

men,

That you stand idle here?
Ped. Mine are drawn off,
To take a short repose.
Bert. Short let it be:

For, from the Moorish camp, this hour and more,
There has been heard a distant humming noise,
Like bees disturb'd, and arming in their hives.
What courage in our soldiers? Speak! What hope?
Ped. As much as when physicians shake their heads,
And bid their dying patient think of heaven.
Our walls are thinly mann'd; our best men slain;
The rest, an heartless number, spent with watching,
And harass'd out with duty.

Bert. Good-night all, then.

Ped. Nay, for my part, 'tis but a single life I have to lose. I'll plant my colours down In the mid-breach, and by them fix my foot; Say a short soldier's prayer, to spare the trouble Of my new friends above; and then expect The next fair bullet.

Alph. Never was known a night of such dis

traction:

Noise so confused and dreadful; jostling crowds, That run, and know not whither; torches gliding, Like meteors, by each other in the streets.

Ped. I met a reverend, fat, old gouty friar,With a paunch swoll'n so high, his double chin Might rest upon it; a true son of the church; Fresh-colour'd, well thriven on his trade,