The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan [i am reading a book .TXT] 📗

better men than your old master was? Rowley Sir, ’tis this reflection gives me assurance that Charles may yet be a credit to his family. — But here comes Sir Peter! Sir Oliver Egad, so he does! Mercy on me! he’s greatly altered, and seems to have a settled married look! One may read husband in his face at this distance! Enter Sir Peter Teazle. Sir Peter Ha! Sir Oliver⁠—my old friend! Welcome to England a thousand times! Sir Oliver Thank you, thank you, Sir Peter! and i’ faith I am glad to find you well, believe me! Sir Peter Oh! is a long time since we met⁠—fifteen years, I doubt, Sir Oliver, and many a cross accident in the time. Sir Oliver Ay, I have had my share. But, what! I find you are married, hey, my old boy? Well, well, it can’t be helped; and so⁠—I wish you joy with all my heart! Sir Peter Thank you, thank you, Sir Oliver. — Yes, I have entered into⁠—the happy state;⁠—but we’ll not talk of that now. Sir Oliver True, true, Sir Peter; old friends should not begin on grievances at first meeting. No, no no⁠— Rowley Aside to Sir Oliver. Take care, pray, sir.⁠— Sir Oliver Well, so one of my nephews is a wild rogue, hey? Sir Peter Wild! Ah! my old friend, I grieve for your disappointment there; he’s a lost young man, indeed. However, his brother will make you amends; Joseph is, indeed, what a youth should be⁠—everybody in the world speaks well of him. Sir Oliver I am sorry to hear it⁠—he has too good a character to be an honest fellow. Everybody speaks well of him! Pshaw! then he has bowed as low to knaves and fools as to the honest dignity of genius and virtue. Sir Peter What, Sir Oliver! do you blame him for not making enemies? Sir Oliver Yes, if he has merit enough to deserve them. Sir Peter Well, well, you’ll be convinced when you know him. ’T is edification to hear him converse; he professes the noblest sentiments. Sir Oliver Oh, plague of his sentiments! If he salutes me with a scrap of morality in his mouth, I shall be sick directly. But, however, don’t mistake me, Sir Peter; I don’t mean to defend Charles’s errors: but, before I form my judgment of either of them, I intend to make a trial of their hearts; and my friend Rowley and I have planned something for the purpose. Rowley And Sir Peter shall own for once he has been mistaken. Sir Peter Oh, my life on Joseph’s honour! Sir Oliver Well⁠—come, give us a bottle of good wine, and we’ll drink the lads’ health, and tell you our scheme. Sir Peter Allons, then! Sir Oliver And don’t, Sir Peter, be so severe against your old friend’s son. Odds my life! I am not sorry that he has run out of the course a little: for my part, I hate to see prudence clinging to the green suckers of youth; ’tis like ivy round a sapling, and spoils the growth of the tree. Exeunt. Act III Scene I

A room in Sir Peter Teazle’s house.

Enter Sir Peter Teazle, Sir Oliver Surface, and Rowley. Sir Peter Well, then we will see this fellow first, and have our wine afterwards. — But how is this, Master Rowley? I don’t see the jet of your scheme. Rowley Why, sir, this Mr. Stanley, whom I was speaking of, is nearly related to them by their mother. He was once a merchant in Dublin, but has been ruined by a series of undeserved misfortunes. He has applied, by letter, both to Mr. Surface and Charles: from the former he has received nothing but evasive promises of future service, while Charles has done all that his extravagence has left him power to do; and he is, at this time, endeavouring to raise a sum of money, part of which, in the midst of his own distresses, I know he intends for the service of poor Stanley. Sir Oliver Ah! he is my brother’s son. Sir Peter Well, but how is Sir Oliver personally to⁠— Rowley

Why, sir, I will inform Charles and his brother, that Stanley has obtained permission to apply personally to his friends; and, as they have neither of them ever seen him, let Sir Oliver assume his character, and he will have a fair opportunity of judging, at least, of the benevolence of their dispositions: and believe me, sir, you will find in the youngest brother one who, in the midst of folly and dissipation, has still as our immortal bard expresses it⁠—

“a heart to pity, and a hand,
Open as day, for melting charity.”

Sir Peter Pshaw! What signifies his having an open hand or purse either, when he has nothing left to give? Well, well⁠—make the trial, if you please. But where is the fellow whom you brought for Sir Oliver to examine, relative to Charles’s affairs? Rowley Below, waiting his commands, and no one can give him better intelligence. — This, Sir Oliver, is a friendly Jew, who, to do him justice, has done everything in his power to bring your nephew to a proper sense of his extravagance. Sir Peter Pray let us have him in. Rowley Desire Mr. Moses to walk upstairs. Apart to Servant. Sir Peter But, pray, why should you suppose he will speak the truth? Rowley Oh, I have convinced him that he has no chance of recovering certain sums advanced to Charles but through the bounty of Sir Oliver, who he knows is arrived; so that you may depend on his fidelity to his own interests. I have also another evidence in my power, one Snake, whom I have detected in a matter little short of forgery, and shall shortly produce to remove some of your prejudices, Sir Peter, relative to Charles and Lady Teazle. Sir Peter I have heard too much on that subject. Rowley Here comes the honest Israelite. — Enter Moses. —This is Sir Oliver. Sir Oliver Sir, I