[Page]

BURLETTA. THE WOMAN OF SPIRIT.

1770.

Distort
Mr. Bannister
Councellor Latitat
Mr. Reinhold
Endorse
Master Cheney
Lady Tempest
Mr. Thompson
[Page][Page 81]

THE WOMAN OF SPIRIT.

ACT I. SCENE I.

LADY TEMPEST AND LATITAT.
LATITAT.

I tell you Lady Tempest

LADY TEMPEST.

And I tell you Mr. Latitat in shall not be. I'll have no Society of Antiquaries meet here: None but the honourable Members of the Coterie shall assemble here you shall know.

[Page 82]
LATITAT.

Suspend your rage, Lady Tempest, and let me open my brief have you not this day, moved by the instigation of the Devil, and not having the fear of God before your eyes, wilfully and wittingly, and maliciously driven all my friends out of my house. Was it done like a Woman of Quality?

LADY TEMPEST.

It was done like a Woman of Spirit: A character, it shall ever be my task to maintain.

AIR.
1 Away with your maxims, and dull formal rules
2 The shackles of pleasure, and trammels of fools;
3 For Wisdom and Prudence I care not a straw
4 I'll act, as I please, for my Will is my Law.
[Page 83]
LATITAT.

But upon my soul Madam I have one more consideration which should especially move you to bridle your passion: for it spoils your face. When you knocked down Lord Rust with the Bust of Marcus Aurelius, you looked the very picture of the Alecto last taken out of the Herculaneum.

AIR.
5 Passion worse than age will plow
6 Furrows on the frowning brow:
7 Rage and passion will disgrace
8 Every beauty of the face:
9 Whil'st good nature will supply
10 Beauties, which can never die.
LADY TEMPEST.

Mr. Latitat I wont be abused Did I for this condescend to forget my quality and marry[Page 84] such a Tautology of Nothing I will not be abused.

SCENE [II].

DISTORT, LATITAT, LADY TEMPEST.
DISTORT.

Pray Madam what has enraged you? May I have the honour of knowing.

LATITAT.

Mr. Distort shall be our Referee.

LADY TEMPEST.

That is, if I please Sir.

[Page 85]
LATITAT.

Pray my Lady let me state the case, and you may afterwards make a reply you must know Sir.

LADY TEMPEST.

Yes, Sir, you must know, this morning, Mr. Latitat had invited all his antiquated friends Lord Rust, Horatio Trefoil, Col. Tragedus, Professor Vase and Countefeit the Jew to sit upon a brass half-penny, which being a little worn, they have agreed, Nem. Con. to be an Otho.

LATITAT.

And it is further necessary to be known, that, while we were all warm in debate upon the premises, my Lady made a forcible entry into the parlour, and seizing an antique Bust of Marcus Aurelius, of malice propense, and afore thought,[Page 86] did with three blows of the said Bust, knock down Anthony Viscount Rust, and

LADY TEMPEST.

And drove them all out of the house.

LATITAT.

And furthermore

LADY TEMPEST.

Silence Mr. Latitat, I insist on the priviledge of an English Wife.

LATITAT.

And moreover

DISTORT.

Nay Councellor, as I am your Referee, I command[Page 87] silence: Pray what do you lay your damages at?

LATITAT.

My Lady has in her cabinet a Jupiter Tonans, which in spite of all my endeavours to open her eyes, she persists in calling an Indian Pagod, and upon condition of my receiving that, I drop the prosecution.

DISTORT (aside to Lady.)

'Tis a trifle Madam let him have it, it may turn to account.

LADY TEMPEST.

A very toy: He shall have it instantly on condition I have the use of my tongue.

[Page 88]
AIR.
11 What are all your favourite joys
* So it stands in the Original, erased.
12 What are our pleasures.

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About this text

Title (in Source Edition): BURLETTA. THE WOMAN OF SPIRIT. 1770.
Themes:
Genres: prose poem; song; burlesque

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Source edition

Chatterton, Thomas, 1752-1770. A Supplement to the Miscellanies of Thomas Chatterton London: printed for T. Becket, in Pall-Mall; Bookseller to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and Their Royal Highnesses the Princes. MDCCLXXXIV., 1784, pp. []-88. [6],ii,88p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T48948; OTA K045459.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Harding C 696 (1)].)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

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