For
the rogue will speak aloud in the posture of a whisper, and deny a
woman's name while he gives you the marks of her person. He will
forswear receiving a letter from her, and at the same time show you
her hand in the superscription: and yet perhaps he has
counterfeited the hand too, and sworn to a truth; but he hopes not
to be believed, and refuses the reputation of a lady's favour, as a
Doctor says no to a Bishopric only that it may be granted him. In
short, he is public professor of secrecy, and makes proclamation
that he holds private intelligence.--He's here.
SCENE XI.
[To them] TATTLE.
TATT. Valentine, good morrow; Scandal, I am yours: --that is, when
you speak well of me.
SCAN. That is, when I am yours; for while I am my own, or anybody's
else, that will never happen.
TATT. How inhuman!
VAL. Why Tattle, you need not be much concerned at anything that he
says: for to converse with Scandal, is to play at losing loadum;
you must lose a good name to him before you can win it for yourself.
TATT. But how barbarous that is, and how unfortunate for him, that
the world shall think the better of any person for his calumniation!
I thank heaven, it has always been a part of my character to handle
the reputations of others very tenderly indeed.
SCAN. Ay, such rotten reputations as you have to deal with are to
be handled tenderly indeed.
TATT. Nay, but why rotten? Why should you say rotten, when you
know not the persons of whom you speak? How cruel that is!
SCAN.
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