To sum up the evidence. A fine gentleman is a fine whoring, swearing, smutty, atheistical man. These qualifications, it seems, complete the idea of honor. They are the top improvements of fortune and the distinguishing glories of birth and breeding! This is the stage-test for quality, and those that can't stand it ought to be disclaimed. The restraints of conscience and the pendantry of virtue are unbecoming a cavalier. Future securities and reaching beyond life are vulgar provisions. If he falls a-thinking at this rate, he forfeits his honor; for his head was only made to run against a post! Here you have a man of breeding and figure that burlesques the Bible, swears, and talks smut to ladies, speaks ill of his friend behind his back, and betrays his interest. A fine gentleman that has neither honesty nor honor, conscience nor manners, good nature nor civil hypocrisy; fine only in the insignificancy of life, the abuse of religion, and the scandals of conversation. These worshipful things are the poet's favorites. They appear at the head of the fashion and shine in character and equipage. If there is any sense stirring, they must have it, though the rest of the stage suffer never so much by the partiality. And what can be the meaning of this wretched distribution of honor? Is it not to give credit and countenance to vice and to shame young people out of all pretense to conscience and regularity? They seem forced to turn lewd in their own defense. They can't otherwise justify themselves to the fashion, nor keep up the character of gentlemen. Thus people not well-furnished with thought and experience are debauched both in practice and principle. And thus religion grows uncreditable and passes for ill education. The stage seldom gives quarter to any thing that's serviceable or significant, but persecutes worth and goodness under every appearance. He that would be safe from their satire must take care to disguise himself in vice and hang out the colors of debauchery. How often is learning, industry, and frugality ridiculed in comedy? The rich citizens are often misers and cuckolds, and the universities, schools of pedantry upon this score. In short, libertinism and profaneness, dressing, idleness, and gallantry, are the only valuable qualities. As if people were not apt enough of themselves to be lazy, lewd, and extravagant unless they were pricked forward and provoked by glory and reputation. Thus the marks of honor and infamy are misapplied, and the ideas of virtue and vice confounded. Thus monstrousness goes for proportion, and the blemishes of human nature make up the beauties of it.
The fine ladies are of the same cut with the gentlemen. Moraima is scandalously rude to her father, helps him to a beating, and runs away with Antonio. Angelia talks saucily to her uncle, and Belinda confesses her inclination for a gallant. And, as I have observed already, the topping ladies in The Mock Astrologer, Spanish Friar, Country Wife, Old Bachelor, Orphan, Double Dealer and Love Triumphant are smutty and sometimes profane.
Mobile users, click here to return to the main page.
