_Friend._ Thou art in the right, and art come just in the nick of time to make thy Fortune.--Wilt thou follow my Advice?
_Haz._ Thou art too honest to command any thing that I shall refuse.
_Friend._ You must know then, there is about a Mile from _James-Town_ a young Gentlewoman--no matter for her Birth, her Breeding’s the best this World affords, she is married to one of the richest Merchants here; he is old and sick, and now gone into _England_ for the recovery of his Health, where he’ll e’en give up the Ghost: he has writ her word he finds no Amendment, and resolves to stay another Year. The letter I accidentally took up, and have about me; ‘tis easily counterfeited, and will be of great use to us.
_Friend._ Well, hear me first, you shall get another Letter writ like this Character, which shall say, you are his Kinsman, that is come to traffick in this Country, and ‘tis his will you should be received into his House as such.
_Friend._ Why, thou art young and handsome, she young and desiring; ’.were easy to make her love thee; and if the old Gentleman chance to die, you guess the rest, you are no Fool.
_Friend._ If--Why, if she love you, that other will be but a slender Bar to thy Happiness; for if thou canst not marry her, thou mayst lie with her: and, Gad, a younger Brother may pick out a pretty Livelihood here that way, as well as in _England_. Or if this fail, thou wilt find a perpetual Visiter, the Widow _Ranter_, a Woman bought from the ship by old Colonel _Ranter_; she served him half a Year, and then he marry’d her, and dying in a Year more, left her worth fifty thousand Pounds Sterling, besides Plate and Jewels: She’s a great Gallant, but assuming the humour of the Country Gentry, her Extravagancy is very pleasant, she retains something of her primitive Quality still, but is good-natur’d and generous.
_Friend._ But I have a further End in this matter; you must know there is in the same House a young Heiress, one Colonel _Downright’s_ Daughter, whom I love, I think not in vain: her Father indeed has an implacable Hatred to me, for which reason I can but seldom visit her, and in this Affair I have need of a Friend in that House.
_Friend._ And thus you’ll have an opportunity to manage both our Amours: Here you will find occasion to shew your Courage, as well as express your Love; for at this time the _Indians_, by our ill Management of Trade, whom we have armed against our selves, very frequently make War upon us with our own Weapons; though often coming by the worst, they are forced to make Peace with us again, but so, as upon every turn they fall to massacring us wherever we lie exposed to them.