this caricature of the poet. A few years earlier in his Gray's Inn Journal, Murphy had shown himself appreciative of the works of Akenside and Shaftesbury;[9] and Murphy does not lampoon Akenside's personality as Smollett had done in Peregrine Pickle (1751). Furthermore, though Murphy mocks the concept that ridicule is the test of truth by Florid's defense, this Shaftesburian idea that Akenside vigorously upheld is approved of in another play by Murphy, Know Your Own Mind. This time the hypocrite Malvil, when exposed by ridicule, insists that it is no fair test of truth. Perhaps, because of Murphy's recent familiarity with the poet and the philosopher, he saw a possibility of raising a laugh through parody, but he never meant to indicate his disapproval of either man.

Murphy's play is a plea for good sense—for all classes of society to avoid extreme behavior. The upper classes tend to be affected or unthinking, boorish pranksters; the lower classes can degenerate into a brutal, capricious mob. Murphy shows that there is room in the English way of life for tolerance, good sense, and patriotism. There was a need for this view in 1756 when riots against the French were common, and it took some skill to write a play that seemed to confirm national prejudices at the beginning and thus insure a hearing and to end by gently exposing those prejudices to ridicule. Had Murphy not been disheartened by Foote's competition, this play might have had its share of success.

In trying to retain the flavor of the manuscript, I have altered mainly those aspects which would interfere with an easy comprehension of the piece. To that end I have broken up run-on sentences when it seemed to me that the point was lost in the ramble, though when the meaning was clear I made no changes, because the lack of a full stop preserved the natural flow of spoken words. The dashes were also kept when they gave an indication of the rhythm and flow of dialogue, but when the meaning became confused other punctuation was substituted to preserve the sense. The erratic capitalization of the play was kept for nouns and compound nouns, but capitals always replaced lower case letters for the first letter of a sentence. The original eighteenth-century spelling was retained, but obvious misspellings were corrected. The mangled French of Jack, who is not supposed to be fluent in that language, was not touched, but the French of the Abbé and the French servants was corrected. All stage directions have been given in parentheses, and legible but crossed out sections of dialogue in italics. All editorial insertions have been placed within brackets.

Queensborough Community College,
The City University of New York

THE ENGLISHMAN FROM PARIS[10]

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

SIR ROBERT BROUGHTON Mr. Burton

JACK BROUGHTON Mr. Woodward

QUICKSETT, A Country Gentleman, Father to Harriet Mr. Bransby

FLORID, A Philosopher and Tutor to young Broughton Mr. Yates

M. MILLAMOUR, A French Abbé Mr. Blakes

BOB WILDFIRE Mr. Palmer

HARRY FOXCHASE Mr. Beard

ROGER Mr. Clough

SIDEBOARD Mr. Jefferson

FRENCH SERVANTS, MOB, ETC.

LADY BETTY MOCKMODE Mrs. Clive

HARRIET, Daughter to Quicksett Miss Miles[11]

ACT the I^st

(SIR ROBERT BROUGHTON and MR. QUICKSETT)

Quicksett. Why as to that matter, Sir Robert, I esteem you as my old Acquaintance, and I had as soon marry my Daughter into Sir Robert Broughton's Family, as any Family in England.

Sir Robert. I flatter myself Mr. Quicksett you can have no reason to blush at the alliance; and then as the young Couple have known one another from their Infancy, and as both our Estates lie contiguous—

Quicksett. Why, as you say, the match in some respects may be a prudent match—your Estate is a fine one, and when Neighbor Hodge's Lease, and Barnaby Guzzledown's, and two or three more of them fall in—but I forgot to tell you, your old Horse Regulus is dead—I saw him last week—he was a fine Animal in his Time. He was a great while drooping, and he died without a groan.

Sir Robert. So my Steward writes me. But Mr. Quicksett, this is wandering from the Point—my Son—

Quicksett. Is a mere Coxcomb, I hear, since I came to Town—I have no Opinion of your French Education.

Sir Robert. Dear Sir, it is the best thing in the World to reform youth.

Quicksett. I don't know that Sir Robert; I have seen a great many hopefull, promising young Men, come home such mere Ragouts. I'll tell you what, Sir Robert—I was hugely pleas'd with one Inscription I once read in a country church-yard. "Here lies John Trott, an honest Man who was never out of his own Country."

Sir Robert. Nay, nay, but I tell you, all accounts from Paris speak very well of the young Man.

Quicksett. Well,