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Seu tristis veniam, seu contra lætus amicis:
Quicquid ero, dicam-spes causa fuit.

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District of New York, ss. Be it remembered, that on the fifth day of January, in the thirty-second year of the Independence of the United States of America, David Longworth, of the said district, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit: The Trust, a comedy, in five acts, by Charles Breck," in conformity to the act of the congress of the United States, entitled, "An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned," and also to an act, entitled, "An act supplementary to an act, entitled, An act for the encouragemént of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints."

EDWARD DUNSCOMBE,

Glerk of the District of New-York.

822.8

B83 tr

Wegelin
12-16-36
33075

THE following attempt was hazarded after a perusal of various satirical dramas in blank verse, and the consequent extinction of a prejudice I had once entertained against comedy in this form.

Lest I any where appear to harbour indiscriminate and illiberal suspicions, the reader is apprized that one of the most virtuous personages of the piece is considered as of foreign birth and education; and that the tendency in two of the other characters to personal imposture exposes a circumstance which sometimes only occurs, while it forms a trait whose union (though surely not incongruous) with the peculiarities of either character, has not been derived from any prototype in real life. These few expla natory remarks are all that seem requisite when closed with an assurance to the fairer part of humanity, that an endeavour should be made to conciliate their forgiveness, were I positive that my cavils would at all be remembered but to create a comparative value in the more frequent and no less sincere indi cations of my respect.

C. B.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

ᎪᎷᏴᎬᎡᎢ .

MR. COURLAND.
HARRY COURLAND.
FREDERIC WORLACE.
MR. PRIMEVAL.

INFERENCE.

MOONSHINE.

ROBERT.

LOOBIN.

LOUISA COURLAND.

LUCRETIA PRIMEVAL.

HEBE.

DOROTHY.

Servants, a Sheriff's Officer, &c.

THE TRUST.

ACT I

SCENE 1-An apartment in ROBERT's cottage.

ROBERT and HEBE.

Hebe. Robert, you seem as sad as the strange gentleman Ambert who has lately come to live in our neighbourhood what makes you look so gloomy?

Robert. Cloudy weather, cloudy weather!

Hebe. Why I thought that woman only had a right to be troubled with the vapours in cloudy weather.

Robert. Woman has a right to be troubled with any thing.

Hebe. Oh no, Robert: woman certainly possesses some share of fortitude.

Robert. Yes, a wonderful deal: she shows it every step she takes- -only ask her shoemaker. Hebe. Well, well- -But, Robert, you look so gloomy. Robert. Ah, in a country like ours, where we have zo much zunshine, dang it, every cloudy day

Hebe. Should make us mindful of the pleasant one that's past.

Robert. Zo it should, zo it should; and yet I can't help thinking if I had been born in a fog, I could bear much better than I do, to zee the storm that's gathering. Hebe. Storm? I see nothing like a storm.

Robert. Come hither; and I will tell you how long it has been hatching: you remember that about six

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