SCAN. A mender of reputations! Ay, just as he is a keeper of
secrets, another virtue that he sets up for in the same manner. 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.