PURSENET

The gallant Geraldine woos the mercer’s daughter Gertrude. She is attracted to him, but feigns lack of interest. Her father, Sir Lionel, is newly knighted at court. He plans to give up life as a tradesman and leaves Spendall to run his shop. Spendall is prodigal with the shop’s money: he sups with a whore and her associates, borrows money, gambles, and_ lives extravagantly. Staines is in the clutches of a usurer, his servant Bubble’s uncle, and plans to cut and run: he dismisses Bubble and is about to flee London when news arrives that the usurer is dead. Bubble inherits the estate, hires his former master as a servant, and plans, with his advice, to make himself a gallant. Staines intends to bilk his money back from Bubble and then use it buy back his lands once Bubble is forced by prodigality to sell them. Bubble sends him to buy new clothes, but Staines wears them himself and uses the money to gamble; Bubble himself joins the game as one of his opponents. Staines cheats with false dice, but is discovered by Spendall. They fight a duel; after both sustain slight wounds, they become friends. Sir Lionel plans to marry Gertrude to Bubble, hoping to get control of his inheritance. Her sister Joyce tries to get her to accept Geraldine, but she is _ steadfast. Joyce tells Geraldine that Gertrude does love | him, and he induces her to reveal her true feelings by feigning suicide. Bubble comes to Sir Lionel’s house to woo Gertrude, but Staines advises him that the best way to win the ladies’ admiration is to dispraise himself — so he makes a fool of himself. Even so, Sir Lionel continues with his plans — though now Bubble’s wife is to be Joyce, while Gertrude is destined for Scattergood, another gallant. Joyce herself is attracted to Staines, but she too is reluctant to act on it. Her brother Will gets Staines a fashionable suit in place of his servant’s blue coat and brings him to see Joyce, but at first she will not speak; when she does, it is to insult him at great length, making him wish he could shut her up again. Spendall is arrested for debt. He tries to get money from his whore with which to bribe the sergeants, but she will not admit to knowing him. He is taken to prison, where he sells all his clothes; but this fails to clear the debt. A widow hears about his case from Sir Lionel and charitably pays his debts; released, he takes her generosity as evidence of sexual interest, and plans to woo her. The night before the double wedding, she stays at Sir…