rendezvous that
evening with Willmore, is accidentally anticipated by La Nuche, who runs
into the garden during a night brawl between Beaumond and the Rover,
each of whom is ignorant of his opponent's personality. Both the
combatants encounter the courtezan in the garden and are joined by
Ariadne. The confusion and mistakes that ensue are augmented by the
arrival of Beaumond's page and eventually all disperse in different
directions. La Nuche returns to her house, where Fetherfool-- led on by
the Duenna-- awaits her. Carlo, however, come thither for the same
purpose, enters the chambers, and after they have fallen to fisticuffs,
Fetherfool in a fright escapes through a window. Meanwhile La Nuche is
engaged with Willmore; Beaumond interrupts, and both leave her in
pretended disdain. Ariadne, purposing to meet the Rover, mistakes
Beaumond for him in the dark and they hurry away to the quack's house.
Here, however, Fetherfool has already arrived and, finding the Giantess
asleep, robs her of a pearl necklace; but he is alarmed by Shift, who
takes her off and promptly weds her, whilst Hunt does the same by the
Dwarf. Blunt next appears leading Petronella, veiled, who, filching a
casket of jewels, has just fled from La Nuche; but the hag is discovered
and compelled to disgorge. The Jewish Guardian is reconciled to the
marriages of his wards; Beaumond and Ariadne, Willmore and La Nuche
arrive, and the various mistakes with regard to identity are rectified,
Willmore incidentally revealing himself as the sham mountebank. Beaumond
and Ariadne agree to marry, whilst La Nuche gives herself to the Rover.

SOURCE.

Induced by the extraordinary success of _The Rover_ in 1677, Mrs. Behn,
four years later, turned again to Killigrew's _Thomaso; or, The
Wanderer_, and produced a sequel to her play. She had, however, already
made good use of the best points of the old comedy, and the remaining
material only being that which her judgment first rejected, it is not a
matter of surprise to find the second part of _The Rover_ somewhat
inferior to the first. This is by no means to say that it is not an
amusing comedy full of bustle and humour. The intrigue of Willmore and
La Nuche, together with the jocantries of the inimitable Blunt, Nick
Fetherfool, and the antique Petronella Elenora, are all alive with the
genius of Astrea, although it may be possibly objected that some of the
episodes with the two Monsters and the pranks of Harlequ