The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume IV

In Short

This volume collects four Restoration comedies by Aphra Behn—Sir Patient Fancy, The Amorous Prince, The Widow Ranter, and The Younger Brother—edited by Montague Summers. Set in domestic bedrooms, Italian courtly halls, and colonial Virginia, the plays follow young lovers, scheming heirs, and absurd fops as they hustle for money, romantic freedom, and matrimonial survival. Through disguises, nocturnal escapades, dark bedchambers, and armed showdowns, Behn skewers hypocrites, Puritan pretenders, and greedy parents. Her work endures for its sharp comic timing, vibrant dialogue, and pioneering place in English theater as the output of the nation’s first professional female playwright.

The Story

The collection opens with Sir Patient Fancy, where the hypochondriac Puritan knight Sir Patient Fancy is systematically outwitted by his young wife, Lady Fancy. While Sir Patient obsesses over imaginary diseases and hides eight thousand pounds in gold behind his study's wainscot, Lady Fancy conducts a passionate affair with her lover Wittmore. Meanwhile, the foolish suitor Sir Credulous Easy is duped into delivering ridiculous serenades involving bagpipes, tongs, and gridirons. Through dark rooms, mistaken identities, and fake astrologers, the lovers navigate jealous parents and strict guardians to secure their preferred matches, leaving the old knight foolishly oblivious to the cuckoldry around him.

The scene shifts to Florence in The Amorous Prince, a romance of political and erotic tension. Prince Frederick pursues the virtuous Laura, sister to Lorenzo and beloved of the noble Curtius. Lorenzo, frequently drunk in order to handle his stubborn father, brings the Prince directly into his home while balancing his own comedic tests for prospective servants. Meanwhile, Curtius struggles with deep irresolution as he plots revenge against the Prince, torn between the ties of sacred friendship and his obligation to protect his sister and honor. Dueling bravos, masked curtezans, and Neapolitan henchmen assemble in the shadows, escalating the drama until honour and love find their uneasy balance.

In The Widow Ranter, the action moves across the Atlantic to colonial Virginia, blending high-stakes rebellion with high-spirited comedy. The brave rebel Bacon leads an unsanctioned war against native forces, while the fearless, punch-drinking Widow Ranter fights wildly alongside her suitor Daring, even donning armor to join the fray. Simultaneously, a trio of absurdly corrupt and cowardly justices of the peace—Dullman, Timorous, and Whiff—attempt to enforce order, only to be dragged into battles, pricked on by soldiers' swords, and terrified by their own shadows. Through midnight tent raids, tavern brawls, and drinking bouts, true lovers reunite while the cowardly magistrates retreat to safety.

Finally, The Younger Brother presents the romantic chaos of London society. George and his impecunious allies maneuver through a tangle of secret billets, masked dances, and family rivalries. Young rakes prefer the reckless freedom of breaking windows and drinking to the unrewarding life of a impoverished wit. Through clever assignations, male disguises, and sudden duels, the younger generation outsmarts aging suitors like Lady Youthly and Sir Rowland, securing both fortune and true affection before the night ends.

How It Unfolds

A silent serenade Lodwick persuades the foolish Sir Credulous to serenade his mistress using the most absurd noises available, including bagpipes, tongs, and gridirons. Sir Credulous happily leaves to borrow the instruments, hoping an extravagant racket will win his lady's favor over more traditional flutes and viols.

An affair in the dark Maundy leads Lodwick into a pitch-black chamber where Lady Fancy awaits her secret lover, Wittmore. Confused by her immediate romantic overtures, Lodwick hesitates in the darkness, terrified and astonished by the unexpected temptation before realizing a mistake in identity has occurred.

Drunk to edify a father Lorenzo arrives thoroughly intoxicated before Prince Frederick, admitting he drank six cups of wine out of sheer malice toward his testy father. He insists that only while fortified by potent wine can he force his father to listen to reason regarding his sister Laura’s courtship.

A test of servant's valor Lorenzo interviews the rustic Gulliver for a servant position, testing his abilities in dancing, horse riding, and fencing. After learning Gulliver can only "thrash" and play bagpipes, Lorenzo demands to know if the lad possesses the natural, undaunted bravery required to take beatings on his master's behalf.

Justice on the Sevana In Virginia, the corrupt justices Dullman, Whimsey, and Timorous attempt to fine a gentleman for drawing his sword, ignoring his explanations until they learn he is related to a colonel. Their judicial proceedings degenerate into continuous drinking and mutual accusations of cowardice.

Pricked into battle Retreating from enemy forces, the cowardly magistrates encounter Hazard and Friendly, who force them to turn around and search for captive ladies. When the justices try to slip away home, soldiers physically prick them forward with swords to drive them into the front lines.

Lessons in wit and rakehells Sir Morgan and Sir Merlin stumble home drunk, debating whether it is better to be a wealthy rake or a needy wit. They conclude that needy wits merely flatter rich patrons to devour their wealth, whereas rakes enjoy real pleasures without relying on third-day play profits.

A challenge in disguise At a masked gathering, Olivia hands Welborn a soft challenge on behalf of a mystery woman seeking matrimony. Welborn expresses deep cynicism toward ladies of quality and maids alike, until he learns of the lady's immense ten-thousand-pound fortune.

The People

• Sir Patient Fancy: A wealthy, hypocritical Puritan knight who suffers from imaginary illnesses and relies on perpetual physic. He seeks to control his household and lock away eight thousand pounds in gold, but his gullibility leaves him completely blind to his young wife's infidelity and his nephew's scheming.
• Lady Fancy: The beautiful, clever young wife of Sir Patient. She desires romance and luxury with her secret lover Wittmore, utilizing night-time trysts, dark chambers, and false tears of affection to manipulate her elderly husband into revealing his hidden fortunes.
• Lorenzo: An extravagant, quick-witted Italian gentleman who uses heavy drinking as a tool to override his stubborn father's authority. He wants to secure a good match for his sister Laura while navigating his own chaotic love affairs and hiring bizarrely unqualified servants.
• Curtius: A noble Florentine lover torn between sacred friendship for Prince Frederick and revenge for his lost love. He struggles with deep irresolution as he hires Neapolitan bravos and arranges masked trysts, ultimately striving to defend his family's honor without ruining the entire dukedom.
• The Widow Ranter: A fierce, independent, punch-drinking widow in colonial Virginia who scorns conventional feminine modesty. She wants to protect and marry her beloved Daring, going so far as to put on armor and fight fiercely side-by-side with men in battle.
• Hazard and Friendly: A pair of adventurous, sharp-witted gentlemen navigating the dangers of colonial politics and romance. They want to rescue their lovers from military encampments, using their swords to bully cowardly local magistrates into serving as front-line meat.
• Sir Merlin and Sir Morgan: A pair of boisterous, wine-loving rakes who roam the town singing drunken catches, insulting aging matrons, and mocking impoverished poets. They seek pure pleasure and financial security while avoiding the legal traps of marriage and the judgment of their strict fathers.

In Its Own Voice

"Why, you shall this Night give your Mistress a Serenade... but it must be perform’d after an Extravagant manner, none of your dull amorous Night-walking Noises so familiar in this Town..."

Lodwick proposes a bizarre musical scheme to Sir Credulous in Sir Patient Fancy to help him court his lady with maximum noise.

"I’ll tell you, 'tis necessary those of my Office and Quality should have more Virtues Than one to recommend them; But to tell you truth, for now I am most apt for that, I was drunk in mere Malice to day."

Lorenzo explains his heavy drinking to Prince Frederick in The Amorous Prince, claiming intoxication is the only way to handle his stubborn father.

"Justice may nod, but never sleeps, Brother-- you were at--Deliver his Sword--a good Motion, let it be done."

Justice Dullman rouses himself from a sleep on the bench in The Widow Ranter to deliver an arbitrary verdict against a gentleman.

"Why, the needy Rogues only feed him with Praise, to fatten him for their Palates, and then devour him."

Sir Morgan advises Sir Merlin in The Younger Brother on why a wealthy man should avoid trying to pass as a professional literary wit.

What It's Really About

Beneath the frantic stage business, Behn’s plays offer a sharp critique of authority, financial coercion, and social hypocrisy. She consistently targets forced marriages and elderly guardians who treat young women as commodities or domestic property. In her world, virtue is rarely rewarded if it lacks cunning; survival and happiness require sharp intellect, theatrical deception, and a willingness to break rigid moral codes. Behn exposes the double standards applied to female desire, contrasting the austere rhetoric of Puritans and magistrates with their actual corruption and greed. Whether set in London, Florence, or Virginia, the plays argue that youth, passion, and quick-witted adaptability will—and should—triumph over outdated laws, tyrannical parents, and cowardly institutions.

Why Read It Today

Aphra Behn’s drama offers an unmatched window into the vibrant, cynical, and utterly theatrical world of the English Restoration. Reading her work today reveals a playwright of astonishing versatility, capable of shifting from high-flying Italian romance to chaotic colonial farce without losing her relentless comic momentum. Readers who enjoy sharp dialogue, complex romantic intrigues, and unsparing social satire will find these plays thoroughly entertaining.

The collection does present distinct historical difficulties for a modern audience. The plays are structured around intricate Restoration stage conventions, relying heavily on sudden disguises, dark rooms, and period-specific slang. Readers must also navigate seventeenth-century attitudes toward class, violence, and colonial rule, alongside archaic references to puritanical speech habits and localized legal jargon. Furthermore, the editorial notes record numerous textual irregularities and historical cuts from early printings. Yet for those willing to engage with its period quirks, this volume delivers a vibrant experience. Behn’s dialogue crackles with immediate energy, her women are strikingly active agents rather than passive prizes, and her comedic timing remains remarkably intact across the centuries.