Comedy (1676) describing the rapacity of life in England during the reign of Charles II.
Manly, the misanthropic "plain dealer," embittered by the hypocrisy of court and social life, has returned to London after the sinking of his ship. Before sailing, he had left his fortune with his fiancée Olivia and entrusted her to the care of his only friend, Vernish. Now he visits Olivia, accompanied by his page, who is in fact the heiress Fidelia disguised as a boy. Olivia tells Manly she is married and her unnamed husband (Vernish) has his fortune; during the interview she becomes infatuated with the page.
Determined to avenge himself by cuckolding her husband and not knowing that his own "page" loves him deeply, Manly sends Fidelia to Olivia to arrange an assignation. Hiding nearby during the meeting of the page and Olivia, he hears himself denounced by Olivia. He next meets Vernish and, unaware that he is Olivia's husband, discloses his former relations with Olivia. Vernish, now suspicious of Olivia's present constancy and hoping to trap her with a lover, pretends that he is going away.
That night Manly and the page return to Olivia. Vernish, however, is lying in wait. The two friends fight, Manly wins and as Olivia tries to escape with the jewels and money, Manly takes them from her. In the scuffle, Fidelia's true identity is revealed. Impressed by her loyalty and beauty, Manly proposes to her, and she accepts; together they plan to start life anew in the West Indies.