Captain Manly . [S]peaking well of all Mankind is the worst kind of Detraction; for it takes away the Reputation of a few good Men in the World, by making all alike. Now, I speak ill of most Men, because they deserve it; I that can do a rude thing, rather than an unjust thing.

Lord Plausible . Well, tell not me, my dear Friend, what People deserve; I ne'er mind that: I, like an Author in a Dedication, never speak well of a Man for his sake, but my own; I will not disparage any Man, to disparage myself: For to speak ill of People behind their Backs, is not like a Person of Honour; and truly, to speak ill of 'em to their Faces, is not like a complaisant Person. But if I did say or do an ill thing to any Body, it shou'd be sure to be behind their Backs, out of pure good Manners.

Captain Manly . Very well; but I, than am an unmannerly Sea-Fellow, if I ever speak well of People (which is very seldom indeed) it shou'd be sure to be behind their Backs; and if I shou'd say or do ill to any, it shou'd be to their Faces. I wou'd jostle a proud, strutting, over-looking Coxcomb, at the Head of his Sycophants, rather than put out my Tongue at him when he was past me; wou'd frown in the arrogant, big, dull Face of an over-grown Knave of Business, rather than vent my Spleen against him when his Back were turn'd. (Act I, Scene I)

Basic set up:

In the first scene of the play, Captain Manly (tee-hee-hee, what a name—we think of him as looking like the lumberjack on the Brawny packaging), the hero of the comedy, tells Lord Plausible that he thinks most people totally suck. Does he hate them because they're not as manly as he is?

In the conversation with Lord Plausible (bahahah—these names) above, we get a real taste of Captain Manly's personality. He doesn't like people. Or, he doesn't like most people. And he's not shy about sharing his negative views.

Captain Manly, in other words, is a misanthrope. Manly's character is based on Alceste, the main protagonist in The Misanthrope, a play by the French playwright Molière. Wycherley's comedy, in other words, is very heavily influenced by the work of Molière. We see this influence most clearly in Captain Manly's misanthropic views.

There's a lot of wit in the dialogue above. For example, Captain Manly says, "I speak ill of most Men, because they deserve it; I that can do a rude thing, rather than an unjust thing." Here Manly very wittily draws a distinction between rudeness and injustice. It's better to be rude than unjust, even if that means pissing off a lot of people.

The excerpt also gives us a good sense of Manly's character through the contrast with Lord Plausible. Lord Plausible is worried about looking good in front of people: that's why he'd never dare to be rude to their faces. Captain Manly says it straight, without worrying about what people will think of him. Captain Manly is a misanthrope, Lord Plausible isn't.