Pist. Shall I sir Pandarus of Troy become, And by my side wear steel? then, Lucifer take all ! Nym. I will run no base humour: here, take the humour letter; I will keep the 'haviour of reputation. Fal. Hold, sirrah, [to Rob.] bear you these letters tightly; Sail like my pinnace1 to these golden shores.- And high and low beguile the rich and poor;2 Nym. I have operations in my head, which be hu mours of revenge. Pist. Wilt thou revenge ? Nym. By welkin, and her star ! Pist. With wit, or steel ? Nym. With both the humours, I: I will discuss the humour of this love to Page. 9 1 How Falstaff, varlet vile, bear you these letters tightly;] i. e. cleverly, adroitly. my pinnace - A pinnace seems anciently to have signified a small vessel, or sloop attending on a larger. A pinnace, now, is a small vessel with a square stern, having sails and oars, and carrying three masts; chiefly used as a scout for intelligence, and for landing of men. 2 - for gourd, and fullam holds, And high and low beguile the rich and poor :) Gourds were probably dice in which a secret cavity had been made; fullams, those which had been loaded with a small bit of lead, which, being chiefly made at Fulham, were thence called "high and low Fulhams." The high Fulhams were the numbers, 4, 5, and 6. His dove will prove, his gold will hold, Nym. My humour shall not cool: I will incense Page3 to deal with poison; I will possess him with yellowness, for the revolt of mien is dangerous: that is my true humour. Pist. Thou art the Mars of malcontents: I second thee; troop on. SCENE IV. A Room in Dr. Caius's House. [Exeunt. Enter Mrs. QUICKLY, SIMPLE, and Rugby. Quick. What; John Rugby!-I pray thee, go to the casement, and see if you can see my master, master Doctor Caius, coming: if he do, i'faith, and find any body in the house, here will be an old abusing of God's patience, and the king's English. Rug. I'll go watch. [Exit RUGBY. Quick. Go; and we'll have a posset for't soon at night, in faith, at the latter end of a sea-coal fire. An honest, willing, kind fellow, as ever servant shall come in house withal; and, I warrant you, no tell-tale, nor no breed-bate: his worst fault is, that he is given to prayer; he is something peevish that way; but nobody but has his fault; -but let that pass. Peter Simple, you say your name is? Sim. Ay, for fault of a better. Quick. And master Slender's your master ? $ I will incense Page, &c.] i. e. instigate. 4 5 6 7 yellowness,] Yellowness is jealousy. the revolt of mien-] i. e. change of countenance. no breed-bate:] Bate is an obsolete word, signifying Quick. Does he not wear a great round beard, like a glover's paring knife ? Sim. No, forsooth: he hath but a little wee face, with a little yellow beard; a Cain-coloured beard. Quick. A softly-sprighted man, is he not? Sim. Ay, forsooth: but he is as tall a man of his hands, as any is between this and his head; he hath fought with a warrener. Quick. How say you?-O, I should remember him; Does he not hold up his head, as it were? and strut in his gait ? Sim. Yes, indeed, does he. Quick. Well, heaven send Anne Page no worse fortune! Tell master parson Evans, I will do what I can for your master: Anne is a good girl, and I wish Re-enter RUGBY. Rug. Out, alas! here comes my master. Quick. We shall all be shent:1 Run in here, good young man; go into this closet. [Shuts SIMPLE in the closet.] He will not stay long. -What, John Rugby! John, what, John, I say!-Go, John, go enquire for my master; I doubt, he be not well, that he comes not home :- and down, down, adowna, &c. [Sings. Enter Doctor CAIUS.2 Caius. Vat is you sing ? I do not like dese toys; Pray you, go and vetch me in my closet un boitier 8 little. 9 a little wee face,] Wee, in the north, signifies very - a Cain-coloured beard.] Cain and Judas, in the tapes tries and pictures of old, were represented with yellow beards. We shall all be shent:] i. e. Scolded, roughly treated. 2 Enter Doctor Caius.] It has been thought strange that our author should take the name of Caius [an eminent physician, who flourished in the reign of Elizabeth, and founder of Caius College verd; a box, a green-a box; Do intend vat I speak? a green-a box. Quick. Ay, forsooth, I'll fetch it you. I am glad he went not in himself: if he had found the young man, he would have been horn-mad. [Aside. Caius. Fe, fe, fe, fe! ma foi, il fait fort chaud. Je m'envais à la Cour, la grand affaire. Quick. Is it this, sir? Caius. Ouy; mette le au mon pocket; Depeche, quickly :-Vere is dat knave Rugby? Quick. What, John Rugby! John! Rug. Here, sir. Caius. You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby: Come, take-a your rapier, and come after my heel to de court. Rug. 'Tis ready, sir, here in the porch. Caius. By my trot, I tarry too long :-Od's me! Qu'ay j'oublié? dere is some simples in my closet, dat I vill not for the varld I shall leave behind. Quick. Ah me! he'll find the young man there, and be mad! Caius. O diable, diable! vat is in my closet?Villainy! larron! [Pulling SIMPLE out.] Rugby, my rapier. Quick. Good master, be content. Quick. The young man is an honest man. Caius. Vat shall de honest man do in my closet? dere is no honest man dat shall come into my closet. Quick. I beseech you, be not so flegmatick; hear the truth of it: He came of an errand to me from parson Hugh. in our University) for his Frenchman in this comedy; but Shakspeare was little acquainted with literary history; and without doubt, from this unusual name, supposed him to have been a foreign quack. Add to this, that the doctor was handed down as a kind of Rosicrucian: Mr. Ames had in MS. one of the "Secret Writings of Dr. Caius. FARMER. R2 Caius. Vell. Sim. Ay, forsooth, to desire her to Quick. Peace, I pray you. Caius. Peace-a your tongue :-Speak-a your tale. Sim. To desire this honest gentlewoman, your maid, to speak a good word to Mrs. Anne Page for my master, in the way of marriage. Quick. This is all, indeed, la; but I'll ne'er put my finger in the fire, and need not. Caius. Sir Hugh send-a you?-Rugby, baillez me some paper: Tarry you a little-a while. [Writes. Quick. I am glad he is so quiet: if he had been thoroughly moved, you should have heard him so loud, and so melancholy; -But notwithstanding, man, I'll do your master what good I can: and the very yea and the no is, the French doctor, my master,-I may call him my master, look you, for I keep his house; and I wash, wring, brew, bake, scour, dress meat and drink, make the beds, and do all myself; Sim. 'Tis a great charge, to come under one body's hand. Quick. Are you avis'd o'that? you shall find it a great charge: and to be up early and down late ;but notwithstanding, (to tell you in your ear; I would have no words of it ;) my master himself is in love with mistress Anne Page: but notwithstanding that, I know Anne's mind, that's neither here nor there. Caius. You jack'nape; give-a dis letter to sir Hugh; by gar, it is a shallenge: I vill cut his troat in de park; and I vill teach a scurvy jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make :-you may be gone; it is not good you tarry here :-by gar, I vill cut all his two stones; by gar he shall not have a stone to trow at his dog. [Exit SIMPLE. Quick. Alas, he speaks but for his friend. |