Jul. Because, methinks, that she lov'd you as | But since she did neglect her looking-glass, well As you do love your lady Silvia: She dreams on him that has forgot her love; Alas, poor Proteus, thou hast entertained Enter Silvia, attended. Jul. From my master, Sir Proteus, madam. Sil. Ursula, bring my picture there. Sil. I pray thee let me look on that again. I will not look upon your master's lines: Jul. Madam, he sends your ladyship this ring. Jul. I thank you, madam, that you tender her: Poor gentlewoman! my master wrongs her much. Sil. Dost thou know her? Jul. Almost as well as I do know myself: To think upon her woes, I do protest, That I have wept a hundred several times. Sil. Belike, she thinks that Proteus hath forsook her. Jul. I think, she doth, and that's her cause of sorrow. Sil. Is she not passing fair? Jul. She hath been fairer, madam, than she is: When she did think, my master lov'd her well, She, in my judgment, was as fair as you; And threw her sun-expelling mask away, Jul. About my stature: for, at Pentecost, Sil. She is beholden to thee, gentle youth!Alas, poor lady! desolate and left! I weep myself, to think upon thy words. Here, youth, there is my purse; I give thee this For thy sweet mistress' sake, because thou lov'st her. Farewell. [Erit Silvia. Jul. And she shall thank you for't, if e'er you know her. A virtuong gentlewoman, mild, and beautiful. Her eyes are gray as glass; and so are mine: And, were there sense in this idolatry, I should have scratch'd out your unseeing eyes Pro. O, sir, I find her milder than she was; Thu. I'll wear a boot, to inake it somewhat Pro. But love will not be spurr'd to what it Thu. What says she to my face? Tha. Nay, then the wanton lies; my face is black. Pro. But pearls are fair; and the old saying is, For I had rather wink than look on them. | Aside. Thu. How likes she my discourse? Jul. But better indeed, when you hold your [Aside. Thu. What says she to my valour? Thu. What says she to my birth? Pro. That you are well deriv'd. [Aside. Fear not; he bears an honourable mind, [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Another part of the Forest. Enter Valentine. Val. How use doth breed a habit in a man! Jul. True, from a gentleman to a fool. [Aside. These are my mates, that make their wills their Thu. Considers she my possessions? Pro. O, ay; and pities them. Thu. Wherefore ? Pro. Neither. Duke. Why, then she's fled unto that peasant And Eglamour is in her company. "Tis true, for friar Laurence met them both, At Patrick's cell this even: and there she was not: Despatch, sweet gentlemen, and follow me. [Erit. Sil. O miserable, unhappy that I am! Jul. And me, when he approacheth to your presence. Sil. Had I been seized by a hungry lion, Would I not undergo for one calm look? Read over Julia's heart, thy first best love, Thou hast no faith left now, unless thou hadst two, And that's far worse than none; better have none Than plural faith, which is too much by one: Pro. In love, | Inconstancy falls off, ere it begins: Who respects friend? Pro. I'll force thee to yield to my desire. Pro. Valentine! Val. Thou common friend, that's without faith or love, (For such is a friend now,) treacherous man! hou hast beguil'd my hopes; nought but mine eye Co'd have persuaded me: Now I dare not say me. Who should be trusted now, when one's right| hand Is perjur'd to the bosom? Proteus, 1 am sorry I must never trust thee more, curst! Mongst all foes, that a friend should be the worst! I tender it here; I do as truly suffer, Val. Then I am paid; And once again I do receive thee honest :- Pro. Bear witness, heaven, I have my wish for ever. Jul. And I mine. Enter Out-laws, with Duke and Thurio. Val. Forbear, forbear, I say; it is my lord in Your grace is welcome to a man disgrac'd, Come not within the measure of my wrath: I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine, [Faints. Val. Why, boy! why, wag! how now? what is the matter? Look up; speak. Plead a new state in thy unrivall'd merit, Jul. O good sir, my master charg'd me to de-I liver a ring to Madam Silvia; which, out of my neglect, was never done. Pro. Where is that ring, boy? Jul. O, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook; this is the ring you sent to Silvia. at Pro. But, how eam'st Shows another ring. Jul. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths, It is the lesser blot modesty finds, Women to change their shapes, than men their minds. Pro. Than men their minds? 'tis true! O heaven! were man But constant, he were perfect: that one error Fills him with faults; makes him run through all the sins: me happy. now beseech you, for your daughter's sake, To grant one boon that I shall ask of you. Duke. I grant it for thine own, whate'er it be. Val. These banish'd men, that I have kept withal, Are men endued with worthy qualities; And fit for great employment, worthy lord. Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts. Val. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him; he blushes. Val. I warrant you, my lord; more grace than boy. Duke. What mean you by that saying? Val. Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along. [Exeunt THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. SIR JOHN FALSTAFF. FENTON. PERSONS REPRESENTED. SHALLOW, a country Justice. MR. FORD, two Gentlemen dwelling a WILLIAM PAGE, a Boy, Son to Mr. Page. BARDOLPH, Follower of Falstaff. MRS. PAGE. MRS. ANNE PAGE, her Daughter, in love MRS. QUICKLY, Servant to Dr. Caius. SCENE-Windsor, and the Parts adjacent. in their coat. Shal. It is an old coat. Fea. The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant: it is a familiar heast to man, and signifies-love. Shal. The luce is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat. Sten. I may quarter, coz? Era. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it. Eva. Yes, pe'r-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but that is all one: If Sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromises between you. Shal. The Council shall hear it; it is a riot. Era. It is not meet the Council hear a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot; the Council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it. Eva. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretion with it: There is Anne Page, which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity. Sten. Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman. a we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire marriage between master Abraham and mistress Anne Page. Shal. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pounds? Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter ■ penny. Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts. Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is good gifts. Shal. Well, let us see honest master Page: Is Falstaff there? Eva. Shall I tell yon a lie? I do despise a liar, as I do despise one that is false; or, as I despise one that is not true. The knight, Sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your wellwillers. will peat the door [knocks] for master Page. What, hoa! Got pless your house here! Enter Page. Page. Who's there? Eva. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and justice Shallow and here young master Slender; that, peradventure, shall tell you another tale, if matters grows to your likings. Page. I am glad to see your worships well: I thank you for my venison, master Shallow. Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you; much good do it your good heart! I wished your venison better; it was ill kill'd:-How doth good mistress Page 7-and I love you always with my heart, la; with my heart. Page. Sir, I thank you. I Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do. Slen. You'll not confess, you'll not confess. Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; Can there be more said? he is good, and fair.-Is Sir John Falstaff here? Page. Sir, he is within; and I would, I could do a good office between you. Eva. It is spoke as a Christians ought to speak. Shal. He hath wrong'd me, master Page. Page. Sir, he doth in some sort confess it. Shal. If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me; indeed he hath ;-at a word, he hath ;-believe me; -Robert Shallow, esquire, saith he is wrong'd. Page. Here comes Sir John. Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym, and Ern. It is that fery person for all the 'orld, as ast as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of moneys, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire, upon his death's bed (Got deliver to a joyful resurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake Fal. Now, master Shallow, you'll complain of seventeen years old; it were a goot motion, if me to the king? Pistol. Shal. Knight, yon have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge. Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter? Shal. The Council shall know this. Fal. "Twere better for you, if it were known in counsel you'll be laugh'd at. Eva. Pauca verba, Sir John, good worts. Fal. Good worts! good cabbage.-Slender, I broke your head: What matter have you against me? Slen. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you; and against your coney-catching rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. They car ried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards picked my pocket. Bar. You banbury cheese! Pist. How now, Mephostophilus ? Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca; slice! that's my humour. Slen. Where's Simple, my man 7-can you tell, cousin? Enter Mistress Anne Page, with wine; Mistress [kisses her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome :come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner; all unkindness. [Exeunt all but Shal. Slender, and Evans. Sten. I had rather than forty shillings I had my book of Songs and Sonnets here: Enter Simple. How now, Simple? where have you been? I must wait on myself, must I? You have not The Book of Riddles about you, have you? Sim. Book of Riddles why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas? Shal Come, coz; come, coz; we stay for you. A word with you, coz; marry this, coz: There Eva. Peace; I pray you! Now let us under- is, as 'twere, a tender, a kind of tender, made afar stand: There is three umpires in this matter, as off by Sir Hugh here:-Do you understand me? I understand: That is-inaster Page, fidelicet, Slen. Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable; if master Page; and there is myself, fidelicet, my-it be so, I shall do that that is reason. self: and the three party is, lastly, and finally, Shal. Nay, but understand me. mine host of the Garter. Slen. So I do, sir. Page. We three, to ear it, and end it between them. Eva. Fery goot: I will make a prief of it in my note-book; and we will afterwards 'ork upon the cause with as great discreetly as we can. Fal. Pistol, Pist. He hears with ears. Eva. The tevil and his tam; what phrase is this, He hears with ear? Why, it is affectations. Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse? Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he (or I would, might never come into my own great chamber again else,) of seven groats in mill-sixpences, and two Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling and twopence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves. Fal. Is this true, Pistol? Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse. I combat challenge of this latten bilbo: of it. Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it: for though I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an ass. Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John? Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say, the tleman had drunk himself out of his five sen tences. Era. Give ear to his motions, master Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. Slen. Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow says: pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here. Eva. But this is not the question; the question is concerning your marriage. Shal. Ay, there's the point, sir. Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it; to mis tress Anne Page. Slen. Why, if it be so, I will marry her upon any reasonable demands. Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? Let us cominand to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth;-Therefore, precisely, can you carry your good will to the maid? Shal. Cousin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slen. I hope, sir,-I will do as it shall become one that would do reason. Een. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies, you must speak possitable, if you can carry her your desires towards her. Shal. That you must: will you, upon good dowry, marry her? Slen. I will do a greater thing than that, upon your request, cousin, in any reason. Shal. Nav, conceive me, conceive me, sweet coz; what I do is to pleasure you, coz: Can you love the maid? Sten. I will marry her, sir, at your request; but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet gen-heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married, and have more occasion to know one another: I hope upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you say, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely dissolved, and dissolutely. Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, sir, was, as they say, cashier'd; and so conclusions pass'd the careires. Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: If I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves. Eva. So Got 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it. Epa. It is a fery discretion answer; save the faul is in the 'ort dissolutely: the 'ort is, according to our meaning, resolutely ;-bis meaning is good. Shal. Ay, I think my cousin meant well. Re-enter Anne Page. Shal. Here comes fair mistress Anne:-Would I were young for your sake, mistress Anne I |