S CEN. E. IV.

Manent Shallow, Evans, and Slender.

Slen. I had rather than forty fhillings I had my book of fongs and fonnets here.

Enter Simple.

How now, Simple, where have you been? I must wait on myself, muft I? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you?

Simp. Book of riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas laft, a fortnight afore Michaelmas ?

Shal. Come, coz; come coz; we ftay for you: a word with you, coz: marry this, coz; there is, as 'twere, a tender, a kind of tender, made afar off by Sir Hugh here; do you understand me?

Slen. Ay, Sir, you fhall find me reasonable: if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reason.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, Sir."

Eva. Give ear to his motions, Mr Slender: I will defcription the matter to you, if you be capacity of it.

Slen. Nay, I will do as my coufin Shallow fays: I pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I' ftand here.

Eva. But that 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 Mrs Anne Page.

Slen. Why, if it be fo, I will marry her upon any reasonable demands.

Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philofophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mind; therefore precifely, can you carry your good will to the maid?

*Parcel of the mouth. Revifal

Shal. Coufin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slen. I hope, Sir, I will do as it fhall become one that would do reafon.

Eva. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies, you must fpeak poffitable, if you can carry her your defires towards her.

:

Shal. That you must will you, upon good dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your requeft, coufin, in any reafon.

Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, fweet coz ; what I do is to pleafure you, coz; can you love the maid?

Slen. I will marry her, Sir, at your request: but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heav'n may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married, and have more occafion to know one another. I hope upon familiarity will grow more contempt; but if you fay marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely diffolved, and diffolutely.

Eva. It is a ferry discretion anfwer, fave the fall is in th' ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good.

Shal. Ay, I think my coufin meant well.
Slen. Ay, or elfe I would I might he bang'd, la.

Enter Miftrefs Anne Page.

Shal. Here comes fair Mistress Anne: 'would I were young for your fake, Mistress Anne!

Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father defires your Worship's company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair Miftrefs Anne. Eva. Od's pleffed will, I will not be absence at the grace. [Ex. Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't please your Worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you, forfooth, heartily; I am very well

Anne. The dinner attends you, Sir.

Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forfooth

Go, firrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my coufin Shallow: [Ex. Simple.] A juice of peace fometime may be beholden to his friend for a man. I keep but three men and a boy yet, 'till my mother be dead; but what though, yet I live like a poor gentleman born.

Anne. I may not go in without your worship; they will not fit 'till you come.

Slen. I'faith I'll eat nothing: I thank you as much as though I did.

Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in.

Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my fhin th' other day, with playing at fword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a difh of ftew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the fmell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark fo? be there bears i' th' town?

Anne. I think there are, Sir; I heard them talk'd of.

Slen. I love the fport well, but I fhall as foon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid if you fee the bear loose, are you not? Anne. Ay, indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon loofe twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but I warrant you the women have fo cry'd and fhriek'd at it, that it paft*: but women indeed cannot abide 'em, they are very illfavour'd rough things.

Enter Mr Page.

Page. Come, gentle Mr Slender, come; we stay for you.

Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, Sir.

Page. By cock and pye, you fhall not chufe, Sir; come, come.

Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way.

Page. Come on, Sir.

It paft, or this paffes, was a way of speaking customary heretofore, to fignify the excess, or extraordinary degree of any thing. Warburton.

Slen. Miftrefs Anne, yourself fhall go firft.
Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on.

Slen. Truly I will not go first, truly-la: I will not do you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly than troublefome; you do yourself wrong, indeed-la. [Exeunt.

Re-enter Evans and Simple.

Eva. Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Ciaus houfe which is the way; and there dwells one Miftrefs Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurse, or his dry nurse, or his cook, or his laundry, his wafher, and his wringer.

Simp. Well, Sir.

Eva. Nay, it is petter yet; give her this letter; for it is a 'oman that altogethers acquaintance with Mistress Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to folicit your mafter's defires to Mistress Anne Page. I pray you be gone; I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippins and cheese to [Exeunt feverally.

come.

Changes to the Garter-inn.

Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Piftol and Robin.

Fal. Mine host of the Garter.

Hoft. What fays my bully Rock? speak scholarly and wifely.

Fal. Truly, mine hoft, I must turn away some of my followers.

Hoft. Difcard, bully Hercules, cashier; let them wag: trot, trot.

Fal. I fit at ten pounds a week.

Hoft. Thou'rt an Emperor, Cæfar, Keifar and Pheafar. I will entertain Bardolph, he shall draw, he fhall tap faid I well, bully Hector?

Fal. Do fo, good mine hoft.

Hoft. I have fpoke, let him follow; let me fee thee froth, and live: I am at a word; follow. [Exit Hoft.

Fal. Bardolph, follow him; a tapfter is a good trade: an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a wither'd ferving-man a fresh tapfter; go, adieu.

Bard. It is a life that I have defir'd: I will thrive. [Exit Bard. Pift. O bafe Hungarian wight, wilt thou the fpigot wield?

Nym. He was gotten in drink; is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroic, and there's the humour of it.

Fal. I am glad I am fo quit of this tinderbox; his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unskilful finger, he kept not time.

Nym. The good humour is to steal at a minute's * reft.

Pift. Convey, the wise it call: steal? foh; a fico for the phrafe!

Fal. Well, Sirs, I am almoft out at heels.

Pift. Why, then let kibes enfue.

Fal. There is no remedy: I muft coney-catch, I must shift.

Pift. Young ravens muft have food.

Fal. Which of you know Ford of this town? Pift. I ken the wight, he is of fubftance good. Fal. My honeft lads, I will tell you what I am about.

Pift. Two yards and more.

Fal. No quips now, Piftol: indeed, I am in the wafte two yards about; but I am now about no wafte, I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife: I fpy entertainment in her; fhe difcourfes, fhe carves, fhe gives the leer of invitation: I can conftrue the action of her familiar ftyle, and the hardest voice of her behaviour, to be englished right, is, I am Sir John Falstaff's. Pift. He hath ftudy'd her well, and tranflated her well, out of honesty into English.

Our author probably wrote, at a minim's reft. Johnf