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Quic. Ay, forfooth, 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. [Afide. Caius. Fe, fe, fe, fe, mai foi, il fait fort chaud; je m'en vaie à la Courla grande affaire.

Quic. Is it this, Sir?

Caius. Ouy, mettez le au mon pocket; Depêchez, quickly; ver is dat knave Rugby?

Quic. 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 the Court.

Rug. 'Tis ready, Sir, here in the porch.

Caius. By my trot, I tarry too long: od's me! Qu' ay j'oubliè? dere is fome fimples in my clofet, dat I will not for the varld I fhall leave behind.

Quic. Ay-me, he'll find the young man there, and be mad.

Caius. O Diable, Diable! vat is in my closet? villaine, Larron, Rugby, my rapier.

[Pulls Simple out of the closet.

Quic. Good mafter, be content.

Caius. Wherefore fhall I be content-a?
Quic. The young man is an honest man.

Caius. What shall de honeft man do in my closet? dere is no honeft man dat shall come in my closet. Quic. I beseech you, be not fo flegmatick; hear the truth of it. He came of an errand to me from parfon Hugh.

Caius. Vell.

Sim. Ay, forfooth, to defire her to―――
Quic. Peace, I pray you.

Cai. Peace-a your tonge.-Speak-a your tale. Sim. To defire this honeft gentlewoman, your maid, to speak a good word to mistress Anne Page for master in the way of marriage.

Hh3

my

Quic

Quic. This is all, indeed-la; but I'll never put my finger in the fire, and need not.

Caius. Sir Hugh fend-a-you? Rugby, baillez me fome paper; tarry you a little while.

Quic. I am glad he is fo quiet; if he had been thoroughly moved, you should have heard him fo loud, and fo melancholy.-But notwithstanding, man, I'll do for your mafter what good I can; and the very yea and the no is, the French Doctor my mafter. (I may call him my mafter, look you, for I keep his houfe, 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.

Quic. Are you a-vis'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 mafter himself is in love with miftrefs Anne Page; but, notwithstanding that, I know Anne's mind, that's neither here nor there.

Caius. You jack'nape; give-a this letter to Sir Hugb; by gar, it is a fhallenge: I will cut his throat in de parke, and I will teach a fcurvy jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make- -you may be gone; it is not good you tarry here; by gar, I will cut all his two ftones; by gar, he shall not have a ftone to trow at his dog. [Exit Simple. Quic, Alas, he speaks but for his friend. Caius. It is no matter'a ver dat; do you not tell-a-me, dat I shall have Anne Page for myself? by gar, I vill kill de jack priest; and I have appointed mine hoft of de Jarterre to measure our weapon; by gar, I will myfelf have Anne Page.

Quic. Sir, the maid loves you, and all shall be well: we must give folks leave to prate; what, the goujere! Caius. Rugby, come to the Court with me; by gar, if I have not Anne Page, I fhall turn your

head

head out of my door;follow my heels, Rugby. [Ex. Caius and Rugby.

Quic. You fhall have An fools-head of your own. No, I know Anne's mind for that; never a Woman in Windfor knows more of Anne's mind than I do, nor can do more than I do with her, I thank heav'n. Fent. (within.) Who's within, there, hoa?

Quic. Who's there, I trow, come near the house I pray you.

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Fent. How now, good woman, how doft thou? Quic. The better, that it pleafes your good worship to ask.

Fent. What news? how does pretty mistress Anne ? Quic. In truth, Sir, and he is pretty, and honeft, and gentle, and one that is your friend, I can tell you that by the way, I praife heav'n for it.

Fent. Shall I do any good, think'st thou? shall I not lose my fuit ?..

Quic. Troth, Sir, all is in his hands above; but notwithstanding, mafter Fenton, I'll be fworn on a book, The loves you-Have not your worship a wart above your eye?

Fent. Yes, marry, have I, and what of that?

Quic. Well, thereby hangs a tale; good faith, it is fuch another Nan; but, I deteft, an honeft maid as ever broke bread;-we had an hour's talk of that wart :I fhall never laugh but in that maid's company!-But, indeed, fhe is given too much to allicholly and mufing; but for you Wellgo to.

Fen. Well, I fhall fee her to day, hold, there's money for thee; let me have thy voice in my behalf if thou feeft her before me, commend me

Quic. Will ay, faith, that we will: and I will

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tell your worship more of the wart, the next time we have confidence, and of other wooers.

Fen. Well, farewel, I am in great hafte now. [Exit. Quic. Farewel to your worship. Truly an honeft gentleman, but Anne loves him not; I know Anne's mind as well as another does. Out upon't, what have I forgot? [Exit.

ACT II. SCENE I

WH

Before Page's House.

Enter Mrs. Page, with a Letter.

Mrs. PAGE.

HAT, have I fcap'd love-letters in the holyday-time of my beauty, and am I now a subject for them? let me fee:

Afk me no reason, why I love you; for tho' love use reafon for his precifians, he admits him not for his counfellor: you are not young, no more am I; go to then,

tho' love ufe reafon for bis precifian, he admits him not for bis counsellor :] This is obfcure; but the meaning is, tho love permit reafon to tell what is fit to be done, he feldom follows its advice. By precifian, is meant one who pretends to a more than ordinary degree of virtue and fanctity. On which account they gave this name to the puritans of that time. So Ofborne, Conform their mode, words and Jooks to thefe PRECISIANS. And

Maine, in his City Match,

I did commend
A great PRECISIAN to her, for

her woman. WARBURTON. Precifian. Of this word I do not fee any meaning that is very appofite to the prefent intention. Perhaps Falfta faid, Though love ufe reafon as his phyfician, be admits him not for his counfellor. This will be plain fenfe. Afk not the reafon of my love; the bufinefs of Reason is not to affift love but to cure it.

there's

there's fympathy: you are merry, fo am I; ba! ha! then there's more fympathy; you love fack, and fo do I; would you defire better fympathy? let it fuffice thee, miftrefs Page, at leeft if the love of a soldier can fuffice, that I love thee. I will not fay, pity me, 'tis not a foldier like phrafe; but I fay, love me:

By me, thine own true Knight,

By day or night,

Or any kind of light,
With all his might,
For thee to fight.

John Falstaff.

What a Hered of Jewry is this? O wicked, wicked world! one that is well nigh worn to pieces with age, to show himself a young gallant! what unweigh'd behaviour hath this Flemish drunkard pickt, i'th' devil's name, out of my converfation, that he dares in this manner effay me? why, he hath not been thrice in my company what should I fay to him?--I was then frugal of my mirth-heav'n forgive me-Why, I'll exhibit a Bill in the Parliament for the putting down of

• I was then frugal of my mirth, &c.] By breaking this fpeech into exclamations, the text may ftand; but I once thought it must be read, If I was not then frugal of my mirth.

7 a bill in the Parliament for the putting down of Men :--] What, Mrs. Page, put down the whole Species Unius ob noxam, for a fingle Offender's Trefpafs? Don't be fo unreasonable in your Anger. But 'tis a falfe Charge against You. I am perfuaded, a fhort Monofyllable is dropt out, which, once reftor'd, would qualify the matter. We must ne

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