humour-letter. I will keep the 'haviour of reputation. Fal. Hold, sirrah, [to ROBIN,] bear you these letters tightly: Sail like my pinnace' to these golden shores.- And high and low3 beguile the rich and poor. Tester I'll have in pouch, when thou shalt lack, [venge. Nym. I have operations, which be humours of rePist. Wilt thou revenge? Nym. By welkin, and her stars." Pist. With wit, or steel? Nym. With both the humours, I: I will discuss the humour of this love to Page. Pist. And I to Ford shall eke unfold, How Falstaff, varlet vile, His dove will prove, his gold will hold, And his soft couch defile. Nym. My humour shall not cool: I will incense Page to deal with poison; I will possess him with yellowness, for the revolt of mine is dangerous: that is my true humour. Pist. Thou art the Mars of malcontents: I second thee; troop on. [Exeunt. SCENE IV-A Room in Dr. CAIUS's House. Enter Mrs. QUICKLY, SIMPLE, and JOHN 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 1 A small vessel; the word is often used for a go-between. 2 The folios and some of the f. e honour. 3 Cant terms for dice. 4 Sixpence. 5 star in f. e. 6 Knight, following the folio of 1623, transposes these names. VOL. I.-13 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? Sim. Ay, forsooth. 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, running. Rug. Out, alas! here comes my master. Quick. We shall all be shent. 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 inquire for my master; [Exit RUGBY.] I doubt, he be not well, that he comes not home:" and down, down, adown-a," &c. [Sings. Enter Doctor CAIUS. Caius. Vat is you sing? I do not like dese toys. Pray you, go and vetch me in my closet un boitier verd; a box, a green-a box; do intend vat I speak? a green-a box. Quick. Ay, forsooth; I'll fetch it you. [Aside.] I am Debate. 2 Silly. 3 The quartos have cane-colored-Cain was painted in old tapestries with a yellow beard. Fine. 5 Scolded. 6 Knight's ed.: thy. Not in f. e. glad he went not in himself: if he had found the young man, he would have been horn-mad. Caius. Fe, fe, fe, fe! ma foi, il fait fort chaud. Je m'en vais à la cour,-la grande affaire. Quick. Is it this, sir? Caius. Oui; mette le au mon pocket; dépêche, quickly. -Vere is dat knave Rugby? Quick. What, John Rugby! John! Rug. Here, sir. [Enter RUGBY.' Caius. You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby come, take-a your rapier, and come after my heel to de court. Rug. 'T is ready, sir, here in the porch. Caius. By my trot, I tarry too long.-Od's me! Qu'ai j'oublié ? dere is some simples in my closet, dat I vill not for the varld I shall leave behind. [Going to it.2 Quick. [Aside.] Ah me! he'll find the young man there, and be mad. Caius. O diable, diable! vat is in my closet?-Villainy! larron! [Dragging SIMPLE out.] Rugby, my rapier! Quick. Good master, be content. Caius. Verefore shall I be content-a? Quick. The young man is an honest man. Caius. Vat shall the honest man do in my closet? dere is no honest man dat shall come in my closet. Quick. I beseech you, be not so phlegmatic. Hear the truth of it: he came of an errand to me from parson Hugh. 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 mistress 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 littel-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 you 1 2 Not in f. e. 3 Pulling in f. e. 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. 'T is 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. Caius. It is no matter-a for dat :-do not you tell-a me, dat I shall have Anne Page for myself?-By gar, I vill kill de Jack priest; and I have appointed mine Host of de Jarretière to measure our weapon.-By gar, I vill myself have Anne Page. Quick. Sir, the maid loves you, and all shall be well. We must give folks leave to prate: what, the good year! Caius. Rugby, come to the court vit me.-By gar, if I have not Anne Page, I shall turn your head out of my door. Follow my heels. Rugby. [Exeunt CAIUS and RUGBY. Quick. You shall have An fool's-head of your own. No, I know Anne's mind for that never a woman in Windsor knows more of Anne's mind than I do, nor can do more than I do with her, I thank heaven. Fent. [Within.] Who's within there, ho? Quick. Who's there, I trow? Come near the house, I pray you. Enter FENTON. Fent. How now, good woman! how dost thou ? Quick. The better, that it pleases your good worship to ask. Fent. What news? how does pretty mistress Anne? Quick. In truth, sir, and she is pretty, and honest, and gentle; and one that is your friend, I can tell you that by the way; I praise heaven for it. Fent. Shall I do any good, think'st thou? Shall I not lose my suit? Quick. Troth, sir, all is in his hands above; but notwithstanding, master Fenton, I'll be sworn on a book, she loves you. Have not your worship a wart above your eye? Fent. Yes, marry, have I; what of that? Quick. Well, thereby hangs a tale.-Good faith, it is such another Nan;-but, I detest, an honest maid as ever broke bread :-we had an hour's talk of that wart. -I shall never laugh but in that maid's company;but, indeed. she is given too much to allicholly and musing. But for you-well, go to. Fent. Well, I shall see her to-day. Hold, there's money for thee; let me have thy voice in my behalf: if thou seest her before me, commend me— Quick. Will I! i' faith, that I1 will; and I will tell your worship more of the wart, the next time we have confidence, and of other wooers. Fent. Well, farewell; I am in great haste now. [Exit. Quick. Farewell to your worship.-Truly, an honest gentleman; but Anne loves him not, for I know Anne's mind as well as another does.-Out upon 't! what have I forgot? [Exit. ACT II. SCENE I.-Before PAGE's House. Enter Mistress PAGE, with a Letter. Mrs. Page. What! have I 'scaped love-letters in the holy-day time of my beauty, and am I now a subject for them? Let me see. [Reads. : "Ask me no reason why I love you; for though love use reason for his physician," he admits him not for his counsellor. You are not young, no more am I go to then, there's sympathy. You are merry, so am I; ha! 1 we in f. e. 2 precision: in f. e. |