Mrs. Ford. He's too big to go in there: What fhall I do?

Re-enter FALSTAFF.

Fal. Let me fee't, let me fee't! O let me fee't! I'll in, I'll in ;-follow your friend's counsel ;—I'll in.

Mrs. Page. What! fir John Falitaff! Are thefe your letters knight?

Fal. I love thee, and none but thee; help me away: let me creep in here; I'll never

He goes into the basket; they cover him with foul linen.] Mrs. Page. Help to cover your mafter, boy: Call your men, miftrefs Ford :-You diffembling knight!

Mrs. Ford. What, John, Robert, John! [Exit Robin. Re-enter Servants.] Go take up thefe clothes here, quickly; Where's the cowl-staff? 3 look, how you drumble; 4 carry them to the laundrefs in Datchet mead; quickly, come.

Enter FORD, PAGE, CAIUS, and Sir HUGH EVANS.

Ford. Pray you, come near: if I fufpect without cause, why then make fport at me, then let me be your jeft; I deferve it. How now? whither bear you this?

-

Serv. To the laundrefs, forfooth.

3 Is a staff used for carrying a large tub or basket with two handles. In Effex the word cowl is yet used for a tub. MALONE.

4 The reverend Mr. Lambe, the editor of the ancient metrical history of the Battle of Floddon, obferves, that-look how you drumble, meansbow confufed you are; and that in the North, drumbled ale is muddy, difturbed ale. STEEVENS.

To drumble, in Devonshire, fignifies to mutter in a fullen and inarticulate voice. No other fenfe of the word will either explain this interroga tion, or the paffages adduced in Mr. Steevens's note. To drumble and drone are often used in connection. HENLEY.

A drumble drone, in the western dialect, fignifies a drone or humble-bee. Mrs. Page may therefore mean- How lazy and stupid you are! be more alert. MALONE.

5 Mr. Dennis objects, with fome degree of reason, to the probability of the circumftance of Falstaff's being carried to Datchet mead, and thrown into the Thames. It is not likely (he obferves) that Falstaff would fuffer himfelf to be carried in the basket as far as Datchet mead, which is half a mile from Windfor, and it is plain that they could not carry him, if he made any refiftance." MALONE.

VOL. I.

M

Mrs.

Mrs. Ford. Why, what have you to do whither they bear it? You were beft meddle with buck-washing,

Ford. Buck? I would I could wash myself of the buck! Buck, buck, buck? Ay, buck; I warrant you, buck; and of the feafen too, it fhall appear." [Exeunt Servants with the basket.] Gentlemen, I have dream'd to-night; I'll tell you my dream. Here, here, here be my keys; afcend my chambers, fearch, feek, find cut: I'll warrant, we'll unkennel the fox:-Let me ftop this way firft:-So, now uncape.7

Page. Good mafter Ford, be contented: you wrong your

felf too much.

Ford. True, mafter Page.-Up, gentlemen; you shall fee fport anon: follow me, gentlemen.

[Exit. Eva. This is fery fantastical humours, and jealoufies. Caius. By gar, 'tis no de fashion of France: it is not jealous in France.

Page. Nay, follow him, gentlemen; fee the iffue of his fearch. [Exeunt EVANS, PAGE, and CAIUS.

Mrs. Page. Is there not a double excellency in this? -
Mrs. Ford. I know not which pleases me better, that my

hufband is deceived, or fir John.

Mrs.

of the

6 Ford feems to allude to the cuckold's horns. So afterwards: "—and fo buffets himself on the forehead, crying, peer out, peer out." Jeafon is a phrafe of the foreft. MALONE.

7 A term in fox-hunting, which fignifies to dig out the fox when ●rth'd. And here is as much as to fay, take out the foul linen under which the adulterer lies hid. The Oxford editor reads uncouple, out of pure love to an emendation. WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton feems to have forgot that the linen was already carried away. The allufion in the foregoing fentence is to the ftopping every hole at which a fox could enter, before they uncape or turn him out of the bag in which he was brought. I fuppofe every one has heard of a bag-fox. STEEVENS.

Warburton, in his note on this paffage, not only forgets that the foul linen had been carried away, but he alfo forgets that Ford did not at that time know that Falstaff had been hid under it; and Steevens forgets that they had not Falstaff in their poffeffion, as hunters have a bag-fox, but were to find out where he was hid. They were not to chafe him, but to roufe him. I therefore believe that Hanmer's amendment is right, and that we ought to read-uncouple.--Ford, like a good sportsman, first stops the earths, and then uncouples the hounds. M. MASON.

Mr. M. Mafon alfo feems to forget that Ford at least thought he had Falstaff fecure in his house, as in a bag, and therefore speaks of him in terms applicable to a bag fox. STEEVENS.

Mrs. Page. What a taking was he in, when your hufband afk'd who was in the basket! 8

Mrs. Ford. I am half afraid he will have need of washing; fo throwing him into the water will do him a benefit.

Mrs. Page. Hang him, dishonest rascal! I would, all of the fame ftrain were in the fame diftrefs.

Mrs. Ford. I think, my hufband hath fome fpecial fufpicion of Falstaff's being here; for I never faw him so grofs in his jealoufy till now.

Mrs. Page. I will lay a plot to try that: And we will yet have more tricks with Falstaff; his diffolute difeafe will scarce obey this medicine.

Mrs. Ford. Shall we fend that foolish carrion, mistress Quickly, to him, and excufe his throwing into the water; and give him another hope, to betray him to another punish

ment?

Mrs. Page. We'll do it; let him be fent for to-morrow eight o'clock, to have amends.

Re-enter FORD, PAGE, CAIUS, and Sir HUGH EVANS. Ford. I cannot find him: may be the knave bragg'd of that he could not compass.

Mrs. Page. Heard you that?

Mrs. Ford. Ay, ay, peace :-You ufe me well, master Ford, do you?

Ford. Ay, I do fo.

Mrs. Ford. Heaven make you better than your thoughts! Ford. Amen.

Mrs. Page. You do yourfelf mighty wrong, mafter Ford. Ford. Ay, ay; I must bear it.

Eva. If there be any pody in the house, and in the chambers, and in the coffers, and in the prefes, heaven forgive my fins at the day of judgement!

Caius. By gar, nor I too; dere is no bodies.

Page. Fie, fie, mafter Ford! are you not ashamed? What fpirit, what devil fuggefts this imagination? I would_not

M 2

have

8 We should read, what was in the basket: for though in fact Ford has afked no fuch question, he could never fufpect there was either man or woman in it. The propriety of this emendation is manifeft from a fubfequent paffage, where Falstaff tells Maiter Brook- the jealous knave afked them once or twice what they had in their basket." RITSON.

have your diftemper in this kind, for the wealth of Windfor Caftle.

Ford. 'Tis my fault, mafter Page: I fuffer for it.

Eva. You fuffer for a pad confcience: your wife is as honeft a 'omans, as I will defires among five thoufand, and five hundred too.

Caius. By gar, I fee 'tis an honeft woman.

Ford. Well;-I promised you a dinner :-Come, come, walk in the park: I pray you, pardon me; I will hereafter make known to you, why I have done this.-Come, wife ;come, mistress Page; I pray you pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me.

Page. Let's go in, gentlemen; but, truft me, we'll mock him. I do invite you to-morrow morning to my houfe to breakfast; after, we'll a birding together; I have a fine hawk for the bufh: Shall it be fo?

Ford. Any thing.

Eva. If there is one, I shall make two in the company. Caius. If there be one or two, I fhall make-a de turd. Eva. In your teeth: 9 for fhame.

Ford. Pray you go, master Page.

Eva. I pray you now, remembrance to-morrow on the loufy knave, mine hoft.

Caius. Dat is good; by gar, vit all my heart.

Eva. A loufy knave; to have his gibes, and his mocke

ries.

SCENE IV.

A Room in Page's House.

Enter FENTON, and Mistress ANNE PAGE.

Fent. I fee, I cannot get thy father's love; Therefore, no more turn me to him, sweet Nan. Anne. Alas! how then?

[Exeunt.

Fent.
He doth object, I am too great of birth;
And that, my ftate being gall'd with my expence,

Why, thou must be thyself.

I feek

9. This dirty restoration was made by Mr. Theobald. Evans's application of the doctor's words is not in the folio. STEEVENS,

I feek to heal it only by his wealth :
Befides thefe, other bars he lays before me,-
My riots paft, my wild focieties;

And tells me, 'tis a thing impoffible
I fhould love thee, but as a property.
Anne. May be, he tells you true.

Fent. No, heaven fo fpeed me in my time to come!
Albeit, I will confefs, thy father's wealth 2
Was the first motive that I woo'd thee, Anne:
Yet, wooing thee, I found thee of more value
Than ftamps in gold, or fums in fealed bags;
And 'tis the very riches of thyself

That now I aim at.

Anne.

Gentle mafter Fenton,

Yet feek my father's love; ftill feek it, fir :

If opportunity and humbleft suit

Cannot attain it, why then,-Hark you hither.

[They converfe apart.

Enter SHALLOW, SLENDER, and Mrs. QUICKLY.

Shal. Break their talk, miftrefs Quickly; my kinfman fhall speak for himself.

Slen. I'll make a shaft or a bolt on't: 3 flid, 'tis but venturing.

Shal. Be not dismay'd.

Slen. No, the fhall not difmay me; I care not for that,— but that I am afeard.

2 Some light may be given to those who fhall endeavour to calculate the increase of English wealth, by obferving, that Latymer, in the time of Edward VI. mentions it as a proof of his father's profperity, That though but a yeoman, be gave bis daughters five pounds each for her portion. At the latter end of Elizabeth, feven hundred pounds were fuch a temptation to courtship, as made all other motives fufpected. Congreve makes twelve thousand pounds more than a counterbalance to the affectation of Belinda. No poet will now fly his favourite character at lefs than fifty thousand. JOHNSON. 3 To make a bolt or a shaft of a thing is enumerated by Ray, amongst others, in his collection of proverbial phrafes. REED.

The shaft was fuch an arrow as fkilful archers employed. The bolt in this proverb means, I think, the fool's bolt. MALONE.

A Shaft was a general term for an arrow.

A bolt was a thick short

one, with a knob at the end of it. It was only employed to fhoot birds with, and was commonly called a "bird-bolt." STEEVENS.