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

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

Page. Fie, fie, Mr. Ford! are you not afham'd? what fpirit, what devil fuggefts this imagination? I would not have your diftemper in this kind, for the wealth of Windfor Castle.

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

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

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

Ford. Well;-I promis'd 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, miftrefs Page; I pray you pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me.

Page. Let's go in, gentlemen; but trust me, we'll mock him. I do invite you to-morrow morning to my house to breakfaft; 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 fhall make two in the company.

Caius. If there be one or two, I fhall make-a de turd.

Eva. In your teeth:-for fhame.
Ford. Pray you go, Mr. Page.

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

Caius. Dat is good; by gar, with all my heart. Eva. A loufy knave; to have his gibes, and his mockeries.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE IV.

Changes to 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?

Fent. Why, thou must be thyself.
He doth object, I am too great of birth;
And that my ftate being gall'd with my expence,
I feek to heal it only by his wealth.

Besides 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 speed me in my time to come! Albeit, I will confefs, thy 7 father's wealth Was the first motive that I woo'd thee, Anne: Yet, wooing thee, I found thee of more value Than stamps in gold, or fums in fealed bags; And 'tis the very riches of thyself

That now I aim at.

Anne. Gentle Mr. Fenton,

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

7 -father's wealth] Some light may be given to thofe 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, he gave his 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 thoufand pounds more than a counterbalance to the affectation of Belinda. No poet would now fly his favourite character at lefs than fifty thousand.

JOHNSON.

If

If opportunity and humbleft fuit

Cannot attain it, why then-Hark you hither. [Fenton and Mistress Anne go apart.

Enter Shallow, Slender, and Mrs. Quickly.

Shal. Break their talk, mistress Quickly; my kinfman shall speak for himself.

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

Shal. Be not difmay'd.

Slen. No, fhe fhall not difmay me: I care not for that, but that I am affeard.

Quic. Hark ye; master Slender would speak a word with you.

Anne. I come to him.-This is my father's choice. O, what a world of vile ill-favour'd faults Look handsome in three hundred pounds a year! Quic. And how does good mafter Fenton? Pray you, a word with you.

Shal. She's coming; to her, coz.

hadft a father!

O boy, thou

Slen. I had a father, Mrs. Anne; my uncle can tell you good jefts of him.-Pray you, uncle, tell Mrs. Anne the jeft, how my father stole two geefe out of a pen, good uncle.

Shal. Miftrefs Anne, my coufin loves you.

Slen. Ay, that I do; as well as I love any woman in Gloucestershire.

Shal. He will maintain you like a gentlewoman. Slen. Ay, that I will, 9 come cut and long-tail, under the degree of a 'fquire.

8

If opportunity and bumbleft fuit] Dr. Thirlby imagines, that our author with more propriety wrote:

If importunity and humbleft fuit.

I have not ventur'd to difturb the text, becaufe it may mean, "If the frequent opportunities you find of folliciting my fa"ther, and your obfequioufnefs to him, cannot get him over 66 to your party," &c. THEOBALD.

9

-come cut and long-tail,-] According to the foreft laws, the dog of a man, who had no right to the privilege of chace,

Was

Shal. He will make you a hundred and fifty pounds

jointure.

Anne. Good master Shallow, let him woo for himself. Shal. Marry, I thank you for it; I thank you for that-good comfort. She calls you, coz. I'll leave you. Anne. Now, master Slender.

Slen. Now, good mistress Anne.
Anne. What is your will?

Slen. My will? od's heart-lings, that's a pretty jeft, indeed! I ne'er made my will yet, I thank heaven; I am not fuch a fickly creature, I give heaven praise. Anne. I mean, mafter Slender, what would you with me?

Slen. Truly, for my own part, I would little or nothing with you: your father, and my uncle, have made motions: if it be my luck, fo; if not, happy man be his dole! They can tell how things go, better than I can you may ask your father; here he comes.

Enter Page, and Miftrefs Page.

Page. Now, master Slender :-love him, daughter Anne.

Why how now! what does mafter Fenton here? You wrong me, Sir, thus ftill to haunt my houfe: I told you, Sir, my daughter is difpos'd of.

Fent. Nay, mafter Page, be not impatient.
Mrs. Page. Good mafter Fenton, come not to my
child.

Page. She is no match for you.
Fent. Sir, will you hear me?

Page. No, good master Fenton.

Come, mafter Shallow; come, fon Slender; in— Knowing my mind, you wrong me, mafter Fenton.

[Exeunt Page, Shallow, and Slender.

Quic. Speak to miftrefs Page.

was obliged to cut, or law his dog, amongst other modes of difabling him, by depriving him of his tail. A dog fo cut was called a cut, or curt-tail, and by contraction cur. Cut and long-tail therefore fignify the dog of a clown, and the dog of a gentleman. STEEVENS.

Fent.

Fent. Good mistress Page, for that I love your daughter

In fuch a righteous fashion as I do,

Perforce, against all checks, rebukes, and manners, I must advance the colours of my love,

And not retire. Let me have your good will.

Anne. Good mother, do not marry me to yon' fool. Mrs. Page. I mean it not; I feek you a better husband. Quic. That's my mafter, mafter Doctor.

9 Anne. Alas, I had rather be fet quick i'the earth, And bowl'd to death with turnips.

Mrs. Page. Come, trouble not yourself: good master Fenton,

I will not be your friend nor enemy:

My daughter will I queftion how the loves you,
And as I find her, fo am I affected.

'Till then, farewell, Sir :-she must needs go in,
Her father will be angry. [Exe. Mrs. Page and Anne.
Fent. Farewell, gentle mistress; farewell, Nan.
Quic. This is my doing now. Nay, faid I, will
you caft away your child on a fool and a physician?
Look on, master Fenton :-this is my doing.

Fent. I thank thee; and I pray thee, once to-night give my sweet Nan this ring. There's for thy pains. [Exit.

Quic. Now heaven fend thee good fortune! A kind heart he hath a woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart. But yet, I would my master had mistress Anne; or I would mafter Slender had her; or, in footh, I would mafter Fenton had her. I will do what I can for them all three; for fo I have promis'd, and I'll be as good as my word;

9 Anne. Alas, I had rather be fet quick i the earth,

And bowl'd to death with turnips.] Can we think the fpeaker would thus ridicule her own imprecation? We may be fure the last line fhould be given to the procurefs, Quickly, who would mock the young woman's averfion for her mater the Doctor. WARBURTON.

fool and a phyfician ?] I fhould read fool or a phyfician, meaning Slender and Caius. JOHNSON.

but

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