1 T as you will defire; and feven hundred pounds of monies, and gold and filver, is her grandfire upon his death's-bed (Got deliver to a joyful refurrections) give when he is able to overtake feventeen years old: it were a good motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and defire a marriage between mafter 4braham and miftrefs Anne Page. Slen. Did her grand-fire leave her seven hundred pound? Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Sien. I know the young gentlewoman; fhe has good gifts. Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and poffibility, is goot gifts. Shal. Well; let us fee honeft Mr. Page: is Falstaff there? Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do defpife a liar as I do defpife one that is falfe; or as I defpife one that is not true. The Knight, Sir John, is there and I beseech you be ruled by your well-wishers. I will peat the door [Knocks.] for mafter Page. What hoa? Got blefs your house here. SCENE Enter Mr. Page. Page. Who's there? II. Eva. Here is Got's pleffing, and your friend, and juftice Shallow; and here's young mafter Slender that peradventures fhall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings. Page. I am glad to fee your worship's well. I thank you for my venison, master Shallow. Shal. Mafter Page, I am glad to fee you; much good do it your good heart: I wifh'd your venifon 1 better; it was ill kill'd. How doth good miftrefs Page and I thank you always with my heart, la, with my heart. Page. Sir, I thank you. Shal. Shal. Sir, I thank you, by yea and no I do. Page. I am glad to fee you, good master Slender. Slen. How do's your fallow greyhound, Sir? I heard fay he was out-run on Cotfale. Page. It could not be judg'd, Sir. Slen. You'll not confefs, you'll not confefs. Shal. That he will not, tis your fault, 'tis your fault; 'tis a good dog. Page. A cur, Sir. Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; can there be more faid? he is good and fair. Falstaff here?. Is Sir John Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between you. Eva. It is fpoke as a chriftians ought to speak. Page. Sir, he doth in fome fort confefs it. Shal. If it be confefs'd, it is not redress'd; is not that fo, mafter Page? he hath wrong'd me, indeed he 'hath, at a word he hath, believe me, Robert Shallow Efquire faith he is wrong'd. Page. Here comes Sir John. Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym and Pistol. Fal. Now, mafter Shallow, you'll complain of me to the King? Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, kill'd my deer, and broke open my lodge. Fal. But not kifs'd your keeper's daughter, Fal. I will answer it ftrait: I have done all this, That is now anfwer'd. Shal. The council fhall know this. Fal. "Twere better for you a if 'twere not known in council; you'll be laugh'd at. Eva. Pauca verba, Sir John, good worts, a if it were known. Fal Fal. Good worts? good cabbage. Slender, I broke your head: what matter have you against me? Slen. Marry Sir, I have matter in head against you, and against your cony-catching rafcals, Bardolph, Nym and Piftol. Bar. You Banbury cheefe. Pift. How now, Mephoftophilus? my Nym. Šlice, I fay, pauca, pauca: flice, that's my humour. Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, cousin? Eva. Peace I pray you: now let us understand; there is three umpires in this matter, as I understand; that is, mafter Page, fidelicet mafter Page; and there is my felf, fidelicet my felf; and the third party is, laftly and finally, mine hoft of the garter. Mr. Page. We three to hear it, and end it between them. Eva. Ferry goot; I will make a prief of it in my note book, and we will afterwards ork upon the caufe with as great difcretions as we can. Fal. Piftol. Pift. He hears with ears. Eva. The tevil and his tam; what phrafe is this, he hears with ear? why it is affectations. Fal. Piftol, did you pick mafter Slender's purfe? Slen. Ay by thefe gloves did he, or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again elfe, of feven groats in mill-fixpences, and two Edward fhovelboards, that coft me two fhilling and two pence a-piece, of Yead Miller; by thefe gloves. Fal. Is this true, Piftol? Eva. No, it is falfe, if it is a pick-purfe. Pift. Ha, thou mountain foreigner! Sir John, and mafter mine, I combat challenge of this Latin bilboe: Word of denial in thy Labras here; Word of denial; froth and fcum, thou ly'ft. Slen, By thefe gloves, then 'twas he. Nym Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pafs good humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the base humour on me; that is the very note of it. Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it; for tho' I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an afs. Fal. What fay you, Scarlet and John? Bard. Why Sir, for my part, I fay, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five fentences. Eva. It is his five fenfes : fie, what the Ignorance is? Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they fay, ca fhier'd; and fo conclufions paft the car-eires. Slen. Ay, you fpake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilst I live again, but in honeft, civil, godly company for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with thofe that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves. Eva. So Got udg me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters deny'd, gentlemen, you hear it. Enter Mistress Anne Page, with wine. Pag. Nay daughter carry the wine in; we'll drink within. Slen. Oh heav'n! this is mistress Anne Page. Enter Miftrefs Ford and Miftrefs Page. Page. How now miftrefs Ford. Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth you are very well met; by your leave, good miftrefs. [Kiffing her.c Page. Wife, bid thefe gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venifon pafty to dinner; come gentlemen, I hope we fhall drink down all unkindness. [Ex. Fal. Page, &c. b nuthooks. 7 SCENE SCENE 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 muft wait on my felf, 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 Alhollowmas 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 is reafon. 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 juftice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I ftand here. Eva. But that is not the question: the queftion 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 par.el of VOL.I. N the |