suit? An apartment in the Duke's palace. Thu. What says she to my face? 35 Pro. That you are well deriv`d. Jul. True; from a gentleman to a fool. [Aside. Pro. O, ay; and pities them. Thu. Wherefore? Jul. That such an ass should owe them. [Aside. Jul. Here comes the duke. Enter Duke. Duke. How now, sir Protheus? how now, Thurio? Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late? Thu. Not I. Pro. Nor I. Duke. Saw you my daughter? Pro. Neither. [Valentine; Duke. Why, then she's fled unto that peasant Tis true; for friar Laurence inei them both, At Patrick's cell this even; and there she was not: Thu. Nay, then the wanton lies; my face is black. Thu. What says she to my valour? Thu. Why, this it is to be a peevish girl, Pro. And I will follow, more for Silvia's love, Jul. And I will follow, more to cross that love, Than hate for Silvia, that is gone for love. 2 [Exeunt. It should be remembered, that false hair was worn by the ladies, long before wigs were in fashion. These false coverings, however, were call'd periwigs. A high forehead was in Shakspeare's time accounted a feature eminently beautiful. That is, respectful, or respectable. Sure means safe. Own them. 4 SCENE Val. How use doth breed a babit in a man! 15 201 [death, [two, Thou hast no faith leit now, unless thou hadst Pro. In love Who respects friend? Sil. All men but Protheus. Pro. Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words 25 I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end; Pro. I'll force thee yield to my desire. 30 Thou friend of an ill fashion! Pro. Valentine! [or love; Val. Thou common friend, that's without faith (For such is a friend now) treacherous man! Thou hast beguil'd my hopes; nought but mine eye 35 Could have persuaded me: Now I dare not say, I have one friend alive; thou wouldst disprove me. Who should be trusted, when one's own right hand Is perjur'd to the bosom? Protheus, 40 I am sorry, I must never trust thee more, I tender it here; I do as truly suffer, Val. Then I am paid; And once again I do receive thee honest: 50 Who by repentance is not satisfy'd, Enter Protheus, Silvia, and Julia. Sil. Had I been seized by a hungry lion, To record anciently signified to sing. press the first essays of a bird in singing. Is nor of heaven, nor earth; for these are pleas'd; Jul. Oh me unhappy! Jul. O good sir, my master charged me 60 To deliver a ring to madam Silvia; Which, out of my neglect, was never done. Record is also a term still used by bird-fanciers, to ex- Pro. Jul. Oh, cry your mercy, sir, I have mistook: 5 I Jul. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths, I hold him but a fool, that will endanger It is the lesser blot, modesty finds, [minds. But constant, he were perfect: that one error [sins: 25 What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye? Let me be blest to make this happy close; Pro. Bear witness, heaven, I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake, Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be. Are men endu'd with worthy qualities; "Twere pity two such friends should long be foes. 30 Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts. [duke. 35 Val. Forbear, forbear, I say; it is my lord the Your grace is welcome to a man disgrac'd, Banished Valentine. Duke. Sir Valentine! Thu. Yonderis Silvia; and Silvia's mine [death; 40 ! That is, the reach of my anger. Come, let us go; we will include all jars Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him; he That done, our day of marriage shall be yours; To include is to shut up, to conclude. MERRY Before Page's house in Windsor. Enter Justice Shallow,Slender, and Sir HughEvans. make a Star-chamber' matter of it: it he were twenty sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire. Slen. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram. Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and custalorum. Slen. Ay, and ratalorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero. 5 Shal. Ay, that I do: and have done any time these three hundred years. Slen. All his successors, gone before him, have done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat. Shal. It is an old coat. Era. The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant: it is a fa[10miliar beast to man, and signifies-love. 15 Shal. The luce' is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat. Slen. I may quarter, coz. Shal. You may by marrying. Eva. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it. 'Queen Elizabeth was so well pleased with the admirable character of Falstaff in the Two Parts of Henry IV. that, as Mr. Rowe informs us, she commanded Shakspeare to continue it for one play more, and to shew him in love. To this command we owe The Merry Wives of Windsor: which, Mr. Gildon says, he was very well assured our author finished in a fortnight. This is the first of sundry instances in our poet, where a parson is called sir; upon which it may be observed, that anciently it was the common designation both of one in holy orders and a knight. The Star-chamber had a right to take cognizance of routs and riots. Probably intended for a corruption of Custos Rotulorum. The luce is a pike or jack. This passage is also supposed to point at Sir Thomas Lucy, who was the cause of Shakspeare's leaving Stratford, Shal Shal. Not a whit. Eva. Yes, py'r-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but that is all one: if sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromises between you. 5 Shal. The council shall hear it; it is a riot. Eva. It is not meet the council hear of a riot;10 there is no fear of Got in a riot: the council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it. Era. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings gooddiscretions with it: There is Anne Page, which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity. Slen. Mistress Anne Page? she has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman. 15 20 Eva. It is that very person for all the 'orld, as just as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire, 25 upon his death's-bed, (Got deliver to a joyful resurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a goot motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage between master Abraham and mistress Anne Page. Slen. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pounds? Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. a Poge. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do Eva. It is spoke as a christians ought to speak. Shal. If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd; is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me;-indeed, he hath ;-at a word, he hath;-believe me; 30-Robert Shallow, esquire, saith, he is wrong'd.' Page. Here comes Sir John. Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; she has 35 good gifts. Era. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is good gifts. Shal. Well, let us see honest master Page: Is Falstaff there? 40 Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar, as Eva. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and justice Shallow: and here is young master 50 Slender, that peradventures shall tell you another Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Num,and Pistol. Ful. Now, master 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 kiss'd your keeper's daughter? Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answer'd. Fal. I will answer it strait;-I have done all this:-That is now answer'd. Skal. The council shall know this. Fal. "Twere better for you, if 'twere known in counsel'; you'll be laughed at. Era. Pauca verba, sir John; good worts. Fal. Goodworts! good cabbage:-Slender, I brokeyourhead; What matterhaveyou against me? Sten. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you; and against your coney-catching ' rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. Bar. You Banbury cheese! Slen. Ay, it is no matter. Advisement is now an obsolete v ord. 2 He means Cotswold, in Gloucestershire; where in the beginning of the reign of James the First, by permission of the king, Dover, a public-spirited attorney of Barton on the Heath, in Warwickshire, instituted on the hills of Cotswold an annual celebration of games, consisting of rural sports and exercises. These he constantly conducted in person, well mounted, and accoutred in a suit of his majesty's old cloaths; and they were frequented above forty years by the nobility and gentry for sixty miles round, till the grand rebellion abolished every liberal establishment. The games were, chiefly, wrestling, leaping, pitching the bar, handling the pike, dancing of women, various kinds of hunting, and particularly coursing the hare with greyhounds. ' Falstaff here probably quibbles between council and counsel; the latter signifies secrecy; and his meaning seems to be, 'Twere better for you if it were known only in secrecy, i. e. among your friends. Worts was the ancient name of all the cabbage kind. Á coney-catcher was, in the time of Elizabeth, a common name for a cheat or sharper. This alludes to the thin carcase of Slender. |