Enter Sir John Falftaff, 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.

Shal. Tut, a pin; this fhall be answer'd.

Fal. I will anfwer it straight: I have done all this. That is now answer'd.

Shal. The Council fhall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you if it were known in Council; You'll be laugh'd at.

Eva. Pauca verba, Sir John, good Worts.

Fal. Good Worts? Good Cabage. Slender, I broke your Head: What Matter have you against me?

Slex. Marry Sir, I have Matter in my Head against you, and against your Cony-catching Rafcals, Bardolph, Nym and Piftol.

Bar. You Banbury Cheese.

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pift. How now, Mephoftophilus?
Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Nym. Slice, I fay, pauca, pauca: Slice, that's my Hu

mour.

Slen. Where's Simple, my Man? Can you tell, Coufin? 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 three 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 Notebook, and we will afterwards orke upon the Cause with as great difcreetly as we can.

Fal. Piftol.

Pift. He hears with Ears.

Eva. The Tevil and his Tam; what Phrase is this, he hears with Ear? Why, it is Affectations.

Fal. Piftol, did you pick Mr. Slender's Purfe?

Slen. Ay, by these Gloves did he, or I would I might never come in mine own great Chamber again elfe, of feven

Groats

E Groats in Mill-fixpences, and two Edward Shovelboards, that coft me two Shilling and two Pence a piece, of Yead Miller; by these Gloves.

Fal. Is this true, Piftol?

Eva. No; it is false, if it is a Pick-purse.

Pift. Ha, thou Mountain Foreigner: Sir John, and Ma fter mine, I combate Challenge of this Latin Bilboe: Word of Denial in thy Labras here; word of Denial; Froth and Scum, thou lyft.

Slen. By thefe Gloves, then 'twas he.

Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pafs good Humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the Nut-hooks Humour on me; this is the very Note of it.

Slen. By that 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 Sentences.

Eva. It is his five Senfes: Fie, what the Ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they fay, cashier'd ; and fo Conclufions paft the Car-eires.

Slen. Ay, you fpake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll ne'er be drunk whil'ft I live again, but in honeft, civil, godly Company for this Trick: If I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those 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. Page. Nay, Daughter, carry the Wine in; we'll drink within.

Slen. Oh Heav'n! this is Miftrefs Anne Page.

Enter Mistress Ford and Miftrefs Page.

Page. How now Miftrefs Ford?

Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my Truth you are very well met; by your leave, good Miftrefs.

Page. Wife, bid these Gentlemen Welcome: Come, we have a hot Venison Pafty to Dinner; Come, Gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all Unkindness. [Ex. Fal. Page, &c. VOL. I.

K

Manens

Manent Shallow, Evans and Slender.

Slen. I had rather than forty Shillings, I had my Book of Songs and Sonnets here.

Enter Simple.

How now, Simple, where have you been? I must wait on my self, must I? You have not the Book of Riddles about you, have you?

Simp. Book of Riddles! Why, did you not lend it to Alice Short-cake upon Alhollowmas laft, a Fortnight afore Michaelmas.

Shal. Come Coz, come Coz; we stay 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 shall 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 Queftion: The Question 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 reafonable 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 Parcel of the Mouth: Therefore precifely, can you marry your good

Will to the Maid?

Shal. Coufin Abraham Slender, can you love her?

Slen. I hope, Sir; I will do as it fhall become one that would do Reason.

Eva. Nay, Got's Lords and his Ladies, you must speak poffitable, if you can carre-her your Defires towards her.

Shal.

Shal. That you must:

Will you, upon good Dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your Requeft, Coufin, in any Reason.

Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, fweet Coz, what I do is to pleasure you, Coz: Can you love the Maid?

Slen. I will marry her, Sir, at your Requeft: But if there be no great Love in the beginning, yet Heav'n may decrease it upon better Acquaintaince, when we are marry'd, and have more occafion to know one another; I hope upon Familiarity will grow more Content: But if you fay, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely diffolved, and diffo lutely.

Eva. It is a ferry discretion Answer; fave the fall is in th'Ord diffolutely: The Ort is, according to our meaning. refolutely; his meaning is good.

Shal. Ay, I think my Coufin meant well.

Slen. Ay, or elfe I would I might be hang', la.
Enter Mistress Anne Page.

Shal. Here comes fair Miftrefs Anne: Would I were
Young for your fake, Mistress Anne.

Anne. The Dinner is on the Table; my Father defires your Worship's Company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair Mistress Anne.

Eva. Od's pleffed Will, I will not be abfence at the Grace. [Ex. Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't please your Worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you Forfooth heartily; I am very well. Anne. The Dinner attends you, Sir.

Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you Forfooth: Go Sirrah, for all you are my Man, go wait upon my Coufin Shal low; a Juftice of Peace fometime may be beholding to his Friend for a Man. I keep but three Men and a Boy yet, 'till my Mother be dead; but what though, yet I live a poor Gentleman born.

Anne. I may not go in without your Worship; they will not fit 'till you come.

Slen. I'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did.

Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in.

Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my Shin th' other Day, with playing at Sword and Dagger with a Master of Fence, three Veneys for a Difh of ftew'd Prunes, and by my troth I cannot abide the smell of hot Meat fince. Why do your Dogs bark fo? be there Bears

i' th' Town?

Anne. I think there are, Sir, I heard them talk'd of. Slen. I love the Sport well, but I fhall as foon quarrel at it as any Man in England. You are afraid if you see the Bear loofe, are you not? Anne. Ay indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's Meat and Drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon loose twenty times, and have taken him by the Chain; but, I warrant you, the Women have fo cry'd and fhriekt at it, that it paft: But Women indeed cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things.

Enter Mr. Page.

Page. Come, gentle Mr. Slender, come; we stay for you. Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, Sir.

Page. By Cock and Pye you shall not chufe, Sir;

come, come.

Slen. Nay, pray you lead the Way.

Page. Come on, Sir.

Slen. Mistress Anne, your felf fhall go first.

Anne. Not I, Sir, pray you keep on.

Slen. Truly I will not go firft, truly-la: I will not do you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly than troublesome; you do your felf wrong, indeed-la.

SCENE II.

Enter Evans and Simple.

[Exeunt.

Eva. Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Caius Houfe which is the Way; and there dwells one Mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his Nurfe, or his dry Nurse, or his Cook, or his Laundry, his Washer, and his Ringer. Simp. Well, Sir.