Fal. Fare thee well; commend me to them both: There's my Purfe, I am yet thy Debtor. Boy, go along with this Woman. This News diftracts me. [Exit Quic. and Robin. Pift. This Punk is one of Cupid's Carriers:

Clap on more Sails; pursue; up with your Fights;
Give Fire; fhe is my Prize, or Ocean whelm them all.

[Exit Piftol. Fal. Say'ft thou fo, old Jack? go thy ways; I'll make more of thy old Body than I have done; will they yet look after thee? Wilt thou, after the Expence of so much Mony, be now a Gainer? Good body, I thank thee; let them fay, 'tis grofly done, fo it be fairly done, no matter. Enter Bardolph.

Bard. Sir John, there's one Mafter Broom below would fain speak with you, and be acquainted with you; and hath fent your Worship a Morning's Draught of Sack.

Fal. Broom, is his Name?

Bard. Ay Sir.

Fal. Call him in; fuch Brooms are welcome to me that o'erflows fuch Liquor. Ah! ah! Miftrefs Ford and Mistress Page, have I encompafs'd you? Go to, via.

Enter Ford difguis'd.

Ford. Blefs you, Sir.

Fal. And you, Sir; would you speak with me?
Ford. I make bold to prefs with fo little Preparation up-

on you.

Fal. You're welcome; what's your Will? Give us leave, Drawer.

Ford. Sir, I am a Gentleman that have spent much; my Name is Broom.

Fal. Good Mafter Broom, I defire more Acquaintance of you.

Ford. Good Sir John, I fue for yours; not to charge you; for I muft let you understand, I think my felf in better Plight for a Lender than you are, the which hath fomething embolden'd me to this unfeafon'd Intrufion; for they fay, if Mony go before, all Ways do lye open.

Fal. Mony is a good Soldier, Sir, and will on. Ford. Troth, and I have a Bag of Mony here troubles if you will help to bear it, Sir John, take all, or half, for cafing me of the Carriage,

me;

Fal.

Fal. Sir, I know not how I may deferve to be your

Porter.

Ford. I will tell you, Sir, if you will give me the hearing. Fal. Speak, good Mafter Broom, I fhall be glad to be your Servant.

I

Ford. Sir, I hear you are a Scholar, I will be brief with you, and you have been a Man long known to me, tho' I had never fo good Means as Defire to make my felf acquainted with you: I shall discover a thing to you, wherein L muft very much lay open mine own Imperfection; but, good Sir John, as you have one Eye upon my Follies, as you hear them unfolded, turn another into the Register of your own, that I may pafs with a Reproof the eafier, fith you your felf know how eafie it is to be fuch an Offender.

Fal. Very well, Sir, proceed.

Ford. There is a Gentlewoman in this Town, her Hufband's Name is Ford.

Fal. Well, Sir,

Ford. I have long lov'd her, and, I proteft to you, beftow'd much on her, follow'd her with a doating Obfervance, ingrofs'd Opportunities to meet her, fee'd every flight Occafion that could but niggardly give me fight of her; not only bought many Presents to give her, but have given largely to many, to know what he would have gi ven: Briefly, I have purfu'd her, as Love hath purfu'd me, which hath been on the Wing of all Occafions. But whatfoever I have merited, either in my Mind, or in my Means, Meed I am fure I have received none, unless Experience be a Jewel I have purchas'd at an infinite rate, and that hath taught me to say this.

Love like a Shadow flies, when Substance Love pursues;
Pursuing that that flies, and flying what pursues.

Fal. Have you receiv'd no Promise of Satisfaction at her Hands?

Ford. Never.

Fal. Have you importun'd her to fuch a Purpose?
Ford. Never.

Fal. Of what Quality was your Love then?

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Ford.

Ford. Like a fair House built on another Man's Ground, fo that I have loft my Edifice, by mistaking the Place where I erected it.

Fal. To what purpose have you unfolded this to me? Ford. When I have told you that, I have told you all. Some fay, that tho' fhe appear honeft to me, yet in other Places the enlargeth her Mirth fo far, that there is fhrewd Conftruction made of her. Now, Sir John, here is the Heart of my Purpose: You are a Gentleman of excellent Breeding, admirable Difcourfe, of great Admittance, authentick in your Place and Perfon, generally allow'd for your many War-like, Court-like, and learned Preparations. Fal. O Sir!

Ford. Believe it, for you know it; there is Mony, spend it, fpend it, spend more, spend all I have, only give me fo much of your time in exchange of it, as to lay an amiable Siege to the Honefty of this Ford's Wife; ufe your Art of Wooing, win her to confent to you; if any Man may, you may as foon as any.

Fal. Would it apply well to the Vehemence of your Affection, that I fhould win what you would enjoy? Methinks you prescribe to your felf very prepofterously.

Ford. O, underftand my drift; the dwells fo fecurely on the Excellency of her Honour, that the Folly of my Soul dares not prefent it felf; fhe is too bright to be look'd againft. Now could I come to her with any Detection in my Hand, my Defires had Inftance and Argument to commend themselves; I could drive her then from the Ward of her Purity, her Reputation, her Marriage-Vow, and a thousand other her Defences, which now are too strongly embattail'd against me. What fay you to't, Sir John?

Fal. Mafter Broom, I will firft make bold with your Mony; next, give me your Hand; and last, as I am a Gentleman, you fhall, if you will, enjoy Ford's Wife.

Ford. O good Sir!

Fal. I fay, you fhall.

Ford. Want no Mony, Sir John, you fhall want none. Fal. Want no Miftrefs Ford, Mafter Broom, you shall want none; I shall be with her, I may tell you, by her own Appointment, Even as you came in to me, her Affiftant, or

Go-between, parted from me: I fay, I fhall be with her be tween ten and eleven; for at that time the jealous rafcally Knave, her Husband, will be forth; come you to me at Night, you fhall know how I fpeed.

Ford. I am bleft in your Acquaintance: Do you know Ford, Sir?

Fal. Hang him, poor cuckoldy Knave, I know him not: Yet I wrong him, to call him poor; they fay, the jealous wittolly Knave hath maffes of Mony, for the which his Wife feems to me well-favour'd. I will ufe her as the Key of the Cuckold-Rogue's Coffer; and there's my Harvesthome.

Ford. I would you knew Ford, Sir, that you might avoid him, if you faw him.

Fal. Hang him, mechanical-falt-butter Rogue; I will ftare him out of his Wits; I will awe him with my Cud gel; it fhall hang like a Meteor o'er the Cuckold's Horns. Mafter Broom, thou shalt know I will predominate over the Pefant, and thou shalt lye with his Wife: Come to me foon at Night; Ford's a Knave, and I will aggravate his Stile: Thou, Mafter Broom, fhalt know him for Knave and Cuckold; come to me foon at Night. [Exit.

Ford. What a damn'd Epicurean Rafcal is this? My Heart is ready to crack with Impatience. Who fays this is improvident Jealoufie? My Wife hath fent to him, the Hour is fixt, the Match is made: Would any Man have thought this? See the Hell of having a falfe Woman; my Bed fhall be abus'd, my Coffers ranfack'd, my Reputation gnawn at, and I fhall not only receive this villainous Wrong, but stand under the adoption of abominable Terms, and by him that does me this Wrong, Terms, Names; Amaimon founds well, Lucifer well, Barbafon well, yet they are Devils additions, the Names of Fiends; but Cuckold, Wittol-Cuckold! the Devil himself hath not fuch a Name. Page is an Afs, a fecure Afs, he will truft his Wife; he will not be jealous: I will rather trust a Fleming with my Butter, Parfon Hugh, the Welchman, with my Cheese, an Irish-man with my Aqua-vita Bottle, or a Thief to walk my ambling Gelding, than my Wife with her felf: Then the plots, then the ruminates, then the devifes; and what they think in their Hearts they may ef fect, they will break their Hearts but they will effect. Hea

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ven

ven be prais'd for my Jealoufie. Eleven o'Clock the Hour; I will prevent this, detect my Wife, be reveng'd on FalStaff, and laugh at Page: I will about it; better three Hours too foon than a Minute too late. Fie, fie, fie; Cuckold, Cuckold, Cuckold. [Exit.

SCENE III.

Enter Caius and Rugby.

Caius. Jack Rugby!

Rug. Sir.

Cains. Vat is de Clock, Jack?

Rug. Tis paft the Hour, Sir, that Sir Hugh promis'd to

meet.

Caius. By gar, he has fave his Soul, dat he is no come; he has pray his Pible well, dat he is no come: By gar, Jack Rugby, he is dead already, if he be come.

Rug. He is wife, Sir; he knew your Worship would kill him, if he came.

Caius. By gar, de Herring is no dead fo as I vill kill him; take your Rapier, Jack, I vill tell you how I vill kill him.

Rug. Alas, Sir, I cannot fence.

Caius. Villany, take your Rapier.

Rug. Forbear; here's Company.

Enter Hoft, Shallow, Slender and Page.

Hoft. 'Blefs thee, Bully-Do&or.

Shal. 'Save you, Mr. Doctor Caius.

Page. Now, good Mr. Doctor.

Slen. Give you Good-morrow, Sir.

Caius. Vat be all you, one, two, tree, four, come for? Hoft To fee thee fight, to fee thee foigne, to fee thee traverse, to fee thee here, to fee thee there, to fee thee pafs thy Puncto,thy Stock, thy Reverse, thy Diftance, thy Montant. Is he dead, my Ethiopian? Is he dead, my Francifco? Ha, Bully? What fays my Efculapius? my Galen? my Heart of Elder? Ha? is he dead, Bully-ftale? is he dead?

Caius. By gar, he is de Coward Jack-Prieft of de Vorld; he is not how his Face.

Hoft.