Shal. W you [to PAGE] go with us to behold self sometimes, leaving the fear of heaven on the it? my merry host hath had the measuring of their left hand, and hiding nine honour in my necessity, weapons; and, I think he hath appointed them am fain to shuffle, to hedge, and to lurch; and yet. contrary places: for, believe me, I hear the parson you, rogue, will ensconce your rags, your cat-ais no jester. Hark, I will tell you what our sport mountain looks, your red-lattice phrases, and your bold-beating oaths, under the shelter of your honour! You will not do it, you? shall be. Host. Hast thou no suit against my knight, my guest-cavalier? Ford. None, I protest: but I'll give you a pottle of Burnt sack to give me recourse to him, and tell him, my name is Brook; only for a jest. Host. My hand, bully: thou shalt have egress and regress; said I well? and thy name shall be Brook: It is a merry knight.-Will you go, Cava liers ?1 Shal. Have with you, mine host. Page. I have heard, the Frenchman hath good skill in his rapier. Shal. Tut, sir, I could have told you more: In these times you stand on distance, your passes, stoccadoes, and I know not what: 'tis the heart, master Page: 'tis here, 'tis here. I have seen the time, with my long sword, I would have made you four tall fellows skip like rats. Host. Here, boys, here, here! shall we wag? Page. Have with you :-I had rather hear them scold than fight. [Exeunt. HosT, SHAL. and PAGE. Ford. Though Page be a secure fool, and stands so firmly on his wife's frailty, yet I cannot put off my opinion so easily; She was in his company at Page's house; and, what they made there, I know not. Well, I will look further into't: and I have a disguise to sound Falstaff: If I find her honest, I lose not my labour; if she be otherwise, 'tis labour well bestowed. SCENE II. A Room in the Garter Inn. Fal. I will not lend thee a penny. [Exit. Fal. Not a penny. I have been content, sir, you should lay my countenance to pawn: I have grated upon my good friends for three reprieves for you and your coach-fellow Nym; or else you had looked through the grate like a geminy of baboons. I am damned in hell, for swearing to gentlemen my friends, you were good soldiers, and tall fellows: and when mistress Bridget lost the handle of her fan, I took't upon mine honour, thou hadst it not. Pist. I do relent; what would'st thou more of man? Enter ROBIN. Rob. Sir, here's a woman would speak with you Enter MISTRESS QUICKLY. Quick. Give your worship good-morrow. Quick. Not so, an't please your worship. Quick. I'll be sworn; as my mother was, the first hour I was born. Fal. I do believe the swearer: What with me? Quick. Shall I vouchsafe your worship a word or two? Fal. Two thousand, fair woman; and I'll vouchsafe thee the hearing." Quick. There is one Mistress Ford, sir ;-I pray, come a little nearer this ways:-I myself dwell with master doctor Caius. Fal. Well, on: Mistress Ford, you say,Quick. Your worship says very true: I pray your worship, come a little nearer this ways. Fal. I warrant thee, nobody hears;-mine own people, mine own people. Quick. Are they so? Heaven bless them, and make them his servants! Fal. Well: mistress Ford :-what of her? Quick. Why, sir, she's a good creature. Lord, Lord! your worship's a wanton: Well, heaven for give you, and all of us, I pray! Fal. Mistress Ford:-come, mistress Ford,Quick. Marry, this is the short and the long of it; you have brought her into such a canaries as 'tis wonderful. The best courtier of them all, when the court lay at Windsor, could never have brought her to such a canary. Yet there has been knights, and lords, and gentlemen, with their coaches; I warrant you, coach after coach, letter after letter, gift after gift; smelling so sweetly (all musk,) and so rushfing, I warrant you, in silk and gold; and in such alligant terms; and in such wine and sugar of the best, and the fairest, that would have won any woman's heart; and, I warrant you, they could never Fal. Reason, you rogue, reason: Think'st thou, get an eye-wink of her.-I had myself twenty anI'll endanger my soul gratis? At a word, hang no gels given me this morning: but I defy all angels more about me, I am no gibbet for you:-go.-A (in any such sort, as they say,) but in the way of short knife and a throng;-to your manor of Pickt- honesty :-and, I warrant you, they could never hatch, go.-You'll not bear a letter for me, you get her so much as sip on a cup with the proudest rogue! you stand upon your honour!-Why, thou of them all: and yet there has been earls, nay, unconfinable baseness, it is as much as I can do to which is more, pensioners ;12 but I warrant you, all keep the terms of my honour precise. I, I, I my Pist. Didst thou not share? hadst thou not fifteen pence? 1 The folio of 1623 reads An-heires, which is unintelligible; the word in the text, the conjecture of Mr. Boaden, Malone considered the best that had been offered. Caualeires would have been the orthography of the old copy, and the host has the term frequently in his mouth. Mr. Steevens substituted on hearts. 2 Before the introduction of rapiers the swords in use were of an enormous length and sometimes used with both hands. Shallow, with an old man's vanity, censures the innovation, and ridicules the terms and use of the rapier. See note on K. Henry IV. P. 1, Act ii. Sc. 4. 3 An obsolete phrase, signifyng-what they did there.' In Act iv. Sc. 2. of this play we have again, what make you here; for what do you here 4 Equipage appears to have been a cant term, which Warburton conjectured to mean stolen goods. Mr. Steevens thinks it means attendance; i. e. if you will lend me the money, I will pay you again in attendance,' but has failed to produce an example of the use of the word in that sense. 5 i. e. he who draws along with you, who is joined with you in all your knavery. 6 Fans were costly appendages of female dress in Shakspeare's time. They consisted of ostrich and ther is one with her. feathers, fixed into handles, some of which were made of gold, silver, or ivory of curious workmanship. 7 i. e. go and cut purses in a crowd. Purses being then worn hanging at the girdle. 8 Pick't-hatch was in Turnbull Street, Cow Cross, Clerkenwell, a haunt of the worst part of both sexes. The unseasonable and obstreperous irruptions of the swash-bucklers of that age rendered a hatch or half door with spikes upon it a necessary defence to a brothel, and hence the term became a cant phrase to denote a part of the town noted for brothels. 9 A sconce is a fortification; to ensconce is there. fore to protect as with a fort. 10 Alehouse language. Red lattice windows formerly denoted an alehouse, as the chequers have done since. 11 A mistake of Mrs. Quickly's for quandaries. Ca nary was, however, a quick and lively dance mention ed in All's Well that Ends well, Act ii. Sc. 1. 12 i. e. Gentlemen of the band of Pensioners. Then dress was remarkably splendid, and therefore likely to attract the notice of Mrs. Quickly. Hence, Shakspeare, in a Midsummer Night's Dream, has selected the gold en-coated cowslips to be pensioners to the Fairy Queen Fal. But what says she to me? be brief, my good she Mercury. Quick. Marry, she hath received your letter; for the which she thanks you a thousand times: and she gives you to notify, that her husband will be absence from his house between ten and eleven. Fal. Ten and eleven? Quick. Ay, forsooth; and then you may come and see the picture, she says, that you wot of;master Ford, her husband, will be from home. Alas! the sweet woman leads an ill life with him; he's a very jealousy man; she leads a very frampold2 life with him, good heart. Fal. Ten and eleven: Woman, commend me to her; I will not fail her. Quick. Why, you say well: But I have another messenger to your worship: Mrs. Page hath her hearty commendations to you too ;-and let me tell you in your ear, she's as fartuous a civil modest wife, and one (I tell you) that will not miss you morning nor evening prayer, as any is in Windsor, whoe'er be the other and she bade me tell your worship, that her husband is seldom from home; but she hopes, there will come a time. I never knew a woman so dote upon a man; surely, I think you have charms, la; yes, in truth. Fal. Not I, I assure thee; setting the attraction of my good parts aside, I have no other charms. Quick. Blessing on your heart for't! Fal. But, I pray thee, tell me this: has Ford's wife, and Page's wife, acquainted each other how they love me? Quick. That were a jest, indeed!—they have not so little grace, I hope :-that were a trick, indeed! But mistress Page would desire you to send her your little page of all loves; her husband has a marvellous infection to the little page; and, truly, master Page is an honest man. Never a wife in Windsor leads a better life than she does; do what she will, say what she will, take all, pay all, go to bed when she list, rise when she list, all is as she will; and, truly, she deserves it: for if there be a kind woman in Windsor, she is one. You must send her your page; no remedy. Fal. Why, I will. Quick. Nay, but do so then: and, look you, he may come and go between you both; and, in any case, have a nay word, that you may know one another's mind, and the boy never need to understand any thing; for 'tis not good that children should know any wickedness; old folks, you know, have discretion, as they say, and know the world. Fal. Fare thee well: commend me to them both: there's my purse; I am yet thy debtor.-Boy, go along with this woman.-This news distracts me! [Exeunt QUICKLY and ROBIN. Pist. This punk is one of Cupid's carriers :Clap on more sails; pursue, up with your fights; Give fire; she is my prize, or ocean whelm them all! [Exit PISTOL. Fal. Say'st thou so, 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 expense of so much money, be now a gainer? Good body, I thank thee: Let them say, 'tis grossly done; so it be fairly done, no matter. Enter BARDOLPH. Bard. Sir John, there's one master Brook below would fain speak with you, and be acquainted with you: and hath sent your worship a morning's draught of sack." Fal. Brook is his name? Brooks are welcome to me, that o'erflow such liFal. Call him in: [Exit BARDOLPH.] Such quor. Ah! ha! mistress Ford and mistress Page, have I encompass'd you? go to; via!" Re-enter BARDOLPH, with FORD disguised. Ford. Bless you, sir. Fal. And you, sir: Would you speak with me? Ford. I make bold to press with so little preparation upon you. Fal. You're welcome; What's your will? Give ance of you. Ford. Good Sir John, I sue for yours: not to charge you; for I must let you understand, I think myself in better plight for a lender than you are: unseason'd intrusion; for they say, if money go bethe which hath something embolden'd me to this fore, all ways do lie open. Fal. Money is a good soldier, sir, and will on. troubles me: if you will help me to bear it, Sir Ford. Troth, and I have a bag of money here John, take all, or half, for easing me of the carriage. Fal. Sir, I know not how I may deserve to be your porter. Ford. I will tell you, sir, if you will give me the hearing. Fal. Speak, good master Brook; I shall be glad to be your servant. Ford. Sir, I hear you are a scholar,-I will be brief with you ;known to me, though I had never so good means, and you have been a man long as desire, to make myself acquainted with you. shall discover a thing to you, wherein I must very Sir John, as you have one eye upon my follies, as much lay open mine own imperfection: but, good you hear them unfolded, turn another into the register of your own; that I may pass with a reproof the easier, sith you yourself know, how easy it is to be such an offender. Fal. Very well, sir; proceed. husband's name is Ford. 9 Ford. I have long loved her, and, I protest to you, bestowed much on her; followed her with a doting observance; engrossed opportunities to meet her; fee'd every slight occasion, that could but niggardly give me sight of her; not only bought many presents to give her, but have given largely to many, to know what she would have given: briefly, I have pursued her, as love hath pursued me; which hath been on the wing of all occasions. But whatsoever I have merited, either in my mind or in my means, meed, I am sure, I have received none; unless experience be a jewel: that I have purchased the Restoration. In the Parliamentary History, vol. acquaintance. The practice was continued as late as xxii. p. 114, we have the following passage from The Life of General Monk, by Dr. Price. "I came to the Three Tuns, before Guildhall, where the general had quartered two nights before I entered the tavern with a servant and portmanteau, and asked for a room, which I had scarce got into but wine followed me as a present from some citizens desiring leave to drink their morning's draught with me." 7 Via, an Italian word, which Florio explains:"an adverb of encouragement, on away, go to, away forward, go on, despatch." It appears to have been a renders it in Latin eja, age. common exclamation in Shakspeare's time. Antonini 8 Since. 9 Observance is diligent heed, or attention.-Bul lokar. rations. Fal. O, sir! Ford. I would you knew Ford, sir; that you might avoid him, you saw him. Fal. Hang him, mechanical salt-butter rogue I will stare him out of his wits; I will awe him with my cudgel; it shall hang like a meteor o'er the cuckold's horns: master Brook, thou shalt know, I will predominate o'er the peasant, and thou shalt lic with his wife.-Come to me soon at night :-Ford's a knave, and I will aggravate his stile; thou, master Brook, shalt know him for a knave and cuckold :-come to me soon at night. [Exit. Ford. What a damned Epicurean rascal is this! My heart is ready to crack with impatience.Who says this is improvident jealousy -My wife hath sent to him, the hour is fixed, the match is made. Would any man have thought this ?-See the hell of having a false woman! my bed shall be abused, my coffers ransacked, my reputation gnawn at; and I shall not only receive this villanous wrong, but stand under the adoption of abominable terms, and by him that does me this wrong.. Terms names!Amaimon sounds well; Lucifer, well; Barbason, well; yet they are devils' additions, the names of fiends: but cuckold! wittol cuckold! the devil himself hath not such a name. Page is an ass, a secure ass; he will trust his wife, he will not be jealous I will rather trust a Fleming with my butter, parson Hugh the Welshman with my cheese, an Irishman with my aqua-vitæ bottle, or a thief to then she plots, then she ruminates, then she devises: and what they think in their hearts they may effect, they will break their hearts but they will effect. Heaven be praised for my jealousy!-Eleven o'clock the hour-I will prevent this, detect my wife, be revenged on Falstaff, and laugh at Page. I will about it; better three hours too soon, than a minute too late. Fie, fie, fie! cuckold! cuckold! cuckold! Ford. Believe it, for you know it :-There is money; spend it, spend it, spend more; spend all I have; only give me so much of your time in ex-walk my ambling gelding, than my wife with herself; change of it, as to lay an amiable siege to the honesty of this Ford's wife: use your art of wooing, win her consent to you; if any man may, you may as soon as any. Fal. Would it apply well to the vehemency of your affection, that I should win what you would enjoy? Methinks you prescribe to yourself very preposterously. RUGBY. Caius. Jack Rugby. Caius. Vat is de clock, Jack? [Exit. Ford. O, understand my drift! she dwells so securely on the excellency of her honour, that the folly SCENE III. Windsor Park. Enter CAIUS and of my soul dares not present itself; she is too bright to be looked against. Now, could I come to her with any detection in my hand, my desires had instance and argument to commend themselves; I could drive her then from the ward3 of her purity, her reputation, her marriage-vow, and a thousand other her defences, which now are too strongly embattled against me: What say you to't, Sir John? Fal. Master Brook, I will first make bold with your money; next give me your hand; and last, as I am a gentleman, you shall, if you will, enjoy Ford's wife. Fal. Want no mistress Ford, Master Brook, 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 assistant, or go-between, parted from me: I say, I shall be with her between ten and eleven; for at that time the jealous rascally knave, her husband, will be forth. Come you to me at night; you shall know how I speed. Ford. I am blest in your acquaintance. Do you know Ford, sir? Fal. Hang him, poor cuckoldly knave! I know him not-yet I wrong him to call him poor; they say, the jealous wittolly knave hath masses of money; for the which his wife seems to me wellfavoured, I will use her as the key of the cuckoldly rogue's coffer; and there's my harvest-home. 1 i. e. admitted into all, or the greatest companies. Rug. 'Tis past the hour, sir, that Sir Hugh promised to meet. Caius. By gar, he has save his soul, dat he is no come: he has pray his Pible vell, dat he is no come by gar, Jack Rugby, he is dead already, if he be come. Rug. He is wise, sir; he knew your worship would kill him, if he came. Caius. By gar, de herring is no dead, so as I vill kill him. Take your rapier, Jack; I vill tell you how I vill kill him. Rug. Alas, sir, I cannot fence. Enter HOST, SHALLOW, SLENDER, and PAGE. Shal. Save you, master doctor Caius. Caius. Vat be all you, one, too, tree, four, come for? Host. To see thee fight, to see thee foin," to see thee traverse, to see thee here, to see thee there; to see thee pass thy punto, thy stock, thy reverse, thy distance, thy montant. Is he dead, my Ethiopian? is he dead, my Francisco? ha, bully! a great countie or earle." But Randle Holme, in his Academy of Armory, informs us that "Amaymon is the chief whose dominion is on the north part of the infernal gulf; and that Barbatos is like a Sagittarius, and has thirty legions under him." 6 A tame contented cuckold knowing himself to be one. From the Saxon wittan, to know. 7 Usquebaugh. 8 The ancient term for making a thrust in fencing. 9 Terms in fencing. The stoccado, the reverso, &c. from the Italian. What says my Esculapius? my Galen? my heart | thee where Mrs. Anne Page is, at a farmhouse a of elder? ha! is he dead, bully Stale? is he feasting; and thou shalt woo her: Cry'd game, said I well? dead? Caius. By gar, he is de coward Jack priest of the vorld; he is not show his face. Host. Thou art a Castilian, king-urinal! Hector of Greece, my boy! Caius. I pray you, bear vitness that me have stay six or seven, two, tree hours for him, and he is no come. Shal. He is the wiser man, master doctor: he is a curer of souls, and you a curer of bodies; if you should fight, you go against the hair of your professions: is it not true, master Page? Page. Master Shallow, you have yourself been a great fighter, though now a man of peace. Shal. Bodykins, master Page, though I now be old, and of the peace, if I see a sword out, my finger itches to make one: though we are justices, and doctors, and churchmen, master Page, we have some salt of our youth in us; we are the sons of women, master Page. Page. 'Tis true, master Shallow. Shal. It will be found so, master Page. Master I am doctor Caius, I am come to fetch you home. sworn of the peace; you have showed yourself a wise physician, and Sir Hugh hath shown himself a wise and patient churchman: you must go with me, master doctor. Host. Pardon, guest justice :-A word, monsieur Muck-water.' Caius. Muck-vater; vat is dat? Host. Muck-water, in our English tongue, is valour, bully. Caius. By gar, then I have as much muck-vater as de Englishman :-Scurvy jack-dog priest; by gar, me vil cut his ears. Host. He will clapper-claw thee tightly, bully. Host. And I will provoke him to't, or let him wag. Host. And moreover, bully,-But first, master guest, and master Page, and eke cavalero Slender, go you through the town to Frogmore. [Aside to them. Page. Sir Hugh is there, is he? Host. He is there: see what humour he is in; and I will bring the doctor about by the fields: will it do well? Shal. We will do it. Page, Shal. and Slen. Adieu, good master doctor. [Exeunt PAGE, SHALLOW, and SLENDER. Caius. By gar, me vill kill de priest; for he speak for a jack-an-ape to Anne Page. Host. Let him die: but, first, sheath thy impatience; throw cold water on thy choler: go about the fields with me through Frogmore; I will bring Caius. By gar, me tank you for dat: by gar, I love you; and I shall procure-a you de good guest, de earl, de knight, de lords, de gentlemen, my pa tients. Host. For the which, I will be thy adversary towards Anne Page; said I well? Caius. By gar, 'tis good; vell said. Caius. Come at my heels, Jack Rugby. [Exeunt. Eva. 'Pless my soul! how full of cholers I am, and trempling of mind!-I shall be glad, if he have deceived me :-how melancholies I am!-I will knog his urinals about his knave's costard, when I have good opportunities for the 'ork :-'pless my [Sings. soul! To shallow rivers, to whose falls To shallow 'Mercy on me! I have a great dispositions to cry. And a thousand vagram posies. To shallow Sim. Yonder he is coming this way, Sir Hugh. To shallow rivers, to whose falls Heaven prosper the right!-What weapons is he? Sim. No weapons, sír: There comes my master, master Shallow, and another gentleman from Frogmore, over the stile, this way. Eva. Pray you, give me my gown; or else keep it in your arms. Enter PAGE, SHALLOW, and SLENDER. Shal. How now, master parson? Good morrow, good Sir Hugh. Keep a gamester from the dice, Helicon, 1600, it is attributed to Christopher Marlowe, 1 Heart of elder. The joke is that elder has a heart and to it is subjoined an answer, called The Nymph's of pith. 2 Bully-stale and king-urinal, these epithets will be Reply,' signed Ignoto, which is thought to be the sigsufficiently obvious to those who recollect the prevalence nature of Sir Walter Raleigh. Walton has inserted of empirical water-doctors. Castilian, a cant word them both in his Complete Angler, under the character of (like Cataian and Ethiopian,) appears to have been ge. that smooth song which was made by Kit Marlowe, now nerally used as a term of reproach after the defeat of at least fifty years ago; and an answer to it, which was the Spanish Armada. The Host avails himself of the made by Sir Walter Raleigh in his younger days.'Old fashioned poetry but choicely good. Sir Hugh poor doctor's ignorance of English phraseology in ap-misrecites the lines in his panic. The reader will be plying to him these high-sounding opprobrious epithets; pleased to find them at the end of the play. he here means to call him coward. 3 Drain of a dunghill. 4 Steevens tried to give some kind of meaning to this passage. "Cry'd game," says he, "might mean in those days a professed buck, who was well known by the report of his gallantry as he could have been by proclamation." Warburton conjectures that we should read Cry Aim, that is, "Encourage me, do I not deserve it!" This suits the speaker and occasion, and is therefore very plausible. See the second scene of the third act of this play, where the phrase again occurs. 5 Head. 6 This is a part of a beautiful little pastoral, printed among Shakspeare's Sonnets in 1599: but in England's 7 This line is from the old version of the 137th Psalm: "When we did sit in Babylon, The rivers round about, Then the remembrance of Sion, The tears for grief burst out." The word rivers in the second line was probably brought to Sir Hugh's thoughts by the line of the madr gal he had just repeated; and in his fright he blends the sacred and profane songs together. The old quarto has-There lived a man in Babylon,' which was the first line of an old song mentioned in Twelfth Night; but the other line is more in character and a good student from his book, and it is wonderful. Slen. Ah, sweet Anne Page! Eva. 'Pless you from his mercy sake, all of you! Shal. What! the sword and the word! do you study them both, master parson? Page. And youthful still, in your doublet and hose, this raw rheumatic day? Eva. There is reasons and causes for it. Page. We are come to you, to do a good office, master parson. Caius. Ha! do I perceive dat? have you makea de sot of us? ha, ha! Eta. This is well; he has made us his vlouting stog.-I desire you, that we may be friends; and let us knog our prains together, to be revenge on this same scall, scurvy, cogging companion, the host of the Garter. Cuius. By gar, vit all my heart; he promise to bring me vere is Anne Page: by gar, he deceive me too. Eva. Well, I will smite his noddles :-Pray you, follow. [Exeunt. Eva. Fery well: What is it? Page. Yonder is a most reverend gentleman, who SCENE II. be like, having received wrong by some person, is at most odds with his own gravity and patience, that ever you saw. Shal. I have lived fourscore years and upward; I never heard a man of his place, gravity, and learning, so wide of his own respect. Eva. What is he? Page. I think you know him; master doctor Caius, the renowned French physician. Eva. Got's will, and his passion of my heart! I had as lief you would tell me of a mess of porridge. Page. Why? Eva. He has no more knowledge in Hibocrates and Galen,-and he is a knave besides; a cowardly knave, as you would desires to be acquainted withal. Page. I warrant you, he's the man should fight with him. Slen. O, sweet Anne Page! Shal. It appears so, by his weapons:-Keep them asunder; here comes doctor Caius. Enter HOST, CAIUS, and RUGBY. The street in Windsor. Enter MisTRESS PAGE and ROBIN. Mrs. Page. Nay, keep your way, little gallant; you were wont to be a follower, but now you are a leader: Whether had you rather lead mine eyes, or eye your master's heels? Rob. I had rather, forsooth, go before you like a man, than follow him like a dwarf. Mrs. Page. O you are a flattering boy; now, I see you'll be a courtier. Enter FORD. Ford. Well met, mistress Page: Whither go you? Mrs. Page. Truly, sir, to see your wife; Is she at home? Ford. Ay; and as idle as she may hang together, for want of company: I think, if your husbands were dead, you two would marry. Mrs. Page. Be sure of that,-two other husbands. Ford. Where had you this pretty weather-cock? Mrs. Page. I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of: What do you Page. Nay, good master parson, keep in your call your knight's name, sirrah? weapon. Shal. So do you, good master doctor. Host. Disarm them, and let them question; let them keep their limbs whole, and hack our English. Caius. I pray you, let-a me speak a word vit your ear: Verefore vill you not meet a-me? Eva. Pray you, use your patience: In good time. Caius. By gar, you are de coward, de Jack dog, John ape. Eva. Pray you, let us not be laughing-stogs to other men's humours; I desire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends: I will knog your urinals about your knave's cogscomb, for missing your meetings and appointments. Caius. Diable!-Jack Rugby,-mine Host de Jarterre, have I not stay for him, to kill him? have I not, at de place I did appoint? Eva. As I am a Christians soul, now, look you, this is the place appointed; I'll be judgment by mine host of the Garter. Host. Peace, I say Guallia and Gaul, French and Welsh; soul-curer and body-curer. Caius. Ay, dat is very good! excellent! Host. Peace, I say; hear mine host of the Garter. Am I politic? am I subtle? am I a Machiavel? Shall I lose my doctor? no; he gives me the potions, and the motions. Shall I lose my parson? my priest, my Sir Hugh? no; he gives me the proverbs and the no-verbs.-Give me thy hand, terrestial; so:-Give me thy hand, celestial; so. -Boys of art, I have deceived you both; I have directed you to wrong places: your hearts are mighty, your skins are whole, and let burnt sack be the issue.-Come, lay their swords to pawn: Follow me, lad of peace; follow, follow, follow. Shal. Trust me, a mad host:-Follow, gentlemen, follow. Slen. O, sweet Anne Page! Rob. Sir John Falstaff. Ford. Sir John Falstaff! Mrs. Page. By your leave, sir;-I am sick, till I see her. [Exeunt MRS. PAGE and ROBIN. Ford. Has Page any brains? hath he any eyes? hath he any thinking? Sure, they sleep; he hath no use of them. Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty miles, as easy as a cannon will shoot point blank twelve score. He pieces-out his wife's inclination; he gives her folly motion and advantage: and now she's going to my wife, and Falstaff's boy with her. A man may hear this shower sing in the wind!-and Falstaff's boy with her!-Good plots! they are laid; and our revolted wives share damnation together. Well; I will take him; then torture my wife, pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the so-seeming mistress Page, divulge Page himself for a secure and wilful Actæon; and to these violent proceedings all my neighbours shall cry aim. [Clock strikes.] The clock gives me my cue, and my assurance bids me search; there I shall find Falstaff: I shall be rather praised for this, than mocked; for it is as positive as the earth is firm, that Falstaff is there: I will go. Enter PAGE, SHALLOW, SLENDER, HOST, SIR HUGH EVANS, CAIUS, and RUGBY. Shal. Page, & Well met, master Ford. Ford. Trust me at home; and, I pray you all, go with me. good knot: I have good cheer Shal. I must excuse myself, master Ford. 4 To cry aim, in archery was to encourage the archers by crying out aim when they were about to [Exeunt SHAL. SLEN. PAGE, and HOST. shoot. Hence it came to be used for to applaud or en courage, in a general sense. It seems that the specta tors in general cried aim occasionally, as a mere word of encouragement or applause Thus, in K. John, Act ii. Sc. 1. It ill beseems this presence to cry aim To these ill tuned repetitions.' |