Page. I will not believe such a Cataian, though the priest o' the town commended him for a true man. Ford. 'Twas a good sensible fellow: well. Page. How now, Meg!

Mrs. Page. Whither go you, George?—Hark you. Mrs. Ford. How now, sweet Frank! why art thou melancholy?

Ford. I melancholy! I am not melancholy.-Get you home, go.

Mrs. Ford. 'Faith, thou hast some crotchets in thy head now.-Will you go, mistress Page?

Mrs. Page. Have with you.-You'll come to dinner, George?-[Aside to Mrs. FORD.] Look, who comes yonder she shall be our messenger to this paltry knight.

Enter Mrs. QUICKLY.

Mrs. Ford. Trust me, I thought on her: she'll fit it. Mrs. Page. You are come to see my daughter Anne? Quick. Ay, forsooth; and, I pray, how does good mistress Anne?

Mrs. Page. Go in with us, and see: we have an hour's talk with you.

[Exeunt Mrs. PAGE, Mrs. FORD, and Mrs. QUICKLY.

Page. How now, master Ford?

Ford. You heard what this knave told me, did you not?

Page. Yes; and you heard what the other told me. Ford. Do you think there is truth in them?

Page. Hang 'em, slaves; I do not think the knight would offer it: but these that accuse him, in his intent

6 such a CATAIAN,-] China was of old called Cataia, or Cathay, and "Cataian" may have been a cant term for a liar, thief, or cheat: here we find it put in opposition to "true man," as in other places we have had thief and "true man," opposed to each other. The word occurs again in "Twelfth Night," Vol. iii. p. 355, where Sir Toby says that Olivia is "a Cataian," but without any such meaning.

towards our wives, are a yoke of his discarded men; very rogues, now they be out of service.

Ford. Were they his men?

Page. Marry, were they.

Ford. I like it never the better for that.-Does he lie at the Garter?

Page. Ay, marry, does he. If he should intend this voyage towards my wife, I would turn her loose to him; and what he gets more of her than sharp words, let it lie on my head.

Ford. I do not misdoubt my wife, but I would be loath to turn them together. A man may be too confident: I would have nothing lie on my head. I cannot be thus satisfied.

Page. Look, where my ranting Host of the Garter comes. There is either liquor in his pate, or money in his purse, when he looks so merrily.-How now, mine host!

Enter Host, and SHALLOW.

Host. How now, bully-rook! thou'rt a gentleman. Cavaliero-justice, I say.

Shal. I follow, mine host, I follow.-Good even, and twenty, good master Page. Master Page, will you go with us? we have sport in hand.

Host. Tell him, cavaliero-justice; tell him, bullyrook.

Shal. Sir, there is a fray to be fought between sir Hugh, the Welch priest, and Caius, the French doctor. Ford. Good mine Host o' the Garter, a word with you.

Host. What say'st thou, my bully-rook? [They go aside. Shal. Will you [to PAGE] go with us to behold it? My merry host hath had the measuring of their weapons, and, I think, hath appointed them contrary places; for, believe me, I hear, the parson is no jester. Hark, I will tell you what our sport shall be.

Host. Hast thou no suit against my knight, my guestcavalier?

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, An-heires??

Shal. Have with you, mine host.

Page. I have heard, the Frenchman hath good skill in his rapier1o.

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, SHALLOW, and PAGE.

↑ Ford. None, I protest :] This speech is wrongly given to Shallow in the folios. Southern corrected the error in his folio, 1685.

8 - my name is BROOK ;] Misprinted Broome in the folio, 1623, and the later folios, notwithstanding Falstaff's subsequent joke, "Such Brooks are welcome to me, that o'erflow such liquor." Pope was the first to restore the name of "Brook" from the quartos.

- Will you go AN-HEIRES?] We give this word as it stands in the folios, although probably corrupt, because it is impossible to set it right by conjecture, and the quartos afford us no aid. It may be some proper name known at the time, such as Anaides in Ben Jonson's "Cynthia's Revels;" but Steevens would read, "Will you go on, hearts?" Malone, "Will you go and hear us?" while Boaden, with more plausibility, suggested" Cavalieres." 10 in his rapier.] In the quarto, 1602, here follow these words:

"Shal. I tell you what, M. Page; I believe the doctor is no jester; he'll lay it on for though we be justices and doctors and churchmen, yet we are the sons of women, master Page.

"Shal. It will be found so, master Page.

"Page. Master Shallow, you yourself have been a great fighter, though now a man of peace."

Part of this dialogue (says Malone, who however misquotes the passage as it stands in the quartos, 1602 and 1619) is found afterwards in the third scene of the present act.

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 farther 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. [Exit.

SCENE II.

A Room in the Garter Inn.

Enter FALSTAFF and PISTOL.

Fal. I will not lend thee a penny.
Pist. Why, then the world's mine oyster,
Which I with sword will open'.—

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 gemini 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. Didst thou not share? hadst thou not fifteen pence?

Fal. Reason, you rogue, reason: think'st thou, I'll endanger my soul gratis? At a word, hang no more about me, I am no gibbet for you:-go.-A short knife and a throng:-to your manor of Pickt-hatch', go.—

1 Which I with sword will open.-] Instead of this characteristic reply the quartos give merely, "I will retort the sum in equipage."

A short knife and a THRONG :] i. e. a crowd, in which you can use your "short knife" in cutting purses. Some editors have injuriously substituted thong for "throng."

3

to your manor of PICKT-HATCH,] The name of "Pickt-hatch" was

You'll not bear a letter for me, you rogue !-you stand upon your honour!-Why, thou unconfinable baseness, it is as much as I can do, to keep the terms of my honour precise. I, I, I myself sometimes, leaving the fear of heaven on the left hand, and hiding mine honour in my necessity, am fain to shuffle, to hedge, and to lurch; and yet you, rogue, will ensconce your rags, your cat-a-mountain looks, your red-lattice phrases*, and your bold-beating oaths, under the shelter of your honour! You will not do it, you?

Pist. I do relent: what would'st thou more of man?

Enter ROBIN.

Rob. Sir, here's a woman would speak with you.
Fal. Let her approach.

Enter Mistress QUICKLY.

Quick. Give your worship good-morrow.
Fal. Good-morrow, good wife.

Quick. Not so, an't please your worship.

Fal. Good maid, then.

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,—

probably derived from the fact that a number of the houses there had picked or pointed hatches, hatches with spikes at the top of them at the doors. Such was ordinarily the case with houses of ill fame in the time of Shakespeare. "Pickthatch" is often mentioned by contemporary writers.

your RED-LATTICE phrases ;] i. e. your public-house language: public houses were distinguished by red lattices. See also Vol. iv. p. 373.