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Quic. We fhall all be fhent: Run in here, good young man; go into this clofet. [Shuts Simple in the clofet.] He will not stay long.-What, John Rugby! John, what, John, I fay!-Go, John, go enquire for my master; I doubt, he be not well, that he comes not home :-and down, down, a-down-a, &c. [Sings.

Enter Doctor Caius.

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Caius. Vat is you fing? I do not like defe toys; Pray you, go and vetch me in my clofet un boitier verd; a box, a green-a box; Do intend vat I speak? a green-a box.

Quick. Ay, forfooth, I'll fetch it you.

I am glad he went not in himself if he had found the young man, he would have been horn-mad.

[Afide: Caius. Fe, fe, fe, fe! ma foi, il fait fort chaud. Je m'en vai à la Cour, la grande affaire.

Quic

we fhall be fhent:] i. e. Scolded, roughly treated. So

in the old Interlude of Nature, bl. 1. no date:

66

I can tell thee one thyng,

"In fayth you wyll be fhent." STEEVENS.

and down, down, a down a, &c.] To deceive her master, fhe fings as if at her work., SIR J. HAWKINS.

Enter Doctor Caius.] It has been thought strange, that our author fhould take the name of Caius for his Frenchman in this comedy; but Shakespeare was little acquainted with literary history; and without doubt, from this unusual name, fuppofed him to have been a foreign quack. Add to this, that the doctor was handed down as a kind of Roficrucian: Mr. Ames had in MS. one of the "Secret Writings of Dr. Caius." FARMER.

7 un boitier verd;] Boitier in French fignifies a case of furgeon's inftruments. Dr. GRAY.

I believe it rather means a box of falve, or cafe to hold fimples, for which Caius profeffes to feek. The fame word, fomewhat curtailed, is ufed by Chaucer, in the Pardoneres Prologue, v. 12241: "And every boift full of thy letuarie."

Again, in the Skynner's Play, in the Chester Collection of Mysteries. MS. Harl. p. 149: Mary Magdalen says: "To balme his bodye that is fo brighte, "Boyfte here have I brought." STEEVENS.

Quic. Is it this, Sir.

Caius. Ouy; mettez le au mon pocket; Depechez, quickly:-Vere is dat knave Rugby?

Quic. What, John Rugby! John!
Rug. Here, Sir.

Caius. You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby: Come, take-a your rapier, and come after my heel to de court.

Rug. 'Tis ready, Sir, here in the porch.
Caius. By my trot, I tarry too long:-

Od's me!

Qu'ay j'oublie ? dere is fome fimples in my closet,

dat I vill not for the varld I fhall leave behind.

Quic. Ah me! he'll find the young man there, and be mad.

Caius. O diable, diable! vat is in my closet ?-Villaine, Larron! Rugby, my rapier.

[Pulls Simple out of the closet.

Quic. Good mafter, be content.

Caius. Verefore fhall I be content-a?

Quic. The young man is an honeft man.

Caius. Vat fhall de honeft man do in my closet? dere is no honeft man dat fhall come in my closet.

Quic. I befeech you, be not fo flegmatic; hear the truth of it. He came of an errand to me from parfon Hugh.

Caius. Vell.

Sim. Ay, forfooth, to defire her to

Quic. Peace, I pray you.

Caius. Peace-a your tongue :-Speak-a your tale. Sim. To defire this honeft gentlewoman, your maid, to speak a good word to mistress Anne Page for my mafter in the way of marriage.

Quic. This is all, indeed-la; but I'll never put my finger in the fire, and need not.

Caius. Sir Hugh fend-a you?-Rugby, baillez me fome paper: Tarry you a little while.

Quic. I am glad he is fo quiet: if he had been thoroughly moved, you fhould have heard him fo loud,

and

and fo melancholy;-But notwithstanding, man, I'll do for your mafter what good I can: and the very yea and the no is, the French Doctor, my mafter,-I may call him my mafter, look you, for I keep his house; and I wash, wring, brew, bake, fcour, dress meat and drink, make the beds, and do all myself. Sim. 'Tis a great charge, to come under one body's hand.

Quic. Are you avis'd o' that? you fhall find it a great charge: And to be up early, and down late ;but notwithstanding, (to tell you in your ear; I would have no words of it) my mafter himself is in love with mistrefs Anne Page: but, notwithstanding that, -I I know Anne's mind,-that's neither here nor there.

Caius. You jack'nape; give-a dis letter to Sir Hugh; by gar, it is a fhallenge: I vill cut his throat in de park; and I vill teach a fcurvy jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make : -you may be gone; it -by gar, I will cut all

is not good you tarry here:

his two ftones; by gar, he fhall not have a stone to

trow at his dog.

[Exit Simple. Quic. Alas, he speaks but for his friend.

Caius. It is no matter-a for dat :-do you not tell-a me dat I fhall have Anne Page for myfelf?by gar, I vill kill de jack prieft; and I have appointed mine host of de Farterre to measure our weapon;-by gar, I vill myfelf have Anne Page.

Quic. Sir, the maid loves you, and all fhall be well: we must give folks leave to prate: What, the goujeres !

Caius. Rugby, come to the court vit me ;

By

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What the goujere!] So in K. Lear:

"The goujeers fhall devour them."

The goujere; i. e. morbus Gallicus. See Hanmer's note, K. Lear, act V. fc. iii. STEEVens.

gar,

gar, if I have not Anne Page, I fhall turn your head
out of door: Follow my heels, Rugby.
[Ex. Caius and Rugby.

Quic. You fhall have An fools-head of your own. No, I know Anne's mind for that: never a woman in Windfor knows more of Anne's mind than I do; nor can do more than I do with her, I thank heaven.

I

Fent. [Within.] Who's within there, ho?

Quic. Who's there, I trow? come near the house,

pray you.

Enter Mr. Fenton.

Fent. How now, good woman; how doft thou? Quic. The better that it pleases your good worship to ask.

Fent. What news? how does pretty mistress Anne? Quic. In truth, Sir, and fhe is pretty, and honest, and gentle; and one that is your friend, I can tell you that by the way, I praise heaven for it.

Fent. Shall I do any good, thinkest thou? shall I not lose my fuit?

Quic. Troth, fir, all is in his hands above: but notwithstanding, mafter Fenton, I'll be fworn on a book, the loves you :- Have not your worship a wart about your eye?

Fent. Yes, marry, have I; what of that? Quic. Well, thereby hangs a tale;- -good faith, it is fuch another Nan;-but I deteft, an honeft maid as ever broke bread :-We had an hour's talk of that wart;-I fhall never laugh but in that maid's company!-But, indeed, fhe is given too much to allicholly and mufing: But for you-Well-go to.

Fent. Well, I fhall fee her to-day: Hold, there's money for thee; let me have thy voice in my behalf: if thou feeft her before me, commend me

Quic. Will I? ay, faith, that we will: and I will

tell

tell your worship more of the wart, the next time we have confidence; and of other wooers.

Fent. Well, farewell; I am in great haste now.

[Exit. Quic. Farewell to your worship.-Truly, an honeft gentleman; but Anne loves him not; I know Anne's mind as well as another does :-Out upon't! what have I forgot?

[Exit.

ACT II. SCENE I.

Before Page's house.

Enter Miftrefs Page with a letter.

Miftrefs Page. What, have I 'fcap'd love-letters in the holy-day-time of my beauty, and am I now a fubject for them? Let me fee:

Afk me no reason why I love you; for though love ufe

reason

though love ufe reafon for his precifian, he admits him not for his counsellor :-] This is obfcure; but the meaning is, though love permit reafon to tell what is fit to be done, he feldom follows its advice. By precifian, is meant one who pretends to a more than ordinary degree of virtue and fanctity. On which account they gave this name to the puritans of that time. So Ofborne-"Conform their mode, words, and looks to thefe PRECISIANS." And Maine, in his City Match:

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"A great PRECISIAN to her for her woman."

WARBURTON. precifian,] Of this word I do not fee any meaning that is very appofite to the prefent intention. Perhaps Falstaff faid, Though love ufe reafon as his physician, he admits him not for his counsellor. This will be plain fenfe. Afk not the reafon of my love; the bufinefs of reafon is not to affift love, but to cure it.. There may however be this meaning in the present reading. Though love, when he would fubmit to regulation, may use reafon

as

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