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Mrs. Page. Pray heaven it be not fo, that you have fuch a man here; but 'tis most certain your husband's coming with half Windfor at his heels, to fearch for fuch a one. I come before to tell you: If you know yourself clear, why I am glad of it: but if you have a friend here, convey, convey him out. Be not amaz'd; call all your fenfes to you; defend your reputation, or bid farewell to your good life for ever.

Mrs. Ford. What fhall I do?-There is a gentleman, my dear friend; and I fear not mine own fhame, fo much as his peril: I had rather than a thoufand pound, he were out of the house.

Mrs. Page. For fhame, never ftand you had rather, and you had rather; your husband's here at hand, bethink you of fome conveyance: in the houfe you cannot hide him.-Oh, how have you deceived me!Look, here is a basket; if he be of any reasonable ftature, he may creep in here; and throw foul linen upon him, as if it were going to bucking: Or, it is whiting-time, fend him by your two men to Datchet

mead.

Mrs. Ford. He's too big to go in there: What shall I do?

Re-enter Falstaff

Fal. Let me fee't, let me fee't! O let me fee't! I'll in, I'll in ;-follow your friend's counsel ;-I'll in. Mrs. Page. What fir John Falftaff? Are thefe your letters, knight?

Fal. I love thee,-help me away: let me creep in here; I'll never

[He goes into the bafket, they cover him with foul linen. Mrs. Page. Help to cover your master, boy: Call your men, mistress Ford :-You diffembling knight! Mrs. Ford. What, John, Robert, John! Go take up thefe clothes here, quickly; Where's the cowl

ftaff?

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ftaff? look, how you drumble: carry them to the laundrefs in Datchet mead; quickly, come.

Enter Ford, Page, Caius, and Sir Hugh Evans.

Ford. Pray you, come near: if I fufpect without caufe, why then inake fport at me, then let me be your jeft, I deferve it.-How now? whither bear you

this?

Serv. To the laundrefs, forfooth.

Mrs. Ford. Why, what have you to do whither they bear it? you were beft meddle with buck-washing.

Ford. Buck? I would I could wash myself of the buck! Buck, buck, buck? Ay, buck; I warrant you, buck; and of the feafon too, it fhall appear. [Exeunt Servants with the basket.] Gentlemen, I have dream'd to-night; I'll tell you my dream. Here, here, here be my keys: afcend my chambers, fearch, feek, find out I'll warrant, we'll unkennel the fox:-Let me top this way firft:-9 So, now uncape.

8-how you drumble:-] The reverend Mr. Lambe, the editor of the ancient metrical hiftory of the Battle of Floddon, observes, that -look how you drumble, means hovi confufed you are; and that in the North, drumbled ale is muddy, difturbed ale. Thus, a Scottish proverb in Ray's collection;

"It is good fishing in drumbling waters."

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Again, in Have with you to Saffron Walden, or Gabriel Harvey's Hunt is up, this word, occurs: -gray-beard drumbling over a difcourfe. Again: "your fly in a boxe is but a drumble-bee in comparifon of it." Again: "this drumbling courfe."

STEEVENS.

9 So now uncape.] So the folio of 1623 reads, and rightly. It is a term in fox-hunting, which fignifies to dig out the fox when earth'd. And here is as much as to fay, take out the foul linen under which the adulterer lies hid. The Oxford editor reads uncouple, out of pure love to an emendation. WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton feems to have forgot that the linen was already carried away. The allufion in the foregoing fentence is to the topping every hole at which a fox could enter, before they uncape or turn him out of the bag in which he was brought, I fuppofa every one has heard of a bag-fox. STEEVENS.

Page.

Page. Good mafter Ford, be contented: you wrong yourself too much.

Ford. True, mafter Page.-Up, gentlemen; you fhall fee fport anon: follow me, gentlemen. [Exit. Eva. This is fery fantaftical humours, and jea

loufics.

Caius. By gar, 'tis no de fafhion of France: it is not jealous in France.

Page. Nay, follow him, gentlemen; fee the iffue of his fearch.

[Exeunt. Mrs. Page. Is there not a double excellency in this? Mrs. Ford. I know not which pleafes me better, that my husband is deceiv'd, or Sir John.

Mrs. Page. What a taking was he in, when your hufband afk'd who was in the basket!

Mrs. Ford. I am half afraid, he will have need of washing; fo throwing him into the water will do him a benefit.

Mrs. Page. Hang him, difhoneft rafcal! I would, all of the fame ftrain were in the fame diftress.

Mrs. Ford. I think, my husband hath some special fufpicion of Falstaff's being here; for I never faw him fo grofs in his jealoufy till now.

Mrs. Page. I will lay a plot to try that: And we will yet have more tricks with Falftaff: his diffolute difeafe will scarce obey this medicine.

Mrs. Ford. Shall we fend that foolifh carrion, miftrefs Quickly, to him, and excufe his throwing into the water; and give him another hope, to betray him to another punishment?

Mrs. Page. We'll do it; let him be fent for to-morrow eight o'clock, to have amends. +

Re-enter Ford, Page, and the rest at a distance.

Ford. I cannot find him: may be the knave brag'd of that he could not compafs.

Mrs.

Mrs. Page. Heard you that?

Mrs. Ford. I, I; peace mafter Ford, do you?

Ford. Ay, I do fo.

You ufe me well,

Mrs. Ford. Heaven make you better than your thoughts!

Ford. Amen.

Mrs. Page. You do yourself mighty wrong, mafter Ford.

Ford. Ay, ay; I must bear it.

Eva. If there be any pody in the house, and in the chambers, and in the coffers, and in the preffes, heaven forgive my fins at the day of judgment !

Caius. By gar, nor I too; dere is no bodies.

Page. Fie, fie, mafter Ford! are you not afham'd? what fpirit, what devil fuggefts this imagination? I would not have your diftemper in this kind, for the wealth of Windfor Castle.

Ford. 'Tis my fault, mafter Page: I fuffer for it. Eva. You fuffer for a pad confcience: your wife is as honeft a 'omans, as I will defires among five thoufand, and five hundred too.

Caius. By gar, I fee 'tis an honeft woman.

Ford. Well;-I promis'd you a dinner :-Come, come, walk in the park: I pray you, pardon me; I will hereafter make known to you, why I have done this. Come, wife; come, miftrefs Page; I pray you pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me. Page. Let's

go in, gentlemen; but, trust me, we'll mock him. I do invite you to-morrow morning to my house to breakfaft; after, we'll a birding together; I have a fine hawk for the bufh fhall it be fo?

Ford. Any thing.

Eva. If there is one, I fhall make two in the company.

Caius. If there be one or two, I fhall make-a de

turd.

Eva. In your teeth-for fhame.

Ford. Pray you go, mafter Page.

Eva. I pray you now, remembrance to-morrow on the loufy knave, mine hoft.

Caius. Dat is good; by gar, vit all my heart. Eva. A loufy knave; to have his gibes, and his [Exeunt.

mockeries.

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Enter Fenton and Miftrefs Anne Page.

Fent, I fee, I cannot get thy father's love; Therefore no more turn me to him, fweet Nan. Anne. Alas! how then?

Fent. Why, thou must be thyself.
He doth object, I am too great of birth;
And that, my state being gall'd with my expence,
I feck to heal it only by his wealth:

Befides thefe, other bars he lays before me,
My riots paft, my wild focieties;

And tells me, 'tis a thing impoffible
I fhould love thee, but as a property.
Anne. May be, he tells you true.

Fent. No, heaven fo fpeed me in my time to come! Albeit, I will confefs, thy father's wealth

2

Was

In your teeth :- ] This dirty reftoration was made by Mr. Theobald. Evans's application of the doctor's words, is not in the folio. STEEVENS.

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-father's wealth] Some light may be given to thofe who fhall endeavour to calculate the increafe of English wealth, by obferving, that Latymer, in the time of Edward VI. mentions it as a proof of his father's profperity, That though but a yeoman, he gave his daughters five pounds each for her portion. At the latter end of Elizabeth, feven hundred pounds were fuch a temptation to

courtship,

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