Pift. Let vultures gripe thy guts; for gord and Fullam holds:

And high and low beguiles the rich and poor.

Tefter I'll have in pouch, when thou fhalt lack,S Bafe Phrygian Turk!

Nym. I have operations in my head, which be hu mours of revenge.

Pift. Wilt thou revenge?

Nym. By welkin, and her ftar.

Pift. With wit, or steel?

Nym. With both the humours, I :

I will difcufs the humour of this love to Ford.
Pift. And I to Page fhall eke unfold,
How Falstaff, varlet vile,

His dove will prove, his gold will hold,
And his foft couch defile.

ak

Nym. My humour fhall not cool; I will incenfe Ford to deal with poifon; I will poffefs him with yek lownefs; for the Revolt of Mien is dangerous: that is my true humour.

Pift. Thou art the Mars of male contents: I fecond thee; troop on.

4 For gourd, and Fullam holds: "

-

[Exeunt.

And high and low beguiles the rich and poor.] Fullam is a cant term for false dice, high and low. Torriano, in his Italian Dictionary, interprets Pife by falfe dice, high and low men, bigh Fullams, and low Fullams. Johnson, in his Every man out of his humour, quibbles upon this cant term. Who, he ferve? He keeps high men and low men, he has a fair living at Fullam.As for Gourd, or rather Gord, it was another inftrument of gaming, as appears from Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful Lady. And thy dry bones can reach at nothing now, but GORDS

or nine-pins.

SCENE

Quic. WHAT

Enter Mistress Quickly, Simple, and John Rugby. 17HAT, John Rugby! I pray thee, go to the cafement, and fee if you can see my master, mafter Doctor Caius, coming; if he do, i'faith, and find any body in the house, here will be old abufing of God's patience, and the King's English. Rug. I'll go watch.

[Exit Rugby. Quic. Go, and we'll have a poffet for't foon at night, in faith, at the latter end of a fea-coal fire. An honest, willing, kind fellow, as ever fervant fhall come in house withal; and, I warrant you, no tell-tale, nor no breed-bate; his worft fault is, that he is given to pray'r; he is fomething peevish that way; but no body but has his fault; but let that pafs. Peter Simple, you fay, your name is.

Sim. Ay, for fault of a better.

Quic. And mafter Slender's your master?
Sim. Ay, forfooth.

Quic. Does he not wear a great round beard, like a glover's paring-knife?

Sim No, forfooth; he hath but a little wee-face, with a little yellow beard, a Cain-colour'd beard. Quic. A foftly-fprighted man, is he not;

Sim. Ay, forfooth; but he is as tall a man of his hands, as any is between this and his head; he hath fought with a warrener.

!

Quic. How fay you? oh, I fhould remember him; does he not hold up his head, as it were? and ftrut in his gate?

Sim. Yes, indeed, does he.

Quic. Well, heav'n fend Anne Page no worse fortune! Tell mafter parfon Evans, I'll do what I

can

can for your mafter: Anne is a good girl, and I wifh

Enter Rugby.

Rug. Out, alas! here comes my master.

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

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

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

I am glad, he went not in himfelf; 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 vais à la Cour-la grande affaire.

Quic. Is it this, Sir.

Caius. Ouy, mettez le au mon pocket; Depechez, quickly; ver 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 the Court.

Rug. 'Tis ready, Sir, here in the porch.

Caius. By my trot, I tarry too long: od's me! Qu' ay je oublié ? dere is fome fimples in my clofet, dat I will not for the varld I fhall leave behind.

Quic. Ay-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 clofet.

Quic. Good mafter, be content.

Caius. Wherefore fhall I be content-a?
Quic. The young man is an honeft man.

Caius. What 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 flegmatick; hear the truth of it. He came of an errand to me from parfon Hugb.

Caius. Vell.

Sim. Ay, forfooth, to defire her to

Quic. Peace, I pray you.

Caius. Peace-a your tongue, fpeak-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-a-while.

Quic. I am glad, he is fo quiet if he had been thoroughly moved, you fhould have heard him fo loud, and fo melancholy: but notwithstanding, man, I'll do for your master what good. I can; and the very yea and the no is, the French Doctor my mafter, (I may call him my master, look you, for I keep his house, and I wash, wring, brew, bake, fcour, drefs meat and make the beds, and do all my felf.)

Sim. 'Tis a great charge to come under one body's hand.

5 dress meat, and [drink] make the beds, &c.] Dele drink.

Quic. Are you a-vis'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 miftress Anne Page; but, notwithstanding that, I know Anne's mind, that's neither here nor there.

Caius. You jack'nape; give-a this letter to Sir Hugh; by gar, it is a fhallenge: I will cut his troat in de parke, and I will teach a scurvy jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make you may be gone; it is not good you tarry here; by gar, I will cut all his two ftones; by gar, he shall not have a stone to trow at his dog. J [Exit Simple. Quic. Alas, he speaks but for his friend. Caius. It is no matter'a ver dat do you not tellame, dat I shall 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 will myfelf have Anne Page.

Quic. Sir, the maid loves you, and all fhall be well: we muft give folks leave to prate; what, the good-jer! Caius. Rugby, come to the Court with me ;-by gar, if I have not Anne Page, I fhall turn your head out of my door; follow my heels, Rugby.

[Exeunt Caius and Rugby. Quic. You fhall have An fool's-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 heav'n. Fent. [within.] Who's within there, hoa?

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

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

to ask.

Fent.