Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pass good humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the bafe humour on me; that is the very note of it.

Slen. By this hat then, he in the red face had it; for tho' I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an ass. Fal. What fay you, Scarlet and John?

Bard. Why, Sir, for my part, Ifay, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five fentences. Eva. It is his five fenfes: fie, what the ignorance is!

Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they fay, cafhier'd; and fo conclufions paft the car-eires.

Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilft I live again, but in honeft, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves.

Eva. So Got udg me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters deny'd, gentlemen; hear it.

you

Enter Mrs. Anne Page, with wine.

Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit Anne Page. Slen. Oh heav'n! this is miftrefs Anne Page.

Enter Miftrefs Ford and Mistress Page.

Page. How now, mistress Ford?

Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth, you are very well met; by your leave, good miftrefs. [Kiffing her. Page. Wife, bid thefe gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venifon pafty to dinner; come, gentlemen; I hope, we fhall drink down all unkindness. [Exeunt Fal. Page, &c.

SCENE

Manent Shallow, Evans, and Slender.

Had rather than forty fhillings, I had my book of fongs and fonnets here.

Enter Simple.

How now, Simple, where have you been? I must wait on myself, muft I? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you?

Smp. Book of riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon All-hallowmas laft, a fortnight

afore Michaelmas.

Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we stay for you: a word with you, coz: marry this, coz: there is, as 'twere, a tender, a kind of tender, made afar off by Sir Hugh here; do you understand me?

Slen. Ay, Sir, you fhall find me reasonable: if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reason.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, Sir.

Eva. Give ear to his motions, Mr. Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity

of it.

I

Slen. Nay, I will do, as my coufin Shallow fays: pray you, pardon me; he's a Juftice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I ftand here.

Eva. But that is not the question; the queftion is concerning your marriage.

Shal. Ay, there's the point, Sir.

Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it, to Mrs. Anne Page.

Sten. Why, if it be fo, I will marry her upon any reasonable demands.

Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philofophers hold, that the lips is parcel of

L 6

the

the mind: therefore precifely, can you carry your good Will to the maid?

Shal. Coufin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slen. I hope, Sir, I will do, as it fhall become one that would do reafon.

Eva. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies, you must fpeak poffitable, if you can carry her your defires to

wards her.

Shal. That you muft; will you, upon good dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your request, coufin, in any reafon.

Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, fweet coz: what I do, is to pleasure you, coz; can you love the maid?

Slen. I will marry her, Sir, at your request: but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heav'n may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are marry'd, and have more occafion to know one another: I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt; but if you fay, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely diffolved, and diffolutely.

Eva. It is a ferry difcretion anfwer, fave, the faul' is in th'ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to Our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good.

Shal. Ay, I think, my coufin meant well.
Slen. Ay, or elfe I would I might be hang`d, la.

Shal. HERE comes fair mistress Anne: 'would I

young for your fake, mistress Anne.

Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father defires your worship's company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair miftrefs Anne.

Eva. Od's pleffed will, I will not be absence at the Grace. [Exeunt Shallow and Evans. Anne.

Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you, forfooth, heartily; I am very well.

Anne. The dinner attends you,

Sir.

Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forfooth. Go, Sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my coufin Shallow: Exit Simple.] A Juftice of peace fometime may be beholden to his friend for a man. I keep but three men and a boy yet, 'till my mother be dead; but what though, yet I live like a poor gentleman born.

Anne. I may not go in without your worship; they will not fit, 'till you come.

Slen. I'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did.

Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in.

Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you : I bruis'd my fhin th'other day with playing at fword and dagger with a mafter of fence, three veneys for a difh of ftew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the fmell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark fo? be there bears i'th' town?

Anne. I think, there are, Sir; I heard them talk'd of.

Slen. I love the sport well, but I fhall as foon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you fee the bear loofe, are you not?

Anne. Ay, indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon loose twenty times, and have taken him by the chain: but I warrant you, the women have fo cry'd and fhriek'd at it, that it paft: but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things.

Enter Mr. Page.

Page. Come, gentle Mr. Slender, come; we stay for you.

Sle.

Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, Sir.

Page. By cock and pye, you shall not chufe, Sir;

come, come.

do

Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way.

Page. Come on, Sir.

Slen. Mifirefs Anne, yourfelf fhall go first.
Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on.

Slen. Truly, I will not go firft, truly-la: I will not you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome; you do yourself wrong, indeed-la.

[Exeunt.

Eva.

Re-enter Evans and Simple.

and afk of Doctor Caius' house

G which is the way; and there dwells one

mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurse, or his dry nurse, or his cook, or his laundry, his wafher, and his wringer.

Simp. Well, Sir.

Eva. Nay, it is petter yet; give her this letter; for it is a 'oman that altogethers acquaintance with mistress Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to follicit your mafter's defires to mistress Anne Page: I pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippins and cheese to come.

[Exeunt feverally.

Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Robin.

INE hoft of the garter,

Fal. M. Hoft. What fays my bully rock? speak

fchollarly, and wifely.

Fal.