Fal. Truly, mine hoft, I must turn away fome of my followers.

Hoft. Difcard, bully Hercules, cafhier; let them wag; trot, trot.

Fal. I fit at ten pounds a week.

Hoft. Thou'rt an Emperor, Cefar, Keisar and Pheazar. I will entertain Bardolph, he shall draw, he shall tap; said I well, bully Hector?

Fal. Do fo, good mine hoft.

Hoft. I have fpoke, let him follow; let me fee thee froth, and live: I am at a word; follow.

[Exit Hoft. Fal. Bardolph, follow him; a tapfer is a good trade: an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a wither'd servingman, a fresh tapfter; go, adieu.

Bard. It is a life that I have defir'd: I will thrive.

[Exit Bard. Pift. O base Hungarian wight, wilt thou the spigot wield?

Nym. He was gotten in drink, is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroic, and there's the humour of it.

Fal. I am glad, I am fo quit of this tinderbox; his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unfkilful finger, he kept not time.

Nym. The good humour is to fteal at a minute's reft. Pift. Convey, the Wife it call: fteal? foh; a fico for the phrafe!

Fal. Well, Sirs, I am almoft out at heels.

Pift. Why then, let kibes enfue.

Fal. There is no remedy: I must conycatch, I must fhift.

Pift. Young ravens must have food.

Fal. Which of you know Ford of this town? Paft. I ken the wight, he is of fubftance good. Fal. My honeft lads, I will tell you what I am about,

Pift. Two yards and more.

Fal.

Fal. No quips now, Piftol: indeed, I am in the waste two yards about; but I am now about no waste, I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife: I spy entertainment in her; fhe difcourfes, fhe carves, the gives the leer of invitation; I can construe the action of her familiar ftile, and the hardest voice of her behaviour, to be english'd right, is, I am Sir John Faftaff's.

Pift. He hath ftudy'd her well, and tranflated her out of honefty into English.

Nym. The anchor is deep; will that humour pass? Fal. Now, the report goes, fhe has all the rule of her husband's purfe: fhe hath a legion of angels. Pift. As many devils entertain; and to her, boy, fay I.

Nym. The humour rises; it is good; humour me the angels.

Fal. I have writ me here a letter to her; and here another to Page's wife, who even now gave me good eyes too, examin'd my parts with moft judicious oeillades; fometimes, the beam of her view guilded my foot; fometimes, my portly belly.

*

Pift. Then did the fun on dung-hill fhine. [Aside. Nym. I thank thee for that humour.

Fal. O fhe did fo course o'er my exteriors with fuch a greedy intention, that the appetite of her eye did. seem to fcorch me up like a burning-glafs. Here's another letter to her; fhe bears the purfe too; fhe is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty. +I will be Cheater to them both, and they fhall be Exchequers to me; they fhall be my East and Weft-Indies, and I will trade to them both. Go, bear thou this

* most judicious iliads;] Read oeillades, glances. French. Mr. Pope•

I will be Cheater to them both, and they fhall be Exchequers to me ;] The fame Joke is intended here, as in the second Part of Henry the fourth, A& 2. I will bar no honeft Man my Houfe, nor no Cheater.--By which is meant Efcheatours, an Officer in the Exchequer, in no good Repute with the common People.

letter

letter to mistress Page; and thou this to mistress Ford: we will thrive, lads, we will thrive.

Pift. Shall I Sir Pandarus of Troy become, And by my fide wear fteel? then, Lucifer take all! Nym. I will run no base humour; here, take the humour-letter, I will keep the haviour of reputation. Fal. Hold, Sirrah, bear you these letters tightly, Sail like my pinnace to thefe golden fhores. [ToRobin. Rogues, hence, avaunt! vanish like hail-ftones, go; Trudge, plod away o'th' hoof, feek shelter, pack! Falstaff will learn the humour of the age,

French thrift, you rogues; myself, and skirted page. [Exeunt Falftaff and Boy.

Pift. LE

ET 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 shalt lack,
Bafe Phrygian Turk!

Nym. I have operations in my head, which be humours 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.

*for gourd, and Fullam holds :

And high and low beguiles the rich and poor.] Fullam is a cant Term for falfe Dice, high and low. Torriano, in his Italian Dictionary, interprets Pife by falfe Dice, high and low Men, high Fullams, and low Fullams. Johnfon, 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 Instrument of Gaming, as appears form Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful Lady. And thy dry Bones can reach at nothing now, but GORDS, or Nine-pins.

--

Pift. And I to Page fhall eke unfold,
How Falstaff, varlet vile,

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

Nym. My humour fhall not cool; I will incenfe. Ford to deal with poifon; I will poffefs him with yellowness; 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.

[Exeunt.

Changes to Dr. Caius's Houfe.

Enter Mistress Quickly, Simple, and John Rugby,

Quic. WHAT, John Rugby: I pray thee, go to

the cafement, and fee if you can see my

master, master Doctor Caius, coming; if he do, i’faith, and find any body in the houfe, here will be old abu-fing of God's patience, and the King's English. [Exit Rugby.

Rug. I'll go watch.

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 honeft, willing, kind fellow, as ever servant shall come in house withal; and, I warrant you, no telltale, nor no breed-bate; his worft fault is, that he is giv'n 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 mafter?
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 should 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 for your mafter: Anne is a good girl, and I wishEnter Rugby.

Rug. Out, alas! here comes my master.

Quic. We fhall all be fhent; run in here, good young man; go into this clofet; [fhuts Simple in the clofet.] He will not ftay long. What, John Rugby! John! what, John, I fay; 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

Enter Doctor Caius.

AT is you fing? I do not like des toys; pray you, go and vetch me in my closet 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 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 vais à la Cour-la grande affaire.

Quick. Is it this, Sir.

Caius. Ouy, mettez le au mon pocket; Depêchez, quickly; ver is dat knave Rugby!

Quic. What, John Rugby! John!

Rug.