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 closet.

Quic. Good mafter, be content.

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

Caius. What fhall de honest man do in my closet? dere is no honest man, dat fhall come in my clofet. 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, 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 master, (I may call him my mafter, look you, for I keep his house,

house, and I wash, wring, brew, bake, fcour. drefs meat and make the beds, and do all myself.)

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

hand.

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 mistress 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 prieft 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 fhall not have a stone to trow at his dog.

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

Caius. It is no matter'a ver dat: do you not tellame, dat I fhall have Anne Page for myfelf? by gar, I vill kill de jack prieft; and I have appointed mine hoft of de Jarterre to measure our weapon; by gar, I will myself have Anne Page.

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

Caius. Rugby, come to the Court with me; -by gar, if I have not Anne Page, I shall 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.

H

Enter Mr. Fenton.

O W now, good woman, how doft thou? Quic. The better that it pleases your good worship to alk.

Fent. What news? now 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 praife heav'n for it.

Fent. Shall I do any good, think'st thou? shall I not lofe my fuit?

Quic. Troth, Sir, all is in his hands above; but notwithstanding, mafter Fenton, I'll be fworn on a book, fhe loves you: have not your worship a wart above your eye

?

Fent. Yes, marry, have I; and 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, she is given too much to allicholly and mufing; but for youWell-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 your worship more of the wart, the next time we have confidence, and of other wooers.

Fent. Well, farewel, I am in great hafte now.

[Exit.

Quic. Farewel 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

ACT II. SCENE I

Before Page's Houfe.

Enter Mrs. Page, with a Letter.
Mrs. PAGE.

HAT, have I fcap'd love-letters in the holyday-time of my beauty, and am I now a subject for them? let me fee:

Afk me no reafon, why I love you; for tho' love ufe reafon for his precifian, he admits him not for his counsellor: you are not young, no more am I; go to then, there's sympathy: you are merry, fo am I; ha! ha! then there's more fympathy; you love fack, and fo do I; would you defire better Sympathy? let it fuffice thee, miftrefs Page, at the least if the love of a foldier can fuffice, that I love thee. I will not fay, pily me, 'tis not a foldier-like phrafe; but I fay,

love me:

By me, thine own true Knight, by day or night,
Or any kind of light, with all his might,
For thee to fight.

John Falstaff.

What a Herod of Jewry is this? O wicked, wicked world! one that is well nigh worn to pieces with age, to fhow himself a young gallant! what unweigh'd behaviour hath this Flemish drunkard pickt, i'th' devil's name, out of my converfation, that he dares in this manner afsay me? why, he hath not been thrice in my company: what fhould I fay to him? I was then frugal of my mirth, heav'n forgive me: why, I'll exhibit a Bill in the Parliament for

*

I'll exhibit a Bill in Parliament for putting down of men. en.] Mr. Theobald reads, for putting down of fat men. But how is the Matter mended? or the Thought made less ridiculous? Shakespear wrote, for the putting down of mum, i. e. the fatning Liquor so called.

the

the putting down of Mum: how fhall I be reveng'd on him? for reveng'd I will be, as fure as his guts are made of puddings.

Mrs. Ford.

SCENE II.

Enter Mrs. Ford.

MRS. Page, truft me, I was going to

your house.

Mrs. Page. And trust me, I was coming to you; you look

very

ill.

Mrs. Ford. Nay, I'll ne'er believe that; I have to fhew to the contrary.

Mrs. Page. Faith, but you do, in my mind.

Mrs. Ford. Well, I do then; yet I fay, I could fhew you to the contrary: O miftrefs Page, give me

fome counfel.

Mrs. Page. What's the matter, woman?

Mrs. Ford. O woman! if it were not for one trifling refpect, I could come to fuch honour.

Mrs. Page. Hang the trifle, woman, take the honour; what is it? difpenfe with trifles; what is it? Mrs. Ford. If I would but go to hell for an eternal moment, or fo, I could be knighted.

Mrs. Page. What, thou lieft! Sir Alice Ford! thefe Knights will lack, and fo thou shouldft not alter the article of thy gentry.

Mrs. Ford. We burn day-light; here, read, read; perceive, how I might be knighted: I shall think the worfe of fat men, as long as I have an eye to make difference of men's liking; and yet he would not fwear; prais'd women's modefty; and gave fuch orderly and well-behav'd reproof to all uncomeliness, that I would have fworn his disposition would have gone to the truth of his words; but they do no more adhere, and keep place together, than the hundredth Pfalm to the tune of Green Sleeves. What tempeft, I trow, threw this whale, with fo many tun of oil in