1

Shal. I must excuse myself, Mr. Fordi d I

Sien. And so muft I, Sir; we have appointed to dine with Mrs. Ann, and I would not break with her for more money than I'll speak of.. +91, .):

Sbal. We have linger'd about a match between Ann Page and my cousin Slender, and this day we shall have our answer.

21! go ) 1TM 1. Slen. I hope, I have your goodi will, father Page.

Page. You have, Mr. Slender ; I stand wholly for you; but my wife, master Doctor, is for you altogether.

Cai. Ay, by gar,' and de maid is love-a-me: “my north-a-quickly tell me so much. it'

Hoft. What fay you to young Mr. Fenton? he capers, he dances, he has eyes of youth, he writes iverses, he speaks holy-day, he smells April and May ; she will carry't, he will carry't; ?tis in his buttons, he will carry't. 5 1. Page. Not by my consent, I promise you : the Gentleman'is of no having, he kept company with the wild prince and Poinz: he is of too high a region, he knows two much, no, he ihalt noo knit a knot in his fortunes with the finger of my substance. It she take her, let v him take her fimply the wealth. I have waits on my * confent, and my consent

way. s'i Ford. I beleech you, heartily, some of you go home with me to dinner, behde, your cheer you, shall have fport; I will show you a monfer. Mr. Doctor, you Thall go ; fo snall you, Mr. Paga; and you, Sir Hugh.

Shal. Weil, fare you well :: we fall have the freer : wooing at Mr. Poge's. .'11" • Caius. Go home, John Rugby, I come anoniu lu cb fioft. Farewel, my hearts; I will to my honest knight Faytaff, and drink canary with him.' ;

Ford I think, I thall drink in pipe-wine first with him: I'll make him dance. Will you go, gentless

All. Have with you, to see this montter, [Exeunt.

goe3not that

Mrs. Ford. W Mrs. Puge?" Quickly, quickly ; is the

SCENE changes to Ford's House. Enter Mrs Ford, Mrs. Page, and Servants with a basket. WHAT, John, what, Robert !

i buck-basket

Mrs. Ford. I' warrant,'* What, Robin, I say.
Mrs. Page. Come, come, come.

ini o's! Wor Mrs. Ford. Here, fet it down.

j: 991: Mrs. Page. Give your men the charge, we must be brief.

Mrs. Ford. Marry, as I told you before, John and Robert, be ready here hard-by in the brew-house, and when I suddenly call you, come forth, and without any pause or Itaggering take this bafket on your fhoulders that done, trudge with it in all hafte, and carry it among the whittters in Datchet-Mead, and there empty it'in the muddy ditch close by the Thames-lide. : i; Mrs. Page. You will do it?

9:- Cili tim Mrs. Fordi I ha' told them over and over; they lack no direction. Be gone, and come when y

you are called Mrs. Page. Here comes -little Robini sita noge JHONOM

OD117 6 316 LOT ,

10 rio do 16 saat Mrs. Ford. How now, my eyas-musket, what news

Le 11-17 Rob. My master, Sir John, is come in at your back door, Mistress Ford, and requests your company. ...

Mrs. Page. You little jack-a-lent, have you been true to us?19'!

24111 ♡ TW Rob. Ay, I'll be sworn ; my master knows not of your being here, and hath threaten'd 40 pat meninio everlasting liberty, if I tell you of it; for he sweats." he'll turn me away

Mrs. Page. Thou're a good boy; this fecrecy of thine shall be a taylor to thee, and shall make thee a new doublet and hose. I'll go hide mercanaM

Mrs. Ford. Do fo; go tell thy Master, I am alone i Miltress Page, remember you your cue, in [Exit Robin.

Mrs.

*}'O"!!! Enter, Robin.

with you?

ar fi! 119110W

ives of Windsor.

me.

The Merry Wives of

263 Mrs. Page. I warrant thee ; if I do not a& it, hiss

* (Exit Mrs. Page. Mrs. Ford. Go to then; we'll use this unwholsome humidity, this gross watry pumpion-we'll teach him to know turtles from jays.

Einter Falstaff. Fal. Have I caught thee, my heav'nly jewel ? why, now let me die ; for I have liy'd long enough: this is the period of my ambition : O this blessed hour!

Mrs. Ford. O fweet Sir John!

Fal. Mrs. Ford, I cannot cog; I cannot prate, Miltress Ford: now shall. I fun in my wish. I would, thy husband were dead; I'll speak it before the best Lord, I would make thee my Lady.

Mrs. Ford. I your Lady, Sir John ? alas, I thould be à pitiful Lady,

31!!.* Fal. Let the Court of France Thew me such another; I see how thine eye would emulate the diamond : thou hait the right arched bent of the brow, that becomes the ship-tire, the tire-valiant, or any Venetian'attire.

Mrs, Ford. A plain kerchief, Sir Jobn: my browsbecome nothing else, nor that we!l neither.

Fal. so make an absolute courier; and the firm fixture of thy foot, would give an excellene motion to thy gate, in a femi-circled farthingale. I fee what thou wert; if fortune thy foe were not, nature is thy friend: come, chou cant not hide it, Mrs. Ford. Believe me, there's no such thing in me.

Fal. What made me love thee ! let that persuade thee. There's fomething extraordinary in thee. Come I cannot cog, and say, thou art this and that, like a many of these lisping haw-thorn buds, that come like women in men's apparel, and smell like Bucklers -Berry in fimpling time; I cannot : but I love thee, none but thee; and thou deservest it,

Mrs. Ford. Do not-betray me, Sir; I fear, you love.
Mistress Page.
Fal, Thou might'it as well fay, I love to walk by

the

woman.

the Counter-gate, which is as hateful to me as the reek
of a lime-kiln.

Mrs. Ford. Well, heav'n knows how I love you, and
you mall one day find it.

Fol. Keep in that mind; I'll delerve it.
Mrs. Ford, Nay, I must tell you,

so
you

do; or else
I could not be in that mind.

Rob. [within.) Mistress Ford, Mistress Ford, here's
Mistress Page at the door, sweating, and blowing, and
looking wildly, and would needs speak with you prefently,

Fal. She shall not fee me; I will en conce me behind
the arras.
Mrs. Ford. Pray you, do so; The's a very tattling

(Falstaff hides himself.
Enter Mistress Page.
What's the matter? how now?

Mrs. Page. O Mistress Ford, what have you done ?
you're Tham’d, y'are overthrown, you are undone for

Mrs. Ford. What's the matter, good Mistress Page ?

Mrs. Page. O well-a day, Mistress Ford, having an honeft man to your husband, to give him such cause of suspicion.

Mrs Ford. What cause of suspicion ?

Mrs. Page. What cause of suspicion? out upon you !
how am I miftook in you?

Mrs. Ford. Why, alas! what's the matter ?
Mrs. Page. Your husband's coming hither, woman,
with all the officers in Windsor, to search for a Gentle-
man, that, he says, is here now in the house, by your
confent, to take an ill advantage of his absence. You
are undone.

Mrs. Ford. Speak louder-Afid..) 'Tis not so, I hope.
Mrs. Puge. Pray heav'n it be noi so, that you

have
such a man here; but 'tis moft certain, your husband's
coming with half Windsor at his hee's, to search for
such 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 noi amaz’d,

call

ever.

2

call all your senses to you, defend your reputation, or
bid farewel to your good life for ever,

Mrs. Ford. What shall I do? there is a Gentleman,
my dear friend ; and I fear not mine own, shame, so
much as his peril. I had rather than a thousand pound,
he were out of the house.

Mrs. Page. For thame, never stand you had rather, and you had rather ; your husband's here at hand-;-bethink

you

of some conveyance, in the house you can
not hide him. Oh, how have you deceiy'd me I look,
here is a baket, if he be of any reasonable stature, he
may creep in here, and throw foul linnen upon him,
as if it were going to bucking: or it is whiting time,
send 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 see't, let me fee't, o let me fee't ; I'II
in, l'll in ;, follow your friend's counsel; I'll in.

Mrs. Page. What! Sir John Faltaf? are these your
letters, Knigh: ?

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

[He goes into the bosket, they cover him with foul linnen. ,

Mrs. Page. Help to cover your Master, boy: call, your men, Mistress Ford. You diffembling Knight!

Mrs. Ford. What, John, Robert, Joba, go take up.
these cloaths here, quickly. Where's the cowl.staff?
look, how you drumble : carry them to the landrels in
Datchet-mead; quickly, come.

Enter Ford, Page, Caius, and Evan's.
Ford. Pray youi, come near; if I suspect without cause,
why then make sport at me, then let me be your jest, I
deserve it. How now whither, liear

you

this
Serv. To the landress; forsooth.

Mrs. Ford. Why, what have you to do whither they
bear it? You were best meddle with buck-washing.
Ford. Buck! I would I could wash myself of the
VOL. 1.
N

buck :