Shal. Did her grandfire leave her seven hundred pound? Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; fhe has good gifts.

Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and poffibilities, is good gifts.

Shal. Well, let us see honest master Page: Is Falstaff

there?

true.

Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar, as I do defpife one that is false; or, as I defpife one that is not The knight, fir John, is there; and, I befeech you, be ruled by your well-willers. I will peat the door [knocks] for master Page. What, hoa! Got plefs your house here!

Page. Who's there?

Enter PAGE.

Eva. Here is Got's pleffing, and your friend, and justice Shallow and here young mafter Slender; that, peradventures, shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings.

Page. I am glad to fee your worships well: I thank you for my venifon, master Shallow.

Shal. Mafter Page, I am glad to fee you; Much good do it your good heart! I wish'd your venison better; it was ill kill'd.-How doth good Miftrefs Page ?-and I love you always with my heart, la; with my heart.

Page. Sir, I thank you.

Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do.

Page. I am glad to fee you, good master Slender. Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, fir? I heard fay, he was out-run on Cotfale.

Page. It could not be judg'd, fir.

Slen You'll not confefs, you'll not confefs.

Shal. That he will not; 'tis your fault, 'tis your fault:-'Tis a good dog.

Page. A cur, sir.

Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; can there be more said? he is good, and fair.—Is sir John Falstaff here?

Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between you.

Eva. It is spoke as a christians ought to speak.
Shal. He hath wrong'd me, master Page.

Page. Sir, he doth in some sort confess it.

Shal. If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd; is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me;-indeed, he hath; at a word, he hath ;-believe me ;-Robert Shallow, esquire, saith he is wrong'd.

Page. Here comes sir John.

Enter Sir JOHN FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, NYM, and PISTOL.

Fal. Now, master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king?

Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, kill'd my deer, and broke open my lodge.

Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter?

Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answer'd.

Fal. I will answer it straight;-I have done all this: That is now answer'd.

Shal. The Council shall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you, if it were known in counsel: you'll be laugh'd at.

Eva. Pauca verba, sir John; good worts.

Fal. Good worts? good cabbage.-Slender, I broke your head: What matter have you against me?

Slen. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you;

and

and against your coney-catching rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. They carried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards pick'd my pocket.

Bar. You Banbury cheese!

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pist. How, now, Mephostophilus?

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca; slice! that's my hu

mour.

Slen. Where's Simple, my man-Can you tell, cousin? Eva. Peace: I pray you! Now let us understand: There is three umpires in this matter, as I understand : that is-master Page, fidelicet, master Page; and there is myself, fidelicet, myself; and the three party is, lastly and finally, mine host of the Garter.

Page. We three to hear it, and end it between them.

Eva. Fery goot: I will make a prief of it in my note

book; and we will afterwards 'ork upon the cause, with

as great discreetly as we can.

Fal. Pistol

Pist. He hears with ears.

Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this, He hears with ears? Why, it is affectations.

Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse? Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he, (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again else) of seven groats in mill sixpences, and two Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shillings and two pence a-piece of Yead.. Miller, by these gloves.

Fal. Is this true, Pistol?

Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse.

Pist. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner!-Sir John, and master mine,

I combat challenge of this latten bilbo :

圈

Word of denial in thy labras here;

Word of denial: froth and fcum, thou lieft.

Slen. By thefe gloves, then 'twas he.

Nym. Be avis'd, fir, and pass good humours: I wilt fay, marry-trap, with you, if you run the nuthook's humour on me; that is the very note of it.

Slen. By this hat then, he in the red face had it: for, though I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an afs.

Fal. What fay you, Scarlet and John?

Bar. Why, fir, for my part, I fay, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five fentences.

Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is ! Bar. And being fap, fir, was, as they fay, cashier'd; and fo conclufions pafs'd the careires.

Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilft I live again, but in honeft, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with thofe that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves.

Eva. So Got 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind.

Fal. You hear all thefe matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it.

Enter Miftrefs ANNE PAGE with wine; Mistress FORD and Miftrefs PAGE following.

Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit ANNE PAGE.

Slen. O heaven! this is mistress Anne Page.

Page. How now, mistress Ford?

Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth, you are very well

met: by your leave, good mistress.

[kiffing ber.

Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome :-Come,

we

we have a hot venifon pafty to dinner; come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness.

[Exeunt all but SHALLOW, SLENDER, and EVANS. Slen. I had rather than forty fhillings, I had my book. of Songs and Sonnets 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

Sim. Book of Riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas last, 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 fir Hugh here;—Do you understand me ?

Slen. Ay, fir, 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, fir.

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

Slen. Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow fays: I pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here.

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

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

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

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