Slen. Ay, you fpake 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 thofe 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 thefe matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it.

Enter Mrs. Anne Page, with wine.

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

within.

Enter Miftrefs Ford and Miftrefs Page.

Page. How now, Miftrefs Ford?

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

[Exeunt Fal. Page, &c.

SCENE IV. Manent Shallow, Evans, and Slender. Slen. I 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, must 1? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you?

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

Sim. Come, coz; come, coz; we ftay 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 realonable: if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reason.

Shal. Nay, but under ftand me.

Slen. So I do, Sir..

Eva. Give ear to his motions, Mr. Slender: I will defcription the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. Slen. Nay, I will do, as my coufin Shallow fays: I pray you, pardon me; he's a Juftice of Peace in his country, fimple though I ftand here.

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

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

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

Slen. 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 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 profitable, if you can carry her your defires towards 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 cousin meant well.

Slen. Ay, or elfe I would I might be hang'd, la.

SCENÉ

SCENE V. Enter Miftrefs Anne Page.

Shal. Here comes fair Miftrefs Anne: 'would I were young for your fake, Miftrefs Anne!

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

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

Eva. Od's pleffed will, I will not be abfence at the grace.

[Exeunt Shallow and Evans. 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 gentle

man 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 dish of few'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 fport 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 loofe twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but I warrant you, the women have fo cry'd and

fhriek'd

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 ftay for you.

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

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

come; come.

do

Slen. Nay, pray you,

Page. Come on, Sir.

lead the way.

Slen. Miftrefs 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 mannerly, than troublesome; you do yourself wrong, indeed-la.

[Exeunt. SCENE VI. Re-enter Evans and Simple.

Eva. Go your ways, and afk of Doctor Caius's houfe which is the way; and there dwells one Mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurfe, or his dry nurfe, or his cook, or his laundry, his washer, and his wringer.

Simp. Well, Sir.

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

[Exeunt feverally.

*It paft, and This passes was a way of speaking customary here-tofore, to fignify the excefs or extraordinary degree of any thing. The fentence completed would be, It past, or, This passes all expreffion, or perhaps (according to a vulgar phrase still in use) It past, or, This paffes all things, is beyond all things. The participle of the fame verb is ftill in common ufe, and in the fame fense: passing well, paffing ftrange, &c.

SCENE

SCENE VII. Changes to the Garter-inn.

Enter Falfaff, Hof, Bardolph, Nym, Piftol, and Robin.

Fal. Mine hoft of the garter,

Hoft. What fays my bully rock? fpeak scholarly, and wifely.

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

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

Fal. I fit at ten pounds a-week.

Hoft. Thou'rt an Emperor, Cæfar, Keisar, and PheaI will entertain Bardolph, he shall draw, he shall tap; faid I well, bully. Hector?

zer.

Fal. Do fo, good mine hoft.

Hof. 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 tapfter is a good trade; an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a wither'd fervingman, a fresh tapfter; go, adieu.

Bard. It is a life that I have defir'd: 1 will thrive.

[Exit Bard. Pift. O bafe 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 hu mour of it.

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

Nym. The good humour is to fteal at a minute's reft. Pif. 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 shift.

Pift. Young ravens must have food

Fat. Which of you know Ford of this town?
Pift. 1 ken the wight, he is of fubftance good.

Fal.