I lofe my Doctor? no; he gives me the potions and the motions. Shall I lofe my Parfon? my Prieft? my Sir Hugh? no; he gives me the proverbs and the noverbs. Give me thy hand, terreftrial; fo: Give me thy hand, celestial: fo, Boys of art, I have deceiv'd you both: I have directed you to wrong places: your hearts are mighty, your fkins are whole, and let burn'd fack be the iffue. Come, lay their fwords to pawn. Follow me lad of peace, follow, follow, follow. Shal. Truft me, amad hoft. Follow, gentlemen, follow. Slen. Ofweet Ann Page! [Exe. Shal. Slen. Page and Hoft. Caius. Ha! do perceive dat? have you make a-defot of us, ha, ha? Eva. This is well, he has made us his vloutingftog. I defire you, that we may be friends; and let us knog our prains together to be revenge on this fame fcald-fcurvy-cogging companion, the Hoft of the Garter. Caius. By gar, with all my heart; he promise to bring me where is Ann Page; by gar, he deceive me too. Eva. Well, I will fmite his noddles; pray you, follow. SCENE, the Street, in Windfor. Enter Mistress Page, and Robin. [Exeunt. Mrs. Page. A Y, keep your way, little gallant; N you were wont to be a follower, but now you are a leader. Whether had you rather lead mine eyes, or eye your master's heels? Rob. I had rather, forfooth, go before you like a man, than follow him like a dwarf. Mrs. Page. O, you are a flattering boy; now you'll be a courtier. Enter Ford. Ford. Well met, miftrefs Page; whither go you? Mrs. Page. Truly, Sir, to fee your wife; is fhe at home? Ford. Ford, Ay; and as idle as fhe may hang together, for want of company; I think if your husbands were dead, you two would marry. Mrs. Page. Be fure of that, two other hufbands. Ford. Where had you this pretty weather-cock? Mrs. Page. I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of: what do you call your Knight's name, firrah ? Rob. Sir John Falstaff. Mrs. Page. He, he; I can never hit on's name; there is fuch a league between my good man and he. your wife at home, indeed? Is Ford. Indeed, the is. her. Mrs. Page. By your leave, Sir; I am fick, 'till I fee [Exeunt. Mrs. Page and Robin. Ford. Has Page any brains? hath he any eyes? hath he any thinking fure, they fleep; he hath no ufe of them. Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty mile, as eafy as a cannon will fhoot point-blank twelve-feore; he pieces out his wife's inclination; he gives her folly motion and advantage; and now fhe's going to my wife, and Falstaff's boy with her. A man may hear this fhower fing in the wind and Falstaffs boy with her! good plots; they are laid, and our revolted wives fhare damnation together. Well, I will take him, then torture my wife; pluck the borrowed vail of modefty from the fo feeming miftrefs Page, divulge Page himself for a fecure and wilful Acteon, and to these violent proceedings all my neighbours fhall cry aim. The clock gives me my cue, and my affurance bids me fearch; there I fhall find Falstaff: I fhall be rather praised for this, than mocked; for it is as pofitive as the earth is firm, that Falstaff is there: I will go. To him, Enter Page, Shallow, Slender, Hoft, Evans, and Caius. Shal. Page, &c. Well met, Mr. Ford. Ford. Trust me, a good knot; I have good cheer. at home, and, I pray you, all go with me. Shal. Shal. I must excuse myself, Mr. Ford. Slen. And fo 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. Shal. We have linger'd about a match between Ann Page and my coufin Slender, and this day we shall have our anfwer. Slen. I hope, I have your good will, father Page. Page. You have Mr. Slender; I ftand wholly for you; but my wife, mafter Doctor, is for you altogether. Cai. Ay, by gar, and de maid is love-a-me: my nurh-a-quickly tell me fo much. Hoft. What fay you to young Mr. Fenton? he capers, he dances, he hath eyes of youth, he writes verses, he fpeaks holy-day, he fmells April and May; he will carry't, he will carry't; 'tis in his buttons, he will carry't. Page. Not by my confent, I promife 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 too much; no, he shall not knit a knot in his fortunes with the finger of my fubftance. If he take her, let him take her fimply; the wealth I have waits on my confent, and my confent goes not that way. home Ford. I befeech you, heartily, fome of you go with me to dinner; befide, your cheer you fhall have fport; I will fhew you a monster. Mr. Doctor, you fhall go; fo fhall you, Mr. Page; and you, Sir Hugh. Shal. Well, fare you well: we fhall have the freer wooing at Mr. Page's. Caius. Go home, John Rugby, I come anon. Hoft. Farewel, my hearts; I will to my honeft knight Falftaff, and drink canary with him. Ford. I think, I fhall drink in pipe-wine first with hint: I'll make him dance. Will you go gentles? All. Have with you, to fee this, monster. [Exeunt. SCENE SCENE changes to Ford's House. Enter Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Page, and Servants with a basket. Mrs. Ford.7 HAT, John, what, Robert! WHAT, buck basket Mrs. Page. Quickly, quickly; is the Mrs. Ford. I warrant. What, Robin, I say. Mrs. Page. Come, come, come. Mrs. Ford. Here, fet it down. Mrs. Page. Give your men the charge, we muft be brief. Mrs. Ford. Marry, as I told you before, John and Robert, be ready here hard-by in the brew-houfe, and when I fuddenly call you, come forth, and without any paufe or ftaggering take this bafket on your shoulders; that done, trudge with it in all hafte, and carry it among the whitfters in Datchet-Mead, and there empty it in the muddy ditch close by the Thames-fide. Mrs. Page. You will do it? Mrs. Ford. I ha' told them over and over; they lack no direction. Be gone, and come when you are call'd. Mrs. Page. Here comes little Robin. Enter Robin. Mrs. Ford. How now, my eyes-musket, what news with you? Rob. My mafter, Sir John, is come in at your backdoor, Miftrefs Ford, and requefts your company. Mrs. Page. You little jack-a-lent, have you been true to us? Rob. Ay, I'll be fworn; my mafter knows not of your being here, and hath threaten'd to put me into everlasting liberty, if I tell you of it; for he fwears, he'll turn me away. Mrs. Page. Thou'rt a good boy; this fecrecy of thine fhall be a taylor to thee, and fhall make thee a new doublet and hofe. I'll go hide me. Mrs. Ford. Do fo; go tell thy Mafter, I am alone; Mistress Page, remember your cue. [Exit. Robin. Mrs. me. Mrs. Page. I warrant thee; if I do not act it, hifs [Exit Mrs. Page, Mrs. Ford. Go to then; we'll ufe this unwholfome humidity, this grofs watery pumpion-we'll teach him to know turtles from jays. Enter Falstaff. Fal. Have I caught thee, my heav'nly jewel? why, now let me die; for I have liv'd long enough: this is the period of my ambition: O this bleffed hour! Mrs. Ford. O fweet Sir John! Fal. Mrs. Ford, I cannot cog; I cannot prate; Miftrefs Ford: now fhall I fin in my wifh. I would, thy husband were dead; I'll fpeak it before the beft Lord, I would make thee my Lady. Mrs. Ford. Ifyour Lady, Sir John? alas, I fhould be a pitiful Lady. Fal. Let the Court of France fhew me fuch another; I fee how thine eye would emulate the diamond: thou haft the right arched bent of the brow, that becomes the fhip-tire, the tire-valiant, or any Venetian attire. Mrs. Ford. A plain kerchief, Sir John: my brows become nothing else, nor that well neither. Fal. Thou art a tyrant to fay fo; thou would'st make an absolute courtier; and the firm fixture of thy foot would give an excellent 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, thou canst not hide it. Mrs. Ford. Believe me, there's no fuch thing in me. Fal. What made me love thee? let that perfuade thee. There's fomething extraordinary in thee. Come I cannot cog, and fay, thou art this and that, like a many of thefe lifping 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. Fard. Do not betray me, Sir; I fear, you love Mistress Page. Fal. Thou might'ft as well fay I love to walk by |