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Costume.

SIR JOHN FALSTAFF.-Light blue cloak with hanging sleeves, buff jacket and light blue breeches, black velvet hat, and russet boots. SHALLOW.-Brown old English dress, trimmed with orange. SLENDER.-White old English shape, trimmed with pink, pink stockings, shoes and roses.

FENTON.-Green old Euglish dress, trimmed with orange colour. PAGE.-Drab and green: drab hat and scarlet feather, green pantaloons, russet boots.

FORD.-Slate and crimson shape, gray silk stockings, russet boots. Brown cloak for disguise.

EVANS.-Black old English dress.

CAIUS.-Black coat and breeches brocaded waistcoat, red cloak, and muff.

NYM.-Drab-coloured old English dress, trimmed with green.
PISTOL.-Buff old English dress, trimmed with scarlet.

BARDOLPH.-Drab and dark blue, drab hat, turned up in front. SIMPLE.-Green-coloured old English dress trimmed with yellow, yellow stockings, shoes, high-crowned hat.

HOST.-Crimson and black.

ROBIN.-Scarlet dress, round black hat edged with feathers.-(Dressed after the fashion of Sir J. FALSTAFF.)

MRS. FORD and MRS. PAGE.-Black velvet gowns, ditto stomachers laced with pink, pink petticoats, point aprons, black velvet hats, trimmed with pink satin ribbon.

ANNE PAGE.-White sarsnet petticoat, light blue body with tabs, trimmed with white, light blue hat trimmed with beads and white ribbon.

MRS. QUICKLY.-Black silk gown, blue silk apron, black hat blue trimmings.

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Cast of the Characters, as performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

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THE

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-View of Windsor Castle in back ground. -Page's House R. s. E.

Enter SHALLOW, SLENDER, and Evans, L.

Shal. (R. c.) Sir Hugh, persuade me not: I will make a Star-chamber matter of it: if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire.

Slen. (L. c.) In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram.

Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and cust-alorum.

Slen. Ay, and ratolorum too: and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself, armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero.

Shal. Ay, that we do; and have done any time these three hundred years.

Slen. All his successors, gone before him, have done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat.

Shal. It is an old coat.

Eva. (c.) The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant: it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies-love.

Slen. I may quarter, coz?

Shal. You may, by marrying.

Eva. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it.

Shal. Not a whit.

Eva. Yes, py'r-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but that is all one. If Sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you, I will be glad

to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromises between you.

Shal. Ha! o'my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it.

Eva. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it. There is Anne Page, which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity.

Slen. Mistress Anne Page? she has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman.

Eva. It is that very verson for all the'orld, as just as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire, upon his death'sbed, give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a goot motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage between master Abraham here, and mistress Anne Page.

Slen. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pounds?

Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts.

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

Shal. Well, let us see honest master Page: is Falstaff there?

Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar, as I do despise one that is false; or, as I despise one that is not true. The knight, Sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. [SHALLOW and SLENDER confer L. c.] I will peat the door for master Page. [Crosses and knocks R.] What, hoa! 'pless your house here!

Enter PAGE, R.

Page. (R.) Who's there?

Eva. Here is your friend, and justice Shallow: and here young master Slender.

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

Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you; how doth good Mistress Page?-and I thank you always with my heart, la; with my heart.

Page. (R. c.) Sir, I thank you.

Shal. 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. (R. C.) If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd; is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me; Robert Shallow, esquire, saith, he is wrong'd.

Page. Here comes Sir John.

Enter PISTOL, NYM, BARDOLPH, and FALSTAFF, R. FALSTAFF's party retire a little up the Stage, R. EVANS goes up L.

Fal. (R. C.) Now, master Shallow; you'll complain of me to the king?

Shal. (c.) 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 counsel shall know this.

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

Eva. [Coming forward L. c.] Pauca verba, Sir John; good worts. [Retires up L. Fal. Good worts! good cabbage:-Slender, I broke your head; what matter have you against me?

Slen. (L.) Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you and against your coney-catching rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. They carried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards picked my pocket. [SHAL. and PAGE confer in back ground. Bar. [Stalking across to SLENDER, then goes up L. and returns to former situation, R.] You Banbury

cheese!

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pist. [Stalking across in likė manner as BARDOLPH.] How now, Mephostophilus? [Retires again. Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Nym. [Advancing as did BARDOLPH and PISTOL.] Slice, I say: slice! that's my humour. [Retires again. Slen. Where's Simple, my man?-Can you tell, cou[Retires up the Stage, R. Eva. [Coming forward L. c.] Peace, I pray you! Now let us understand: there is three umpires in this

sin ?

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.

Fal. Pistol

Pist. [Advancing.] He hears with ears.

Eva. What phrase is this, "He hears with ear?" Why, it is affectations.

Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse?

Slen. Ay, by these gloves did he, of seven groats in mill-sixpences, and two Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling 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. [To EVANS.] Ha, thou mountain-foreigner !—
Sir John, and master mine,

I combat challenge of this latten bilbo :
Word of denial in thy labras here;

Word of denial: [To SLEN.] froth and scum thou liest. [Goes up L. and passes on to R.

Slen. By these gloves, then, 'twas he.

Nym. Be advis'd, sir, and pass good humours: I will say, 66 marry trap, ," with you, if you run the nut[Stalking over as before.

hook's humour on me.

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 ass.

Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John?

Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences.

Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, sir, was, as they say, cashier'd; and so conclusions pass'd the careires.

[Stalking over to SLENDER. Slen. [SHALLOW and PAGE advance c.] Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter: I'll never be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil company if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of heaven, and not with drunken knaves.

:

Eva. So heaven 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it.

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