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 poffitable, if you can carry her your defires towards her.

Shal. That you must: will you, upon good dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your requeft, 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 discretion answer, fave, the fall iş in th'ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good.

Shal. Ay, I think, my coufin meant well,
Shen. Ay, or else I would I might be hang'd, la.

SCENE V.

Enter Mistress 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. [Ex. 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: [Ex. 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 gentleman 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 master of fence, three veneys for a difh of ftew'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'dof.

Slen. I love the fport well, but I shall as foon quar

rel

1

rel at it as my man in England. You are afraid, if you fee the bear loose, are you not?

Anne. Ay, indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon locfe twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but I warrant you, the women have so cry'd and fhriek'd at it, that it past 5; but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things.

Enter Mr. Page.

Page. Come, gentle Mr. Slender, come; we stay for

you.

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

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

come; come.

Sten. Nay, pray you, lead the way.
Page. Come on, Sir.

Slen. Miftrefs Anne, yourself fhall
Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on.

Slen. Truly, I will not go first, truly-la: I will not do you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome; you do yourself wrong, indeed-la.

[Exeunt.

go first.

Re-enter Evans and Simple.

Eva. Go your ways, and afk of Doctor Caius' house which is the way; and there dwells one miftrefs Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurfe, or his dry

5 that it past:-] It paft, or this paffes, was a way of fpeaking cuftomary heretofore, to fignify the excess, or extraordinary degree of any thing. The

fentence completed would be, This paffes all expreffion, or perhaps, This paffes all things. We ftill ufe paffing well, passing frange. WARBURTON. nurse,

nurfe, or his cook, or his laundry, his wafher, and his wringer.

Simp. Well, Sir.

Eva. Nay, it is petter yet; give her this letter; for it is a 'oman that altogethers acquaintance with miftrefs Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to follicit your master'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:

SCENE VII.

Changes to the Garter-Inn.

Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Robin.

Fal.

INE hoft of the garter.

MIN

Hoft. What fays my bully Rock? speak fchollarly, and wifely.

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

Hoft. Difcard, bully Hercules, cafhier; let them wag: trot, trot.

Fal. I fit at ten pounds a week.

Hoft. Thou'rt an Emperor, Cafar, Keifar and PheaI will entertain Bardolph, he shall draw, he shall tap: faid I well, bully Hector?

zar.

Fal. Do fo, good mine host.

Hoft. I have spoke, 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: I will thrive. [Exit Bard. Pift. O bafe Hungarian wight, wilt thou the spigot

wield?

Nym:

Nym. He was gotten in drink, is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroick, and there's the humour 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.

6

Nym. The good humour is to steal at a minute's reft.

Pift. 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 muft cony-catch, I

must shift.

Pift. Young ravens must have food.

Fal. Which of you know Ford of this Town?

Pift. Iken the wight, he is of substance good.

Fal. My honeft lads, I will tell you what I am about.

Pift. Two yards and more.

Fal. No quips now, Pistol: indeed, I am in the wafte two yards about; but I am now about no waste, I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife: I fpy entertainment in her; fhe difcourses, she carves, the gives the leer of invitation: I can conftrue the action of her familiar ftile, and the hardeft voice of her behaviour, to be english'd right, is, I am Sir John Falstaff's.

Pift. He hath study'd her well, and tranflated her well; out of honesty into English. Nym. The anchor is deep; will that humour pass?

7

at a minute's reft. It was very judiciously suggested to me by a young gentleman who knows more of mufick than I, that our authour probably wrote at a minim's reft.

7 The anchor is deep; will that bumour pass?] 1 fee not what

relation the anchor has to tranflation. Perhaps we may read the authour is deep; or perhaps the line is out of its place, and thould be inferted lower after Falfaff has faid,

Sail like my pinnace to those golden fhores.

Fal

"