nurse, 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 altogethers acquaintance with miftress Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to follicit your mafter's defires to mistress 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.M INE host of the garter. Hoft. What says my bully Rock? speak schollarly, and wifely. Fal. Truly, mine host, 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, Cafar, Keifar and Pheazar. I will entertain Bardolph, he shall draw, he shall tap: faid I well, bully Hector? Fal. Do so, good mine hoft. 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 tapster is a good trade: an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a wither'd servingman, a fresh tapster; go, adieu. Bard. It is a life that I have defir'd: I will thrive... [Exit Bard. Pist. O base 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 so 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 steal at a minute's reft. Pist. Convey, the Wife it call: fteal? foh; a fico for the phrafe ! Fal. Well, Sirs, I am almost out at heels. Pist. Why then let kibes enfue.. : Fal. There is no remedy: I must cony-catch, I must shift. Pift. Young ravens must have food. Fal. Which of you know Ford of this Town? Fal. No quips now, Pistol: indeed, I am in the waste two yards about; but I am now about no waste, I am about thrift. Briefiy, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife: I spy entertainment in her; she difcourses, she carves, the gives the leer of invitation: I can construe the action of her familiar stile, and the hardest voice of her behaviour, to be english'd right, is, I am Sir John Falstaff's. Pist. He hath study'd her well, and translated her well; out of honesty into English. 6 Nym. The anchor is deep; will that humour pass? at a minute's rest.] It was very judiciously suggested to me by a young gentleman who knows more of musick than I, that our authour probably wrote at a minim's rest. 1 The anchor is deep; will that bumour pass?] 1 fee not what relation the anchor has to translation. Perhaps we may read the authour is deep; or perhaps the line is out of its place, and should be inserted lower after Falstaff has faid, Sail like my pinnace to those gold. en shores. Fal Fal. Now, the report goes, she has all the rule of her husband's purse she hath a legion of angels. Pist. As many devils entertain; and to her, boy, fay I. : - Nym. The humour rifes; it is good; humour me the angels. - Fal. I have writ me here a letter to her; and here another to Page's wife, who even now gave me good eyes too, examin'd my parts with most judicious ey liads; semetimes, the beam of her view gilded my foot; fometimes, my portly belly. Pist. Then did the fun on dung-hill shine. Fal. O, she did so course o'er my exteriors with fuch a greedy intention, that the appetite of her eye did seem to scorch me up like a burning-glass. Here's another letter to her; the bears the purse too; she is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty. • I will be Cheater to them both, and they shall be Exchequers to me; they shall be my East and West-Indies, and I will trade to them both. Go, bear thou this letter to * She is a Region in Guiana, all Gold and Bounty.] If the Tradition be true (as I doubt not, but it is) of this Play being wrote at Queen Elizabeth's Command; this Passage, perhaps, may furnish a probable Conjec-ture that it could not appear 'till after the Year 1598. The mention of Guiana, then so lately dif. cover'd to the English, was a very happy Compliment to Sir W. Raleigh, who did not begin his Expedition for South America 'till 1595, and return'd from it in 1596, with an advantageous Account of the great Wealth of Guiana. Such an Address of the mistress mistress Page, and thou this to mistress Ford: we will thrive, lads, we will thrive. Pist. Shall I Sir Pandarus of Troy become, And by my fide wear steel? then, Lucifer, take all ! Nym. I will run no base humour; here, take the humour letter, I will keep the 'haviour of reputation. Fal. Hold, Sirrah, bear you these letters tightly, Sail like my pinnace to these golden shores. [To Robin. Rogues, hence, avaunt! vanish like hail-stones, go; Trudge, plod away o'th' hoof seek shelter, pack! Falstaff will learn the humour of the age, French thrift, you rogues; myself, and skirted page. [Exit Falstaff and Boy. Pist. Let vultures gripe thy guts ; * for gourd, and Fullam holds : And high and low beguiles the rich and poor. Tester I'll have in pouch, when thou shalt lack, Base Phrygian Turk! Nym. I have operations in my head, which be hu mours of revenge. Pist. Wilt thou revenge? Nym. By welkin, and her star. Pist. With wit, or steel? Nym. With both the humours, I: I will discuss the humour of this love to Ford. Pift. And I to Page shall eke unfold, His dove will prove, his gold will hold, And his foft couch defile. V Nym. My humour shall not cool; I will incenfe Ford to deal with poifon; I will possess him with yellowness; for the Revolt of Mien is dangerous: that is my true humour. Pift. Thou art the Mars of male-contents: I second thee; troop on. Quic.W SCENE IX. Changes to Dr. Caius's House. [Exeunt. Enter Mrs. Quickly, Simple, and John Rugby. HAT, John Rugby! I pray thee, go to the cafement, and fee if you can fee my master, master Doctor Caius, coming; if he do, i'faith, and find any body in the house, here will be old abufing of God's patience, and the King's English. Rug. I'll go watch. Quic. Go, and we'll have a posset for't soon at night, in faith, at the latter end of a fea-coal fire. [Exit Rugby.] An honest, willing, kind fellow, as ever servant shall come in house withal; and, I warrant you, no tell-tale, nor no breed-bate; his worst fault is, that he is given to pray'r; he is something peevish that way; but no-body but has his fault; but let that pass. Peter Simple, you say your name is. 2 : Sim. Ay, for fault of a better. - the Revolt of Mien] I suppose we may read, the revolt of men. Sir T. Hanmer reads, this revolt of mine. Either may Hh 2 serve, for of the present text I Quic. |