Fal. Now, the report goes, fhe has all the rule of her husband's purfe: the hath a legion of angels. Pift. 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; femetimes, the beam of her view gilded my foot; fometimes, my portly belly.

འ

Pift. Then did the fun on dung-hill shine.
Nym. I thank thee for that humour.

Fal. O, fhe did fo courfe o'er my exteriors with fuch a greedy intention, that the appetite of her eye did feem to fcorch me up like a burning-glass. Here's another letter to her; the bears the purfe too; fhe is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty. I will be Cheater to them both, and they fhall 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

9

8fhe 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 Paffage, perhaps, may furnish a probable Conjec-ture that it could not appear 'till after the Year 1598. The mention of Guiana, then fo 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 Addrefs of the

VOL. II.

Hh

Poet was likely, I imagine, to have a proper Impreffion on the People, when the Intelligence of fuch a golden Country was fresh in their Minds, and gave them Expectations of immense Gain. THEOBALD.

9 I will be Cheater to them both, and they shall be Exchequers to me;-] The fame joke is intended here, as in the fecond part of Henry the fourth, A&t 2. I will bar no honeft man my houfe, nor no Cheater. which is meant Efcheatours, an -By officer in the exchequer, in no good repute with the common people. WARBURTON.

mistress

miftrefs Page, and thou this to mistress Ford: we will thrive, lads, we will thrive.

Pift. 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 fhores. [To Robin.
Rogues, hence, avaunt! vanish like hail-ftones, go;
Trudge, plod away o'th' hoof feek fhelter, pack!
Falstaff will learn the humour of the age,
French thrift, you rogues; myself, and skirted page.
[Exit Falstaff and Boy.

SCENE

VIII.

I

Pift. Let vultures gripe thy guts; ' for gourd, and
Fullam holds :

And high and low beguiles the rich and poor.
Tefter I'll have in pouch, when thou shalt lack,
Bafe Phrygian Turk!

Nym. I have operations in my head, which be humours of revenge.

Pift. Wilt thou revenge?

Nym. By welkin, and her ftar.

Pift. With wit, or steel?

Nym. With both the humours, I:

I will discuss the humour of this love to Ford.

for gourd, and Ful-
lam holds:
And high and low beguiles the
rich and poor.] Fullam is
a cant term for falfe dice, high
and low. Torriano, in his Ita-
lian Dictionary, interprets Pife
by falfe dice, high and low men,
high Fullams, and low Fullams.
Johnson, in his Every man out of
bis humour, quibbles upon this

cant term. Who, he ferve? He
keeps high men and low men, he
has a fair living at Fullam..
As for Gourd, or rather Gord, it
was another inftrument of gam-
ing, as appears from Beaumont
and Fletcher's Scornful Lady.
And thy dry bones can reach at no-
thing now, but GORDS or nine-
pins.

WARBURTON.

Pift. And I to Page fhall eke unfold,
How Falstaff, varlet vile,

His dove will prove, his gold will hold,
And his foft couch defile.

Nym. My humour shall not cool; I will incenfe Ford to deal with poifon; I will poffefs 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.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IX.

Changes to Dr. Caius's Houfe.

Quic. W

Enter Mrs. Quickly, Simple, and John Rugby. HAT, John Rugby! I pray thee, go to the cafement, and fee if you can see 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 poffet for't foon at night, in faith, at the latter end3 of a fea-coal fire. [Exit Rugby.] An honeft, 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 fomething peevish that way; but no-body but has his fault; but let that pafs. Peter Simple, you fay your name is. Sim. Ay, for fault of a better.

Quic. And mafter Slender's your master?
Sim. Ay, forfooth.

the Revolt of Mien] I fuppofe we may read, the revolt of men. Sir T. Hanmer reads, this revolt of mine. Either may Hh

ferve, for of the prefent text I can find no meaning.

3 at the latter end, &c.] That is, when my matter is in bed. 2 Quic.

Quic. Does he not wear a great round beard, like a glover's paring-knife?

Sim. No, forfooth; he hath but a little wee-face, with a little yellow beard, a Cain-colour'd beard. Quic. A foftly-fprighted man, is he not?

Sim. Ay, forfooth; but he is as tall a man of his hands, as any is between this and his head: he hath fought with a warrener.

Quic. How fay you? oh, I fhould remember him ; does he not hold up his head, as it were? and ftrut in his gate ?

Sim. Yes, indeed, does he.

Quic. Well, heav'n fend Anne Page no worfe for tune! Tell master parfon Evans, I'll do what I can for your master: Anne is a good girl, and I wifh

Enter Rugby.

Rug. Out, alas! here comes my master.

Quic. We fhall all be fhent; run in here, good young man; go into this clofet; [buts Simple in the clofet.] He will not ftay long. What, John Rugby! John! what, John, I fay; go, John, go enquire for my mafter; I doubt, he be not well, that he comes not home and down, down, a-down-a, &c. [Sings.

SCENE

Enter Doctor Caius.

Caius. Vat is you fing? I do not like des toys; pray you, go and vetch me in my clofet un boitier verd; a box, a green-a box; do intend vat I speak? a green-a

box.

a cane-colour'd beard.] Thus the latter Editions. I have reftor'd with the old Copies.

X.

Cain, and Judas, in the Tape ftries, and Pictures of old, were reprefented with yellow Beards. THEOBALD.

Quic. Ay, forfooth, I'll fetch it you.

I am glad, he went not in himfelf; if he had found the young man, he would have been horn-mad. [Afide. Caius. Fe, fe, fe, fe, mai foi, il fait ford chaud; je la grande affaire.

m'en vaie à la Cour

Quic. Is it this, Sir?

Caius. Ouy, mettez le au mon pocket; Depechez,
quickly; ver is dat knave Rugby?
Quic. What, John Rugby! John!
Rug. Here, Sir.

Caius. You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby; come, take-a your rapier, and come after my heel to the Court.

Rug. 'Tis ready, Sir, here in the porch.

Caius. By my trot, I tarry too long: od's me! Qu* ay j'oublie dere is fome fimples in my clofet, dat I will not for the varld I fhall leave behind.

Quic. Ay-me, he'll find the young man there, and be mad.

Caius. O Diable, Diable! vat is in my clofet? villaine, Larron! Rugby, my rapier.

[Pulls Simple out of the closet.

Quic. Good master be content.
Caius. Wherefore shall I be content-a?
Quic. The young man is an honeft man.
Caius. What fhall de honeft man do in my closet?
dere is no honeft man, dat fhall come in my closet.

Quic. I befeech you, be not fo flegmatick; hear the
truth of it. He came of an errand to me from par-
fon Hugh.
Caius. Vell.

Sim. Ay, forfooth, to defire her to-
Quic. Peace, I pray you.

Gaius. Peace-a your tongue.-Speak-a your tale. Sim. To defire this honeft gentlewoman, your maid, to fpeak a good word to mistress Anne Page for my mafter in the way of marriage,

Hh 3

Quic