Mrs. Ford. Heav'n make you better than your thoughts! Ford. Amen.

Mrs. Page. You do yourself mighty wrong, Mr. Ford.

Ford. Ay, ay; I must bear it.

Eva. If there be any pody in the house, and in the chambers, and in the coffers, and in the preffes, heav'n forgive my fins at the day of judgment!

Caius. By gar, nor I too; there is no bodies.

Page. Fie, fie, Mr. Ford, are you not asham'd? what fpirit, what devil, fuggefts this imagination? I would not ha' your diftemper in this kind, for the wealth of Windfor Castle.

Ford. "Tis my fault, Mr. Page: I fuffer for it.

Eva. You fuffer for a pad confcience; your wife is as honeft a o'mans, as I will defires among five thoufand, and five hundred too.

Caius. By gar, I fee, 'tis an honest woman.

Ford. Well-I promis'd you a dinner-Come, come, walk in the park. I pray you, pardon me; I will hereafter make known to you, why I have done this. Come, wife; come, miftrefs Page; I pray you pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me.

Page. Let's go in, gentlemen; but trust me, we'll mock him. I do invite you to-morrow morning to my houfe to breakfaft; after, we'll a birding together; I have a fine hawk for the bufh. Shall it be fo?

Ford. Any thing.

Eva. If there is one, I fhall make two in the company.

Caius. If there be one or two, I fhall make-a de

turd.

Eva. In your teeth-for fhame.

Ford. Pray you go, Mr. Page.

Eva. I pray you now, remembrance to-morrow on the loufy knave, mine Hoft.

Caius. Dat is good, by gar, with all my heart.

Eva.

Eva. A loufy knave, to have his gibes, and his mockeries.

SCENE XII.

Changes to Page's Houfe.

[Exeunt.

Enter Fenton and Mistress Anne Page.

Fent. SEE, I cannot get thy father's love; Therefore no more turn me to him, fweet Nan. Anne. Alas! how then?

Fent. Why, thou must be thyfelf.

He doth object, I am too great of birth;
And that my state being gall'd with my expence,
I feek to heal it only by his wealth.
Befides thefe, other bars he lays before me,
My riots paft, my wild focieties:

And tells me, 'tis a thing impoffible

I fhould love thee, but as a property.
Anne. May be, he tells you true.

Fent. No, heav'n fo fpeed me in my time to come! Albeit, I will confefs, thy father's wealth

*

Was the firft motive that I woo'd thee Anne:
Yet wooing thee, I found thee of more value
Than ftamps in gold, or fums in fealing bags;
And 'tis the very riches of thyfelf

That now I aim at.

Anne. Gentle Mr. Fenton,

Yet feek my father's love: ftill feek it, Sir;
-If opportunity and humbleft fuit '

-father's wealth] Some light may be given to thofe who fhall endeavour to calculate the encrease of English wealth, by obferving, that Latymer in the time of Edward VI. mentions it as a proof of his father's profperity, That though but a yeoman, he gave his daughters five pounds each for her portion. At the latter end of Elizabeth, seven hun

Can

Cannot attain it, why then-hark you hither. [Fenton and Mistress Anne go apart.

Enter Shallow, Slender, and Miftrefs Quickly.

Shal. Break their talk, miftrefs Quickly; my kinf man fhall speak for himself.

Slen. I'll make a fhaft or a bolt on't: 'd'slid, 'tis but venturing.

Shal. Be not difmay'd.

Slen. No, fhe fhall not difmay me: I care not for that, but that I am affeard.

Quic. Hark ye, Mr. Slender would speak a word with you.

Anne. I come to him.-This is my father's choice. O, what a world of vile ill favour'd faults Look handfome in three hundred pounds a year! Quic. And how does good mafter Fenton? pray you, a word with you.

Shal. She's coming; to her, coz. O boy, thou hadft a father!

Slen. I had a father, Mrs. Anne; my uncle can tell you good jefts of him.-Pray you, uncle, tell Mrs. Anne the jeft, how my father ftole two geefe out of a pen, good uncle.

Shal. Miftrefs Anne, my coufin loves you.

Slen. Ay, that I do, as well as I love any woman in Gloucestershire.

Shal. He will maintain you like a gentlewoman. Slen. Ay, that I will, come cut and long-tail, under the degree of a Squire.

Shal. He will make you a hundred and fifty pounds jointure.

that our Author with more Pro

priety wrote:

"the frequent Opportunities you "find of folliciting my Father,

If Importunity and humbleft Suit." and your Obfequioufnefs to

I have not ventur'd to difturb the

Text, because it may mean,

"If

L1 2

him, cannot get him over to your Party, &c." THEOBALD.

Anne.

Anne. Good mafter Shallow, let him woo for himself.
Shal. Marry, I thank you for it; I thank you for
that. Good comfort; fhe calls you, coz. I'll leave you.
Anne. Now, master Slender.

Slen. Now, good mistress Anne.
Anne. What is your will?

Slen. My Will? od's heart-lings, that's a pretty jeft, indeed; I ne'er made my Will yet, I thank heav'n; I am not fuch a fickly creature, I give heav'n praise.

Anne. I mean, Mr. Slender, what would you with me? Slen. Truly, for my own part, I would little or nothing with you; your father and my uncle have made motions; if it be my luck, fo; if not, happy man be his dole! they can tell how things go, better than I can; you may ask your father; here he comes.

SCENE XIV.

Enter Page, and Miftrefs Page.

Page. Now, mafter Slender: love him, daughter

Anne.

Why how now? what does mafter Fenton here? You wrong me, Sir, thus ftill to haunt my houfe: I told you, Sir, my daughter is dispos'd of.

Fent. Nay, mafter Page, be not impatient.

Mrs. Page. Good Mafter Fenton, come not to my

child.

Page. She is no match for you.
Fent. Sir, will you hear me?

Page. No, good mafter Fenton.

Come, mafter Shallow; come, fon Slender, in. Knowing my mind, you wrong me, master Fenton. [Exeunt Page, Shallow, and Slender.

Quic. Speak to mistress Page.

Fent. Good miftrefs Page, for that I love your daughter

In fuch a righteous fashion as I do,

Perforce, against all checks, rebukes and manners,
I must advance the colours of my love,

And

And not retire. Let me have your good will.

Anne. Good mother, do not marry me to yon fool. Mrs. Page. I mean it not, I feek you a better hufband.

Quic. That's my mafter, mafter Doctor.

Anne. Alas, I had rather be fet quick i'th' earth, And bowl'd to death with turnips 2.

Mrs. Page. Come, trouble not yourself; good mafter Fenton,

I will not be your friend nor enemy:

My daughter will I queftion how she loves you,
And as I find her, fo am I affected.

'Till then, farewel, Sir-fhe must needs

go in, Her Father will be angry. [Exe. Mrs. Page and Anne. Fent. Farewel, gentle mistress; farewel, Nan.

*

Quic. This is my doing now. Nay, faid I, will you caft away your child on a fool, and a physician? look on mafter Fenton-This is my doing.

Fent. I thank thee; and I pray thee, once to-night Give my fweet Nan this ring. There's for thy pains. [Exit.

Quic. Now heav'n fend thee good fortune! A kind heart he hath, a woman would run through fire and water for fuch a kind heart. But yet, I would my mafter had miftrefs Anne, or I would Mr. Slender had her; or, in footh, I would Mr. Fenton had her. I will do what I can for them all three, for fo I have promis'd; and I'll be as good as my word, but fpeciously for Mr. Fenton. Well, I muft of another errand to Sir John Falstaff from my two miftreffes; what a beast am I to flack it? [Exit.

2 Anne. Alas, I had rather be fet quick i'th earth, And bowl'd to death with tur

nips.] Can we think the fpeaker would thus ridicule her own imprecation? We may be fure the last line fhould be given FA

to the procurefs, Quickly, who would mock the young woman's averfion for her mafter the Doctor. WARBURTON. -fool and a phyfician?] I fhould read fool or a phyfician, meaning Slender and Caius.

L13

SCENE