Slen. Ay, and Rato-lorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson, who writes himself Armigero in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigero. Shal. Ay, that I do, and have done any time these three hundred years. Slen. All his fucceffors, gone before him, have don'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. The dozen white lowfes do become an old coat well; it agrees well, paffant; it is a familiar beast to man, and fignifies love. Shal. The luce is the fresh-fish, the falt-fish is an old Coat. Slen. I may quarter, coz. Shal. You may by marrying. Eva. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it. Eva. Yes, per-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for your felf, in my fimple conjectures; but that is all one: if Sir John Falstaff have committed difparagements upon you, I am of the Church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromises between you. Sal. The Council fhall hear it; it is a riot. Eva. It is not meet, the Council hear of a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot: the Council, look you, fhall defire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your viza-ments in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the fword fhould end it. Eva. It is petter that friends is the fword, and end it; and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings good difcretions with it: there is Anne Page, (2) which is daughter to mafter George Page, which is pretty virginity. (2) which is Daughter to Mafter Thomas Page,] The whole Set of Editions have negligently blunder'd one after another in Page's Chriftian Name in this place; tho' Mrs. Page calls him George afterwards in at leaft fix feveral Paffages. Slen. Slen. Mistress Anne Page? the has brown hair, and Ipeaks fmall like a woman. Eva. It is that ferry perfon for all the orld, as juft as you will defire; and feven hundred pounds of monies, and gold and filver, is her grandfire upon his death's-bed (Got deliver to a joyful refurrections) give, when the is able to overtake feventeen years old: it were a good motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and defire a marriage between mafter Abrabam and miftrefs Anne Page. Slen. Did her grand-fire leave her feven hundred pounds? Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; fhe has good gifts. Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and poffibilities, is good gifts. Shal. Well, let us fee honeft Mr. Page: is Falftaff there? Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do defpife a liar, as I do defpife one that is falfe; or as I defpife one that is not true. The Knight, Sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-wishers. I will peat the door [Knocks.] for mafter Page. What, hoa? Got blefs your house here. Enter Mr. Page: Page. Who's there? Eva. Here is Got's pleffing, and your friend, and Juftice Shallow; and here's young mafter Slender; that, peradventures, fhall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings. Page. I am glad to fee your worships well. I thank you for my venifon, mafter Shallow. Shal. Mafter Page, I am glad to fee you; much' good do it your good heart: I wish'd your venison better; it was ill kill'd. How doth good miftrefs Page? and I thank you always with my heart, la; with my heart. Page. Sir, I thank you. Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do. Page. I am glad to fee you, good mafter Slender. Slen. How do's, your fallow greyhound, Sir? I heard fay, he was out-run on Cotfale. Page. It could not be judg'd, Sir. Slen. You'll not confefs, you'll not confess. Shal. That he will not, 'tis your fault, 'tis your fault; 'tis a good dog. Page. A cur, Sir. Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; can there be more faid? he is good and fair. Is Sir John Falstaff here? Page. Sir, he is within; and I would, I could do a good office between you. Eva. It is fpoke, as a chriftians ought to speak. Page. Sir, he doth in fome fort confefs it. Shal. If it be confefs'd, it is not redrefs'd; is not that fo, master Page? he hath wrong'd me; indeed, he hath; at a word, he hath; believe me, Robert Shallow Efquire faith, he is wrong'd. Page. Here comes Sir John. Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym and Piftol. Fal. Now, mafter Shallow, you'll complain of me to the King? Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, kill'd my deer, and broke open my lodge. Fal. But not kifs'd your keeper's daughter. Shal. Tut, a pin; this fhall be anfwer'd. Fal. I will answer it ftrait: I have done all this. That is now answer'd. Shal. The Council fhall know this. Fal. 'Twere better for you, if 'twere not known in Council; you'll be laugh'd at. Eva. Pauca verba, Sir John, good worts. Fal. Good worts? good cabbage. Slender, I broke your head: what matter have you against me? Slen. Marry, Sir, I have matter in my head against you, and against your cony-catching rafcals, Bardolph, Nym, and Piftol. Bar. Bar. You Banbury cheese! Slen. Ay, it is no matter. Pift. How now, Mephoftophilus? Slen. Ay, it is no matter. Nym. Slice, I fay; pauca, pauca: flice, that's my humour. Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, coufin? Eva. Peace: I pray you: now let us underftand; there is three umpires in this matter, as I understand that is, mafter Page; fidelicet, mafter Page; and there is my felf; fidelicet, my felf; and the three party is, laftly and finally, mine Hoft of the Garter. Mr. Page. We three to hear it, and end it between them. Eva. Ferry goot; I will make a prief of it in my note-book, and we will afterwards ork upon the cause with as great difcreetly as we can. Fal. Piftol, Pit. He hears with ears. Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this, he hears with ear? why, it is affectations. Fal. Pitol, did you pick mafter Slender's purfe? Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he; (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again elfe,) of feven groats in mill-fixpences, and two Edward fhovelboards, that cost me two fhilling and two pence a-piece, of Yead Miller, by thefe gloves. Fal. Is this true, Piftol? Eva. No, it is falfe, if it is a pick-purfe. and mafter mine, I Combat challenge of this latten bilboe: (3) Sir John, Word (3) I combat challenge of this Latin bilboe] Our modern Editors have diftinguish'd this Word, Latin, in Italic Characters, as if it was addrefs'd to Sir Hugh, and meant to call him pedantic Blade, on account of his being a Schoolmafter, and teaching Latin. But I'll be bold to fay, in This they do not take the Poet's Conceit. Piftol barely calls Sir Hugh Mountain-foreigner, because he had interpos'd in the Difpute: but then immediately demands the Combat of Slender, for having charg'd him with picking his Pocket. The old Quarte's write it Latten, as it fhould fhould be, in the common Characters: And, as a Proof that the Author defign'd This fhould be addrefs'd to Slender, Sir Hugh does not there interpofe one Word in the Quarrel. But what then fignifieslatten Bilbo? Why, Piftol feeing Slender fuch a flim, puny, Wight; would intimate, that he is as thin as a Plate of that compound Metal, which is call'd latten: and which was, as we are told, the Old Orichalc. Monfieur Dacier, upon this Verfe in Horace's Epiftle de Arte Poeticâ, Tibia non ut nunc Orichalco vincta, &c. fays, Eft une espece de Cuivre de montagne, come fon nom mefme le temoigne; c'est ce que nous appellons aujourd'huy du leton. "It is a fort of Mountain-Copper, as its very Name imports, and which we at "this time of Day call Latten." Scaliger upon Feftus had faid the fame Thing. The Metallifts tell us, it is Copper mingled with Lapis Calaminaris. The learned Part of my Readers will forgive me, if I attempt the Correction of a Paffage in Hefychius, upon the Subject of Orichale, which has been tamper'd with, but not cur'd, I think, to Satisfaction. Ορείχαλκος, χαλκός, χρυσῷ ἑοικῶς, ἢ κρήνη ἀρχίχαλκος. (In the firft place, the Series and Order of Hefychius fhew he meant to write his Theme, 'Oeixanos, without the Diphthong.) Sopingius has conjectur'd, the laft Word fhould be αὐείχαλκος. But what then has κρήνη to do here? Orichalcum does not fignify a Fountain; nor does Vibius Sequefter, or any body elfe to my Knowledge, tell us of any Fountain, Lake, or Spring, that bore fuch, a Name. Perhaps, the whole fhould be thus pointed and reform'd: Οείχαλκος, χαλκὸς χρυσῷ ἐοικώς ἢ neguati aрxn, xanxós. Orichalcum, as auri amulum: vel, Compofitum quoddam; principium cujus, Es. Orichalc, a fort of Brafs like Gold; or a Compound Metal, the Foundation of which was Brass. Stephanus, de Urbibus, tells us of a Stone produc'd at Andeira, which, mingled with Brass, became Orichalc. KPAOEIE xaλn, 'OpeXaños viveta. Strabo is the Foundation for what Stephanus fays; who, fpeaking of this Stone, adds, If it be burnt with a certain Earth, it melts to a counterfeit Silver : which Earth, having Brass mingled with it, comes to that compounded Metal which fome call Orichalc. 796λαβέσα χαλκὸν τὸ καλέμθμον γίνε) ΚΡΑΜΑ, ὅτινες ορείχαλκον nano. The old Gloffaries likewife have, Aurichalca, negativa: which Junius in his Book, De Picturâ Veterum, corrects to KPA'M A TI: But Martinius, I find, difapproves of the Correction. These Quotations, I think, are fomewhat in Support of the Conjecture I have offer'd. A Word to the Paffage quoted from Strabo, and I fhall difmifs this Criticifm. Cafaubon very justly objects to the Tautology of Tà καλέμενον, δ ὅτινες καλέσι. He thinks, either fomething is wanting after naperor or that it fhould be expung'd. If I am not mistaken, Strabo might have wrote, with the Change only of one Letter, 78 narov use or give negua, perpulchra quidem fit Mixtura: i. e. a moft beautiful Compound is produced. The Orichale, we know, was fo bright a Metal, that, as Ifidore fays, it had the Splendor of Gold, and the Hardness of Brais: and Pliny tells us, It was put under fome Chryfolites, as a Foil, to affut their Luftre. Word |