Word of denial in thy Labra's here; Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pafs good humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the base hu mour on me, that is the very note of it. Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it; for tho' I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an afs. Fal. What fay you, Scarlet and John? Bard. Why, Sir, for my part, I fay, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five fentences. Eva. It is his five fenses: fie, what the Ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they fay, cashier'd; and fo conclufions paft the car-eires. Slen. Ay, you fpake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilft I live again, but in honeft, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with thofe that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves. Eva. So Got udg me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Miftress Anne Page, with wine. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink [Exit Anne Page. Slen. Oh heav'n! this is mistress Anne Page. within. Enter Miftrefs Ford and Miftrefs Page. Page: How now, miftrefs Ford? Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth, you are very well met; by your leave, good mistress. [Kiffing her. Page. Wife, bid thefe gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venifon pafty to dinner; come, gentlemen; I hope, we fhall drink down all unkindness. [Ex. Fal. Page, &c. Manent Shallow, Evans, and Slender. Slen. I had rather than forty fhillings, I had my book of fongs and fonnets here. Enter Simple, How now, Simple, where have you been? I must wait on my felf, muft I? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you? Simp. Book of riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake (4) upon All-hallowmas laft, a fortnight afore Martlemas? Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we ftay for you: a word with you, coz: marry this, coz; there is, as 'twere, a tender, a kind of tender, made afar off by Sir Hugh here; do you understand me? Slen. Ay, Sir, you fhall find me reasonable: if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reafon. Shal. Nay, but understand me. Slen. So I do, Sir. Eva. Give ear to his motions, Mr. Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. Slen. Nay, I will do, as my coufin Shallow fays: I pray you, pardon me; he's a Juftice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I ftand here. Eva. But that is not the question: the question is concerning your marriage. Shal. Ay, there's the point, Sir. Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it, to Mrs. Anne Page, (4) Upon Allhallowmas laft, a fortnight afore Michaelmas.] Sure, Simple's a little out in his Reckoning. Allhallowmas is almost five Weeks after Michaelmas. But may it not be urg'd, it is defign'd, Sim ple fhould appear thus ignorant, to keep up Character? I think, not. The fimpleft Creatures (nay, even Naturals) generally are very precife in the Knowledge of Feftivals, and marking how the Seafons run: And therefore I have ventur'd to fufpect, our Poet wrote Martlemas, as the Vulgar call it; which is near a fortnight after All-Saints Day, i. e. eleyen Days, both inclufive, Slen. Slen. Why, if it be fo, I will marry her upon any reasonable demands. Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philofophers hold, that the lips is parcel of 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 to wards her. Shal. That you must: will you, upon good dowry, marry her? Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your request, 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: (5) 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 difcretion anfwer; fave, the fall is in th' ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good. Shal. Ay, I think, my coufin meant well. Slen. Ay, or elfe I would I might be hang'd, la. (5) I hope, upon Familiarity will grow more Content.] Certainly, the Editors in their Sagacity have murther'd a Jeft here. It is defign'd, no Doubt, that Slender fhould fay decrease, instead of increase; and dif Jolved and diffolutely, initead of refolved and refolutely: but to make him fay, on the prefent Occafion, that upon Familiarity will grow more Content, instead of Contempt, is difarming the Sentiment of all its Salt and Humour, and disappointing the Audience of a reasonable Cause for Laughter. Enter Miftrefs Anne Page.. Shal. Here comes fair mistress 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 Grace. will not be abfence at the [Ex. Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't please your worthip 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 dag. ger with a master of fence, three veneys for a dish of tew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the Smell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark so? be there Bears i'th' town? Anne. I think, there are, Sir; I heard them talk'd of. Slen. I love the fport well, but I fhall as foon quarrel at it as any 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 loose twenty times, and have taken hlm by the chain; but, I warrant you, the women have fo cry'd and fhriek'd at it, that it paft: but women, indeed, indeed, cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things. Enter Mr. Page. Page. Come, gentle Mr. Slender, come; we ftay for you. Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, Sir. Page. By cock and pye, you fhall not chufe, Sir; come; come. Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way. Page. Come on, Sir. Slen. Miftrefs Anne, your felf fhall go first. Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on. Slen. Truly, I will not go firft, truly-la: I will not do you that wrong. Anne. I pray you, Sir. Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublefome; do your felf wrong, indeed-la. you Re-enter Evans and Simple. [Exeunt. Eva, Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Caius' houfe which is the way; and there dwells one mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurfe, or his dry 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 o'man that altogethers acquaintance with miftress Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to folicit 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 changes to the Garter-Inn. Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Robin. hoft of the garter, Fal. MINH. What fays my bully rock ? speak Hoft. fchollarly, and wifely. Fal. |