do Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way. Slen. Miftrefs Anne, your felf fhall go firft. Slen. Truly, I will not go firft, truly-la: I will not you that wrong. Anne. I pray you, Sir. Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome; you do your felf wrong, indeed-la. [Exeunt. Re-enter Evans and Simple. 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 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 mistress Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to follicit your mafter's defires to miftrefs Anne Page: 'I pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippins and cheese to 'come. [Exeunt feverally. S C E NE VII. Changes to the Garter-Inn. Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Robin. Fal. INE host of the garter, Hoft. What fays my bully rock? fpeak fchollarly, and wifely. Fal. Truly, mine hoft, I must turn away fome of my followers. Hoft Difcard, bully Hercules, cafhier; 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 fhall draw, he fhall tap; faid I well, bully Heltor? Fal. Do fo, 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 tapfter is a good trade; an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a wither'd fervingman, a fresh tapfter; go, adieu. Bard. It is a life that I have defir'd: I will thrive. {Exit Bard. Pit. O bale Hungarian wight, wilt thou the spigot wield? 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 fo quit of this tinderbox; his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unskilful finger, he kept hot time. reft. Ny. The good humour is to steal at a minute's Pift. Convey, the Wife it call: fteal? foh; a fico for the phrafe Fal. Well, Sirs, I am almost out at heels. Pift. Why then, let kibes enfue. ...Fal. There is no remedy: I muft conycatch, I must fhifteda pod Pift. Young ravens must have food.. Fal. Which of you know Ford of this town? 7 His mind is not heroick, and there's the humour of it.] Added from the old Quarto of Yorg. Far Fal. My honeft lads, I will tell you what I am about. Pift. Two yards and more. 5. Fal. No quips now, Piftol: indeed, I am in the wafte two yards about; but I am now about no wafte, I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife: I fpy entertainment in her the dif courfes, fhe carves, fhe gives the leer of invitation; I can conftrue the action of her familiar ftile, and the hardest voice of her behaviour, to be english'd right, is, I am Sir John Falftaff's wo - Pift. He hath study'd her well, and tranflated her out of honefty into English. Nym. The anchor is deep; will that humour pals? 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. ir ton ? Nym. The humour rifes; it is good; humour me the angels. ·lo quom! i 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 moft judicious 2ocillades; fometimes, the beam of her view guilded my foot; fometimes, my portly belly. fide. Pift. Then did the fun on dung-hill fhine, 016 8 and tranflated her well, out of honefly into English. ] i. e. into a corrupt language. This is extremely humorous: But I think the word well, coming in here a fecond time, is an intrufion, and should be thrust out again, as it burdens the diction and obftructs the eafy turn of the thought. 9 As many devils entertain ;— Take to your affiftance as many devils as the has angels, and then you may be a match for her. French. moft judicious 1 LIADS] Read oeillades, glances. Mr. Pope. 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-glafs. Here's another letter to her; fhe bears the purfe too; fhe is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty. I will be Cheater to them both, and they shall be Exchequers to me; they fhall be my Eaft and Weft-Indies, and I will trade to them both. Go, bear thou this letter to miftrefs Page; and thou this to miftrefs Ford: we will thrive, lads, we will thrive. Pift. Shall I Sir Pandarus of Troy become, And by my fide wear fteel? then, Lucifer take all ! Nym. I will run no bafe 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 thefe golden fhores, [To Robin. Rogues, hence, avaunt! vanifh 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; my felf, and skirted page. [Exeunt Falstaff and Boy. 2 I will be Cheater to them both, and they fhall be Exchequers to me;] The fame joke is intended of Henry the fourth, Act 2. my baufe, nor no Cheater.. here, as in the second part I will bar no boneft man By which is meant Efcheatours, an officer in the exchequer, in no good repute with the common people. r 3 Falftaff will learn the bumour of the age, French thrift, you rogues; my felf, and skirted page ] So Beaumont and Fletcher, in The boneft man's fortune. 'tis the comfort, that Ill fortune has undone me into the fashion: SCENE 4 Pift. Let vultures gripe thy guts; for gords and And high and low beguiles the rich and poor. Nym. I have operations in my head, which be hu mours of revenge. Pift. Wilt thou revenge? Nym. By welkin, and her star. Pift. With wit, or steel? Nym. With both the humours, I: I will difcufs the humour of this love to Ford, His dove will prove, his gold will hold, Nym. My humour fhall not cool; I will incenfe Ford to deal with poifon; I will poffefs him with yellownefs; for the Revolt of Mien is dangerous: that is my true humour. Pift. Thou art the Mars of male contents: I fecond thee; troop on. 4 For gourd, and Fullam holds: [Exeunt. And high and low beguiles the rich and poor.] Fullam is a cant term for falfe dice, high and low. Torriano, in his Italian Dictionary, interprets Pife by falfe dice, high and low men, bigh Fullams, and low Fullams. Johnson, in his Every man out of his humour, quibbles upon this cant term. Who, be 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 gaming, as appears from Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful Lady. And thy dry bones can reach at nothing now, but GORDS or nine-pins. SCENE |