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Fal. Thou art a traytor to say so; thou would'st make an abfolute Courtier; and the firm fixure of thy foot would give an excellent motion to thy gate, in a femi-circled farthingale. I fee what thou wert; if fortune thy foe were not, nature is thy friend: come, thou canst not hide it.

Mrs. Ford. Believe me, there's no fuch thing in me. Fal. What made me love thee? let that perfuade thee, there's fomething extraordinary in thee. Come, I cannot cog, and fay, thou art this and that, like a-many of these lifping haw-thorn buds, that come like women in mens apparel, and smell like BucklersBury in fimpling time; I cannot: but I love thee, none but thee; and thou deservest it.

Mrs. Ford. Do not betray me, Sir; I fear you love mistress Page.

Fal. Thou might'ft as well fay, I love to walk by the Counter-gate, which is as hateful to me as the reek of a lime-kiln.

Mrs. Ford. Well, heav'n knows how I love you, and you shall one day find it.

Fal. Keep in that mind; I'll deserve it.

Mrs. Ford. Nay, I must tell you, so you do; or

elfe I could not be in that mind.

Rob. [within.] Mistress Ford, mistress Ford, here's miftrefs Page at the door, fweating, and blowing, and looking wildly, and would needs fpeak with you prefently.

Fal. She fhall not fee me; I will enfconce me behind the arras.

Mrs. Ford. Pray you, do fo; fhe's a very tattling

woman.

[Falstaff hides himself.

V OL. I.

X

SCENE

SCENE IX.
Enter Miftrefs Page.

What's the matter? how now?

Mrs. Page. O mistress Ford, what have you done? you're fham'd, y'are overthrown, you are undone for

ever.

Mrs. Ford. What's the matter, good mistress Page? Mrs. Page. O well-a-day, mistress Ford, having an honest man to your husband, to give him fuch caufe of fufpicion !

Mrs. Ford. What cause of fufpicion?

Mrs Page. What cause of fufpicion? out upon you! how am I miftook in you?

Mrs. Ford. Why, alas! what's the matter?

Mrs. Page. Your husband's coming hither, woman, with all the officers in Windfor, to fearch for a gentleman, that, he says, is here now in the house, by your confent, to take an ill advantage of his abfence. You are undone.

Mrs. Ford. Speak louder I hope.

[Afide] 'Tis not so,

Mrs. Page. Pray heav'n it be not fo, that you have fuch a man here; but 'tis most certain, your husband's coming with half Windfor at his heels, to fearch for fuch

I come before to tell you: if you know your felf clear, why, I am glad of it; but if you have a friend here, convey, convey him out. Be not amaz'd, call all your Senfes to you, defend your reputation, or bid farewel to your good life for ever.

Mrs. Ford. What fhall I do? there is a gentleman, my dear friend; and I fear not mine own fhame, fo much as his peril. I had rather than a thousand pound, he were out of the house.

Mrs. Page. For fhame, never ftand you had rather, and you had rather; your husband's here at hand;

bethink

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bethink you of fome conveyance, in the houfe you cannot hide him. 'Oh, how have you deceiv'd me? look, here is a basket, if he be of any reasonable ftature, he may creep in here, and throw foul linnen upon him, as if it were going to bucking: or it is whiting time, fend him by your two men to Datchetmead.

Mrs. Ford. He's too big to go in there: what fhall I do?

Re-enter Falstaff.

Fal. Let me fee't, let me fee't, O let me fee't; I'll in, I'll in; follow your friend's counsel; I'll in.

Mrs. Page. What! Sir John Falstaff? are these your letters, Knight?

Fal. I love thee, help me away; let me creep here: I'll never

in

[He goes into the basket, they cover him with foul linnen. Mrs. Page. Help to cover your master, boy: call your men, miftrefs Ford. You diffembling Knight!

Mrs. Ford. What, John, Robert, John, go take up these cloaths here, quickly. Where's the cowlftaff? look, how you drumble: carry them to the landrefs in Datchet-mead; quickly, come.

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Enter Ford, Page, Caius, and Evans.

Ford. Pray you, come near; if I fufpect without caufe, why then make sport at me, then let me be your jeft, I deserve it. How now? whither bear you

this?

Serv. To the landrefs, forfooth.

Mrs. Ford. Why, what have you to do whither they bear it? You were beft meddle with buckwashing.

X 2

Ford.

Ford. Buck? I would, I could, wash my self of the buck: buck, buck, buck? ay, buck: I warrant you, buck, and of the season too, it shall appear. [Exeunt Servants with the basket.] Gentlemen, I have dream'd to night, I'll tell you my dream: here, here, here be my keys; afcend my chambers, fearch, seek, find out. I'll warrant, we'll unkennel the fox. Let me ftop this way first. So, now uncape.

Page. Good mafter Ford, be contented: you wrong your felf too much.

Ford. True, mafter Page. Up, gentlemen, you fhall fee fport anon; follow me, gentlemen.

Eva. This is ferry fantastical humours and jealoufies.

Caius. By gar, 'tis no the fashion of France; it is not jealous in France

Page. Nay, follow him, gentlemen, fee the iffue of his fearch. [Exeunt.

SCEN E XI.

Manent Miftrefs Page and Mistress Ford.

Mrs. Page. Is there not a double excellency in this?

Mrs. Ford. I know not which pleases me better, that my husband is deceiv'd, or Sir John.

Mrs. Page. What a taking was he in, when your husband ask'd who was in the basket!

Mrs. Ford. I am half afraid he will have need of wafhing; fo throwing him into the water will do him a benefit.

6 So now uncape. ] So the Folio of 1623 reads, and rightly. It is a term in Fox-hunting, which fignifies to dig out the Fox when earth'd. And here is as much as to fay, take out the foul linnen under which the adulterer lies hid. The Oxford Editor reads uncouple, out of pure love to an emendation.

Mrs. Page.

Mrs. Page. Hang him, dishonest rafcal; I would, all of the fame ftrain were in the fame diftrefs.

Mrs. Ford. I think, my husband hath some special fufpicion of Falstaff's being here! I never faw him fo grofs in his jealousie till now.

Mrs. Page. I will lay a plot to try that, and we will yet have more tricks with Falstaff: his diffolute disease will scarce obey this medicine.

Mrs. Ford. Shall we fend that foolish carrion, miftress Quickly, to him, and excuse his throwing into the water, and give him another hope, to betray him to another punishment?

Mrs. Page. We'll do it; let him be fent for tomorrow by eight a clock, to have amends.

Re-enter Ford, Page, &c.

Ford. I cannot find him; may be, the knave brag'd of that he could not compass.

Mrs. Page. Heard you that?

Mrs. Ford. I, I; peace:-You use me well, master Ford, do you?

Ford. Ay, ay, I do fo.

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

Ford. Amen.

Mrs. Page. You do your felf 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!

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.

X 3

Eva.

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