Because I ove him, I must pity him. To plead for that which I would not obtain; Gentlewoman, good day! I pray you, be my mean Jul. From my master, sir Proteus, madam Sil. Ursula, bring my picture there. [Picture brought. Go, give your master this: tell him from me, One Julia that his changing thoughts forget, Would better fit his chamber than this shadow. Jul. Madam, please you peruse this letter.— Pardon me, madam; I have unadvis`d Deliver'd you a paper that I should not; This is the letter to your ladyship. Sil. I pray thee, let me look on that again. I will not look upon your master's lines: And full of new-found oaths; which he will break Jul. Madam, he sends your ladyship this ring. Sil. The more shame for him that he sends it me: For I have heard him say a thousand times, His Julia gave it him at his departure: Though his false finger hath profan'd the ring, Mine shall not do his Julia so much wrong. Jul. She thanks you. Sil. What say'st thou? Jul. I thank you, madam, that you tender her: Poor gentlewoman! my master wrongs her much. Sil. Dost thou know her? Jul. Almost as well as I do know myself. To think upon her woes, I do protest, That I have wept a hundred several times. Sil. Belike, she thinks that Proteus hath forsook her. Jul. She hath been fairer, madam, than she is: When she did think my master loved her well, She, in my judgment, was as fair as you: But since she did neglect her looking-glass, And threw her sun-expelling mask away, The air hath starv'd the roses in her checks And pinch'd the lily-tincture of her face, That now she is become as black as 1. Sil. How tall was she? Jul. About my stature for at Pentecost. Sil. She is beholden to thee, gentle youth!Alas, poor lady! desolate and left! I weep myself to think upon thy words. Jul. And she shall thank you for 't, if e'er you know her. A virtuous gentlewoman, mild, and beautiful. Her eyes are grey as glass; and so are mine: I should have scratch'd out your unseeing eyes, For I had rather w.na than look on them. [Aside. These are my inates, that make their wills their law. Thu. But well, when I discourse of love, and peace? Jul. But better, indeed, when you hold your peace. Thu. What says she to my valor? Pro. 0, sir, she makes no doubt of that. [Aside. Enter PROTEUS, SILVIA, and JULIA. Jul. She needs not, when she knows it cowardice. (Though you respect not aught your servant doth,) Pro. Madam, this service I have done for you, Thu. What says she to my birth? Pro. That you are well derived. Jul. True; from a gentleman to a fool. Thu. Considers she my possessions! Pro. O, ay; and pities them. Thu. Wherefore? Aside. To hazard life, and rescue you from him And less than this, I am sure, you cannot give. Ju!. That such an ass should owe them. [Aside. Love, lend me patience to forbear a while. [Aside. Enter DUKE. Duke. How now, sir Proteus? how now, Thurio? Which of you saw sir Eglamour of late? Thu. Not I. Pro. Duke. Pro. Nor I. Saw you my daughter? Neither. Duke. Why, then, she's fled unto that peasant Valentine; And Eglamo ir is in her company. 'T's true; for friar Laurence met them both, At Patrick's cell this even; and there she was not: That leads towards Mantua, whither they are fled: Out. Come, come; of patient, we must bring you to our captain. St. A thousand more mischances than this one Have learn'd me how to brook this patiently. 2 Out. Come, bring her away. 1 Out. Where is the gentleman that was with her? 3 Out. Beinz nimble-footed, he hath out-run us, Put Moyses, and Valerius, follow him. Go thou with her to the west end of the wood, 1 Out. Come, I must bring you to our captain's cave; Fear not; he bears an honorable mind, Sil. O Valentine, this I endure for thee! [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Another part of the Forest. Val. How use doth breed a habit in a man! Thoa gentle nymph, cherish thy forlorn swain! - Sil. O miserable, unhappy that I am! Pro. Unhappy were you, madam, ere I came; But, by my coming, I have made you happy. Sil. By thy approach thou mak'st ine most unhappy. Jul. And me, when he approacheth to your Sil. Had I been seized by a hungry lion, Pro. What dangerous action, stood it next to death, Would I not undergo for one calm look? O, 'tis the curse in love, and still approv'd, Sil. All men but Proteus. Pro. Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words Can no way change you to a milder form, I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end; And love you 'gainst the nature of love, force you. Sil. O heaven! Pro. I'll force thee yield to my desire. Thou friend of an ill fashion! Val. Ruffian, let go that rude uncivil touch; Valentine! Pro. (For such is a friend now,) treacherous man! I am sorry, I must never trust thee more, Val. Look up; speak. O good sir, my master charg'd me Here 'tis this is it. [Gives a ring. Why this is the ring I gave to Julia. Shows another ring. Pro. But, how cam'st thou by this ring? at my depart, I gave this unto Julia. Jul. And Julia herself did give it me; Jul. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths, It is the lesser blot, modesty finds, Women to change their shapes, than men their minds. Pro. Than men their minds? 'tis true: O heaven! were man But constant, he were perfect: that one error Come not within the measure of my wrath:3 I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine, I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake, Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be. Fills him with faults; inakes him run through all They are reformed, civil, full of good sins: And fit for great employment, worthy lord. Duke. Thou hast prevail'd: I pardon them, and Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts. Val. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold, Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him: he blushes. SCENE I-Windsor. Before Page's House. Sal. Sin HuGa, persuade me not; I will make Era. It is not meet the Council hear a riot there is no fear of Got in a riot; the Council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it. John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shal-end it: and there is also another device in my prain, Eva. It is petter that friends is the sword, and low, esquire. Sen. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram. Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and Cust-alorum. Sen. Ay, and ratolorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armiShal. Ay, that we do: and have done any time these three hundred years. Sen. All his successors, gone before him, have donet; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their Sen. I may quarter, coz? Shal. You may, by marrying. En. It is marring indeed, if he quarter it. E. Yes, py'r lady; if he has a quarter of four coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in My simple conjectures: but this is all one: if Sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you. I am of the church, and will be glad to do my Senevolence, to make atonements and compromises between you. Shal. The Council shall hear it; it is a riot. it: There is Anne Page, which is daughter to and speaks small like a woman. just as you will desire: and seven hundred pounds Shal. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pounds? Eva. Ay,and her father is make her a petter penny Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts. Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is good gifts. Shat. Well, let us see honest master Page: Is Falstaff there? Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar as I do despise one that is false; or as I despise one that is not true. The knight, sir John, is there and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers What, hoa! pless your house here! I will peat the door [knocks for master Page. and justice Shallow: and here young master Slender; that peradventures shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings. Page. I am glad to see your worships well: I thank you for my venison, master Shallow. Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you; Much good do it your good heart! I wished your venison better; it was ill-killed:- How doth good mistress Page-and I love 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. Prge. I am glad to see you, good master Slender. Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, sir? I heard say he was outrun at Cotsale.s Page. It could not be judged, sir. Sten. You'll not confess, 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 said? he is good, and fair.- Is sir John Falstaff here? Puge. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between you. Eva. It is spoke as a Christian ought to speak. Shal. He hath wrong'd me, master Page. Page. Sir, he doth in some sort confess it. Shal. If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd; is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me; indeed, he hath;-at a word, he hath ;-- believe me; -Robert Shallow, esquire, saith, he is wrong'd. Page. Here comes sir John. Enter Sir JOHN FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, NYм, and PISTOL. Fal. Now, master Shallow; you'll complain of me to the king? Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge. Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter. Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answer'd. Fal. I will answer it straight; -I have done all this: That is now answer'd. Shal. The council shall know this. Fal. "Twere better for you, if it were known in counsel: 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? Sten. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you; and against your coney-catching rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. They carried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards picked my pocket. Bar. You Banbury cheese! Pist. How, now, Mephostophilus ? Num. Slice, I say, pauca, pauca; slice! that's 'ny humor. Sten. Where's Simple, my man? —can you tell, cousin? Era. Peace: I pray you! Now let us understand: There is three umpires in this matter as I under stand: that is-master Page, fidelicet, master Page; and there is myself, fidelicet myself; and the three party is, lastly and finally, mine host of the Garter. Page. We three, to hear it, and end it between them. Era. Fery goot: I will make a brief of it in my note-book; and we will afterwards 'ork upon the cause, with as great discreetly as we can. Fal. Pistol, Pist. He hears with ears. Era. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this, He hears with ear? Why, it is affectations. Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse? Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he, (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again else,) of seven groats in mill-sixpences, and two Edward shovel-boards, that cost ine two shillings and two pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves. Cotswold in Gloucestershire. Worts was the ancient naine of all the cabbage kind. The name of an ugly spirit. King Edward's shilling used in the game of shuffleboard Fal. Is this true. Pistol? I combat challenge of this latten bilboa Sten. By this hat, then he in the red face had it: for though I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an ass. Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John? Bar. Why, sir. for my part, I say, the gentlen.an had drunk himself out of his five sentences. Era. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bar. And being fap, sir, was, as they say, cashier'd; and so conclusions pass'd the careires. Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 1's no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves. Eva. So Got 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Mistress ANNE PAGE with wine; Mistress FORD and Mistress PAGE following. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. Erit ANNE PAGE. Slen. O heaven! this is mistress Anne Page. Page. How now, mistress Ford? Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met: by your leave, good mistress. [Kissing her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome:Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner; come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness. [Exeunt all but SHAL., SLENDER, and EVANS Slen. I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book of Songs and Sonnets here: Enter SIMPLE. wait on myself, must I? You have not The Book How now, Simple! where have you been? I must of Riddles about you, have you? to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas last, a fortSim. Book of Riddles! why, did you not lend it night afore Michaelmas Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we stay for you. A word with you, coz; marry, this, coz; There is as 'twere a tender, a kind of tender, made afar o by sir Hugh here;-Do you understand me? Slen. Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable; i it be so, I shall do that that is reason. Shal. Nay, but understand me. Slen. So I do, sir. Era. Give ear to his motions, master Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. I pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in Sten. Nay I will do as my cousin Shallow says: his country, simple though I stand here. is concerning your marriage. Era. But this is not the question; the question Shal. Ay, there's the point, sir. Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it; to mistress Anne Page. Slen. Why, if it be so, 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 philosophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mouth; - Therefore, precisely, can you carry your good will to the maid? Shal. Cousin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slen. I hope, sir.-I will do, as it shall become one that would do reason. Eva. Nay, Got's lords and his lacties! you must Lips • Drunk 2 Blade as thin as a lath. If you say I am a thief. The bounds of good behavior. An intended blunder. |