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Slen. Ay, and Rato-lorum too; and a gentleman born, mafter 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 fuccessors, 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 lowses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant; it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies love.

Shal. The luce is the fresh-fish, the salt-fish is an old Coat.

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Slen. I may quarter, coz.

Shal. You may by marrying.

Eva. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it.

Shal. Not a whit.

Eva. Yes, per-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for your self, in my fimple conjectures; but that is all one: if Sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements 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 shall 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, shall 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 sword should end it.

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Eva. It is petter that friends is the sword, 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 master George Page, which is pretty virginity.

(2) - which is Daughter to Master Thomas Page,] The whole Set of Editions have negligently blunder'd one after another in Page's Christian Name in this place; tho' Mrs. Page calls him George afterwards in at least fix feveral Passages.

Slen.

Slen. Mistress Anne Page? she has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman.

Eva. It is that ferry person for all the orld, as just as you will defire; and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold and filver, is her grandfire upon his death's-bed (Got deliver to a joyful refurrections) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a good motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and defire a marriage between master Abraham and mistress Anne Page.

Slen. Did her grand-fire leave her seven hundred pounds?

Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; the has good gifts.

Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is good gifts. Shal.Well; let us see honeft Mr. 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-wishers. I will peat the door [Knocks.] for master Page. What, hoa? Got bless your house here.

Enter Mr. Page.

Page. Who's there?

Eva. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and Justice Shallow; and here's 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 venifon, master Shallow.

Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you; much good do it your good heart: I wish'd your venifon better; it was ill kill'd. How doth good mistress Page? and I thank you always with my heart, la; with my heart.

Page. Sir, I thank you.
VOL. I.

Skal.

Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do.
Page. I am glad to see you, good master Slender.
Slen. How do's your fallow greyhound, Sir? I

heard say, he was out-run on Cotsale.

Page. It could not be judg'd, Sir.

Slen. You'll not confess, you'll not confefs.

Shal. That he will not, 'tis your fault, 'tis your fault; 'tis a good dog.

Page. A cur, Sir.ed

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.λυση ο

Eva. It is spoke, as a christians ought to speak.
Shal. He hath wrong'd me, master Page.
Page. Sir, he doth in fome fort confefs it.

Shal. If it be confefs'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 faith, he is wrong'd.

Page. Here comes Sir John.

Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym and Pistol. Fal. Now, master 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 kiss'd your keeper's daughter.

Shal. Tut, a pin; this shall be answer'd.

Fal. I will answer it strait: I have done all this.

That is now answer'd.

Shal. The Council shall 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 againft

you, and against your cony-catching rafcals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol.

Bar.

Bar. You Banbury cheese!

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pift. How now, Mephostophilus?

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Nym. Slice, I fay; pauca, pauca: slice, that's my

humour.

Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, coufin? Eva. Peace: I pray you: now let us understand; there is three umpires in this matter, as I understand; that is, master Page; fidelicet, master Page; and there is my self; fidelicet, my self; and the three party is, lastly and finally, mine Host 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. Pistol,

Pift. He hears with ears.

Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrafe 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-fixpences, and two Edward shovelboards, that cost me two shilling and two pence a-piece, of Yead Miller, by these gloves.

Fal. Is this true, Pistol?

Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse.
Pift Ha, thou mountain foreigner!

and master mine,

I Combat challenge of this latten bilboe: (3)

Q2

Sir John,

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(3) I combat challenge of this Latin bilboe] Our modern Editors have diftinguish'd this Word, Latin, in Italic Characters, as if it was ad dress'd to Sir Hugh, and meant to call him pedantic Blade, on account of his being a Schoolmaster, and teaching Latin. But I'll be bold to say, in This they do not take the Poet's Conceit. Pistol 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 Quarto's write it Latten, as it fhould should be, in the common Characters: And, as a Proof that the Author design'd This should be address'd to Slender, Sir Hugh does not there interpose one Word in the Quarrel. But what then signifies latten Bilbo ? Why, Pistol seeing Slender such 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 Verse in Horace's Epistle de Arte Poeticâ,

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Tibia non ut nunc Orichalco vincta, &c. says, Eft une espece de Cuivre de montagne, come fon nom mesme 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 Festus had said the fame Thing. The Metallists 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 Passage in Hefychius, upon the Subject of Orichalc, which has been tamper'd with, but not cur'd, I think, to Satisfaction. Ὀρείχαλκος, χαλκός, χρυσῷ ἐοικῶς, ἢ κρήνη ἀρχίχαλκος. (In the first place, the Series and Order of Hefychius shew he meant to write his Theme, ̓Οείχαλκος, without the Diphthong.) Sopingius has conjectur'd, the laft Word should be αὐείχαλκος. But what then has κρήνη to do here? Orichalcum does not signify a Fountain; nor does Vibius Sequester, or any body else to my Knowledge, tell us of any Fountain, Lake, or Spring, that bore such a Name. Perhaps, the whole should be thus pointed and reform'd: 'Oείχαλκος, χαλκὸς χρυσῷ ἐοικώς· ἢ κράμα τι ̓ ἀρχὴ, χαλκός. Orichalcum, æs auri amulum: vel, Compofitum quoddam; principium cujus, Æs. Orichalc, a fort of Brass 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. ΚΡΑΘΕΙΣ χαλκῷ, Ὀρείχαλκος γίγνεται. Strabo is the Foundation for what Stephanus says; who, speaking 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 some call Orichalc. ἡ πωσλαβᾶσα χαλκὸν τὸ καλέμθμον γίνε) ΚΡΑ ́ΜΑ, ὅτινες ὀρείχαλκον καλέσι. The old Gloffaries likewise have, Aurichalka, κραματινα: which Junius in his Book, De Picturâ Veterum, corrects to KPΑ ́ΜΑ TI: But Martinius, I find, disapproves of the Correction. These Quotations, I think, are somewhat in Support of the Conjecture I have offer'd. A Word to the Passage quoted from Strabo, and I shall dismiss this Criticism. Cafaubon very justly objects to the Tautology of τὸ καλόμενον, & ὅτινες καλέσι. He thinks, either something is wanting after καλέμενον : or that it should be expung'd. If I am not mistaken, Strabo might have wrote, with the Change only of one Letter, τὸ καλὸν μὲ ὄν γίνε) κράμα, perpulchra quidem fit Mixtura: i. e. a most beautiful Compound is produced. The Orichalc, we know, was fo bright a Metal, that, as Ifidore says, it had the Splendor of Gold, and the Hardness of Brass: and Pliny tells us, It was put under fome Chryfolites, as a Foil, to affift their Luftre.

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