Word of denial in thy Labra's here ; Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pass good humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the base humour 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 fenfes: 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 thefe matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Mistress Anne Page, with wine. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in, we'll drink within. [Exit Anne Page. Slen. Oh heav'n! this is miftrefs Anne Page. 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 miftrefs. [Kifing 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.á álað vil How now, Simple, where have you been? I muft wait on my self, 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 reafonable: 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 defcription 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 queftion; 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 almoft five Weeks after Michaelmas. But may it not be urg'd, it is defign'd, Simple 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. eleven 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 reason. 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 requeft, 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.i Eva. It is a ferry discretion answer; 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, inftead of increase; and dif folved and diffolutely, instead 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 difappointing the Audience of a reasonable Caufe for Laughter. Enter Mistress Anne Page. Shal. Here comes fair miftreis Anne: would I were young for your fake, miftrefs Anne. Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father defires your worship's company.jo gjesten baita silt Shal. I will wait or if Eva. Od's pleffe him, fair mistress Anne, will, will not be abfence at the Grace.ogad neck 1000 [Ex. Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't pleafe your worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you, forfooth, heartily; I am very well. Rob 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. thro Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in. Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my thin th'other day with playing at fword and dag ger with a mafter of fence, three veneys for a dish of itew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the fmell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark for be there Bears i'th' town and 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 loofe, are you not? Anne. Ay, indeed, Sir. Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon loofe twenty times, and have taken him 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. go Slen. Mistress Anne, your felf fhall firft. Slen. Truly, I will not go first, truly-la: I will not do you that wrong. Sir. Anne. I pray you, Sir. Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublefome; do your self 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 miftrefs Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurfe, or his dry nurse, 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 miftrefs Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to folicit your master's defires to mistress Anne Page: I pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippins and cheefe to come. [Exeunt feverally. SCENE changes to the Garter-Inn. Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Piftol and Robin. Fal. MINE hoft of the garter, Hoft. What fays my bully rock? fpeak fchollarly, and wifely. Fal. |