Word of denial in thy Labra's here ; Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pass good humours: I will say 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 ass. Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John? Bard. Why, Sir, for my part, I say, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences. Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the Ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they say, cashier'd; and so conclufions past the car-eires. Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilft 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 udg me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Mistress Anne Page, with wine. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink [Exit Anne Page. within. Enter Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. Page. How now, mistress Ford? Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met; by your leave, good mistress. [Kiffing her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner; come, gentle men; I hope, we shall drink down all unkindness. [Ex. Fal. Page, &c. Manent Shallow, Evans, and Slender. Slen. I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book of fongs and fonnets here. Enter Simple. How now, Simple, where have you been? I must wait on my self; must 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 last, a fortnight afore Martlemas? 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 off by Sir Hugh here; do you understand me? Slen. Ay, Sir, you shall find me reasonable: if it be fo, I shall do that that is reason. Shal. Nay, but understand me. Slen. So I do, Sir. Eva. Give ear to his motions, Mr. Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. Slen. Nay, I will do, as my coufin Shallow says: I pray you, pardon me; he's a Justice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I stand here. Eva. But that is not the question: 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 last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas.] Sure, Simple's a little out in his Reckoning. Allhallowmas is almost five Weeks after Michaelmas. But may it not be urg'd, it is design'd, Simple should 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 Seasons run: And therefore I have ventur'd to suspect, our Poet wrote Martlemas, as the Vulgar call it; which is near a fortnight after All-Saints Day, i. e. eleven Days, both inclusive. Slen. 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 mind: 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 ladies, you must speak poffitable, if you can carry her your defires towards her. Shal. That you must: will you, upon good dowry, marry her? Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your request, coufin, in any reason. Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, sweet 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 say, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely dissolved, and diffolutely. Eva. It is a ferry difcretion answer; save, the fall is in th' ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good. Shal. Ay, I think, my cousin meant well. Slen. Ay, or else 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 Jest here. It is design'd, no Doubt, that Slender should say decrease, instead of increase; and diffolved and dissolutely, instead of refolved and resolutely: but to make him fay, on the present Occafion, that upon Familiarity will grow more Content, instead of Contempt, is disfarming the Sentiment of all its Salt and Humour, and disappointing the Audience of a reasonable Cause for Laughter. Enter Mistress Anne Page. Shal. Here comes fair mistress Anne: would I were young for your fake, mistress Anne. Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father desires your worship's company. Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne. of li Eva. Od's plessed will, I will not be absence at the Graceloped [Ex. Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you, forsooth, heartily; I am very well.macb Anne. The dinner attends you, Sir. Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forsooth. Go, Sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my cousin Shallow: [Ex. Simple.] a Justice 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. Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in. Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my shin th'other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a dish of Itew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot meat since. Why do your dogs bark so? be there Bears i'th' town? Anne. I think, there are, Sir; I heard them talk'd of. Slen. I love the sport well, but I shall as foon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you fee the bear loose, are you not? Anne. Ay, indeed, Sir. Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have seen Sackerson loose twenty times, and have taken hlm by the chain; but, I warrant you, the women have so cry'd and shriek'd at it, that it past: but women, indeed, indeed, cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things. quara nandrail (Enter Mr. Page. Page. Come, gentle Mr. Slender, come; we stay for you. Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, Sir. Page. By cock and pye, you shall not chuse, Sir; come; come. Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way. Page. Come on, Sir. Slen. Mistress Anne, your self shall go first. Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on. Slen. Truly, I will not go first, truly-la: I will not do you that wrong. Anne. I pray you, Sir. Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome; you do your self wrong, indeed-la. Re-enter Evans and Simple. [Exeunt. Eva. Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Caius' house which is the way; and there dwells one mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurse, 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 o'man that altogethers acquaintance with miftress 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 cheese to come. [Exeunt severally. SCENE changes to the Garter-Inn. Enter Falstaff, Host, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Robin. Fal. M INE host of the garter, Hoft. What says my bully rock? speak schollarly, and wifely. Fal. |