Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my

deer, and broke open my lodge.

Fal. But not kissed your keeper's daughter?

Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answered.

Fal. I will answer it straight; I have done all this.

That is now answered.

Shal. The council shall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you if it were known in
counsel: you'll be laughed at.

Evans. Pauca verba, Sir John; goot 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 against
you; and against your cony-catching rascals,
Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol.

120

Bard. You Banbury cheese!

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pist. How now, Mephistophilus!

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

130

Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca: slice! that's my

humour.

Slen. Where's Simple, my man? Can you tell, cousin? Evans. 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 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. 140 Evans. Fery goot: I will make a prief 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.

Evans. 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 150
else, of seven groats in mill-sixpences, and two
Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling
and two pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these
gloves.

Fal. Is this true, Pistol?
Evans. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse.

Pist. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner! Sir John and

master mine,

I combat challenge of this latten bilbo.
Word of denial in thy labras here!

Word of denial: froth and scum, thou liest!

Slen. By these gloves, then, 'twas he.

Nym. Be avised, sir, and pass good humours: I will say 'marry trap' with you, if you run the nuthook's humour on me; that is the very note of it.

Slen. 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?
Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say the gentleman had
drunk himself out of his five sentences.

Evans. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance
is!

160

170

Bard. And being fap, sir, was, as they say, cashiered; and so conclusions passed the careires.

Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil, godly company, for this 180 trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves.

Evans. So Got udge me, that is a virtuous mind.

Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen ; you hear it.

Enter Anne Page, with wine; Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, following.

Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink

within.

Slen. O heaven! this is Mistress Anne Page.
Page. How now, Mistress Ford!

[Exit Anne Page.

190

[Kisses her. Come,

Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well

met: by your leave, good mistress.
Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome.

we have a hot venison pasty to dinner: come,
gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all un-
kindness.

[Exeunt all except Shal., Slen., and Evans.

Slen. I had rather than forty shillings I had my Book of Songs and Sonnets here.

Enter Simple.

How now, Simple! where have you been? I
must wait on myself, must I? You have not the 200

Book of Riddles about you, have you ?

Sim. Book of Riddles! why, did you not lend it to

Alice Shortcake upon All-hallowmas last, a fort-
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
off by Sir Hugh here. Do you understand
me?

Slen. Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable; if it be so, 210

I shall do that that is reason.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, sir.

Evans. Give ear to his motions, Master Slender: I

will description the matter to you, if you be
capacity of it.

Slen. Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow says: I pray
you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his
country, simple though I stand here.

Evans. But that is not the question: the question is 220

concerning your marriage.

Shal. Ay, there's the point, sir.

Evans. 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.

Evans. 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 230 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.

Evans. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies! you must speak possitable, if you can carry her your desires towards her.

Shal. That you must. marry her?

Will you, upon good dowry,

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that, upon your 240

request, cousin, 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 heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married and have more occasion to know one another; I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you say 'Marry 250 her,' I will marry her; that I am freely dissolved, and dissolutely.

Evans. It is a fery discretion answer; save the fall is
in the ort 'dissolutely': the ort is, according
to our meaning, 'resolutely:' his meaning is
good.

Shal. Ay, I think my cousin meant well.
Slen. Ay, or else I would I might be hanged, la!
Shal. Here comes fair Mistress Anne.

Re-enter Anne Page.

Would I were young for your sake, Mistress 260
Anne!

Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father desires
your worships' company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair Mistress Anne.