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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 say, cashier'd; and fo conclufions past 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 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 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 mistress Anne Page.

Enter Mistress Ford and Miftrefs Page.

Page. How now, mistress Ford?

Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth you are very well met; by your leave, good mistress.

[Kiffing ber: Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venison pafty to dinner; come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness.

[Exe. Falftaff, Page, &c.

SCENE

IV.

Manent Shallow, Evans and Slender.

Slen. I had rather than forty fhillings I had my book of

fongs and fonnets here.

Enter

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 not you lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Albollowmas 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 fhall do that is reafon.

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 fays: I pray you, pardon me: he's a Juftice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I stand here.

Eva. But that is not the queftion: the queftion is concerning your marriage.

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

Eva. Marry is it; the very point of it, to Mrs. Anne Page.

Slen. Why, if it be fo, I will marry her upon any rea

fonable 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 precisely, can you marry 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 speak poffitable,

2 Michaelmas?

old edit. Theob. emend.

poffitable, if you can carry her your defires towards her.

Shal. That you muft: will you, upon good dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your requeft, coufin, in any reason.

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; I hope upon familiarity will grow more 3 'contempt: but if you fay, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely diffolved, and diffolutely.

Eva. It is a ferry discretion anfwer, fave the faul' is in th' ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is 'goot.

4

Shal. Ay, I think my coufin meant well.

Slen. Ay, or else I would I might be hang'd, la.

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Shal. Here comes fair mistress Anne: would I were young for your fake, miftrefs Anne.

Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father defires your worship's company.

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

Eva. Od's pleffed will, I will not be abfence at the Grace.

[Exe. Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you forfooth heartily; I am very

well.

you, Sir.

Anne. The dinner attends
Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you forfooth. Go,

Sirrah,

3 content: ... old edit. Theob, emend.

4 good.

to his friend for a man.

Sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my coufin Shallow a Juftice of peace fometime may be beholden I keep but three men and a boy yet, 'till mother be dead; but what though, yet I live a poor gentleman born.

my

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 fhin th' other day with playing at fword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a difh of ftew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the fmell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark fo? be there bears i' th' town?

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 loose, are you not? Anne. Ay indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon loose twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but, I warrant you, the women have fo cry'd and shriekt at it, that it paft: but women 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 chufe to eat nothing, I thank you, Sir.

Page.

(a) It paft, and This paffes was a way of speaking cuftomary heretofore to fignify the excess or extraordinary degree of any thing. The fentence compleated would be, It paft or This paffes all expreffion, or perhaps (according to a vulgar phrafe fill in ufe) It pait or This paffes all things, is beyond all things. The participle of the fame verb is fill in common use and in the fame fenfe: paffing well, paffing Atrange, &c. Warburton.

s I'll eat nothing,

Page. By cock and pye, you shall not chufe, 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 firft, truly-la: I will not do

you that wrong.

do

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly than troublesome; you your felf wrong, indeed-la.

S C E NE VI.

Re-enter Evans and Simple.

[Exeunt.

Eva. Go your ways, and ask of doctor Caius houfe 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 ringer. Simp. Well, Sir.

Eva. Nay, it is petter yet; give her this letter; for it is a 'oman that altogethers acquaintance with mistress Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to follicit your mafter'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.

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Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Robin,

INE hoft of the garter!

Fal. MI

Haft. What fays my bully rock? speak schol

larly, and wifely.

Fal.

& wringer.

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