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Eva. The dozen white louses 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 falt-fish is an old coat. 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 yourself, in my fimple conjectures; but that is all one: if fir John Falstaff have committed difparagements upon you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromifes between you. Shal. The council fhall 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, fhall defire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take you vizaments in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it.

Eva. It is petter that friends is the fword that end it; and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings good discretions with it: there is Anne Page, which is daughter to mafter George Page, which is pretty virginity.

Slen. Mistress Anne Page? fhe has brown hair, and speaks

like a woman.

Eva. It is that ferry perfon 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 fhe is able to overtake feventeen years old: it were a good motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and defire a marriage between mafter Abraham and miftrefs Anne Page.

Slen. Did her grandfire leave her feven hundred pound?
Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny.
Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; fhe has good gifts.
Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and poffibility, is goot gifts.
Shal. Well; let us fee honest master 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 defpife one that is not true. The knight fir John is there; and, I befeech you, be ruled by your wellwifhers. I will peat the door [knocks] for mafter Page. What, hoa? Got blefs your house here!

Page. Who's there?

SCENE II.

Enter mafter Page.

Eva. Here is got's pleffing, 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 venison, mafter Shallow.

Shal. Mafter 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 miftrefs Page? and I thank you always with my heart, la; with my heart.

Page. Sir, I thank you.

Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do.

Page. I am glad to fee you, good master Slender.

Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, fir? I heard fay, he

was out-run on Cotfale.

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

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

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

Page. A cur, fir.

Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; can there be more faid? he is good and fair. Is fir John Falstaff here?

Page. Sir, he is within; and I would, I could do a good office between you.

Eza. It is fpoke as a chriftians ought to speak.

Shal. He hath wrong'd me, mafter Page.

Page. Sir, he doth in fome fort confefs it.

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Shal.

Shal. If it be confefs'd, it is not redrefs'd; is not that so, mafter Page? he hath wrong'd me; indeed, he hath; at a word, he hath; believe me, Robert Shallow efquire faith, he is wrong'd. Page. Here comes fir John.

SCENE III.

Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol.

Fal. Now, mafter 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 kifs'd your keeper's daughter.

Shal. Tut, a pin! this fhall be anfwer'd.

Fal. I will answer it straight: I have done all this. That is now answer'd.

Shal. The council fhall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you if 'twere not known in council; you'll be laugh'd at.

Eva. Pauca verba, fir John, good worts.

Fal. Good worts? good cabbage. Slender, I broke your head: what matter have you against me?

Slen. Marry, fir, I have matter in my head against you, and against your cony-catching rafcals, Bardolph, Nym, and Piftol. Bar. You Banbury cheese !

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pift. How now, Mephoftophilus?

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

humour.

Nym. Slice, I fay! pauca, pauca: flice! that's my
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, mafter Page, fidelicet, mafter Page; and there is myself, fidelicet, myself; and the third party is, laftly and finally, mine hoft of the garter.

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 difcre

tions as we can.

Fal.

Fal. Piftol!

Pift. He hears with ears.

Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this, he hears with ear? why, it is affectations.

Fal. Piftol, 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 elfe, of seven groats in mill-fixpences, and two Edward shovel-boards, that coft me two fhilling and two pence a-piece, of Yead Miller; by these gloves. Fal. Is this true, Piftol?

Eva. No; it is falfe, if it is a pick-purse.

Pift. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner! Sir John, and master mine, I combat challenge of this latten bilboe:

Word of denial in thy labras here;

Word of denial; froth and fcum, thou lieft.

Slen. By these gloves, then 'twas he.

Nym. Be advis'd, fir, and pafs good humours: I will fay, marry trap with you, if you run the *nuthooks-humour on me; that is the very note of it.

Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it; for though 1 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, fir, 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, fir, was, as they say, 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.

Nu thook was a word of reproach in the vulgar way and in the cant-ftrain. In the second part of Hen. IV. Dol Tearsheet Jays to the beadle, Nuthook, Nuthook! you lie. Probably it was a name given to a bailiff or catchpole, very edious to the common people.

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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 within. [Exit Anne Page.

Slen. O heav'n! this is mistress Anne Page.

Enter mistress Ford and mistress Page.

Page. How now, miftrefs Ford?

Fal. Miftrefs 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, gentlemen, I hope, we shall drink down all unkindness.

SCENE IV.

[Exe. 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.

How now, Simple, where have you been? I must wait on myfelf, 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 upon Alhollowmas 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 fir Hugh here: do you understand me? Slen. Ay, fir, you fhall find me reasonable: if it be so, I fhall do that is reafon.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, fir.

Eva. Give ear to his motions, mafter Slender: I will defcription the matter to you, if you be capacity of it.

Slen.

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