desire a marriage between master Abraham, and mistress Anne Page.

Shal. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pound?

Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Shal. Iknow the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts. Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is goot gifts.

Shal. Well, let us see 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 despise one that is not true. The knight, sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. I will peat the door [knocks] for master Page.-What, hoa! Got pless your house here !

Page. Who's there?

Enter PAGE...

Eva. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and justice Shallow and here 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, master Shallow.

Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you; Much good do it your good heart! I wished your venison better; it was ill kill'd :-How doth good mistress Page ?—and I love 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 see you, good master Slender. Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, sir? I heard say, he was outrun on Cotsale.

Page It could not be judg'd, sir.

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, sir.

Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog: Can there be more said? he is good, and fair.-Is sirJohn Falstaff here? Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between.you.

Eva. It is spoke as a christians ought to speak.
Shal. He hath wrong'd me, master Page.

Page. Sir, he doth in some sort confess it.

Shal. If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd; is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me ;-indeed, he hath ;-at a word, he hath ;-believe me; Robert Shallow, Esquire, saith, he is wrong'd.

Page. Here comes sir John.

Enter Sir JOHN FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, NYм, and PISTOL.

Fal. Now, master Shallow; you'll complain of me to the king?

Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge.2

Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter.

Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answer'd.

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

Shal. The council shall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you, if it were known in council; you'll be laugh'd at.

Eva. Pauca verba, sir John, good worts.

Fal. Good worts ! 3 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 coney-catching rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. They carried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards picked my pocket. Bard. You Banbury cheese !4

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pist. How now, Mephostophilus ?5
Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

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

Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, cousin? Eva. 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

[2] This probably alludes to some real incident, at that time well known. JOHNSON.

[3] Worts was the ancient name for all the cabbage kind STEEV. [4] This is said in allusion to the thin carcase of Slender. The same thought occurs in Jack Drum's Entertainment, 1601: "Put off your clothes, and you are like a Banbury cheese,-nothing but paring." STEEVENS. [5] This is the name of a spirit, or familiar, in the old story book of Sir Fohn Faustus, or John Faust: to whom our author alludes, Act II. sc. 2. T. WARTON.

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. Eva. Fery goot: I will make a prief of it in my notebook; and we will afterwards 'ork upon the cause with as great discreetly as we can.

Fal. Pistol

Pist. He hears with ears.

Eva. 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 else,) of seven groats in mill-sixpences, and two Edward shovelboards, that cost me two shilling and two-pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves.

Fal. Is this true, Pistol?

Eva. 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 :6
Word of denial in thy labras here ;7
Word of denial: froth and scum, thou ly'st.

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

8

Nym. Be advised, 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 ?9

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 conclusions pass'd the careires.

[6] Pistol, seeing Slender such a slim, puny wight, would intimate, that he is as thin as a plate of that compound metal, which is called latten: and which was, as we are told, the old or ichalc. THEOBALD.

Latten may signify no more than as thin as a lath.

STEEVENS.

[7] I suppose it should rather be read Word of denial in my labras hear;" -i.e. hear the word of denial in my lips. Thou ly'st. JOHNSON.

[8] When a man was caught in his own stratagem, I suppose the exclama tion of insult was-marry, trap! JOHNSON.

[9] The names of two of Robin Hood's companions; but the humour consists in the allusion to Bardolph's red face; concerning which see The Seeend Part of King Henry IV. WARBURTON,

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 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 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind.

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

Enter Mistress ANNE PAGE, with wine; Mistress FORD and Mistress PAGE following.

Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit ANNE PAGE. Slen. O heaven! this is mistress Anne Page. Page. How now, Mrs. Ford?

Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met: by your leave, good mistress. [Kissing her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome :-Čome, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner: come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness.

of

[Exeunt all but SHAL. SLEND. and EVANS. Sten. I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book songs and sonnets here:

Enter SIMPLE.

How now, Simple! Where have you been? I must wait on myself, must I? You have not The Book of Riddles about you, have you?

Sim. Book of Riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake, upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight 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, I shall do that that is reason.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, sir.

Eva. 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: L pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here.

Eva. But this 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 mistress Anne Page.

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 mouth-Therefore, precisely, can you carry your good

I 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. possitable, if you can carry her your desires 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, 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 her, I will marry her, that I am freely dissolved, and dissolutely.

Eva. It is a fery discretion answer; save, the faul' 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.

Re-enter ANNE PAGE.

Shal. Here comes fair mistress Anne :-'Would I were young, for your sake, mistress Anne!

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

Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne. Eva. Od's plessed will! I will not be absence at the grace. [Exe. SHAL and Sir H. EVANS,