of my kidney-think of that; that am as fubject to heat, as butter; a man of continual diffolution and thaw; it was a miracle, to 'fcape fuffocation. And in the height of this bath, when I was more than half ftew'd in greafe, like a Dutch dish, to be thrown inte the Thames, and cool'd, glowing hot, in that furge, like a horse-shoe; think of that—hiffing hot-think of that, mafter Brook. Ford. In good fadness, fir, I am forry that for my fake you have fuffer'd all this. My fuit is then defperate; you'll undertake her no more? Fal. Mafter Brook, I will be thrown into Etna, as I have been into Thames, ere I will leave her thus. Her husband is this morning gone a birding: I have receiv'd from her another embaffy of meeting; 'twixt eight and nine is the hour, mafter Brook. Fard. "Tis paft eight already, fir. Fal. Is it? I will then addrefs me to my appointment. Come to me at your convenient leifure, and you shall know how I speed; and the conclufion fhall be crown'd with your enjoying her: Adieu. You shall have her, mafter Brook; mafter Brook, you fhall cuckold Ford. [Exit. Ford. Hum! ha! is this a vifion? is this a dream? do I fleep? mafter Ford, awake; awake, mafter Ford; there's a hole made in your best coat, mafter Ford. This 'tis to be married! this 'tis to have linen, and buck-baskets!-Well, I will proclaim myfelf what I am: I will now take the lecher; he is at my house: he cannot 'fcape me; 'tis impoffible he fhould; he cannot creep into a half-penny purfe, nor into a pepper-box: but, left the devil that guides him should - 5 kidney;] Kidney in this phrafe now fignifies kind or qualities, but Falstaff means, a man whofe kidnies are as fat as mine. JOHNSON. addrefs me -]. e. make myself ready. So in K. Herry V: "To-morrow for our march we are addreft." STEEVENS. Y 3 aid aid him, I will search impoffible places. Though what I am I cannot avoid, yet to be what I would not, fhall not make me tame: if I have horns to make one mad, let the proverb go with me, I'll be horn-mad. [Exit. 8 A CT IV. SCENE I. Page's houfe. Enter Mrs. Page, Mrs. Quickly, and William. Mrs. Page. Is he at mafter Ford's already, think'ft thou? Quic. Sure, he is by this; or will be prefently: but truly, he is very courageous mad, about his throwing into the water. Mistress Ford defires you to come fuddenly. Mrs. Page. I'll be with her by and by; I'll but 7 -I'll be born-mad.] There is no image which our author appears fo fond of, as that of cuckold's horns. Scarcely a light character is introduced that does not endeavour to produce merriment by fome allufion to horned hufbands. As he wrote his plays for the stage rather than the prefs, he perhaps reviewed them feldom, and did not obferve this repetition; or finding the jest, however frequent, ftill fuccefsful, did not think correction neceffary. JOHNSON. This is a very trifling fcene, of no ufe to the plot, and I fhould think of no great delight to the audience; but Shakespeare best knew what would pleafe. JOHNSON. We may fuppofe this fcene to have been a very entertaining one to the audience for which it was written. Many of the old plays exhibit pedants inftructing their scholars. Marfton has a very long one in his What you Will, between a schoolmaster, and Helofernes, Nathaniel, &c. his pupils. The title of this play was perhaps borrowed by Shakespeare, to join to that of Twelfth Night. What you Will, appeared in 1607. Twelfth Night, in 1623. STEEVENS. bring my young man here to fchool: Look, where his mafter comes; 'tis a playing-day, Ifce. Enter Sir Hugh Evans. How now, fir Hugh? no fchool to-day? Eva, No; mafter Slender is let the boys leave to play. Quic. Bleffing of his heart! Mrs. Page. Sir Hugh, my husband fays, my son profits nothing in the world at his book; I pray you, afk him fome queftions in his accidence. Eva. Come hither, William;-hold up your head; come. Mrs. Page. Come on, firrah; hold up your head; answer your mafter, be not afraid. Eva. William, how many numbers is in nouns? Quic. Truly I thought there had been one number more; because they fay, od's nouns. Eva. Peace your tatlings. What is fair, William? Will. Pulcher. Quic. Poulcats there are fairer things than poulcats, fure, Eva. You are a very fimplicity 'oman; I pray you, peace. What is Lapis, William? Will. A ftone. Eva. And what is a ftone, William? Eva. No, it is Lapis; I pray you, remember in your prain. Will. Lapis. Eva. That is a good William: What is he, William, that does lend articles? Will. Articles are borrow'd of the pronoun; and be thus declin'd, Singulariter, nominativo, hic, hæc, hoc. Eva. Nominativo, big, bag, hog;-pray you, mark: genitivo, hujus: Well, what is your accufative cafe? Will. Accufative, hinc. Y 4 Eva. 1 Eva. I pray you, have your remembrance, child; Accufativo, bung, hang, bog. Quic. Hang hog is Latin for bacon, I warrant you. Eva. Leave your prabbles, 'oman. What is the focative cafe, William ? Will. O-vocativo, O. Eva. Remember, William; focative is, caret, Eva. 'Oman, forbear. Mrs. Page. Peace. Eva. What is your genitive cafe plural, William? Eva. Ay. Will. Genitive, horum, harum, borum. Quic. Vengeance of Giney's cafe! fie on her!-ne ver name her, child, if the be a whore. Eva. For fhame, 'oman. Quic. You do ill to teach the child fuch words: he teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do faft enough of themfelves; and to call horum:-fie upon you! Eva. 'Oman art thou lunatics? haft thou no understanding for thy cafes, and the numbers of the genders? thou art a foolish chriftian creatures, as I would defires. Mrs. Page. Pr'ythee, hold thy peace. Eva. Shew me now, William, fome declenfions of your pronouns. Will. Forfooth, I have forgot, Eva. It is ki, ka, cod; if you forget your kies', 9borum, harum, horum.] Taylor, the water-poet, has bor rowed this jeft, fuch as it is, in his character of a ftrumpet: And come to borum, barum, horum, then I "She proves a great proficient among men." STEEVENS. your kies, your kas, &c.] All this ribaldry is likewife found in Taylor the water-poet. See fol, edit. p. 106. P STEEVENS. your your kes, and your cods, you must be preeches. Go your ways and play, go. Mrs. Page. He is a better scholar, than I thought he was. Eva. He is a good fprag' memory. Farewell, mistress Page. Mrs. Page. Adieu, good fir Hugh. Get you home, boy.-Come, we stay too long. [Excunt Fal. Miftrefs Ford, your forrow hath eaten up my fufferance I fee, you are obfequious in your love, and I profefs requital to a hair's breadth; not only, miftrefs Ford, in the fimple office of love, but in all the accoutrement, complement, and ceremony of it. But are you fure of your hufband now? Mrs. Ford. He's a birding, fweet fir John. what hoa! Mrs. Ford. Step into the chamber, fir John. Enter Mrs. Page. [Exit Falstaff. Mrs. Page. How now, fweetheart? who's at home. befides yourself? -you 21 -you must be preeches.] Sir Hugh means to fay must be breech'd: i. e. flogg'd. To breech is to flog. So, in the Taming of the Shrew: "I am no breeching fcholar in the fchools." Again, in the Humorous Lieutenant, of Beaumont and Fletcher: "Cry like a breech'd boy, not eat a bit." STEEVENS. 3-Sprag] I am told that this word is ftill used by the common people in the neighbourhood of Bath, where it fignifies ready, alert, sprightly, and is pronounced as if it was written-sprack. STEEVENS. Mrs. |