280 The Merry Wives of Windfor. found Faltaff if I find her honeft, lofe not my labour; if the be otherwife, 'tis labour well beftow'd. VII. enied ads DND Changes to the Garter-Inn. Enter Falftaff and Piftol. Fal. Will not lend thee a pennyworld's m 8 Fal. Not a penny. I have been content, I have bee Sir, you should lay my countenance to pawn; I have grated upon my good friends for three reprieves for you, and your couch-fellow, Nim; or elfe you had look'd through the grate, like a geminy of baboons. I am damn'd in hell for fwearing to gentlemen, my friends, you were good foldiers, and tall fellows. And when miftrefs Bridget loft the handle of her fan, I took't upon mine honour, thou hadft it not. 1 han Pift. Didft thou not share? hadft thou not fifteen pence? Fal, Reason, you rogue, reafon : think'ft thou, I'll endanger my foul gratis? At a word, hang no more about me, I am no gibbet for you: go, a thort knife and a throng, to your manour of Pickt-hatch; go, you'll not bear a letter for me, you rogue! you stand upon your honour! why, thou unconfinable baseness, it is as much as I can do to keep the term of mine honour precife. I, I, I myself fometimes, leaving the fear of heaven on the left hand, and hiding mine ho 21 8 I will retort the fum in equipage.] This is added from the old Quarto of 1619, and means, I will pay you again in ftolen goods, 9 a bort knife and a throng. ] So Lear, When Cutpurses come not to throngs. nour nour in my neceffity, am fain to fhuffle, to hedge and to lurch; and yet you rogue will enfconfe your rags, your cat-a-mountain looks, your red-lettice phrafes, and your bold-bearing oaths, under the fhelter of your honour! you will not do it, you! I Pift. I do relent; what wouldst thou more of man? Rob. Sir, here's a woman would speak with you. Enter Mistress Quickly. Quic. Give your worship good morrow. Quic. Not fo, and't please your worship. Fal. Good maid, then. Quic. I'll be fworn, as my mother was, the first hour I was born. Fal. I do believe the fwearer: what with me? Quic. Shall I vouchfafe your worship a word or two? Fal. Two thoufand, fair woman, and I'll vouchsafe thee the hearing. Quic. There is one miftrefs Ford, Sir: I pray, come a little nearer this ways: I myself dwell with Mr. Doctor Caius. Fal. Well, on: miftrefs Ford, you fay Quic. Your worship fays very true: I pray your worship, come a little nearer this ways. Fal I warrant thee, no body hears: mine own people, mine own people.. Quic. Are they fo? heav'n bless them, and make them his fervants! Fal, Well: miftrefs Ford,-what of her? your bold BEATING oaths;] We should read bold BEARING vaths, i. e. out-facing. Quic. Why, Sir, fhe's a good creature. Lord, lord, your worship's a wanton: well, heav'n forgive you, and all of us, I pray Fal. Miftrefs Ford,come, mistress Ford Quic. Marry, this is the short and the long of it; you have brought her into fuch a canaries, as 'tis wonderful: the best courtier of them all, when the court lay at Windfor, could never have brought her to fuch a canary. Yet there has been knights, and lords, and gentlemen, with their coaches; I warrant you, coach after coach, letter after letter, gift after gift, smelling fo fweetly; all musk; and fo rufsling, I warrant you, in filk and gold, and in fuch alligant terms, and in fuch wine and fugar of the beft, and the faireft, that would have won any woman's heart; and, I warrant you, they could never get an eye-wink of her. I had I had myfelf twenty angels given me this morning; but I defie all angels, in any fuch fort as they say, but in the way of honefty; and I warrant you, they could never get her fo much as fip on a cup with the proudeft of them all and yet there has been earls, nay, which is more, pensioners; but, I warrant you, all is one with her. Fal. But what fays fhe to me? be brief, my good She Mercury. Quic. Marry, the hath receiv'd your letter, for the which the thanks you a thousand times; and the gives you to notifie, that her husband will be abfence from his house between ten and eleven. Fal. Ten and eleven. Quic. Ay, forfooth; and then you may come and fee the picture, fhe fays, that you wot of: mafter Ford, her husband, will be from home. Alas! the fweet woman leads an ill life with him, he's a very jealoufieman; the leads a very frampold life with him, good heart. Fal. Ten and eleven: woman, commend me to her, I will not fail her. Quic. Why, you fay well: But I have another mefsenger to your worship; mistress Page has her hearty commendations to you too; and let me tell you in your ear, fhe's as fartuous a civil modeft wife, and one (I tell you) that will not mifs you morning nor evening prayer, as any is in Windfor, whoe'er be the other; and the bad me tell your worship, that her husband is feldom from home, but, fhe hopes, there will come a time. I never knew a woman fo doat upon a man; furely, I think you have charms, la; yes, in truth. Fal. Not I, I affure thee; fetting the attraction of my good parts afide, I have no other charms. Quic. Bleffing on your heart for't! Fal. But I pray thee, tell me this; has Ford's wife, and Page's wife, acquainted each other how they love me? Quic. That were a jeft, indeed; they have not fo little grace, I hope; that were a trick, indeed! but miftrefs Page would defire you to fend her your little page, of all loves her husband has a marvellous infection to the little page; and, truly, master Page is an honeft man. Never a wife in Windfor leads a better life, than fhe does; do what she will, fay what fhe will, take all, pay all, go to bed when she lift, rife when she lift, all is as fhe will; and, truly, fhe deferves it; for if there be a kind woman in Windfor, truly, fhe is one. You must fend her your page; no remedy. Fal. Why, I will. Quic. Nay, but do fo then; and look you, he may come and go between you both, and in any cafe have a nay-word, that you may know one another's mind: and the boy never need to understand any thing; for 'tis not good, that children fhould know any wickednefs: old folks, you know, have discretion, as they say, and know the world. Fal. Fare thee well; commend me to them both : there's there's my purse, I am yet thy debtor. Boy, go along, with this woman. This news diftracts me! Exeunt Quickly and Robin. Pift. This pink is one of Cupid's carriers: Clap on more fails; purfue; up with your fights; Give fire; the is my prize, or ocean whelm them all! [Exit Piftol. Fal. Say'ft thou fo, old Jack? go thy ways; I'll make more of thy old body, than I have done; will they yet look after thee? Wilt thou, after the expence of fo much mony, be now a gainer? good body, I thank thee; let them fay, 'tis grofsly done; fo it be fairly done, no matter. 2 This PUNK is one of Cupid's carriers, Clap on more fails; purfue; up with your fights, Give fire; he is my prize.] This punk is one of Cupid's carriers, is a plaufible reading, yet abfurd on examination. For are not all punks Cupid's carriers? Shakespear certainly wrote, This PINK is one of Cupid's carriers, and then the sense is proper, and the metaphor, which is all the way taken from the marine, entire. A Pink is a veffel of the fmall craft, employed as a carrier (and fo called) for merchants. Fletcher uses the word, in his Tamer Tamed, This PINK, this painted foift, this cockle-boat, To hang her fights out, and defy me, Friends! As to the word fights, both in the text and in the quotation, it was then, and, for ought I know, may be now, a common fea-term. Sir Richard Hawkins in his voyages, p. 66. fays,-For once we cleared her deck, and had we been able to have spared but a dozen men, doubtless we had done with her what we would; for fhe had no close FIGTHS, i. e. if I underfland it right, no small arms. So that by fights is meant any manner of defense, either (mall arms or cannon. So Dryden, in his tragedy of Amboyna, Up with your FIGHTS, And your nettings prepare, &c. But, not confidering this, I led the Oxford Editor into a filly conjecture, which he has done me the honour of putting into his text, which is indeed a proper place for it, Up with YOND FRIGAT. SCENE |