Who should be trusted now, when one's right hand

Is perjur'd to the bosom? Proteus,

I am sorry, I must never trust thee more,
But count the world a stranger for thy sake.
The private wound is deepest: O time, most curst!
'Mongst all foes, that a friend should be the worst!
Pro. My shame and guilt confound me.-
Forgive me, Valentine: if hearty sorrow
Be a sufficient ransom for offence,

I tender it here; I do as truly suffer,
As e'er I did commit.

Val.
Then I am paid;
And once again I do receive thee honest:-
Who by repentence is not satisfied,

Is nor of heaven, nor earth; for these are pleas'd;
By penitence the Eternal's wrath's appeas'd:-
And, that my love may appear plain and free,
All that was mine in Silvia, I give thee.
Jul. O me unhappy!
Pro. Look to the boy.
Val. Why, boy! why, wag! how now! what
is the matter?

Look up; speak. Jul.

[Faints.

O good sir, my master charg'd me To deliver a ring to madam Silvia; Which, out of my neglect, was never done. Pro. Where is that ring, boy?

Here 'tis: this is it.

Jul.

Come not within the measure of my wrath:
Do not name Silvia thine; if once again,
Milan shall not behold thee. Here she stands,
Take but possession of her with a touch;-
I dare thee but too breathe upon my love.-
Thu. Sir Valentine, I care not for her, I;
I hold him but a fool that will endanger
His body for a girl that loves him not:

I claim her not, and therefore she is thine.
Duke. The more degenerate and base art thou,
To make such means for her as thou hast done,
And leave her on such slight conditions.—
Now, by the honor of my ancestry,
I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine,
And think thee worthy of an empress' love.
Know then, I here forget all former griefs,
Cancel all grudge, repeal thee home again.-
Plead a new state in thy unrivall'd merit,
To which I thus subscribe,-sir Valentine,
Thou art a gentleman, and well deriv'd;
Take thou thy Silvia, for thou hast deserv'd her.
Val. I thank your grace; the gift hath made
me happy.

I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake,
To grant one boon that I shall ask of you.

Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be.
Val. These banish'd men, that I have kep
withal,

Are men endued with worthy qualities;
Forgive them what they have committed here,
And let them be recall'd from their exile:
They are reformed, civil, full of good,
And fit for great employment, worthy lord.

•Length of my sword. • Interest.

Val. I warrant you, my lord; mere giace than boy.

Duke. What mean you by that saying?

Val. Please you, I'll tell you as we pas

along,

That you will wonder what hath fortuned.-
Come, Proteus; 'tis your penance, but to hear
The story of your loves discovered:
That done, our day of marriage shall be yours;
One feast, one house, one mutual happiness.
(Exenni

SCENE I-Windsor. Before Page's House. Enter Justice SHALLOW, SLENDER, and Sir' HUGH EVANS.

Shal. SIR HUGH, persuade me not; I will make a Star-chamber matter of it; if he were wenty sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire.

Slen. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram.

Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and Cust-alorum. Slen. Ay, and ratolorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero.

Shal. Ay, that we do: and have done any time these three hundred years.

Slen. All his successors, gone before him, have done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their

Slen. I may quarter, coz!

Shal. You may, by marrying.

Eva. It is marring indeed, if he quarter ǹ.
Shal Not a whit.

Eva. Yes, py'r' lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but this is all one: if Sit John Falstaff have committed disparagements unte you, I am of the church, and will be glad to de my benevolence, to make atonements and compio mises between you.

Shal. The Council shall hear it; it is a riot

Eva. It is not meet the Council hear a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot; the Council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your 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 sword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it: There is Anne Page, which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity.

Slen. Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair and speaks small like a woman.

Eva. It is that fery person for all the 'orld, as just as you will desire: and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire

upon his death's bed (Got deliver to a joyful resurections!) give, when she is able to overtake seven'een years old: it were a goot motion, if we leave ur pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage beween master Abraham and mistress Anne Page. Shal. Did her grandsire leave her seven hunIred pounds? [penny. Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts.

Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, s good 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 wellwillers. I will peat the door [knocks] for master Page. What, hoa! pless your house here! Enter PAGE.

Page. Who's there?

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.

Shel. Master Page, I am glad to see you; Much good do it your good heart! I wished your venison better; it was ill-killed:-How doth good mistress Page-and I love you always with my heart, la; with my heart.

Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; Can there be more said? he is good, and fair.-Is sir John Falstaff here?

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

Eva. It is spoke as a Christian 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 hat 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, NYM, 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.

Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter. Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answer'd. Fal. I will answer it straight;-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 ounsel: you'll be laugh'd at.

•Cotswold, in Gloucestershire.

Eva. Pauca verba, sir John, good worts. Ful. Good worts! good cabbage. Slender, broke your head; What matter have you against me

Slen. Marry, sir, I have maker 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 after wards picked my pocket.

Bar. You Banbury cheese!
Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

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

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

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 under stand: that is-master Page, fidelicet, master Page; and there is myself, fidelicet myself; and the thres 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 brief of it in my note-book; 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 Ed. ward shovel-boards,' that cost me two shillings 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,

Word of denial in thy labras" here ;
I combat challenge of this latten bilbo :"
Word of denial; froth and scum, thou liest.
Slen. By these gloves, then 'twas he.

Nym. Be advised, sir, and pass good humor I will say, marry trap, with you if you run the nut. hook's humor 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? Bar. 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!

Bar. And being fap, sir, was, as they say, cashier'd; and so conclusions pass'd the careires.

Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too: but 'tis but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again. 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, gentle men; you hear it.

Worts was the ancient name of all the cabbage kind.
Sharpers..
Nothing but paring!

The name of an ugly spirit.

Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met: by your leave, good mistress. [Kissing her.

Page. Vife, bid these gentlemen welcome:Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner; come gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all

uLkindness.

[Exeunt all but SHAL., SLENDER, and EVANS. Slen. I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book of 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 fortright 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: I 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 misress 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 will to the maid?

Shal. Cousin Abraham Slender, can you love her! Slen. I hope, sir,-I will do, as it shall become 2ze 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 dc 3 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,

An intended blunder.

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, a

I

Re-enter ANNE PAGE.

Shal. Here comes fair mistress Anne:-Would were young, for your sake, mistress Anne! Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father desires your worship's company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne. Eva. Od's plessed will! I will not be ai sence at the grace. [Exeunt SHALLOW and Sir H. EVANS. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, sir? Slen. No, I thank you, forsooth, heartily; I am very well.

Anne. The dinner attends you, sir.

Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forsooth: Go, sirrah, for all you are my man, go, wait upon my cousin Shallow: [Exit SIMPLE.] A justice of peace sometime may be beholden to his friend for a man:-I keep but three men and a boy yet, till my mother be dead: But what though? yet I live like a poor gentleman born.

Anne. I may not go in without your worship. they will not sit till you come.

Slen. I' faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you much as though I did.

Anne. I pray you, sir, walk in.

Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruised my shin the other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a dish of stewed prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot meat since. Why do your dogs bark so? be there bears i' the town?

Anne. I think there are, sir; I heard them talked of.

Slen. I love the sport well; but I shall as soon quarrel at it as any man in England:-You are afraid, if you see the bear loose, are you not?

Anne. Ay, indeed, sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now: I have seen Sackerson loose, twenty times: and have taken him by the chain: but, I warrant you, the women have so cried and shriek'd at it, that it pass'd:'-but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em; they are ill-favored, rough things.