Quic. Good mafter, be content.

Caius. Verefore fhall I be content-a?

Quic. The young man is an honest man..

Caius. Vat fhall de honest man do in my closet ? dere is no honest man dat fhall come in my closet.

Quic. I beseech you, be not fo flegmatic; hear the truth of it. He came of an errand to me from parfon Hugh.

Caius, Vell.

Sim. Ay, forfooth, to defire her to→→→→→

Quic Peace, I pray you.

Catus. Peace-a your tongue :-Speak-a your tale.

Sim. To defire this honeft gentlewoman, your maid, to fpeak a good word to miftrefs Anne Page for my inafter in the way of marriage.

Quic. This is all, indeed-la; but I'll never put my finger in the fire, and need not.

Caius. Sir Hugh fend-a you?-Rugby, baillez me fome paper: Tarry you a little while.

Quic. I am glad he is fo quiet: if he had been thoroughly moved, you fhould have heard him fo loud, and fo melancholy;-But notwithstanding, man, I'll do for your mafter what good I can: and the very yea and the no is, the French Doctor, my master,-I may call him my master, look you, for I keep his houfe, and I wash, wring, brew, bake, fcour, drefs meat and drink, make the beds, and do all myself.

Sims 'Tis a great charge, to come under one body's hand.

Quic. Are you avis'd o' that you fhall find it a great charge: And to be up early, and down late; but notwithstanding (to tell you in your ear; I would have no words of it), my mafter himself is in love with mistrefs Anne Page; but, notwithstanding that, I know Anne's mind,- -that's neither here nor there.

Caius. You jack nape; give-a dis letter to fir Hugh; by gar, it is a fhallenge; I vill cut his throat in de park; and I vill teach a scurvy jack-a-nape priest to meddle or -you may be gone; it is not good you tarry

make :

here:

hereby gar, I will cut all his two ftones; by gar, he fhall not have a stone to trow at his dog. [Exit SIMP. Quic. Alas, he fpeaks but for his friend.

Gaius. It is no matter-a for dat: -do you not tell-a me dat I fhall have Anne Page for myself-by gar, I vill kill de jack priest; and I have appointed mine hoft of de Farterre to measure our weapon : by gar, I vill myself have Anne Page.

Quic. Sir, the maid loves you, and all fhall be well: we must give folks leave to prate: What, the goujere! Caius. Rugby, come to the court vit me

By gar, if I have not Anne Page, I fhall turn your head out of door:Follow my heels, Rugby.

8

[Exeunt CAIUS and RUGBY. Quic. You fhall have An Fool's-head of your own. No, I know Anne's mind for that: never a woman in Windfor knows more of Anne's mind than I do; nor can do more than I do with her, I thank heaven.

Fent. [Within.] Who's within there, ho?

Quic. Who's there, I trow? come near the house, I pray you.

Enter Mr. FENTON.

Fent. How now, good woman; how dost thou? Quic. The better that it pleases your good worship to alk.

Fent. What news? how does pretty mistress Anne?

Quic. In truth, fir, and fhe is pretty, and honeft, and gentle; and one that is your friend, I can tell you that by the way, I praise heaven for it.

Fent. Shall I do any good, thinkeft thou? fhall I not lofe my fuit?

Quic. Troth, fir, all is in his hands above: but notwithstanding, mafter Fenton, I'll be fworn on a book she loves you;-Have not your worship a wart about your

eye?

Fent. Yes, marry, have I; what of that?

Quic. Well, thereby hangs a tale;good faith, it is fuch another Nan; but I deteft, an honeft maid as ever broke bread-We had an hour's talk of that wart;

I fhall

-I fhall never laugh but in that maid's company!-But indeed, he is given too much to allicolly and musing: But for you-Well-go to.

Fent. Well, I fhall fee her to-day: Hold, there's money for thee; let me have thy voice in my behalf: if thou feeft her before me, commend me→→→→→

Quic. Will I ay, faith, that we will and I will tell your worship more of the wart the next time we have confidence; and of other wooers.

Fent. Well, farewell; I am in great hafte now.

Quic. Farewell to your worship. Truly, an hopeft gentleman; but Anne loves him not; I know Anne's inind as well as another does-Out upon't! what have I forgot? [Exit.

SCENE. I. Before PAGE's House.

Enter Miftrefs PAGE with a Letter.

Mrs. Page.

WHAT, have I 'cap'd love-letters in the holy-day-time of my beauty, and am I now a fubject for them? Let me

fee:

Afk me no reason why I love you; for though love ufe reafon for bis precifim, he admits him not for his counsellor : You are not young, no more am I; go to then, there's fympathy: you are merry, fo am I; Ha ha! then there's more Sympathy; you love fack, and fo do I: Would you defire better Sympathy? let it fuffice thee, miftrefs Page (at the leaft, if the love of a foldier can fuffice), that I love thee: I will not fay, pity me, 'tis not a foldier-like phrafe; but I fay, love me, By me,

Thine own true knight,

By day or night,
Or any kind of light,
With all his might,

For thee to fight.

What a Herod of Jewry is this?-O wicked, wicked world!—one that is well nigh worn to pieces with age. to fhow himself a young gallant! What an unweigh'd behaviour has this Flemish drunkard pick'd (with the devil's name) out of my converfation, that he dares in this manner aflay me? Why, he hath not been thrice in my company What fhoirid I fay to him?—I was then frugal of my mirth :-heaven forgive me!-Why, I'll exhibit a bill in the parliament for the putting down of men. How fhall I be reveng'd on him? for reveng'd I will be, as fure as his guts are made of puddings.

Enter Miftrefs FORD.

Mrs. Ford. Mistress Page! truft me, I was going to your houfe.

Mrs. Page. And, trust me, I was coming to you. You look very ill.

Mrs. Ford. Nay, I'll ne'er believe that; I have to fhew to the contrary.

Mrs. Page. 'Faith, but you do, in my mind..

Mrs. Ford. Well, I do then; yet, I fay, I could fhew you to the contrary: O, mistress Page, give me fome counfel!

Mrs. Page. What's the matter, woman?

Mrs. Ford. O woman, if it were not for one trifling respect, I could come to fuch honour.

Mrs. Page. Hang the trifle, woman; take the honour What is it?-difpenfe with trifles ;-what is it?

Mrs. Ford. If I would but go to hell for an eternal moment, or fo, I could be knighted.

Mrs. Page. What?-thou lieft!-Sir Alice Ford!Thefe knights will hack; and fo thou shouldst not alter the article of thy gentry.

Mrs. Ford. We burn day-light!-here, read, read ;perceive how I might be knighted.--I fhall think the worfe of fat men, as long as I have an eye to make difference of men's liking: And yet he would not swear; prais'd women's modefty; and gave fuch orderly and well-behav'd reproof to all uncomelinefs, that I would have fworn his difpofition would have gone to the truti

of

of his words; but they do no more adhere, and keep place together, than the hundredth pfalm to the tune of Green Sleeves. What tempeft, I trow, threw this whale, with fo many tuns of oil in his belly, afhore at Windfor? How fhall I be reveng'd on him? I think the best way were to entertain him with hope, 'till the wicked fire of luft have melted him in his own greafe.-Did you ever hear the like?

Mrs. Page. Letter for letter; but that the name of Page and Ford differs!-To thy great comfort in this mystery of ill opinions, here's the twin-brother of thy letter: but let thine inherit first; for, I proteft, mine never fhall. I warrant he hath a thoufand of these letters, writ with blank space for different names (fure more), and these are of the fecond edition: He will print them out of doubt; for he cares not what he puts into the press, when he would put us two. I had rather be a giantefs, and lie under mount Pelion. Well, I will find you twenty lafcivious turtles, ere one chaste man.

Mrs. Ford. Why, this is the very fame; the very hand; the very words: What doth he think of us?

Mrs Page. Nay, I know not: It makes me almost ready to wrangle with mine own hönefty. I'll entertain myfelf like one that I am not acquainted withal; for; fure, unless he knew fome ftrain in me, that I know not myfelf, he would never have boarded me in this fury.

Mrs. Ford. Boarding, call you it? I'll be sure to keep him above deck.

Mrs. Page. So will I; if he come under my hatches, I'll never to fea again. Let's be reveng'd on him: let's: appoint him a meeting; give him a fhow of comfort in his fuit; and lead him on with a fine baited delay, 'till he' hath pawn'd his horfes to mine hoft of the Garter.

Mrs. Ford. Nay, I will confent to act any villainy against him, that may not fully the charinefs of our honefty. Oh, that my hufband faw this letter! it would give eternal food to his jealoufy.

Mrs. Page. Why, look,where he comes; and my good man too; he's as far from jealoufy, as I am from giving him caufe; and that, I hope, is an unmeasurable distance.

Mrs.