Mrs. Ford. You are the happier woman. Mrs. Page. Let's confult together against this greafy knight: Come hither. [They retire Enter FORD with PISTOL, PAGE with NYM. Ford. Well, I hope it be not fo. Pift. Hope is a curtail-dog in fome affairs: Sir John affects thy wife. Ford. Why, fir, my wife is not young. Pift. He wooes both high and low, both rich and poor,, Both young and old, one with another, Ford; He loves thy gally-mawfry; Ford, perpend. Ford. Love my wife? Pift. With liver burning hot: Prevent, or go thou, Ford. What name, fir? Pift. The horn, I fay: Farewell. Take heed; have open eye; for thieves do foot by night: Take heed, ere fummer comes, or cuckoo-birds do fing.Away, fir corporal Nym. Believe it, Page; he speaks fenfe. Ford. I will be p [Exit PISTOL I will find out this. Nym. [Speaking to PACE.] And this is true; I like not the humour of lying. He hath wrong'd me in some humours: I fhould have borne the humour'd letter to her but I have a fword, and it fhall bite upon my neceffity. He loves your wife; there's the fhort and the long. My name is corporal Nym; I fpeak, and I avouch. 'Tis rue :-my name is Nym, and Falstaff loves your wife.Adieu! I love not the humour of bread and cheese; and there's the humour of it. Adieu. [Exit NYM.. Page. The humour of it, quoth a'! here's a fellow frights humour out of its wits. Ford. I will feek out Falstaff. Page. I never heard fuch a drawling, affecting rogue. Ford. If I do find it, well. Page. I will not believe fuch a Cataian, though the prieft o' the town commended him for a true man. Ford. 'Twas a good fenfible fellow: Well. Page: Page. How now, Meg? Mrs. Page. Whither go you, George?-Hark you. Mrs. Ford. How now, fweet Frank, why art thou melancholy? Ford. I melancholy! I am not melancholy.-Get you home, go. Mrs. Ford. Faith, thou hast some crotchets in thy head now. Will you go, mistress Page? Mrs. Page. Have with you.-You'll come to dinner, George-Look, who comes yonder: fhe fhall be our meffenger to this paltry knight. [Afide to Mrs. Ford Enter Mrs. QUICKLY. Mrs. Ford. Trust me, I thought on her; fhe'll fit it. Mrs. Page. You are come to see my daughter Anne? Quic. Ay, forfooth: And, I pray, how does good Mrs. Anne? Mrs. Page. Go in with us, and fee; we have an hour's talk with you. [Ex. Mrs. PAGE, Mrs. FORD, and Mrs. QUICKLY. Page. How now, master Ford? Ford. You heard what this knave told me ; did you not?Page. Yes: And you heard what the other told me? Ford. Do you think there is truth in them? Page. Hang 'em, flaves! I do not think the knight would offer it but thefe, that accufe him in his intent towards our wives, are a yoke of his discarded men; very rogues, now they be out of fervice. Ford. Were they his men? Page. Marry, were they. Ford. I like it never the better for that.-Does he lie at the Garter? Page. Ay, marry, does he. If he fhould intend his voyage towards my wife, I would turn her loose to him; and what he gets more of her than fharp words, let it lie on my head. Ford. I do not misdoubt my wife; but I would be loth to turn them together: A man may be too confident : I would have nothing lie on my head: I cannot be thus! fatisfied. Page. Page. Look, where my ranting host of the Garter comes: there is either liquor in his pate, or money in his purfe, when he looks fo merrily.-How now, mine hoft? Enter Hoft and SHALLOW. Hoft. How now, bully-rook? thou'rt a gentleman: cavalero-justice, I say. Shal. I follow, mine hoft, I follow-Good-even, and twenty, good master Page! Master Page, will you go with us? we have sport in hand. Hoft. Tell him, cavalero-justice; tell him, bully-rook. Shal. Sir, there is a fray to be fought, between Sir Hugh the Welch prieft, and Caius the French doctor. Ford. Good mine host o' the Garter, a word with you. Hoft. What fay'ft thou, bully-rook? [They go a little afide. Shal. [To PAGE.] Will you go with us to behold it? My merry hoft hath had the measuring of their weapons; and, I think, he hath appointed them contrary places: for, believe me, I hear the parfon is no jefter. Hark, I will tell you what our fport fhall be. Hoft. Haft thou no fuit against my knight, my guestcavalier? Ford. None, I proteft: but I'll give you a pottle of burnt fack to give me recourse to him, and tell him, my name is Brook, only for a jeft. Hoft. My hand, bully: thou fhalt have egrefs and regrefs; faid I well? and thy name fhall be Brook: It is a merry knight.-Will you go an-heirs ? Shal. Have with you, mine hoft. Page. I have heard the Frenchman hath good skill in his rapier. Shal. Tut, fir, I could have told you more: In these times you stand on distance, your paffes, ftoccado's, and I know not what 'tis the heart, mafter Page; 'tis here, 'tis here. I have feen the time, with my long fword, I would have made you four tall fellows skip like rats. Haft. Here, boys, here, here! fhall we wag? C Page. Page. Have with you :-I had rather hear them fcold than fight. [Exeunt Hoft, SHALLOW, and PAge. Ford. Though Page be a fecure fool, and stand so firmly on his wife's frailty, yet I cannot put off my opinion fo eafily She was in his company at Page's houfe; and what they made there, I know not. Well, I will look further into't and I have a difguife to found Falstaff: If I fini her honeft, I lofe not my labour; if fhe be otherwife, 'tis labour well beftow'd, SCENE H. The Garter Inn. Enter FALSTAFF and PISTOL. Fal. I will not lend thee a penny. [Exit. Pift. Why, then the world's mine oyster, which I with fword will open.-I will retort the fum in equipage. Fal. Not a penny. I have been content, fir, you fhould lay my countenance to pawn: I have grated upon my good friends for three reprieves for you and your coachfellow, Nym; 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 hadst it not. Pift. Did'st thou not fhare? hadft thou not fifteenpence? -- Fal. Reafon, you rogue, reafon: Think't thou I'l endanger my foul gratis? At a word, hang no more about me, I am no gibbet for you:-go.-A fhort knife and a thong, to your manor of Pickthatch, go.-You'll not bear a letter for me, you rogue!—you ftand upon your honour-Why, thou unconfinable bafenefs, it is as much. as I can do, to keep the terms of my honour precife. I, I, I myself fometimes, leaving the fear of heaven on the left hand, and hiding mine honour in my neceffity, am fain to fhuffle, to hedge, and to lurch; and yet you, rogue, will enfconce your rags, your cat-a-mountain looks, your red red-lattice phrafes, and your bold-beating oaths, under Rob. Sir, here's a woman would fpeak with you. Enter Miftrefs QUICKLY. Quic. Give your worship good-morrow. Quic. Not fo, an't please your worship. 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, fir -I pray come a little nearer this ways:-I myfelf dwell with master doctor Caius. Fal. Well, on: Miftrefs Ford, you say, Quic. Your worship fays very true; I pray your wor hip, come a little nearer this ways. Fal. I warrant thee nobody hears ;-mine own people, mine own people. Quic. Are they fo? Heaven blefs them, and make them his fervants! Fal. Well miftrefs Ford;what of her? Quic. Why, fir, fhe's a good creature. Lord, lord! your worship's a wanton: Well, heaven forgive you, and all of us, I pray! Fal. Miftrefs Ford ;-come, mistress Ford, Quic. Marry, this is the fhort and the long of it; you have brought her into fuch a canaries, as 'tis wonderful. The beft 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 |