Eva. It is spoke as a Christians ought to speak. 100 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 that 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, kill'd 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. 111 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 'twere known in council; you'll be laugh'd at. Eva. Pauca verba, sir John; good worts. 119 Fal. Good worts! good cabbage :-Slender, I broke your head; What matter have you against me? Slen. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you; and against your coney-catching rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. 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, pauca; slice! that's my humour. 131 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 understand that is-master Page, fidelicet, master Page ; and there is myself, fidelicet, myself; and the three party is, lastly and finally, mine host of the Garter. Page. We three, to hear it, and end it between them. 140 Eva. Fery goot: I will make a prief 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 Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling and two-pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves. Fal. Is this true, Pistol? 155 Pist. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner! and master mine, I combat challenge of this latten bilboë: -Sir John, Word of denial: froth and scum, thou ly'st. 160 Nym. Be avis'd, Sir, and pass good humours: I will say, marry trap, with you, if you run the nuthook's humour 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 ? Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences. 170 Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. 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 no matter: I'll never be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves. 179 Eva. So Got 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Mistress Anne PAGE with Wine; Mistress FORD and Mrs. PAGE following. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit ANNE PAGE. Slen. O heaven! this is mistress Anne Page. Page. How now, mistress Ford ? Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met by your leave, good mistress. [Kissing her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome :Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner; come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness. 199 [Exeunt all but SHAL. SLEND. 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 npon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas ? 200 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. Slen. Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable; if it be so, I shall do that that is reason. Eva. Give ear to his motions, master Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. 211 Slen. Nay, I will do, as my cousin Shallow says: pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here. Eva. But that 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 mis tress Anne Page. Sten. Why, if it be so, I will marry her, upon any reasonable demands. 221 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 one 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. 232 Shal. That you must: Will you, upon good dowry, marry her? Biij Slen. |