Melodious birds fing madrigals ;— And a thousand vagram pofies. Simple. Yonder he is coming, this way, fir Hugh. To fhallow rivers, to whofe falls— Heaven profper the right !-What weapons is he? Simple. No weapons, fir: There comes my master, mafter Shallow, and another gentleman from Frogmore, over the file, this way. Evans. Pray you, give me my gown; or else keep it in your arms. Enter PAGE, SHALLOW, and SLENDER. Shal. How now, mafter parfon? Good-morrow, good fir Hugh. Keep a gamefter from the dice, and a good ftudent from his book, and it is wonderful. con, printed in 1600; beginning thus: "Come live with me, and be my love, &c." Evans in his panick mif-recites the lines, which in the original run thus: "There will we fit upon the rocks, "And fee the shepherds feed their flocks, "With a thousand fragrant pofies &c." In the modern editions the verfes fung by Sir Hugh have been corrected, I think, improperly. His mif-recitals were certainly intended.He fings on the prefent occafion, to fhew that he is not afraid. So Bottom, in A Midsummer Night's Dream: "I will walk up and down here, and I will fing, that they fhall hear, I am not afraid." MALONE. 3 When as I fat in Pabylon,-] This line is from the old version of the 137th Pfalm: "When we did fit in Babylon, "The rivers round about, "Then, in remembrance of Sion, The word rivers in the fecond line u Suppofed to have been brought to Sir Hugh's thoughts by the lin .arlowe's madrigal that he has just repeated; and in his fright he bs the facred and prophane fong together. The old quarto has-" There lived a man in Babylon;" which was the first line of an old fong mentioned in Twelfth Night :but the other line is more in character. MALONE. R 4 Slen. Slen. Ah fweet Anne Page! Page. Save you, good fir Hugh! Evans. 'Plefs you from his mercy fake, all of you! Shal. What! the fword and the word! do you study them both, mafter parfon ? Page. And youthful ftill, in your doublet and hofe, this raw rheumatick day? Evans. There is reafons and causes for it. Page. We are come to you, to do a good office, mafter parfon. Evans. Fery well: What is it? Page. Yonder is a moft reverend gentleman, who belike, having received wrong by fome perfon, is at most odds with his own gravity and patience, that ever you faw. Shal. I have lived fourfcore years, and upward; I never heard a man of his place, gravity, and learning, fo wide of his own respect. Evans. What is he? Page. I think you know him; mafter doctor Caius, the renowned French phyfician. Evans. Got's will, and his paffion of my heart! I had as lief you would tell me of a mess of porridge. Page. Why? Evans. He has no more knowledge in Hibocrates and Galen, and he is a knave befides; a cowardly knave, as you would defires to be acquainted withal. Page. I warrant you, he's the man should fight with him. Slen. O, fweet Anne Page! Enter Hoft, CAIUS, and RUGBY. Shal. It appears fo, by his weapons:-Keep them afunder ;-here comes doctor Caius. Page. Nay, good mafter parfon, keep in your weapon. Shal. So do you, good mafter doctor. Hoft. Difarm them, and let them question; let them keep their limbs whole, and hack our English. Caius. I pray you, let-a me speak a word vit your ear. Verefore vill you not meet-a me? Evans. Pray you, ufe your patience: In good time. Caius. By gar, you are de coward, de Jack dog, John ape. Evans. Pray you, let us not be laughing-ftogs to other men's humours; I defire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends :-I will knog your urinals about your knave's cogs-comb, for miffing your meetings and appointments. Caius. Diable!-Jack Rugby,-mine Hoft de Jarterre, have I not ftay for him, to kill him? have I not, at de place I did appoint? Evans. As I am a chriftians foul, now, look you, this is the place appointed; I'll be judgment by mine hoft of the Garter. Hoft. Peace, I fay, Guallia and Gaul 5, French and Welch; foul-curer and body-curer. Caius. Ay, dat is very good! excellent! Hoft. Peace, I fay; hear mine hoft of the Garter. Am I politick am I fubtle ? am I a Machiavel? Shall I lofe my doctor? no; he gives me the potions, and the motions. Shall I lofe my parfon ? my prieft? my fir Hugh? no; he gives me the pro-verbs and the no-verbs.-Give me thy hand, terreftial; fo:-Give me thy hand, celestial; fo.-Boys of art, I have deceived you both; I have directed you to wrong places: your hearts are mighty, your fkins are whole, and let burnt fack be the iffue.Come, lay their fwords to pawn:-Follow me, lad of peace; follow, follow, follow. Shal. Truft me, a mad hoft:-Follow, gentlemen, follow. Slen. O, fweet Anne Page! [Exeunt SHALLOW, SLENDER, PAGE, and Hoft. Caius. Ha! do I perceive dat? have you make-a de fot of us? ha, ha! 4-for miffing your meetings and appointments.] These words, which are not in the folio, were recovered from the quarto by Mr. Pope. MALONE. 5 Guallia and Gaul,] The folio reads-Gallia and Gaul; but the reading of the old quarto [Gawle and Gawlia] juftifies the emendation now made, which was fuggefted by Dr. Farmer. Thus, in K. Henry VI. P. II. Gualtier for Walter. make-a de lot of us ] Sot in French fignifies a fool. Guallia is Wal STEEVENS. MALONE. Evans. This is well; he has made us his vloutingfog. I defire you, that we may be friends; and let us knog our prains together, to be revenge on this fame fcall, fcurvy, cogging companion, the host of the Garter. Caius. By gar, vit all my heart; he promise to bring me vere is Anne Page: by gar, he deceive me too. Evans. Well, I will fmite his noddles ;-Pray you follow. [Exeunt. SCENE II. The Street in Windfor. Enter Miftrefs PAGE and Robin. Mrs. Page. Nay, keep your way, little gallant; you were wont to be a follower, but now you are a leader : Whether had you rather, lead mine eyes, or eye your mafter's heels? Rob. I had rather, forfooth, go before you like a man, than follow him like a dwarf. Mrs. Page. O, you are a flattering boy; now, I fee, you'll be a courtier. Enter FORD. Ford. Well met, miftrefs Page: Whither go you? Mrs. Page. Truly, fir, to fee your wife; Is the at home? Ford. Ay; and as idle as the may hang together, for want of company: I think, if your husbands were dead, you two would marry. Mrs. Page. Be sure of that,-two other husbands. Mrs. Page. I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of: What do you call your knight's name, firrah ? Rob. Sir John Falstaff. Ford. Sir John Falstaff! Mrs. Page. He, he; I can never hit on's name.There is fuch a league between my good man and he !— Is your wife at home, indeed? 7fcall, fcurvy,] Seall was an old word of reproach, as fcab was afterwards. Chaucer imprecates on his feriviner: "Under thy longe lockes mayeft thou have the fcalle." JOHNSON. See Leviticus, 13th Ch.-v. 30, 31, and feqq. WHALLEY. Ford. Ford. Indeed, fhe is. Mrs. Page. By your leave, fir;-I am fick, till I fee her. [Exeunt Mrs. PAGE and ROBIN. Ford. Has Page any brains? hath he any eyes? hath he any thinking? Sure they fleep; he hath no ufe of them. Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty miles, as easy as a cannon will fhoot point-blank twelve score. He pieces-out his wife's inclination; he gives her folly motion, and advantage: and now fhe's going to my wife, and Falstaff's boy with her. A man may hear this shower fing in the wind!-and Falstaff's boy with her!-Good plots-they are laid; and our revolted wives fhare dam-nation together. Well; I will take him, then torture my wife, pluck the borrow'd veil of modefty from the fo feeming mistress Pages, divulge Page himself for a secure and wilful Actæon; and to these violent proceedings all my neighbours fhall cry aim". [Clock ftrikes.] The clock gives me my cue, and my affurance bids me fearch; there I fhall find Falftaff: I fhall be rather praised for this, than mock'd; for it is as pofitive as the earth is firm *, that Falftaff is there: I will go. Enter PAGE, SHALLOW, SLENDER, Hoft, Sir Hugh EVANS, CAIUS, and RUGBY. Shal. Page, &c. Well met, mafter Ford. Ford. Trust me, a good knot: I have good cheer at home; and, I pray you, all go with me. Shal. I muft excufe myself, mafter Ford. fo feeming miftrefs Page,] feeming is fpecious. So, in K. Lear: "If aught within that little feeming fubftance." STEEVENS. -fhall cry aim.] i. c. fhall encourage. So, in Fenton's Tragical Difcourfes, 1567-ftanding rather in his window to cry aime, than helping any waye to part the fraye." The phrafe is taken from archery. It seems to have been the office of the aim-crier, to give notice to the Archer when he was within a proper diftance of his mark, or in a direct line with it; and to point out why he failed to ftrike it. So, in the Spanish Gipfie, a com. 1653: great bobbers have fhot at me;-but I myfelf gave aim thus :wide four bows; fhort three and a half, &c." as the earth is firm,] So, in Macbeth: STEEVENS. -Thou fure and firm-set earth." MALONE. Slen. |