Enter FORD, PAGE, CAIUS, and Sir HUGH EVANS.

FORD. Pray you, come near: if I fufpect without caufe, why then make sport at me, then let me be your jeft; I deferve it.-How now? whither bear you this?

SERV. To the laundrefs, forfooth.

MRS. FORD. Why, what have you to do whither they bear it? You were beft meddle with buckwashing.

FORD. Buck? I would I could wash myself of the buck! Buck, buck, buck? Ay, buck; I warrant you, buck; and of the season too, it shall appear.* [Exeunt Servants with the basket.] Gentlemen,

this interrogation, or the paffages adduced in Mr. Steevens's note. To drumble and drone are often used in connexion. HENLEY.

A drumble drone, in the western dialect, fignifies a drone or humble-bee. Mrs. Page may therefore mean-How lazy and stupid you are! be more alert. MALONE.

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carry

carry them to the laundrefs in Datchet mead ;] Mr. Dennis objects, with fome degree of reafon, to the probability of the circumstance of Falstaff's being carried to Datchet mead, and thrown into the Thames. "It is not likely (he obferves) that Falstaff would fuffer himself to be carried in the basket as far as Datchet mead, which is half a mile from Windsor, and it is plain that they could not carry him, if he made any refiftance." MALONE. Ford feems to allude to the cuckold's and fo buffets himself on the forehead, Of the feafon is a phrase of the foreft. MALONE.

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it fhall appear.] horns. So afterwards: " crying, peer out, peer out."

Mr. Malone points the paffage thus.-" Ay, buck; I warrant you, buck, and of the feafon too; it shall appear." I am fatisfied with the old punctuation. In The Rape of Lucrece, our poet makes his heroine compare herself to an "unfeafonable doe;" and, in Blunt's Cuftoms of Manors, p. 168, is the fame phrase employed by Ford."A bukke delivered him of fey Jone, by the woodmaster and keepers of Needwoode." STEEVENS.

So, in a letter written by Queene Catharine, in 1526, Howard's Collection, Vol. I. p. 212: "We will and command you, that

I have dream'd to-night; I'll tell you my dream. Here, here, here be my keys: afcend my chambers, fearch, feek, find out: I'll warrant, we'll unkennel the fox-Let me ftop this way firft:-So, now uncape.'

PAGE. Good master Ford, be contented: you wrong yourself too much.

FORD. True, mafter Page.-Up, gentlemen; you fhall fee fport anon: follow me, gentlemen. [Exit. Eva. This is fery fantastical humours, and jealoufies.

CAIUS. By gar, 'tis no de fafhion of France: it is not jealous in France.

PAGE. Nay, follow him, gentlemen; fee the iffue of his fearch. [Exeunt EVANS, PAGE, and CAIUS.

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ye delyver or caufe to be delyvered unto our trufty and well-beloved John Creuffe-one buck of feafm.” The feafon of the hynd or doe (fays Manwood) doth begin at Holyrood-day, and lafteth till Candelmas." Foreft Laws, 1598. MALONE.

5 So, now uncape.] So the folio of 1623 reads, and rightly. It is a term in fox-hunting, which fignifies to dig out the fox when earth'd. And here is as much as to fay, take out the foul linen under which the adulterer lies hid. The Oxford editor reads-uncouple, out of pure love to an emendation.

WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton feems to have forgot that the linen was already carried away. The allufion in the foregoing fentence is to the ftopping every hole at which a fox could enter, before they uncape or turn him out of the bag in which he was brought. I fuppofe every one has heard of a bag-fox. STEEVENS.

Warburton, in his note on this paffage, not only forgets that the foul linen had been carried away, but he alfo forgets that Ford did not at that time know that Falstaff had been hid under it; and Steevens forgets that they had not Falitaff in their poffeffion, as hunters have a bag-fox, but were to find out where he was hid. They were not to chafe him, but to roufe him. I therefore believe that Hanmer's amendment is right, and that we ought to read— uncouple.-Ford, like a good sportsman, firft ftops the earths, and then uncouples the hounds. M. MASON.

MRS. PAGE. Is there not a double excellency in this?

MRS. FORD. I know not which pleases me better, that my husband is deceived, or fir John.

MRS. PAGE. What a taking was he in, when husband afk'd who was in the basket!"

your

MRS. FORD. I am half afraid he will have need of washing; fo throwing him into the water will do him a benefit.

MRS. PAGE. Hang him, difhoneft rascal! I would, all of the fame ftrain were in the fame diftrefs.

MRS. FORD. I think, my husband hath some special fufpicion of Falftaff's being here; for I never faw him fo grofs in his jealoufy till now.

MRS. PAGE. I will lay a plot to try that: And we will yet have more tricks with Falftaff: his dif folute disease will fcarce obey this medicine.

MRS. FORD. Shall we fend that foolish carrion," mistress Quickly, to him, and excuse his throwing into the water; and give him another hope, to betray him to another punishment?

MRS. PAGE. We'll do it; let him be fent for to-morrow eight o'clock, to have amends.

Mr. M. Mafon alfo feems to forget that Ford at least thought he had Falstaff fecure in his houfe, as in a bag, and therefore speaks of him in terms applicable to a bag-fox. STEEVENS.

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who was in the basket!] We fhould read what was in the basket: for though in fact Ford has asked no fuch question, he could never fufpect there was either man or woman in it. The propriety of this emendation is manifeft from a fubfequent paffage, where Fahiaff tells Mafter Brook—“ the jealous knave asked them once or twice what they had in their basket." RITSON.

7-that foolish carrion,] The old copy has-foolishion carrion. The correction was made by the editor of the fecond folio.

MALONE.

Re-enter FORD, PAGE, CAIUS, and Sir HUGH

EVANS.

FORD. I cannot find him: may be the knave bragg'd of that he could not compass.

MRS. PAGE. Heard you that?

MRS. FORD. Ay, ay, peace: -You use me well, master Ford, do you?

FORD. Ay, I do fo.

MRS. FORD. Heaven make you better than your thoughts!

FORD. Amen.

MRS. PAGE. You do yourself mighty wrong, master Ford.

FORD. Ay, ay; I must bear it.

EVA. If there be any pody in the house, and in the chambers, and in the coffers, and in the preffes, heaven forgive my fins at the day of judgement!

CAIUS. By gar, nor I too; dere is no bodies.

PAGE. Fie, fie, master Ford! are you not ashamed? What spirit, what devil fuggefts this imagination? I would not have your diftemper in this kind, for the wealth of Windfor Caftle.

FORD. 'Tis my fault, mafter Page: I fuffer for it. EVA. You fuffer for a pad conscience: your wife is as honeft a 'omans, as I will defires among five thoufand, and five hundred too.

CAIUS. By gar, I fee 'tis an honeft woman.

FORD. Well;-I promised you a dinner :-Come, come, walk in the park: I pray you, pardon me;

7 Ay, ay, peace:] Thefe words were recovered from the early quarto by Mr. Theobald. But in his and the other modern editions, I, the old fpelling of the affirmative particle, has inadvertently been retained. MALONE.

I will hereafter make known to you, why I have done this.-Come, wife;-come, mistress Page; I pray you pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me.

PAGE. Let's go in, gentlemen; but, trust me, we'll mock him. I do invite you to-morrow morning to my house to breakfast; after, we'll a birding together; I have a fine hawk for the bufh: Shall it be fo?

FORD. Any thing.

EVA. If there is one, I fhall make two in the company.

CAIUS. If there be one or two, I fhall make-a de turd.

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Eva. In your teeth for shame.

FORD. Pray you go, mafter Page.

EVA. I pray you now, remembrance to-morrow on the loufy knave, mine hoft.

CAIUS. Dat is good; by gar, vit all my heart. Evя. A lousy knave; to have his gibes, and his mockeries. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

A Room in Page's Houfe.

Enter FENTON, and Miftrefs ANNE PAGE.

FENT. I fee, I cannot get thy father's love; Therefore, no more turn me to him, fweet Nan. ANNE. Alas! how then?

FENT.

Why, thou must be thyself.
He doth object, I am too great of birth;
And that, my state being gall'd with my expence,

In your teeth:] This dirty reftoration was made by Mr. Theobald. Evans's application of the doctor's words is not in the folio. STEEVENS.

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