MRS. FORD. How might we disguise him? Mrs. PAGE. Alas the day, I know not. There is no woman's gown big enough for him; otherwife, he might put on a hat, a muffler, and a kerchief, and so escape. FAL. Good hearts, devise something: any extremity, rather than a mischief. MRS. FORD. My maid's aunt, the fat woman of Brentford, has a gown above. MRS. PAGE. On my word, it will ferve him; fhe's as big as he is: and there's her thrum'd hat, and her muffler too: Run up, fir John. 2 MRS. FORD. Go, go, fweet fir John: mistress Page, and I, will look fome linen for your head. MRS. PAGE. Quick, quick; we'll come drefs you ftraight: put on the gown the while. [Exit FALSTAFF. MRS. FORD. I would, my husband would meet him in this fhape: he cannot abide the old woman of Brentford; he fwears, fhe's a witch; forbade her my house, and hath threaten'd to beat her. 2 her thrum'd hat, and her muffler too:] The thrum is the end of a weaver's warp, and we may fuppofe, was used for the purpose of making coarfe hats. So, in A Midfummer Night's Dream: "O fates, come, come, "Cut thread and thrum." A muffler was fome part of dress that covered the face. So, in The Cobler's Prophecy, 1594: "Now is fhe bare fac'd to be feen :-ftrait on her Muffler goes.” Again, in Laneham's account of Queen Elizabeth's entertainment at Kenelworth caftle, 1575: "-his mother lent him a nu mufflar for a napkin, that was tyed to hiz gyrdl for lozyng." STEEVENS. The muffler was a part of female attire, which only covered the lower half of the face. DOUCE. A thrum'd hat was made of very coarfe woollen cloth. See MinTheu's DICT. 1617, in v. Thrum'd is, formed of thrums. MALONE. MRS. PAGE. Heaven guide him to thy husband's cudgel; and the devil guide his cudgel afterwards! MRS. FORD. But is my husband coming? MRS. PAGE. Ay, in good fadness, is he; and talks of the basket too, howfoever he hath had intelligence. MRS. FORD. We'll try that; for I'll appoint my men to carry the basket again, to meet him at the door with it, as they did last time. MRS. PAGE. Nay, but he'll be here presently: let's go drefs him like the witch of Brentford. MRS. FORD. I'll firft direct my men, what they shall do with the basket. Go up, I'll bring linen for him straight. [Exit. MRS. PAGE. Hang him, dishonest varlet! we cannot misuse him enough.3 We'll leave a proof, by that which we will do, Re-enter Mrs. FORD, with two Servants. [Exit. MRS. FORD. Go, firs, take the basket again on your fhoulders; your master is hard at door; if he bid you fet it down, obey him: quickly, despatch. I. SERV. Come, come, take it up. [Exite 2. SERV. Pray heaven, it be not full of the knight' again. 3mifufe him enough.] Him which was accidentally omitted in the firft folio, was inferted by the editor of the second. MALONE. 4- Still frwine, &c.] This is a proverbial fentence. Ray's Collection. MALONE. 5 of the knight-] The only authentick copy, the first folio, VOL. III. G g 1. SERV. I hope not; I had as lief bear fo much lead. Enter FORD, PAGE, SHALLOW, CAIUS, and Sir HUGH EVANS. FORD. Ay, but if it prove true, master Page, have you any way then to unfool me again?-Set down the basket, villain :-Somebody call my wife: You, youth in a basket, come out here!'-O, you panderly rafcals! there's a knot, a ging,' a pack, a confpiracy, against me: Now fhall the devil be fhamed. What! wife, I fay! come, come forth; behold what honeft clothes you fend forth to bleaching. PAGE. Why, this paffes! Master Ford, you are not to go loose any longer; you must be pinion'd. reads" full of knight." The editor of the fecond-of the knight; I think, unnecessarily. We have juft had-"hard at door." MALONE. At door, is a frequent provincial ellipfis. Full of knight is a phrafe without example; and the prefent fpeaker (one of Ford's drudges) was not meant for a dealer in grotefque language. I therefore read with the fecond folio. STEEVENS. 6 You, youth in a basket, come out here!] This reading I have adopted from the early quarto. The folio has only-" Youth in a basket!" MALONE. 7 a ging,] Old Copy-gin. Ging was the word intended by the poet, and was anciently used for gang. So, in Ben Jonfon's New Inn, 1631: "The fecret is, I would not willingly "See or be feen to any of this ging, Again, in The Alchemift, 1610: Sure he has got "Some baudy picture to call all this ging; "The friar and the boy, or the new motion," &c. MALONE. The fecond folio [1632] (fo feverely cenfured by Mr. Malone, and yet so often quoted by him as the fource of emendations,) reads-ging. STEEVENS. 8 this pafles!] The force of the phrafe I did not understand, EVA. Why, this is lunatics! this is mad as a mad dog! SHAL. Indeed, master Ford, this is not well; indeed. Enter Mrs. FORD. FORD. So fay I too, fir.- Come hither, mistress Ford; miftrefs Ford, the honest woman, the modeft wife, the virtuous creature, that hath the jealous fool to her husband!—I suspect without cause, mistress, do I? MRS. FORD. Heaven be my witnefs, you do, if you suspect me in any dishonesty. FORD. Well faid, brazen-face; hold it out. Come forth, firrah. [Pulls the clothes out of the basket. PAGE. This paffes! MRS. FORD. Are you not afhamed? let the clothes alone. FORD. I fhall find you anon. EVA. 'Tis unreasonable! Will you take up your wife's clothes? Come away. FORD. Empty the basket, I fay. MRS. FORD. Why, man, why, FORD. Mafter Page, as I am a man, there was one convey'd out of my houfe yesterday in this basket: Why may not he be there again? In my when a former impreffion of Shakspeare was prepared; and therefore gave these two words as part of an imperfect fentence. One of the obfolete fenfes of the verb, to pass, is to go beyond bounds. So, in Sir Clyomon, &c. Knight of the Golden Shield, 1599: "I have fuch a deal of fubftance here when Brian's men are flaine, "This paf "That it paeth. O that I had while to stay!" Again, in the translation of the Menæchmi, 1595: Jeth! that I meet with none, but thus they vexe me with strange fpeeches." STEEVENS. houfe I am fure he is: my intelligence is true; my jealousy is reasonable: Pluck me out all the linen. MRS. FORD. If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death. PAGE. Here's no man. SHAL. By my fidelity, this is not well, master Ford; this wrongs you." EVA. Master Ford, you must pray, and not follow the imaginations of your own heart: this is jealoufies. FORD. Well, he's not here I feek for. PAGE. No, nor no where else, but in your brain. FORD. Help to search my house this one time: if I find not what I feek, fhow no colour for my extremity, let me for ever be your table-fport; let them fay of me, As jealous as Ford, that fearch'd a hollow walnut for his wife's leman. Satisfy me once more; once more fearch with me. 2 MRS. FORD. What hoa, mistress Page! come you, and the old woman down; my husband will come into the chamber. FORD. Old woman! What old woman's that? MRS. FORD. Why, it is my maid's aunt of Brentford. FORD. A witch, a quean, an old cozening quean! Have I not forbid her my houfe? She comes of errands, does fhe? We are fimple men; we do not know what's brought to pafs under the profeffion 9 this wrongs you.] This is below your character, unworthy of your understanding, injurious to your honour. So, in The Taming of the Shrew, Bianca, being ill treated by her rugged fifter, fays: 2 "You wrong me much, indeed you wrong yourself.” JOHNSON. his wife's leman.] Leman, i. e. lover, is derived from leef, Dutch, beloved, and man. STEEVENS. |