Nan Page my daughter, and my little fon,

And three or four more of their growth, we'll dress
Like urchins, "ouphes, and fairies, green and white,
With rounds of waxen tapers on their heads,

And rattles in their hands; upon a sudden,

As Falstaff, fhe, and I, are newly met,

Let them from forth a faw-pit rush at once
With fome diffused fong: upon their fight,
We two in great amazedness will fly:
Then let them all encircle him about,

And, fairy-like, to-pinch the unclean knight;
And afk him, why, that hour of fairy revel,
In their fo facred paths he dares to tread
In fhape prophane?

Let the fuppofed fairies pinch him found,
And burn him with their tapers.

Mrs. Page. The truth being known,

We'll all prefent ourselves; dif-horn the fpirit,
And mock him home to Windfor.

Ford. The children must

Be practis'd well to this, or they'll ne'er do't.

Eva. I will teach the children their behaviours; and I will be like a jack-an-apes alfo, to burn the knight with my taber.

Ford. This will be excellent. I'll go buy them vizards. Mrs. Page. My Nan fhall be the queen of all the fairies,

Finely attired in a robe of white.

Page. That filk will I go buy;-and, in that time Shall mafter Slender steal my Nan away,

n

ouphes,]-elves, goblins.

fhe,]-Mrs. Ford.

[Afide.

P diffufed fong-wild, confufed; protracted to a convenient length. 9 And, fairy-like too, pinch. Mrs. Ford. S in that time]-during the performance of the mafque.

found,]-foundly.

And

And marry her at Eaton.-Go, fend to Falstaff straight. Ford. Nay, I'll to him again in the name of Brook: He'll tell me all his purpose. Sure, he'll come.

Mrs. Page. Fear not you that: Go, get us "properties And tricking for our fairies.

Eva. Let us about it: It is admirable pleafures, and fery honeft knaveries. [Ex. Page, Ford, and Evans.

Mrs. Page. Go, mistress Ford,
Send Quickly to fir John, to know his mind.

[Exit Mrs. Ford.

I'll to the doctor; he hath my good will,
And none but he, to marry with Nan Page.
That Slender, though well landed, is an ideot;
And he my husband best of all affects :

The doctor is well money'd, and his friends
Potent at court; he, none but he fhall have her,
Though twenty thousand worthier come to crave her. [Exit.

Hoft. What would'st thou have, boor? what, thickskin? speak, breathe, difcufs; brief, short, quick, fnap.

Simp. Marry, fir, I come to fpeak with fir John Falftaff from mafter Slender.

Hoft. There's his chamber, his houfe, his castle, his ftanding-bed, and truckle-bed; 'tis painted about with the story of the prodigal, fresh and new: Go, knock and call; he'll speak like an Anthropophaginian unto thee: Knock, I fay.

"properties and tricking]-little characteristic articles, and proper dreffes. ▾ Anthropophaginian]-a cannibal, a man-eater.

R 31

Simp.

into

Simp. There's an old woman, a fat woman gone up his chamber; I'll be fo bold as ftay, fir, 'till the come down I come to speak with her, indeed.

Hoft. Ha! a fat woman! the knight may be robb'd: I'll call.-Bully knight! Bully fir John! fpeak from thy lungs military: Art thou there? it is thine host, thine * Ephefian, calls.

W

Falstaff above.

Fal. How now, mine hoft?

X

Hoft. Here's a Bohemian-Tartar tarries the coming down of thy fat woman: Let her defcend, bully, let her defcend; my chambers are honourable: Fie! privacy? fie!

Enter Falstaff.

Fal. There was, mine hoft, an old fat woman even now with me; but fhe's gone.

Simp. Pray you, fir, was't not the wife woman of Brentford?

Fal. Ay, marry was it, ' muffel-fhell; What would you with her?

Simp. My mafter, fir, mafter Slender fent to her, seeing her go through the street, to know, fir, whether one Nym, fir, that beguil'd him of a chain, had the chain, or no. Fal. I fpake with the old woman about it.

Simp. And what fays fhe, I pray, fir?

Fal. Marry, fhe fays, that the very fame man, that beguil'd master Slender of his chain, cozen'd him of it.

Simp. I would I could have spoken with the woman herfelf; I had other things to have spoken with her too, from him.

W

Fal. What are they? let us know.

Ephefian,]-boon companion-Hepbaftion.

xa Bohemian-Tartar]-a ftrange figure of a fellow. Y muffel-fbell;]-with thy mouth open.

Hoft.

Hoft. Ay, come; quick.

Simp. I may not conceal them, fir.

"Hoft. Conceal them, or thou dy'st.

Simp. Why, fir, they were nothing but about mistress Anne Page; to know, if it were my master's fortune to have her, or no.

Fal. 'Tis, 'tis his fortune.

Simp. What, fir?

Fal. To have her-or no: Go; fay the woman told me fo.

Simp. May I be fo bold to fay fo, fir?

a

Fal. Ay, fir Tike; who more bold.

Simp. I thank your worship: I fhall make my master glad with these tidings. [Exit Simple. Hoft. Thou art clerkly, thou art clerkly, fir John: Was there a wife woman with thee?

b

Fal. Ay, that there was, mine hoft; one, that hath taught me more wit than ever I learn'd before in my life: and I paid nothing for it neither, but was paid for my learning.

Enter Bardolph.

Bard. Out, alas, fir! cozenage! meer cozenage! Hoft. Where be my horfes? fpeak well of them, varletto. Bard. Run away with the cozeners: for fo foon as I came beyond Eaton, they threw me off, from behind one of them, in a flough of mire; and set spurs, and away, like three German devils, three Doctor Fauftus's.

Hoft. They are gone but to meet the duke, villain: do not fay, they are fled; Germans are honeft men.

66

b clerkly,]-learned.

forry that you have paid too much, and forry

"that you are paid too much."

three German devils, three Doctor Fauftus's.]—John Fauft, commonly

CYMBELINE, A& V, S. 4.

Gaol.

called Doctor Fauftus, was a German.

Enter Sir Hugh Evans.

Eva. Where is mine host?

Hoft. What is the matter, fir?.

Eva. Have a care of your entertainments: there is a friend of mine come to town, tells me, there is three couzin-germans, that has cozen'd all the hofts of Readings, of Maidenhead, of Celebrook, of horfes and money. I tell you for good will, look you: you are wife, and full of gibes and vlouting-ftogs; and 'tis not convenient you fhould be cozen'd: Fare you well.

Enter Caius.

Caius. Vere is mine Hoft de Jarterre ?

[Exit.

Hoft. Here, mafter doctor, in perplexity, and doubtful dilemma.

Caius. I cannot tell vat is dat : But it is tell a-me, dat you make a grand preparation for a duke de Jamany: by my trot, dere is no duke, dat the court is know, to come: I tell you for good vill: adieu.

[Exit. Hoft. Hue and cry, villain, go! affift me, knight; I am undone :-fly, run, hue and cry, villain! I am undone ! [Exit.

Fal. I would all the world might be cozen'd; for I have been cozen'd, and beaten too. If it fhould come to the ear of the court, how I have been transform'd, and how my transformation hath been wash'd and cudgel'd, they would melt me out of my fat, drop by drop, and liquor fishermens' boots with me; I warrant, they would whip me with their fine wits, till I were as creft-fall'n as a dry'd pear. I never profper'd fince I forefwore myself at Primero. Well, if my wind were but long enough to say my prayers, I would repent.

e

• Primero.]—a fashionable game at cards in our author's time. "I left him at primero

"With the Duke of Suffolk."

HENRY VIII, A& V, S. 1. Gard.

Enter