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. Ay, Sir, you fhall find me reasonable: if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reafon.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, Sir.

Eva. Give ear to his motions, Mr. Slender: I will defcription the matter to you, if you be capacity of it.

Slen. Nay, I will do, as my coufin Shallow fays: I pray you, pardon me; he's a Juftice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I ftand here.

Eva. But that is not the queftion; the question is concerning your marriage.

Shal. Ay, there's the point, Sir.

Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it, to Mrs. Anne Page.

Slen. Why, if it be fo, I will marry her upon any reafonable demands.

Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philofophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mind: therefore precisely, can you carry your good Will to the maid?

Shal. Coufin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slen. I hope, Sir, I will do, as it fhall become one that would do reafon.

Eva. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies, you must fpeak poffitable, if you can carry her your defires towards her.

Shal. That you muft; will you, upon good dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your request, coufin, in any reason.

Shal.

Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, fweet coz: what I do, is to pleasure you, coz; can you love the maid?

Slen. I will marry her, Sir, at your request: but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heav'n may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are marry'd, and have more occafion to know one another: I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you fay, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely diffolved, and diffolutely.

Eva. It is a ferry discretion anfwer, fave, the faul is in th'ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good.

Shal. Ay, I think, my coufin meant well.
Slen. Ay, or elfe I would I might be hang'd, la.

S C E N E

Enter Miftrefs Anne Page.

V.

Shal. Here comes fair miftrefs Anne: 'would I were young for your fake, miftrefs Anne!

Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father defires your worship's company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne. Eva. Od's pleffed will, I will not be abfence at the Grace. [Exeunt Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you, forfooth, heartily; I am very well.

Anne. The dinner attends you, Sir.

Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forfooth. Go, Sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my coufin Shallow: [Exit Simple.] A Juftice of peace fometime may be beholden to his friend for a man.

5 will grow more content:] A conundrum reftored by Mr. Theobald

S 2

I keep

6

"I keep but three men and a boy yet, 'till my mother be dead; but what though, yet I live like a poor gentleman born.

Anne. I may not go in without your worship; they will not fit, 'till you come.

Slen. I'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did.

Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in.

Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my fhin th❜other day with playing at fword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a difh of ftew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the fmell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark fo? be there bears i'th' town?

Anne. I think, there are, Sir; I heard them talk'd of.

Slen. I love the fport well, but I fhall as foon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you fee the bear loose, are you not?

Anne. Ay, indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon loofe twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but I warrant you, the women have fo cry'd and fhriek'd at it, that it paft: but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things.

Enter Mr. Page.

Page. Come, gentle Mr. Slender, come; we ftay for you.

Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, Sir.

Page. By cock and pye, you shall not chuse, Sir;

come; come.

6 I keep but three men and a boy yet, &c.] As great a fool as the poet has made Slender, it appears, by his boating of his wealth, his breeding, and his courage, that he knew how to win a woman. This is a fine inftance of Shakespear's knowledge

of nature.

Slen.

Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way.
Page. Come on, Sir.

Slen. Mistress Anne, your felf fhall go first.
Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on.

Slen. Truly, I will not go firft, truly-la: I will not do you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome ;

you do your felf

wrong, indeed-la.

[Exeunt.

VI.

Eva. Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Caius house which is the way; and there dwells one mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurfe, or his dry nurse, or his cook, or his laundry, his washer, and his wringer.

Simp. Well, Sir.

Eva. Nay, it is petter yet; give her this letter; for it is a 'oman that altogethers acquaintance with mistress Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to follicit your master's defires to mistress Anne Page: I pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippins and cheese to come.

SCENE

[Exeunt feverally.

Changes to the Garter-Inn.

VII.

Enter Falstaff, Hoft, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Robin.

INE hoft of the garter,

Fal. M Heft. What fays my bully rock? speak

fchollarly, and wifely.

Fal. Truly, mine hoft, I must turn away fome of my followers.

S 3

Hoft.

Hoft. Difcard, bully Hercules, cafhier; let them wag; trot, trot.

Fal. I fit at ten pounds a week.

Hoft. Thou'rt an Emperor, Cafar, Keifar and Pheazar. I will entertain Bardolph, he fhall draw, he fhall tap; faid I well, bully Hector?

Fal. Do fo, good mine hoft.

Hoft. I have fpoke, let him follow; let me fee thee froth, and live: I am at a word; follow.

[Exit Hoft. Fal. Bardolph, follow him; a tapfter is a good trade; an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a wither'd fervingman, a fresh tapfter; go, adieu.

Bard. It is a life that I have defir'd: I will thrive.

[Exit Bard. Pift. O bafe Hungarian wight, wilt thou the spigot wield?

Nym. He was gotten in drink, is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroick, and there's the humour of it.

Fal, I am glad, I am fo quit of this tinderbox; his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unskilful finger, he kept not time.

reft.

Nym. The good humour is to steal at a minute's

Pift. Convey, the Wife it call: teal? foh; a fico for the phrafe

Fal. Well, Sirs, I am almost out at heels.

Pift. Why then, let kibes enfue.

Fal. There is no remedy: I must conycatch, I muft fhift.

Pift. Young ravens must have food.

Fal. Which of you know Ford of this town?
Pift. Iken the wight, he is of fubftance good.

7 His mind is not heroick, and there's the bumour of it.] Added from the old Quarto of 1619.

Fal.