Quic. Ay-me, he'll find the young man there, and

be mad.

Caius. O Diable, Diable! vat is in my clofet? villaine, Larron! Rugby, my rapier.

[Pulls Simple out of the closet.

Quic. Good mafter, be content.

Caius. Wherefore fhall I be content-a?
Quic. The young man is an honest man.

Caius. What fhall de honeft man do in my clofet? dere is no honeft man, dat fhall come in my closet. Quic. I beseech you, be not fo flegmatick; hear the truth of it. He came of an errand to me from parfon Hugh.

Caius. Vell.

Sim. Ay, forfooth, to defire her to

Quic. Peace, I pray you.

Caius. Peace-a your tongue, fpeak-a your tale. Sim. To defire this honeft gentlewoman your maid, to speak a good word to mistress Anne Page for my mafter in the way of marriage.

Quic. This is all, indeed-la; but I'll never put my finger in the fire, and need not.

Caius. Sir Hugh fend-a-you? Rugby, baillez me fome paper; tarry you a little-a-while.

Quic. I am glad, he is fo quiet; if he had been thoroughly moved, you should have heard him fo loud, and fo melancholy: but notwithstanding, man, I'll do for your mafter what good I can; and the very yea and the no is, the French Doctor my mafter, (I may call him my master, look you, for I keep his houfe, and I wash, wring, brew, bake, fcour, drefs meat and make the beds, and do all my felf.)

Sim. 'Tis a great charge to come under one body's hand.

5 dress meat, and [drink] make the beds, &c.] drink.

Dele

Quic. Are you a-vis'd o'that? you fhall find it a great charge; and to be up early and down late. But notwithstanding, to tell you in your ear, I would have no words of it, my mafter himself is in love with miftrefs Anne Page; but, notwithstanding that, I know` Anne's mind, that's neither here nor there.

Caius. You jack'nape; give-a this letter to Sir Hugh; by gar, it is a fhallenge: I will cut his troat in de parke, and I will teach a scurvy jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make-you may be gone; it is not good you tarry here; by gar, I will cut all his two ftones gar, he shall not have a stone to trow at his dog. [Exit Simple. Quic. Alas, he fpeaks but for his friend.

; by

Caius. It is no matter'a ver dat: do you not tellame, dat I fhall have Anne Page for myfelf? by gar, I vill kill de jack priest; and I have appointed mine hoft of de farterre to measure our weapon; by gar, I will myself have Anne Page.

Quic. Sir, the maid loves you, and all shall be well: we must give folks leave to prate; what, the good-jer! Caius. Rugby, come to the Court with me ;-by gar, if I have not Anne Page, I fhall turn your head out of my door;-follow my heels, Rugby.

[Exeunt Caius and Rugby.

Quic. You fhall have An fool's-head of your own. No, I know Anne's mind for that; never a Woman in Windfor knows more of Anne's mind than I do, nor can do more than I do with her, I thank heav'n. Fent. [within.] Who's within there, hoa?

Quic. Who's there, I trow? come near the house, I pray you.

S

CENE

Enter Mr. Fenton.

XI.

Fent. How now, good woman, how doft thou? Quic. The better that it pleases your good worship

to ask.

Fent.

Fent. What news? how does pretty mistress Anne? Quic. In truth, Sir, and fhe is pretty, and honeft, and gentle; and one that is your friend, I can tell you that by the way, I praise heav'n for it.

Fent. Shall I do any good, think'ft thou? shall I not lose my fuit ?

Quic. Troth, Sir, all is in his hands above; but notwithstanding, mafter Fenton, I'll be fworn on a book, the loves you: have not your worship a wart above your eye

?

Fent. Yes, marry, have I; and what of that?

Quic. Well, thereby hangs a tale; good faith, it is fuch another Nan; but, I deteft, an honeft maid as ever broke bread; we had an hour's talk of that wart: I fhall never laugh but in that maid's company! but, indeed, she is given too much to allicholly and mufing; but for you go to Fent, Well, I fhall fee her to day; hold, there's mony for thee: let me have thy voice in my behalf; if thou feeft her before me, commend me→→→→

Well

Quic. Will I? ay, faith, that we will: and I will tell your worship more of the wart, the next time we have confidence, and of other wooers.

Fent. Well, farewel, I am in great hafte now.

[Exit. Quic. Farewel to your worship. Truly, an honeft gentleman, but Anne loves him not; I know Anne's mind as well as another does. Out upon't, what have I forgot?

[Exit.

ACT

ACT II.

SCENE I.

Before Page's House.

Enter Mrs. Page, with a Letter.

Mrs. PAGE.

HAT, have I fcap'd love-letters in the holy

W day-time of my beauty, and am I now a

fubject for them? let me fee:

Ask me no reason, why I love you; for tho' love use reafon for his présifian, he admits him not for his coun fellor: you are not young, no more am I; go to then, there's fympathy: you are merry, so am 1; ha! ha! then there's more fympathy; you love fack, and fo do I; would you defire better fympathy? let it fuffice thee, miftrefs Page, at the leaft if the love of a foldier can fuffice, that I love thee. I will not fay, pity me, not a foldier-like phrafe; but I fay, love me:

By me, thine own true Knight, by day or night,
Or any kind of light, with all his might,
For thee to fight.

'tis

John Falstaff,

What a Herod of Jewry is this? O wicked, wicked world! one that is well nigh worn to pieces with age, to fhow himself a young gallant! what unweigh'd behaviour hath this Flemish drunkard pickt, i'th' devil's

1 tho' love ufe reafon for his precifian, he admits him not for bis counsellor: This is obfcure; but the meaning is, tho' love permit reafon to tell what is fit to be done, he feldom follows its advice. By precifian, is meant one who pretends to a more than ordinary degree of virtue and fanctity. On which account they gave this name to the puritans of that time. So Osborne, Conform their mode, words and looks to these PRECISIANS, And Maine, in his City match,

I did commend

A great PRECISIAN to her, for her avoman.

name

2

name, out of my converfation, that he dares in this manner affay me? why, he hath not been thrice in my company what should I say to him? I was then frugal of my mirth, heav'n forgive me: why, 2 I'll exhibit a Bill in the Parliament for the putting down of Mum: how fhall I be reveng'd on him? for reveng'd I will be, as fure as his guts are made of puddings.

Mrs. Ford. Mrs. Page, truft me, I was going to your house.

Mrs. Page. And trust me, I was coming to you; you look very ill.

2 I'll exhibit a Bill in Parliament for putting down of MEN.] Mr. Theobald says, we must neceffarily read,

-for putting down of fat men. But how is the matter mended? or the thought made lefs ridiculous? Shakespear

wrote,

for the putting down of M UM, i. e. the fattening liquor fo called. So Fletcher in his Wild-goofe chafe: What a cold I have over my fiomach, would I had fome MU M. This is truly humorous, and agrees with the character fhe had just before given him of Flemish drunkard. But the greatest confirmation of this conjecture is the allufion the words, in queftion, bear to a matter then publickly tranfacting. The Merry Wives of Windfor appears to have been wrote in 1601, or very shortly after. And we are informed by Sir Simon D' Ewes Journal, that no home affair made more noife in and out of parliament at that time, than the fuppreffion and regulation of taverns, inns, ale-houses, ftrong liquors and the drinkers of them. In the Parliament held 1597, a bill was brought into both houses, For Juppressing the multitude of Malfters, &c. Another, To refrain the excef five making of Malt, and diforderly brewing of firong beer. Another, For regulation of Inns, Taverns, &c. In the next Parliament, held 1601, was a bill, For the fuppreffing of the multitude of Ale-boufes and Tipling-houses. Another, Against exceffive and common drunkenness; and several others of the fame nature. Some of which, after much canvassing, were thrown out, and others paffed into Acts.

Mrs. Ford.