Nym. Slice, I fay; pauca, pauca: flice, that's my

humour.

Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, cousin? Eva. Peace: I pray you: now let us understand; there is three umpires in this matter, as I understand; that is, Master Page; fidelicet, Mafter Page; and there is myfelf; fidelicet, myfelf; and the three party is, laftly and finally, mine Host of the Garter.

Page. We three to hear it, and end it between them. Eva. Ferry goot; I will make a prief of it in my note-book, and we will afterwards ork upon the cause with as great difcreetly as we can.

Fal. Piftol.

Pift. He hears with ears.

Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrafe is this, he hears with ear? why, it is affectations.

Fal. Pitol, did you pick Master Slender's purfe? Slen. Ay, by thefe gloves, did he, (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again elfe), of feven groats in mill-fixpences, and two Edward fhovel-boards, that coft me two fhilling and two pence a piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves. Fal. Is this true, Pistol?

Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse.

Pift. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner!Sir John, and mafter mine.

I combat challenge of this latten bilboe:
Word of denial in thy Labra's here;
Word of denial; froth and fcum, thou ly'ft.
Slen. By thefe gloves, then 'twas he.

Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and país good humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the base humour on me; that is the very note of it.

Slen. By this hat then, he in the red face had it; for though I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an afs.

Fal. What fay you, Scarlet and john?

Bard. Why, Sir, for my part, I fay, the gentleman had drunk himfelf out of his five fentences.

Eva. It is his five fenfes: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they fay, cufhier'd; and fo conclufions paft the car-cires.

I

Slen.

Slen. Ay, you fpake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilft I live again, but in honeft, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves.

Eva. So Got udg me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal You hear all these matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it.

Enter Mrs. Anne Page, with wine.

Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit Anne Page. Slen. Oh heav'n! this is Mistress Anne Page.

Enter Miftrefs Ford and Mistress Page.

Page. How now, Mistress Ford?

Fal Miftrefs Ford, by my troth, you are very well met; by your leave, good Mistress. [Kifing her. Page. Wife, bid thefe gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venifon pafty to dinner; come, gentlemen; I hope we fhall drink down all unkindnefs.

[Exeunt Fal. Page, ¿c.

SCENE IV. Manent Shallow, Evans, and Slender.

Slen. I had rather than forty fhillings I had my book of fongs and fonnets here.

Enter Simple.

How now, Simple? where have you been? I must wait on myself, must I? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you 1?

Simp. Book of riddles ! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon All-hallowmas laft; a fortnight afore Michaelmas.

Shal Come, coz; come, coz; we ftay 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.

VOL. I.

A a

Eva.

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 though 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

reasonable 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 precifely, can you carry your goodI 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 reason.

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 reafon.

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 difcretion answer, 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 clfe I would I might be hang'd, la.

SCENE

SCENE V. Enter Miftrefs Anne Page.

Shal Here comes fair Miftrefs Anne: 'would I were young for your fake, Mistress 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. 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 thin th' other day with playing at fword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a dish 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 loofe, 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

A a 2

cry'd

cry'd and fhriek'd at it, that it past *: but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things.

Enter Mr. Page.

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

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

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

do

Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way.

Page. Come on, Sir.

Slen. Miftrefs Anne, yourself fhall go firft.

Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on.

Slen. Truly, I will not go first, truly-la: I will not

you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome; you do yourself wrong, indeed-la.

SCENE VI.

[Exeunt.

Re-enter Evans and Simple.

Eva. Go your ways, and afk of Doctor Caius' houfe which is the way; and there dwells one Mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurfe, or his dry nurfe, or his cook, or his laundry, his wather, and his wringer.

Simp. Well, Sir.

Eva. Nay, it is petter yet; give her this letter; for it is a 'oman that altogether's acquaintance with Miftrefs Anne Page; and the letter is to defire and require her to folicit your mafter's defires to Mistress Anne Page: I pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippin's and cheese to come. [Exeunt feverally.

It paft, and This paffes was a way of fpeaking cuftomary hereto. fore, to fignify the excess or extraordinary degree of any thing. The fentence completed would be, I paft, or, This paffes all expreffion, or perhaps (according to a vulgar phrase ftili in ufe) It past, or, This passes all things, is beyond all things. The participle of the fame verb is ftill in common ufe, and in the fame fenfe: peffing well, paffing firange,

&

SCENE