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

Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, coufin? Eva Peace: I pray you: now let us understand; there is three umpires in this matter, as I understand; that is, Mafter Page; fidelicet, Master Page; and there is myfelf; fidelicet, myfelf; and the three party is, laftly and finally, mine Hoft 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 phrase is this, he hears with ear? why, it is affectations.

Fal. Piftol, did you pick Mafter 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 thefe gloves. Fal. Is this true, Piftol?

Eva. No; it is falfe, 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 pafs good humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the bafe bu mour 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 himself 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, cashier'd; and fo conclufions paft the car-eires.

Slen.

Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with thofe 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 thefe 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, Mitrefs 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 pasty to dinner; come, gentlemen; I hope we fhall drink down all unkindness.

[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 myfelf, muft I? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you?

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 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.

Q3

Ενα.

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: 1 pray you, pardon me; he's a Justice of Peace in his country, fimple though I ftand here

Eva But that is not the question; 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 goodwill 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 to

wards 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.

Shalay, 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 requeft: but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heav'n may decreate 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 ortis, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good.

Shal. y, 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 Mistress 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, foriooth, 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 fhin th' other day with playing at fword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a dith of ftew'd prunes; and. by my troth, 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 sport 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 loose twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but I warrant you, the women have fo

cry'd

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 stay for

you.

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

Page By cock and pye, you fhall not chufe, Sir;

come; come.

do

Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way.

Page. Come on, Sir.

Slen. Mitress Anne, yourself shall go firft.

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

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

you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

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

[Exeunt. SCENE VI. 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 master'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 cufomary hereto fore, to fignify the ex els or extraordinary degree or any thing. The fentence completed would be, I paft, or, This poffes all expreffim, or perhaps (according to a vulgar phrase still in use) It paft, or, This paffis all things, is bey nd al things. The participle of the fame verb is full in conimon ufe, and in the fame fenfe: paffing well, paffing firange,

&c.

SCENE