Slen. Mistress Anne Page? he has brown hair, and fpeaks fmall like a woman.

Eva. It is that ferry perfon for all the orld, as juft as you will defire; and feven hundred pounds of monies, and gold and filver, is her grandfire upon his death'sbed: (Got deliver to a joyful refurrections) give, when The is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a good motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and defire a marriage between maker Abraham and mistress Anne Page.

Slen. Did her grandfire leave her feven hundred pounds?

2

Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; he has good gifts.

Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and poffibilities, is good gifts.

Shal. Well; let us fee honeft Mr. Page: is Falstaf there?

Eva, Shall I tell you a lye? I do defpife a liar, as I do defpife one that is falfe; or as I defpife one that is not true. The Knight, Sir John, is there; and, I befeech you, be ruled by your well-wifhers. I will peat the door [Knocks] for malter Page. What, hoa Got bless your houfe here.

Page. Who's there?

Eva. Here is Got's pleffing, and your friend, and Juftice Shallow and here's young mafter Snder; that, peradventures, fhall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings.

»

Page. I am glad to fee your worships well. I thank you for my venifon, mafter Shallow.

Shal. Mafter Page, I am glad to fee you; much good do it your good heart: I wish'd your venison better; it was ill kill'd. How doth good miftrefs Page? and I thank you always with my heart, la with my

heart.*

Page. Sir, I thank you.

Shal.

་་

Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do.
Page. I am glad to fee you, good master Slender.
Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, Sir? I heard
fay, he was out-run on Cotfale.

Page. It could not be judg'd, Sir.

Slen. You'll not confefs, you'll not confefs.

Shal. That he will not; 'tis your fault, 'tis your fault; 'tis a good dog.

Page. A cur, Sir.

Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; can there be more faid? he is good and fair. Is Sir John Falstaff here?

Page. Sir, he is within; and I would, I could do a good office between you.

Eva. It is fpoke, as a chriftians ought to speak.
Shal. He hath wrong'd me, master Page.

Page. Sir, he doth in fome fort confefs it.

Shal. If it be confefs'd, it is not redrefs'd; is not that fo, mafter Page? he hath wrong'd me; indeed, he hath; at a word, he hath; believe me, Robert Shallow Efquire faith, he is wrong'd.

Page. Here comes Sir John.

Enter Sir John Falftaff, Bardolph, Nym and Piftol.

Fal. Now, mafter Shallow, you'll complain of me to the King?

Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, kill'd my deer, and broke open my lodge.

Fal. But not kifs'd your keeper's daughter.

Shal. Tut, a pin; this fhall be anfwer'd.

Fal. I will anfwer it ftrait: I have done all this.

That is now answer'd.

Shal. The Council fhall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you, if 'twere not known in

Council; you'll be laugh'd at.

Eva. Pauca verba, Sir John, good worts.

Fal. Good worts? good cabbage.

Slender, I broke

your head; what matter have you against me?

Slen. Marry, Sir, I have matter in my head against you,

and against your cony-catching-rafcals Bardolph, Nym, and Piftol.

Bar.

Bar. You Banbury cheese !

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pift. How now, Mephoftophilus?

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

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, mafter Page; and there is myself; 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 tevi and his tam! what phrafe is this, he hears with ear? why, it is affectations.

Fal. Piftol, 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 cost me two fhillings 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: (3)

Word

(3) I combat challenge of this Latin bilboe.] Our modern Editors have diftinguifhed this Word, Latin, in Italic Characters, as if it was addreffed to Sir Hugh, and meant to call him pedantic Blade, on account of his being a Schoolmafter, and teaching Latin. But I'll be bold to fay, in this they do not take the Poet's Conceit. Piflol barely calls Sir Hugh Mountainforeigner, because he had interpofed in the Difpute: but then immediately demands the Combat of Slender, for having charged him with picking his Pocket. The old Quarto's write it Latten,

Word of denial in thy Labra's here

Word of denial; froth and fcum, shou lyft.
Slen. By thefe gloves, then 'twas hele

Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pafs 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 tho' 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 fenses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they fay, cafhier'd; and fo conclufions paft the car-eires.

Slen. Ay, you fpake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilft I live again, but in honelt, 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 these matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it.

Enter Mißress Anne Page, with wine. Da Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit Anne Page.

as it should be, in the common Characters: And as a Proof that the Author defigned this fhould be addreffed to Slender, Sir Hugh does not there interpofe one Word in the Quarrel. But what then fignifies. latten Bilbo? Why, Piftol feeing Slender fuch a flim, puny, Wight; would intimate, that he is as thin as a Plate of that compound Metal, which is called Latten: and which was, as we are told, the Old Orichalc. Monfieur Datier, upon this Verfe in Horace's Epistle. de Arte Poetica,

Tibia non ut nunc Orichalco vincta, &c.

fays, C'est une espece de Cuivre de montagne, comme fon nom mefmele temoigne ; c'eft ce que nous appellons aujourd 'buy du leton. " is a fort of Mountain-Copper, as its very Name imports, and "which we at this time of Day call Latten."

Slen.

Slen. O heav'n! this is miftrefs Ann Page.

Enter Mistress Ford and Miflrefs Page.

Page. How now, mistress Ford?

Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth, you are very well met; by your leave good miftrefs.

【Kiffing her." Page. Wife, bid thefe gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venifon pafty to dinner; come, gentlemen'; I hope, we shall drink down all unkindness.

[Exe. Fal. Page, &c.

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 (4) upon Allhallowmas laft, a fortnight afore Martlemas?.

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 shall find me reasonable: if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reason.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, Sir.

(4) Upon Allhallowmas laf, a fortnight afore Michaelmas.] Sure, Simple's a little out in his Reckoning. Allballowmas is almoft five Weeks after Michaelmas. But may it not be urg'd, it is defign'd, Simple fhould appear thus ignorant, to keep up Character? I think, not. The fimpleft Creatures (nay, even Naturals) generally are very precife in the Knowledge of Feftivals, and marking how the Seafons run: and therefore I have ventur'd to fufpect, our Poet wrote Martlemas, as the Vulgar call. it, which is near a fortnight after All-Saints Day, i, e. eleven Days both inclufive.

VOL. I.

L

Eva.