Fent.

SCENE changes to Page's Houfe.

I

Enter Fenton and Mistress Anne Page.

See, I cannot get thy father's love;

Therefore no more turn me to him, fweet Nan. Anne. Alas! how then?

Fent. Why, thou must be thyfelf.

He doth object, I am too great of birth;

And that my ftate being gall'd with my expence,
I feek to heal it only by his wealth.

Befides thefe, other bars he lays before me,
My riots paft, my wild focieties:

And tells me, 'tis a thing impoffible
I fhould love thee, but as a property.
Anne. May be, he tells you true.

Fent. No, heav'n fo fpeed me in my time to come! Albeit, I will confefs, thy father's wealth

Was the first motive that I woo'd thee, Anne:
Yet wooing thee, I found thee of more value
Than ftamps in gold, or fums in fealed bags;
And 'tis the very riches of thyfelf

That now I aim at.

Anne. Gentle Mr. Fenton,

Yet feek my father's love: ftill feek it, Sir;
If opportunity and humblest fuit (13)

Cannot attain it, why then

hark you hither. [Fenton and Miflrefs Anne go apart.

(13) If opportunity and humbleft Suit] Dr. Thirlby imagines, that our Author with more Propriety wrote;

If Importunity and humbleft Suit,

I have not ventur'd to disturb the Text, because, tho' an equal Exactness be not maintain'd in the Expreffion, it may mean, "If the frequent Opportunities you find of folliciting my Father, "and your Obfequiousness to him, cannot get him over to your "Party, c.

Enter

Enter Shallow, Slender, and Miftrefs Quickly.

Shal. Break their talk, miftrefs Quickly; my kinfman fhall fpeak for himself.

Slen. I'll make a fhaft or a bolt on't: 'd'slid, 'tis but venturing.

Shal. Be not difmay'd.

Slen. No, fhe fhall not difmay me: I care not for that, but that I am affeard.

Quic. Hark ye, Mr. Slender would speak a word with

you.

Anne. I come to him. This is my father's choice. O, what a world of vile ill-favour'd faults

Look handfome in three hundred pounds a year!

Quic. And how does good master Fenton ? pray you, a word with you.

Shal. She's coming; to her, coz. O boy, thou hadft a father!

Slen. I had a father, Mrs. Anne; my uncle can tell you good jefts of him. Pray you, uncle, tell Mrs. Anne the jeft, how my father ftole two geefe out of a pen, good

uncle.

Shal. Miftrefs Anne, my coufin loves loves you.

Slen. Ay, that I do, as well as I love any woman in Gloucefterfire.

Shal. He will maintain you like a gentlewoman. Slen. Ay, that I will, come cut and long-tail, under the degree of a Squire.

Shal. He will make you a hundred and fifty pounds jointure,

Anne. Good mafter Shallow, let him woo for himself. Shal. Marry, I thank you for it; I thank you for that. Good comfort; fhe calls you, coz: I'll leave you. Anne. Now, master Slender.

Slen. Now, good miftrefs Anne.

Anne. What is your will?

Slen. My Will? od's heart-lings, that's a pretty jeft, indeed, I ne'er made my Will yet, I thank heav'n; I am not such a fickly creature, I give heav'n praise.

Anne

Anne. I mean, Mr. Slender, what would you with me? Slen. Truly, for my own part, I would little or nothing with you; your father and my uncle have made motions; if it be my luck, fo; if not, happy man be his dole! they can tell you how things go, better than I can' ́; you may ask your father; here he comes.

Enter Page, and Mistress Page.

Page. Now, mafler Slender: love him, daughter Anne. -Why how now? what does mafter Fenton here? You wrong me, Sir, thus ftill to haunt my house: I told you, Sir, my daughter is difpos'd of. Fent. Nay, mafter Page, be not impatient.

Mrs. Page. Good Matter Fenton, come not to my child. Page. She is no match for you.

Fent. Sir, will you hear me?

Page. No, good mafter Fenton.

Come, mafter Shallow; come, fon Slender, in.

Knowing my mind, you wrong me, mafter Fenton.

[Exeunt Page, Shallow, and Slender.

Quic. Speak to mistress Page.

Fent. Good mistress Page, for that I love your daughter

In fuch a righteous fashion as I do,

Perforce, against all checks, rebukes and manners,

I must advance the colours of my love,

And not retire. Let me have your good will.

Anne. Good mother, do not marry me to yon fool.

Mrs. Page. I mean it not, I feek you a better husband. Quic. That's my mafter, mafter Doctor.

Anne. Alas, I had rather be fet quick i'th' earth, And bowl'd to death with turnips.

Mrs. Page. Come, trouble not yourself; good master Fenton,

I will not be your friend nor enemy:

My daughter will I question how the loves you,
And as I find her, fo am I affected.

"Till then, farewel, Sir; fhe muft needs go in,

Her Father will be angry. [Exe. Mrs. Page and Anne.

Fent.

Fent. Farewel, gentle miftrefs; farewel, Nan. Quic. This is my doing now. Nay, faid I, will you caft away your child on a fool, and a phyfician? look on mafter Fenton: this is my doing.

Fent. I thank thee; and I pray thee, once to-night Give my fweet Nan this ring: there's for thy pains.

[Exit.

Quic. Now heav'n fend thee good fortune! A kind heart he hath, a woman would run through fire and water for fuch a kind heart. But yet, I would my master had mistress Anne, or I would Mr. Slender had her; or, in footh, I would Mr. Fenton had her. I will do what I can for them all three, for fo I have promis'd; and I'll be as good as my word, but fpeciously for Mr. Fenton. Well, I must of another errand to Sir John Falstaff from my two miftreffes; what a beast am I to flack it?" [Exit.

Fal

SCENE changes to the Garter-Inn.

Enter Falstaff and Bardolph.

B Ardolph, I fay,

Bard. Here, Sir.

Fal. Go fetch me a quart of fack, put a toaft in't. [Ex. Bard.] Have I liv'd to be carry'd in a basket, like a barrow of butchers' offal, and to be thrown into the Thames? well, if I be ferv'd fuch another trick, I'll have my brains ta'en out and butter'd, and give them to a dog for a new year's gift. The rogues flighted me into the river with as little remorfe (14) as they would have drown'd a bitch's blind puppies, fifteen i'th' litter; and you may know, by my fize, that I have a kind of

(1) As they would have drezon'd a blind Bitch's puppies,] I have ventur'd to tranfpofe the Adjective here, against the Authority of the printed Copies. I know, in Horfes, a Colt from a blind Stallion lofes much of the Value it might otherwife have; but are puppies ever drown'd the fooner, for coming from a blind Bitch? The Author certainly wrote, as they would bave drown'd a Bitch's blind puppies.

alacrity

alacrity in finking: if the bottom were as deep as hell, I fhould down. I had been drown'd, but that the fhore was fhelvy and fhallow; a death that I abhor; for the water fwells a man: and what a thing should I have been, when I had been swell'd? I should have been a mountain of mummy.

Enter Bardolph.

Now, is the Sack brew'd?

Bard. Here's Mrs. Quickly, Sir, to speak with you. Fal. Come, let me pour in fome fack to the Thameswater; for my belly's as cold as if I had swallow'd snowballs, for pills to cool the reins. Call her in.

Bard. Come in, woman.

Enter Mrs. Quickly.

Quic. By your leave: I cry you mercy. worthip good morrow.

Give your

Fal. Take away thefe challices: go brew me a pottle of fack finely.

Bard. With eggs, Sir?

Fal. Simple of itself; I'll no pullet-fperm in my brewage. How now ?

Quic. Marry, Sir, I come to your worship from miftrefs Ford.

Fal. Miftrefs Ford? I have had Ford enough; I was thrown into the Ford; I have my belly full of Ford.

Quic. Alas the day! good heart, that was not her fault: fhe does fo take on with her men; they mistook their erection.

Fal. So did I mine, to build on a foolish woman's promife.

Quic. Well, fhe laments, Sir, for it, that it would yern your heart to fee it. Her husband goes this morning a birding; fhe defires you once more to come to her between eight and nine. I must carry her word quickly; fhe'll make you amends, 1 warrant you.

Fal. Well, I will vifit her; tell her fo, and bid her think, what a man is: let her confider his frailty, and then judge of my merit.