Quic. Ay, forfooth, I'll fetch it you. I am glad, he went not in himself; if he had found the young man, he would have been horn-mad. [Afide.

Caius. Fe, fe, fe, fe, ma foi, il fait fort chaud, je m'en vaie à la Cour la grande affaire.

Quic. Is it this, Sir?

Caius. Ouy, mettez le au mon pocket; Depêchez,

quickly; ver is dat knave Rugby?

Quic. What, John Rugby! John !
Rug. Here, Sir.

Caius. You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby; come, take-a your rapier, and come after my heel to the Court.

Rug. 'Tis ready, Sir, here in the porch.

Caius. By my trot, I tarry too long: od's me! Qu' ay j'oubliè? dere is some simples in my closet, dat I will not for the varld I shall leave behind.

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

Caius. O Diable, Diable ! vat is in my closet ? vile laine, Larron! Rugby, my rapier.

[Pulls Simple out of the closet.

Quic. Good master be content.

Caius. Wherefore shall I be content-a?

Quic. The young man is an honest man.:

Caius. What shall de honest man do in my clofet?

dere is no honest man, dat shall 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. --Speak-a your tale.

Sim. To defire this honeft gentlewoman, your maid,

to speak a good word to mittress Anne Page for my

master in the way of marriage.

Hh 3

Quic.

:

!

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

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

Quic. I am glad he is so quiet, if he had been thoroughly moved, you should have heard him so loud, and fo melancholy. - But notwithstanding, man, I'll do for your master what good I can; and the very yea and the no is, the French Doctor my master, (I may call him my master, look you, for I keep his house, and I wash, wring, brew, bake, scour, dress meat and drink, make the beds, and do all my self.)

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

Quic. Are you a-vis'd o' that? you shall 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 mistress 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 shallenge: I will cut his throat 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 stones; by gar, he shall not have a stone to trow at his dog. [Exit Simple.

Quic. Alas, he speaks but for his friend.

Caius. It is no matter'a ver dat: do you not tell-ame, dat I shall have Anne Page for myself? 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 goujere! Caius. Rugby, come to the Court with me; by gar, if I have not Anne Page, I shall turn your

head out of my door; follow my heels, Rugby... [Ex. Caius and Rugby.

Quic. You shall have An fools-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.

SCENEXI

Enter Mr. Fenton.

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

to afk.

Fent. What news? how does pretty mistress Anne ? Quic. In truth, Sir, and she 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'st thou ? fhall I not lose my fuit ?

Quic. Troth, Sir, all is in his hands above; but notwithstanding, master Fenton, I'll be sworn on a book, she 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 honest maid as ever broke bread;-we had an hour's talk of that wart :I shall never laugh but in that maid's company !-But, indeed, she is given too much to allicholly and musing; but for you-Well

-go to

Fent. Well, I shall see her to day; hold, there's mony for thee: let me have thy voice in my behalf; if thou seest her before me, commend me

Quic. Will I? ay, faith, that we will: and I will

Hh 4

sell

tell your worship more of the wart, the next time we have confidence, and of other wooers.

Fen. Well, farewel, I am in great haste now. [Exit. Quic. Farewel to your worship. Truly, an honest 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. II.

SCENE I.

Before Page's House.

Enter Mrs. Page, with a Letter.

Mrs. PAGE.

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

W day-time of my beauty, and am now ab

ject for them? let me fee:

Ask me no reason, why I love you, for tho love use reason for bis precisian, be admits him not for his counfellor: you are not young, no more am I go to then,

there's sympathy: you are merry, so am I; ha! ba! then there's more sympathy; you love fack, and fo do 13 would you defire better sympathy ? let it suffice thee, miStress Page, at the least if the love of a foldier can fuffice, that I love thee. I will not say, pity me, 'tis not a foldier-like phrafe, but I say, 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.

John Falstaff.

What a Herod of Jewry is this? O wicked, wicked world! one that is well nigh worn to pieces with age, to show himself a young gallant! what unweigh'd behaviour hath this Flemish drunkard pickt, i'th' devil's name, out of my conversation, 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, I'll exhibit 7 a Bill in the Parliament for the putting down of

6

-I was then fougal of my mirth, &c.) By breaking this speech into exclamations, the text may stand; but I once thought it must be read, If I was not then frugal of my mirth.

7-a bill in the Parliament for the putting down of Men :-) What, Mrs. Page, put down the whole Species Unius ob noxam, for a fingle Offender's Trespais? Don't be fo unreasonable in your Anger. But 'tis a falie Charge against You. I am perfuaded, a short Monofyllable is dropt out, which, once restor'd, would qualify the Matter. We must ne

ceffarily read, for the putting down of fat Men. Mrs. Ford says in the very enfuing Scene, I shall think the worse of fat Men, as long as I have an Eye, &c. And in the old Quarto's, Mrs. Page, fo foon as she has read the Letter, says, Well, I shall trust fat Men the wors, while I live, for his fake: And he is call'd, the fat Knight, the greaty Knight, by the Women, throughout the Play. THEOBALD.

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

for putting down of fat