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and nine: I muft carry her word quickly: fhe'll make you amends, I 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.

Quick. I will tell her.

Fal. Do fo. Between nine and ten, fay'st thou?
Quick. Eight and nine, fir.

Fal. Well, be gone: I will not miss her.

Quick. Peace be with you, fir.

[Exit.

Fal. I marvel, I hear not of mafter Brook; he fent me word to stay within: I like his money well. O, here he

comes.

Ford. Blefs you, fir!

Enter FORD.
!

Fal. Now, mafter Brook? you come to know what hath pafs'd between me and Ford's wife?

Ford. That, indeed, fir John, is my bufinefs.

Fal. Mafter Brook, I will not lie to you; I was at her houfe the hour fhe appointed me.

Ford. And how fped you, fir?

Fal. Very ill-favour'dly, mafter Brook.

Ford. How fo, fir? Did the change her determination? Fal. No, mafter Brook: but the peaking cornuto her husband, mafter Brook, dwelling in a continual 'larum of jealoufy, comes me in the inftant of our encounter, after wè had embrac'd, kifs'd, protefted, and, as it were, fpoke the prologue of our comedy; and at his heels a rabble of his companions, thither provoked and inftigated by his diftemper, and, forfooth, to fearch his houfe for his wife's love.

Ford. What, while you were there?

Fal. While I was there.

you

?

Fard. And did he search for you, and could not find Fal. You fhall hear. As good luck would have it, comes in one miftrefs Page; gives intelligence of Ford's approach; and, by her invention, and Ford's wife's distraction, they convey'd me into a buck-basket.4 M 6

Ford.

4 As it does not appear that his being convey'd into the buck.basket was owing to the fuppofed diftraction of Mrs. Ford, I have no doubt but we hould read and Ford's wife's direction," which was the fact.

M. MASON.

Ford. A buck-bafket!

Fal. By the Lord, a buck-basket: 5 ramm'd me in with foul fhirts and fmocks, focks, foul ftockings, and greafy napkins; that, mafter Brook, there was the rankeft compound of villainous fmell, that ever offended noftril.

Ford. And how long lay you there?

Fal. Nay, you fhall hear, mafter Brook, what I have fuffer'd to bring this woman to evil for your good. Being thus cramm'd in the basket, a couple of Ford's knaves, his hinds, were call'd forth by their miftrefs, to carry me in the name of foul clothes to Datchet-lane: they took me on their fhoul ders; met the jealous knave their master in the door; who afk'd them once or twice, what they had in their basket: I quaked for fear left the lunatic knave would have search'd it; but fate, ordaining he fhould be a cuckold, held his hand. Well; on went he for a fearch, and away went I for foul clothes. But mark the fequel, master Brook: I fuffer'd the pangs of three feveral deaths: firft, an intolerable fright, to be detected with a jealous rotten bell-weather; next, to be compafs'd, like a good bilbo, in the circumference of a peck, hilt

5 By the Lord, a buck-basket :] Thus the old quarto. The editor of the first folio, to avoid the penalty of the ftatute of King James I. reads Yes, &c. and the editor of the fecond, which has been followed by the moderns, has made Falstaff defert his own character, and affume the language of a Puritap. MALONE.

The fecond folio reads-yea; and I cannot discover why this affirmative fhould be confidered as a mark of puritanism. Yea, at the time out comedy appeared, was in as frequent ufe as-yes; and is certainly put by Shakspeare into the mouths of many of his characters whofe manners are widely different from thofe of canting purifts. STEEVENS.

6 So, before: "What a taking was he in, when your husband ask'd who was in the basket!" but Ford had asked no fuch question. Our author feems feldom to have revifed his plays. MALONE.

Falstaff, in the prefent inftance, may purpofely exaggerate his alarms, that he may thereby enhance his merit with Ford, at whofe purse his defigns are ultimately levelled. STEEVENS.

7 A bilbo is a Spanish blade, of which the excellence is flexiblenefs and elafticity. JOHNSON.

Bilbo, from Bilboa, a city of Biscay, where the best blades are made. STEEVENS. 8 Thus the folio. The old quarto reads of a pack; and perhaps rightly. Pedlar's packs are fometimes of fuch a fize as to admit of Fal

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ftaff's

hilt to point, heel to head; and then, to be ftopp'd in, like a ftrong diftillation, with ftinking clothes that fretted in their own grease think of that, a man of my kidney,—think of that; that am as subject to heat, as butter; a man of continual diffolution and thaw; it was a miracle, to 'scape fuffocation. And in the height of this bath, when I was more than half stew'd in greafe, like a Dutch difh, to be thrown into the Thames, and cool'd, glowing hot, in that furge, like a horfe-fhoe; think of that, hiffing hot,-think of that, mafter Brook.

Ford. In good fadness, fir, I am forry that for my fake you have fuffer'd all this. My fuit then is defperate; you'll undertake her no more.

Fal. Mafter Brook, I will be thrown into Ætna, as I have been into Thames, ere I will leave her thus. Her husband is this morning gone a birding: I have received from her another embaffy of meeting; 'twixt eight and nine is the hour, mafter Brook.

Ford. 'Tis paft eight already, fir.

Fal. Is it? I will then addrefs me to my appointment. Come to me at your convenient leifure, and you shall know how I fpeed; and the conclufion shall be crown'd with your enjoying her: Adieu. You fhall have her, master Brook ; master Brook, you shall cuckold Ford. [Exit.

Ford. Hum! ha! is this a vifion? is this a dream? do I fleep? Mafter Ford, awake; awake, mafter Ford; there's a hole made in your best coat, mafter Ford.

ftaff's defcription; but who but a Lilliputian could be peck ?" MALONE.

This 'tis to be married!

compaffed in a

Falftaff defignedly exaggerates the inconveniences of his fituation. When he tells us, that formerly he was not an eagle's talon in the waist, and could have crept through an alderman's thumb-ring," are we to fuppofe he has a literal meaning?-and may not fome future critick enquire of us whether we ever faw any Pedlar's pack of such a fize as would contain a perfon of Falstaff's bulk?"

Befides; to try the flexibility of fwords, it might have been usual to incurvate them within a wooden circuit like that of a peck measure; but who would have thought of making the fame experiment within a pedlar's pack? STEEVENS.

9 Kidney in this phrase now fignifies kind or qualities, but Falstaff means, a man whofe kidnies are as fat as mine. JOHNSON.

2. e. make myfelf ready. STEEVENS.

married! this 'tis to have linen, and buck-baskets! -Well, I will proclaim myself what I am: I will now take the lecher; he is at my houfe: he cannot 'fcape me; 'tis impoffible he fhould; he cannot creep into a half-penny purfe, nor into a pepper-box: but, left the devil that guides him fhould aid him, I will fearch impoffible places. Though what I am I cannot avoid, yet to be what I would not, fhall not make me tame: if I have horns to make one mad, let the proverb go with me, I'll be horn mad.3 [Exit.

ACT IV. SCENE 1.4

The Street.

Enter Mrs. PAGE, Mrs. QUICKLY, and WILLIAM.

Mrs. Page. Is he at mafter Ford's already, think'st thou? Quick. Sure, he is by this; or will be presently: but truly, he is very courageous mad, about his throwing into the water. Miftrefs Ford defires you to come fuddenly.

Mrs. Page. I'll be with her by and by; I'll but bring my young man here to fchool: Look, where his mafter comes; 'tis a playing-day, I fee.

3 There is no image which our author appears fo fond of, as that of cuckold's horns. Scarcely a light character is introduced that does not endeavour to produce merriment by fome allufion to horned husbands. As he wrote his plays for the ftage rather than the prefs, he perhaps reviewed them feldom, and did not obferve this repetition; or finding the jeft, however frequent, ftill fuccefsful, did not think correction neceffary. JOHNSON.

4 This is a very trifling fcene, of no ufe to the plot, and I should think of no great delight to the audience; but Shakspeare best knew what would pleafe. JOHNSON.

We may fuppofe this fcene to have been a very entertaining one to the audience for which it was written. Many of the old plays exhibit pedants inftructing their scholars. Marfton has a very long one in his What you Will, between a schoolmaster, and Holofernes, Nathaniel, &c. his pupils. The title of this play was perhaps borrowed by Shakspeare, to join to that of Twelfth Night. What you Will appeared in 1607. Twelfth Night was first printed in 1623. STEEVENS.

Enter

Enter Sir HUGH EVANS.

How now, fir Hugh? no fchool to-day?

Eva. No; mafter Slender is let the boys leave to play.
Quick. Bleffing of his heart!

Mrs. Page. Sir Hugh, my husband fays, my fon profits nothing in the world at his book; I pray you, afk him fome questions in his accidence.

Eva. Come hither, William; hold up your head; come. Mrs. Page. Come on, firrah; hold up your head; answer your master, be not afraid.

Eva. William, how many numbers is in nouns ?

Will. Two.

Quick. Truly I thought there had been one number more ; because they fay, od's nouns.

Eva. Peace your tatlings. What is fair, William ?
Will. Pulcher.

Quick. Poulcats! there are fairer things than poulcats, fure.

Eva. You are a very fimplicity 'oman; I pray you, peace. What is Lapis, William ?

Will. A ftone.

Eva. And what is a stone, William ?

Will. A pebble.

Eva. No, it is Lapis; I pray you remember in your prain. Will. Lapis.

Eva. That is a good William. What is he, William, that does lend articles?

Will. Articles are borrowed of the pronoun; and be thus declined, Singulariter, nominativo, hic, hæc, hoc.

Eva. Nominativo, big, bag, bog;-pray you, mark: geni. tivo, hujus: Well, what is your accufative cafe? Will. Accufativo, bine.

Eva. I pray you, have your remembrance, child; Accufativo, hing, bang, bog.

Quick. Hang hog is Latin for bacon, I warrant you.

Eva. Leave your prabbles, 'oman. What is the focative cafe, William ?

Will. Ovocativo, O.

-Eva. Remember, William; focative is, caret.

Quick

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