Enter PAGE, SHALLOW, and SLENDER. Shal. How now, master parson! Good morrow, good Sir Hugh. Keep a gamester from the dice, and a good student from his book, and it is wonderful. Slen. [Aside] Ah, sweet Anne Page! Page. Save you, good Sir Hugh! Evans. Pless you from his mercy sake, all of you! Shal. What, the sword and the word! do you study them both, master parson? 41 Page. And youthful still! in your doublet and hose this raw rheumatic day! Evans. There is reasons and causes for it. Page. We are come to you to do a good office, master parson. Evans. Fery well: what is it? 40 Page. Yonder is a most reverend gentleman, who, belike having received wrong by some person, is at most odds with his own gravity and patience that ever you saw. 50 Shal. I have lived fourscore years and upward; I never heard a man of his place, gravity, and learn ing so wide of his own respect. Evans. What is he? Page. I think you know him; Master Doctor Caius, the renowned French physician. 56 Evans. Got's will, and his passion of my heart! I had as lief you would tell me of a mess of porridge. Page. Why? Evans. He has no more knowledge in Hiboorates and Galen, and he is a knave besides; a cowardly knave as you would desires to be acquainted withal. 62 Page. I warrant you, he's the man should fight with him. Slen. [Aside] O sweet Anne Page! Shal. It appears so, by his weapons. them asunder: here comes Doctor Caius. 65 Кеер Enter Host, CAIUS, and RUGBY. Page. Nay, good master parson, keep in your weapon. Shal. So do you, good master doctor. Host. Disarm them, and let them question: let them keep their limbs whole, and hack our English. Caius. I pray you, let-a me speak a word with Verefore vill you not meet-a me? Evans. [Aside to Caius] Pray you, use your patience in good time. your ear. : 75 Caius. By gar, you are de coward, de Jack dog, John ape. Evans. [Aside to Caius] Pray you, let us not be laughing-stocks to other men's humours; I desire you in friendship, and I will one way or other make you amends. - [Aloud] I will knog your urinals about your knave's cogscomb for missing your meetings and appointments. 82 Caius. Diable! - Jack Rugby, mine host de Jarteer, have I not stay for him to kill him? have I not, at de place I did appoint? 85 Evans. As I am a Christians soul, now, look you, this is the place appointed: I'll be judgement by mine host of the Garter. Host. Peace, I say, Gallia and Gaul, French and Welsh, soul-curer and body-curer! Caius. Ay, dat is very good; excellent. 90 Host. Peace, I say! hear mine host of the Garter. Am I politic? am I subtle? am I a Machiavel? Shall I lose my doctor? no; he gives me the potions and the mctions. Shall I lose my parson, my priest, my Sir Hugh? no; he gives me the proverbs and the no-verbs. Give me thy hand, terrestrial; so. Give me thy hand, celestial; so. - Boys of art, I have deceived you both; I have directed you to wrong places: your hearts are mighty, your skins are whole, and let burnt sack be the issue. Come, lay their swords to pawn. Follow me, lads of peace; follow, follow, follow. Shal. Trust me, a mad host.-Follow, gentlemen, follow. Slen. [Aside] O sweet Anne Page! 105 [Exeunt Shal., Slen., Page, and Host. Caius. Ha, do I perceive dat? have you make-a de sot of us, ha, ha? This is well; he has made us his vlout Evans. ing-stog. I desire you that we may be friends; and let us knog our prains together to be revenge on this same scall, scurvy, cogging companion, the host of the Garter. Caius. 111 By gar, with all my heart. He promise to bring me where is Anne Page; by gar, he deceive me too. Evans. Well, I will smite his noddles. - Pray you, follow. [Exeunt. 115 SCENE II. The street in Windsor. Enter MISTRESS PAGE and ROBIN. Mrs. Page. Nay, keep your way, little gallant; you were wont to be a follower, but now you are a leader. Whether had you rather lead mine eyes, or eye your master's heels? Rob. I had rather, forsooth, go before you like a man than follow him like a dwarf. 5 Mrs. Page. O, you are a flattering boy: now I see you'll be a courtier. Enter FORD. Ford. Well met, Mistress Page. you? Whither go Mrs. Page. Truly, sir, to see your wife. Is she at home? Ford. Ay; and as idle as she may hang together, for want of company. I think, if your husbands were dead, you two would marry. 12 Mrs. Page. Be sure of that, two other hus bands. Ford. Where had you this pretty weathercock? Mrs. Page. I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of. call your knight's name, sirrah ? Sir John Falstaff. Rob. Ford. Sir John Falstaff! Mrs. Page. What do you 17 He, he; I can never hit on's name. There is such a league between my good man and he! Is your wife at home indeed? Indeed she is. Ford. see her. 22 By your leave, sir: I am sick till I [Exeunt Mrs. Page and Robin. Ford. Has Page any hath he any thinking? no use of them. Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty mile, as easy as a cannon will shoot pointblank twelve score. He pieces out his wife's inclination; he gives her folly motion and advantage: and now she's going to my wife, and Falstaff's boy with her. A man may hear this shower sing in the wind. And Falstaff's boy with her!-Good plots, they are laid; and our revolted wives share damnation together. Well; I will take him, then torture my wife, pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the so seeming Mistress Page, divulge Page himself for a secure and wilful Actæon; and to these violent proceedings all my neighbours shall cry aim. - [Clock heard.] The clock gives me my cue, and my assurance bids me search: there I shall find Falstaff: I shall be rather praised for this than mocked; for it brains? hath he any eyes? Sure, they sleep; he hath |