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Simp. Ay, forfooth, to defire her to

Quic. Peace, I pray you.

Caius. Peace-a your tongue, fpeak-a your tale.

Simp. To defire this honeft gentlewoman, your maid, to speak a good word to mistress Anne Page for my mafter in the way of marriage.

Quic. This is all indeed-la; but I'll ne'er put my finger in the fire, 'indeed not I.`

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

Quic. I am glad he is fo quiet; if he had been throughly moved, you should have heard him fo loud, and fo melancholy but notwithstanding, man, I'll do for your mafter what good I can; and the very yea and the no is, the French Doctor my mafter, (I may call him my master, look you, for I keep his houfe, and I wash, wring, brew, bake, fcour, drefs meat and drink, make the beds, and do all my felf.)

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

Quic. Are you a-vis'd o' that? you fhall 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.

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Caius. You jack'nape; give-a dis letter to Sir Hugh, by gar it is a fhallenge: I vill cut his troat in de parke, and I vill teach a fcurvy jack-a-nape prieft to meddle or make you may be gone, it is not good you tarry here; by gar I vill cut all his two ftones, by gar he fhall not have a ftone to trow at his dog. [Exit Simple. Quic. Alas, he fpeaks but for his friend. Caius. It is no matter'a for dat: do not you tell-a-me dat I fhall have Anne Page for my felf? by gar I vill kill the jack prieft; and I have appointed mine hoft of de Fartere to measure our weapon; by gar I vill my felf have Anne Page.

3 and need not.

Quic

4 baller ... old edit. Theob, emend.

Quic. Sir, the maid loves you, and all fhall be well: we must give folks leave to prate; what the goujeres!

Caius. Rugby, come to the court vith me; by gar, if I have not Anne Page, I fhall turn your head out of my door; follow my heels, Rugby.

[Exeunt Caius and Rugby. Quic. You fhall 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 can 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.

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Fent. How now, good woman, how doft thou? Quic. The better that it pleases your good worship to ask. Fent. What news? how does pretty mistress Anne? Quic. In truth, Sir, and fhe 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'ft thou? fhall I not lose my fuit?

Quic. Troth, Sir, all is in his hands above; but notwithstanding, mafter Fenton, I'll be fworn 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 fhall never laugh but in that maid's company: but indeed fhe is given too much to allicholly and mufing; but for you-Well-go to

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

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Q3

Quic

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Quic. Will I? ay faith that I will: and I will tell your worship more of the wart the next time we have confidence, and of other wooers.

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Fent. Well, farewel, I am in great hafte now. [Exit. Quic. Farewel to your worship. Truly an honeft tleman, 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

WH

Before Page's Houfe.

Enter Miftrefs Page with a letter.

Mrs. PAGE.

HAT, have I 'scap'd love-letters in the holy-daytime of my beauty, and am I now a fubject for them? let me fee:

Ask me no reason why I love you; for tho' love ufe reafon for his precifian, he admits him not for his counsellor : you are not young, no more am I; go to then, there's fympathy: you are merry, fo am I; ba! ba! then there's more Sympathy: you love fack, and fo do I; would you defire better fympathy? let it fuffice thee, miftrefs Page, at the leaft if the love of a foldier can fuffice, that I love thee. I will not fay, pity me, 'tis not a foldier-like phrase; but I fay, 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 Jury is this! O wicked, wicked world! one that is well nigh worn to pieces with age, to fhow

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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 fhould I fay to him? I was then frugal of my mirth; heav'n forgive me, why, I'll exhibit a bill in the parliament for the putting down of 7 'Mum a: how fhall I be reveng'd on him? for reveng'd I will be, as fure as his guts are made of puddings.

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Mrs. Ford. Mistress Page, truft me, I was going to your house.

Mrs. Page. And truft me, I was coming to you; you look very ill.

Mrs. Ford. Nay, I'll ne'er believe that: I have to fhew to the contrary.

Mrs. Page. 'Faith you do, in my mind.

Mrs. Ford. Well, I do then; yet I fay, I could fhew you to the contrary: O miftrefs Page, give me fome counfel.

Mrs. Page. What's the matter, woman?

Mrs. Ford. O woman! if it were not for one trifling refpect, I could come to fuch honour.

Mrs. Page. Hang the trifle, woman, take the honour; what is it? difpenfe with trifles; what is it?

Mrs. Ford. If I would but go to hell for an eternal moment, or fo, I could be knighted.

Mrs. Page. What, thou lieft! Sir Alice Ford! these
Knights

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(a) A fattening liquor much in ufe among the Flemings, as she had call'd him a Flemish Drunkard a few lines before: and it is to be obferv'd that about the time when this Play was written there were on foot feveral bills in Parliament for refraining the use of ftrong liquors, fuppreffing the multitude of maltfters, and the great brewing of frong beer, and regulating Inns, Taverns, and Alehouses.

Warburton.

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Knights will hack, and fo thou shouldst not alter the article of thy gentry.

Mrs. Ford. We burn day-light; here read, read; perceive how I might be knighted: I fhall think the worfe of fat men as long as I have an eye to make difference of men's liking; and yet he would not fwear; prais'd women's modefly; and gave fuch orderly and well-behaved reproof to all uncomeliness, that I would have fworn his difpofition would have gone to the truth of his words; but they do no more adhere, and keep place together, than the hundredth pfalm to the tune of Green Sleeves. What tempeft, I trow, threw this whale, with fo many tun of oil in his belly, a'fhore at Windfor? how fhall I be reveng'd on him? I think the best way were to entertain him with hope, 'till the wicked fire of luft have melted him in his own greafe. Did you ever hear the like?

Mrs. Page. Letter for letter, but that the name of Page and Ford differs. To thy great comfort in this mystery of ill opinions, here's the twin-brother of thy letter; but let thine inherit firft, for I proteft mine never fhall. I warrant he hath a thoufand of thefe letters, writ with blank-fpace for different names; nay, more; and thefe are of the fecond edition: he will print them out of doubt, for he cares not what he puts into the prefs, when he would put us two. I had rather be a giantefs, and lye under mount Pelion. Well, I will find you twenty lafcivious turtles, ere one chafte man.

Mrs. Ford. Why, this is the very fame, the very hand, the very words; what doth he think of us?

Mrs. Page. Nay, I know not; it makes me almost ready to wrangle with mine own honefty. I'll entertain my felf like one that I am not acquainted withal; for fure, unless he knew fome ftain in me, that I know not my felf, he would never have boarded me in this fury.

Mrs. Ford. Boarding, call it you? I'll be fure to keep him above deck.

Mrs.

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