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But that our soft conditions and our hearts,
Should well agree with our external parts ?
Come, come, you froward and unable worms!
My mind hath been as big as one of your's,
My heart, as great; my reason, haply, more,
To bandy word for word, and frown for frown:
But now, I see our lances are but straws;
Our strength as weak, our weakness past com-
pare,-

That seeming to be most, which we least are.
Then vail your stomachs, † for it is no boot;
And place your hands below your husband's
foot:

In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready, may it do him ease

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Pet. Why, there's a wench I-Come on, and kiss me, Kate.

Luc. Well, go thy ways, old lad; for thou shalt ba't.

Vin. 'Tis a good hearing, when children are toward.

Luc. But a harsh hearing, when women are froward.

Pet. Come, Kate, we'll to bed -We three are married, but we two are sped 'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white; [TO LUCENTIO. And, being a winner, God give you good night! [Exeunt PETRUCHIO and KATH. Hor. Now go thy ways, thou hast tam'd a curst shrew.

Luc. 'Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tam'd s0. [Exeunt.

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THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE.

THIS play was produced under two disadvantages: first, it was not the suggestion of Shakspeare's own genius, be having exhibited the character of Falstaff in three inimitable plays, and finished the portrait to his own name, and secondly, it was written with unusual expedition, in the short period of fourteen days. Queen Elsaari k is said to have been so delighted with the Knight, that she commanded our poet to show him in love; 186, 43′′ on this regal signification, Dr. Johnson remarks, that “no task is harder than that of writing to the idea of another. Shakspeare knew what the Queen, if the story be true, seems not to have known-that by any real passion of tenderness, the selfish craft, the careless jollity, and the lazy luxury of Falstaff must have suffered so much abatement, that little of his former craft would have remained. Falstaff could sat love, but by ceasing to be Falstaff." The most noted propensities of the fat old man," are however, skilfully engrafied on the design of the piece; so that wit, covetousness, mendacity, and concupiscence, are as much as posible combined and developed in his conduct. The other characters, also, are well contrasted ; and many of the scenes are pregnant with amusing incident. The circumstances of the plot are variously derived; some of them, probably, from an old translation of II Pecorone by Giovanni Fiorentine; and the particular advcacures of Falstaff, from The Lovers of Pisa, a story in an ancient piece called Tarleton's News out of Purgatory. NiaAlone supposes that Shakspeare chose Windsor for the scene of Falstaff's loye-frolics, upon reading the subjoined passage in “Westward for Smelts?” “In Windsor not long agoe, dwelt a sumpterman, who had en wide a very faire but wanton creature, over whom, not without cause, he was something jealous ; yet had he never any proof of her inconstancy."

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SCENE I.—Windsor. Before PAGE's House.
Enter Justice SHALLOW, SLENDER, and Sir
HUGH EVANS.

Shal. Sir Hugh, persuade me not: I will make a star chamber matter of it: if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire.

Sten. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram.

old coat well; it agrees well, passant: it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies-love.

Shal. The luce is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat.

Sten. I may quarter, coz 1

Shal. You may, by marrying.

Eva. It is marring indeed, if he quarter it.
Shal. Not a whit.

Eva. Yes, py'r lady if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but that is all one: If Sir John Falstaff have committed disparShal. Ay, cousin Slender, and Cust-alorum. +agements unto you, I am of the church, and Sien. Ay, and ratolorum too; and a gentle man born, master parson; who writes himself armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero.

Shal. Ay, that we do; and have done any time these three hundred years.

Sten. All bis successors, gone before him have done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may; they may give the dozen white luces in their coat.

Shal. It is an old coat.
Evg. The dozen white louses do become an
A title formerly appropriated to chaplains as well as

to knights.

+ Custos rotulorum.

1 The luce is a pike: Shakspeare has here a throw at Sir Thomas Lucy, who compelled him to leave Stratford.

will be glad to do my benevolence, to make
atonements and compromises between you.
Shal. The council shall hear it; it is a riot.
there is no fear of Got in a riot: the conscil
Eva. It is not meet the council hear a rist;
and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments į
look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got,
in that.

Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it.

and end it: and there is also another device Eva. It is petter that friends is the sword, in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it: There is Anne Page

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which is daughter to master George Page, which! Fal. 'Twere better for yon, if it were known is pretty virginity.

Sien. Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman.

Eva. It is that fery verson for all the 'orld, as just as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire, upon his death's-bed, (Got deliver to a joyful resurrections :) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a goot motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage between master Abraham, and mistress Anne Page.

Shal. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pound?

Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny :

Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts.

Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is good gifts.

Shat. Well, let us see honest master Page: 1s Falstaff there?

Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar, as I do despise one that is false; or, as despise one that is not true. The knight, Sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. 1 will peat the door [knocks] for master Page. What, hoa! Got pless your house here !

Enter PAGE.

Page. Who's there?

Eva. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and justice Shallow and here young master Slender; that peradventures shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings.

Page. I am glad to see your worship's well: I thank you for my venison, master Shallow.

Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you: Much good do it your good heart! I wished your venison better: it was ill kill'd :-How doth good mistress Page -and I love you always with my heart, la; with my heart.

Page. Sir, I thank you.

Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do. Page. I am glad to see you, good master Slender.

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Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; Can there be more said? ue is good and fair.Is Sir John Falstaff here ?

Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between you.

Eva. It is spoke as a Christians ought to speak.

Shal. He bath wrong'd me, master Page. Page. Sir, he doth in some sort confess it. Shal. If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd; is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me; indeed, he hath at a word, he hath ;believe me -Robert Shallow, esquire, saith he is wrong'd.

Page. Here comes Sir John. Enter Sir JOHN FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, NYM, and PISTOL.

Fal. Now, master Shallow; you'll complain t me to the king ?

Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge.

Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter? Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answer'd. Fal. I will answer it straight ;—I have done all this :-That is now answer'd.

Shal. The council shall know this.

• Soft.

+ Cotswold in Gloucestershire

in counsel you'll be laugir'd at.

Era. Pauca verba, Sir John, good worts. Fal. Good worts! good cabbage.-Slender, I broke your head; What matter have you against me?

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Sten. Marry, Sir, I have matter in my head against you; and against your coney-catching + rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. They carried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards picked my pocket.

Bard. You Banbury cheese! t
Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pist. How now, Mephostophilus ?$
Sten. Ay, it is no matter.

Nym. Slice, I say! panca, pauca ; ¶ slice ! that's my humour.

Slen. Where's Simple, my man?-can you tell, cousin?

Era. Peace: I pray you! Now let us understand: There is three umpires in this matter as I understand that is-master Page, fidelicet, master Page; and there is myself, fidelicet, myself; and the three party is, lastly and finally, mine host of the Garter.

Page. We three, to hear it, and end it between them.

Eva. Fery goot: I will make a prief of it in my note-book; and we will afterwards 'ork upon the cause, with as great discreetly as we

can.

Fal. Pistol,-

Pist. He bears with ears.

Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this, He hears with ears? Why, it is affectations.

Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse?

Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did be, (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again else,) of seven groats in mill-sixpences, and two Edward shovel-boards, ¶ that cost me two shillings and twopence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves.

Fal. Is this true, Pistol?
Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse.
Pist. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner!--
John, and master mine,

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*

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I combat challenge of this latten bilbo : Word of denial in thy labras ++ here; Word of denial; froth and scum, thou liest. Slen. By these gloves, then 'twas he. Nym. Be advised, Sir, and pass good hn mours: I will say, marry trap, with you, if you run the nutbook's humours on me; that is the very note of it.

Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it for though I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogeber an ass.

Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John?

Bard. Why, Sir, for my part, I say, the gentleman had drunk bimself out of his five

sentences.

Era. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is!

Bard. And being fap, 55 Sir, was, as they say, cashier'd; and so conclusions pass'd the careires.

Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: if i be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves.

Eva. So Got 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind.

• Worts was the ancient name of all the cabbage kind + Sharpers were called coney-catchers. 1 Nothing but paring.

The name of a familiar spirit in the old story of Faust. i Few words.

King Edward's shillings, used in the game of shuffle-board. Blade as thin as a lath Drunk,

++ Laps. 11 If you say I am a thief

The bounds of good behaviour

Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it.

Enter Mistress ANNE PAGE with wine; Mistress FORD and Mistress PAGE following. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit ANNE PAGE. Slen. O heavens! this is mistress Anne Page. Page. How now, mistress Ford ? Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met by your leave, good mistress.

[Kissing her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome: Come we have a hot venisou pasty to dinner; cone, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness.

[Exeunt all but SHALLOW, SLENDER, and EVANS.

Slen. I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book of Songs and Sonnets here :

Enter SIMPLE.

How now, Simple! where have you been? I must wait on myself, must 14 You have not The Book of Riddles about you, bave you ? Sim. Book of Riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas ? *

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Shal. Here comes fair mistress we Would I were young, for your sake, mistress Ange Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father desires your worship's company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne. Eva. Od's plessed will; I will not be ab sence at the grace.

[Exeunt SHALLOW and Sir H. EvÂNK. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, Sir.

Mien. No, I thank you, forsooth, heartily; I am very well.

Anne. The dinner attends you, Sir,

Slen, I am not a-hungry, I thank you, Betsooth: Go, sirrah, for all you are my man, go, wait upon my cousin Shallow: [Erit SixPEŁ A justice of peace sometime may be bebok"ın to his friend for a man:-1 keep but three ma and a boy yet, till my mother be dead: Bet what though; yet I live like a poor gentlema born.

Anne. I may not go in without your worship: they will not sit till you come.

Slen. 'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did.

I

Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we stay for you. A word with you, coz: marry, this, coz ; There is, as 'twere, a tender, a kind of tender, made afar off by Sir Hugh here;-Do you un-at derstand me?

Slen. Ay, Sir, you shall find me reasonable;
If it be so, I shall do that that is reason.
Shal. Nay, but understand me.
Slen. So I do, Sir.

Eva. Give ear to his motions, master Slender : I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it.

Slen. Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow says I pray you, pardon me; be's a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here. Eva. But that is not the question; the question is concerning your marriage.

Shal. Ay, there's the point, Sir.

Fua. Marry, is it; the very point of it; mistress Anne Page.

to

Slen. Why, if it be so, I will marry her, upon any reasonable demauds.

Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? Let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philosophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mouth-Therefore, precisely, can you carry your good will to the maid ?

Shal. Cousin Abraham Slender, can you love her ?

Slen. I hope, Sir,-I will do as it shall become one that would do reason.

Eva. Nay, Got's lords aud his ladies, you must speak possitable, if you can carry her your desires towards her.

Shal. That you must: Will you, upon good dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that, upon your request, cousin, in any reason.

Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, sweet coz; what I do, is to pleasure you, coz: Can you love the maid ?

Sten. I will marry her, Sir, at your request; but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married, and have more occasion to know one another: I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you say, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely dissolv'd, and dissolutely.

Eva. It is a ferry discretion answer; save, the faul' is in the 'ort dissolutely: the 'ort is, according to our meaning, resolutely-his meaning is good.

Shal, Ay, I think my cousin meant well.

An intended blunder.

Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in.

Sten. I had rather walk here, I thank you. bruised my shin the other day with phying sword and dagger with a master of fence, three veneys for a dish of stewed pries; and by any troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot meat since. Why do your dogs bark 201 be there bears i' the town?

Anne. I think there are, Sir; I heard them talked of.

Sten. I love the sport well; but I shall soon quarrel at it, as any man in England. You are afraid, if you see the bear loose, sre you not ?

Anne, Aye indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now? have seen Sackerson + loose twenty times; aud have taken him by the chain: bat, I wornant you, the women have so cried and shriek'd at it, that it pass'd: -but women, indeed, not abide 'em; they are very ill-favoured rough things.

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letter is, to desire and require her to solicit
your master's desires to mistress Anne Page
I pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my
dinuer; there's pippins and cheese to come.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.—A Room in the Garter Inn.
Enter FALSTAFF, HOST, BARDOLPH, NYM,
PISTOL, and ROBIN,

Fal. Mine host of the Garter,-
Host. What says, my bully-rook? Speak
scholarly, and wisely.

Fal. Truly, mine host, I must turn away some of my followers.

Host. Discard bully Hercules; cashier them wag; trot, trot.

let

Fal. 1 sit at ten pounds a week. Host. Thou'rt an emperor, Cæsar, Keisar, and Pheezar, I will entertain Bardolph; be shall draw, he shall tap: said I well, Bully

Hector?

low.

Fat. Do so, good mine host. Host. I have spoke; let him follow: Let me see thee froth, and lime: I am at a word; fol[Exit HOST. Fal. Bardolph, follow him; a tapster is a good trade: An old cloak makes a new jerkin; a withered servingman, a fresh tapster; Go; adieu.

Bard. It is a life that I have desired; I will thrive. [Exit BARD. Pist. O base Gongarian wight! wilt thou the spigot wield ?

Nym. He was gotten in drink: Is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroic, and there's the humour of it.

Fal. I am glad I am so acquit of this tinder-I box; his thefts were too open: his filching was like an unskilful singer, he kept not time.

Nym. The good humour is, to steal at a minute's rest.

Pist. Convey, the wise it call: Steal! foh; a fico for the phrase !

Fal. Well, Sirs, I am almost out at heels.
Pist. Why then let kibes ensue.

Fal. There is no remedy; I must coney-catch;
I must shift.

Pist. Young ravens must have food.

Fal. Which of you know Ford of this town? Pist. 1ken the wight; he is of substance good.

Fal. My honest dads, I will tell you what I am about.

Pist. Two yards, and more.

Fal. No quips now, Pistol; indeed I am in the waist two yards about: but I am now about no waste; I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife; I spy entertainment in her; she discourses, she carves, she gives the leer of invitation; I can construe the action of her familiar style; and the hardest voice of her behaviour, to be English'd rightly, is, I am Sir John Falstaff's.

Pist. He hath studied her well, and translated her well; out of honesty into English.

Nym. The anchor is deep: will that humour pass?

Fal. Now, the report goes, she has all the rule of her husband's purse; she hath legions of angels. t

Pist. As many devils entertain; and, To her, boy, say 1.

Nym. The humour rises; it is good; humour me the angels.

Fal. I have writ me here a letter to her and here another to Page's wife; who even now gave me good eyes too, examin'd my parts with most judicious eyliads: sometimes the beam of her view gilded my foot, sometimes my portly belly.

Pist. Then did the sun on dung-hill shine. *
"Nym. I thank thee for that bumour.
Fol. Oh she did so course o'er my exteriors
For Hungarian. + Fig.
Gold coin.

with such a greedy intention, that the appetite of her eye did seem to scorch me up like a burning glass! Here's another letter to ber: she bears the purse too; she is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty. I will be cheater to them both, and they shall be exchequers to me; they shall be my East and West Indies, and I will trade to them both. Go, bear thon this letter to mistress Page; "and "thóo this to mistress Ford: we will thrive, lads, we will thrive.

Pist. Shall I Sir Pandarus of Troy become, And by my side wear steel? then, Lucifer take all4

Nym. I will run no base humour; here, take the humour letter; I will keep the "haviour of reputation.

Fal. Hold, sirrah, [To Ros.] bear you these letters tightly;+

go;

Sail like my pinnace to these golden shores.
Rogues, hence avauut vanish like hail-stones,
[pack!
Trudge, plod, away, o' the hoof; seek shelter
Falstaff will learn the humour of this age,
French thrift, you rogues; myself, and skitted
page. [Exeunt FALSTAFF and ROBIN,
Pist. Let vultures gripe thy guts! for gourd
and fullam bolds,

And high and low beguile the rich and poor:
Tester I'll have in pouch, when thou shalt lack,
Base Phrygian Turk!

Nym. I have operations in my head, which he humours of revenge.

Pist. Wilt thou revenge?

Nym. By welkin, and her star!
Pist. With wit, or steel?

Nym. With both the humours, 1:

will discuss the bumour of this love to Page, Pist. And I to Ford shall eke unfold,

How Falstaff, varlet vile,

His dove will prove, his gold will hold,
And his soft conch denie.

Nym. My humour shall not cool: I will incense Page to deal with poison; I will possess him with yellowness, for the revolt of mien is dangerous: that is my true humour.

Pist. Thou art the Mars of malcontents: I second thee; troop on.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV-A Room in Dr. CATUS's House.

Enter Mrs. QUICKLY, SIMPLE, and RUGBYJ

Quick. What; John Rugby -I pray thee go to the casement, and see if you can see my master, master Doctor Caius, coming: if be do i'faith, and find any body in the house, here will be an old abusing of God's patience and the king's English.

Rug. I'll go watch.

[Exit RUGBY.

Quick. Go; and we'll have a posset for't soon at night, in faith, at the latter end of a sea-coal fire. An honest, willing, kind fellow, as ever servants shall come in house withal; and I warrant you, no tell-tale, nor no breed-bate : his worst fault is, that he is given to prayer; he is something peevish ++ that way: but nobody but has his fault-but let that pass. Peter Simple, you say your name is?

Sim. Ay, for fault of a better.

Quick. And master Slender's your master?
Sim. Ay, forsooth.

Quick. Does he not wear a great round beard, like a glover's paring knife?

Sim. No, forsooth; he hath but a little wee face, with a little yellow beard; a Cain-coloured

beard.

Quick. A softly-sprighted man, is he not?
Sim. Ay, forsooth: but he is as tall §§ a man

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tt In the old tapestries, Cain and Judas were repre Brave. sented with yellow beards. 5 X

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