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Ford. Ay; and as idle as fhe may hang together, for want of company; I think if your husbands were dead, you two would marry.

Mrs. Page. Be fure of that, two other husbands.
Ford. Where had you this pretty weather-cock?

Mrs. Page. I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my hufband had him of: what do you call your Knight's name, firrah?

Rob Sir John Fafeff

Ford. Sir John Falstaff?

Mrs. Page. He, he; I can never hit on's name`; there is fuch a league between my good man and he. Is your wife at home, indeed?

Ford. Indeed, he is.

her.

Mrs. Page. By your leave, Sir; I am fick, 'till I fee [Exeunt Mrs. Page and Robin. Ford. Has Page any brains? hath he any eyes? hath he any thinking? fure, they fleep; he hath no ufe of them. Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty mile, as eafy as a cannon will fhoot point-blank twelve-fcore;. he pieces out his wife's inclination; he gives her folly motion and advantage; and now fhe's going to my wife, and Falta's boy with her. A man may hear this fhower fing in the wind and Falstaff's boy with her! good plots; they are laid, and our revolted wives fhare damnation together. Well, I will take him, then torture my wife; pluck the borrowed vail of modefty from the fo feeming miftrefs Page, divulge Page himself for a fecure and wilful Action, and to thefe violent proceedings all my neighbours thall cry aim. The clock gives me my cue, and my affurance bids me fearch; there I shall find Falstaff: I shall be rather praised for this, than mocked; fo it is as pofitive as the earth is firm, that Faltaff is there: I will go. To him, Enter Page, Shallow, Slender, Hoft, Evans, and Caius.

Sal. Page, &c. Well met, Mr. Ford.

Ford. Trust me, a good knot; I have good cheer at home, and, I pay you, all go with me.

Shal

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Shal. I must excuse myself, Mr. Fora.

Sten. And fo muft I, Sir; we have appointed to dine with Mrs. Ann, and I would not break with her for more money than I'll speak of.

Shal. We have linger'd about a match between Ann Page and my coufin Slender, and this day we shall have our answer.

Slen. I hope, I have your good will, father Page.

Page. You have, Mr. Slender; I ftand wholly for you; but my wife, mafter Doctor, is for you altogether. Cai. Ay, by gar, and de maid is love-a-me: my. nurfh-a-quickly tell me so much.

Hoft. What fay you to young Mr. Fenton? he ca~ pers, he dances, he has eyes of youth, he writes verfes, he fpeaks holy-day, he fmells April and May; he will carry't, he will carry't; 'tis in his buttons, he will carry't.

Page. Not by my confent, I promife you the Gentleman is of no having, he kept company with the wild prince and Poinz: he is of too high a region, he knows two much; no, he fhall not knit a knot in his fortunes with the finger of my fubftance. If he take her, let him take her fimply; the wealth I have waits on my confent, and my confent goes not that way.

Ford. I befeech you, heartily, fome of you go home with me to dinner; befide, your cheer you fhall have fport; 1 will fhew you a monfter. Mr. Doctor, you fhall go; fo fhall you, Mr. Page; and you, Sir Hugh.

Shal. Well, fare you well: we fhall have the freer wooing at Mr. Page's.

Caius. Go home, John Rugby, I come anon.

Hoft. Farewel, my hearts; I will to my honeft knight Fallaff, and drink canary with him.

Ford. I think, I fhall drink in pipe-wine firft with him: I'll make him dance. Will you go, gentles? All. Have with you, to fee this monfter.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE changes to Ford's House.

Enter Mrs Ford, Mrs. Page, and Servants with a basket.

Mrs. Ford. X/HAT, John, what, Robert!

buck-basket

W

Mrs. Page. Quickly, quickly; is the

Mrs. Ford. I warrant. What, Robin, I say.
Mrs. Page. Come, come, come.

Mrs. Ford. Here, fet it down.

Mrs. Page. Give your men the charge, we must be brief.

Mrs. Ford. Marry, as I told you before, John and Robert, be ready here hard-by in the brew-house, and when I fuddenly call you, come forth, and without any paufe or ftaggering take this basket on your fhoulders; that done, trudge with it in all hafte, and carry it among the whitfters in Datchet-Mead, and there empty it in the muddy ditch clofe by the Thames-fide.

Mrs. Page. You will do it?

Mrs. Ford. I ha' told them over and over; they lack no direction. Be gone, and come when you are call'd. Mrs. Page. Here comes little Robin.

Enter Robin.

Mrs. Ford. How now, my eyas-mufket, what news with you?

Rob. My mafter, Sir John, is come in at your backdoor, Miftrefs Ford, and requefts your company. Mrs. Page. You little jack-a-lent, have you been true

to us?

Rob. Ay, I'll be fworn; my mafter knows not of your being here, and hath threaten'd to put me into everlafting liberty, if I tell you of it; for he fwears, he'll turn me away.

Mrs. Page. Thou'rt a good boy; this fecrecy of thine fhall be a taylor to thee, and fhall make thee a new doublet and hofe. I'll go hide me.

Mrs. Ford. Do fo; go tell thy Mafter, I am alone; Miftrefs Page, remember you your cue.

[Exit Robin.

Mrs.

me.

Mrs. Page. I warrant thee; if I do not act it, hifs [Exit Mrs. Page. Mrs. Ford. Go to then; we'll ufe this unwholfome humidity, this grofs watry pumpion-we'll teach him. to know turtles from jays.

Enter Falstaff.

Fal. Have I caught thee, my heav'nly jewel? why, now let me die; for I have liv'd long enough: this is the period of my ambition: O this bleffed hour! Mrs. Ford. O fweet Sir John!

Fal. Mrs. Ford, I cannot cog; I cannot prate, Miftrefs Ford: now fhall I fin in my wifh. I would, thy husband were dead; I'll fpeak it before the best Lord, I would make thee my Lady.

Mrs. Ford. I your Lady, Sir John ? alas, I fhould be a pitiful Lady.

Fal. Let the Court of France fhew me fuch another; I fee how thine eye would emulate the diamond: thou haft the right arched bent of the brow, that becomes the fhip-tire, the tire-valiant, or any Venetian attire.

Mrs. Ford. A plain kerchief, Sir John: my brows become nothing elfe, nor that well neither.

Fal. Thou art a tyrant to fay fo; thou would'st make an absolute courtier; and the firm fixture of thy foot would give an excellent motion to thy gate, in a femi-circled farthingale. I fee what thou wert; if fortune thy foe were not, nature is thy friend: come, thou canst not hide it.

Mrs. Ford. Believe me, there's no fuch thing in me. Fal. What made me love thee? let that perfuade thee. There's fomething extraordinary in thee. Come I cannot cog, and fay, thou art this and that, like a many of thefe lifping haw-thorn buds, that come like women in men's apparel, and fmell like Bucklers-Berry in fimpling time; I cannot: but I love thee, none bat thee; and thou deferveft it.

Mrs. Ford. Do not betray me, Sir; I fear, you love Mistress Page.

Fal. Thou might'ft as well fay, I love to walk by

the

the Counter-gate, which is as hateful to me as the reek of a lime-kiln.

Mrs. Ford. Well, heav'n knows how I love you, and you shall one day find it.

Fal. Keep in that mind; I'll deferve it.

Mrs. Ford, Nay, I must tell you, so you do; or elfe I could not be in that mind.

Rob. [within.] Mistress Ford, Mistress Ford, here's Mitrefs Page at the door, fweating, and blowing, and looking wildly, and would needs fpeak with you prefently. Fal. She fhall not fee me; I will entconce me behind the arras

Mrs. Ford. Pray you, do fo; fhe's a very tattling [Falftaff hides himself.

woman.

Enter Mistress Page.

What's the matter? how now?

Mrs. Page. Mistress Ford, what have you done? you're fhan'd, y'are overthrown, you are undone for

ever.

Mrs. Ford. What's the matter, good Mistress Page?. Mrs. Page. O well-a day, Mistress Ford, having an honeft man to your husband, to give him fuch cause of fufpicion.

Mrs. Ford. What caufe of fufpicion ?

Mrs. Page. What cause of fufpicion ? out upon you! how am I miftook in you?

Mrs. Ford. Why, alas! what's the matter?

Mrs. Page. Your husband's coming hither, woman, with all the officers in Windfor, to search for a Gentle man, that, he fays, is here now in the house, by your , confent, to take an ill advantage of his abfence. You are, undone.

Mrs. Ford. Speak louder-[Afd.] 'Tis not fo, I hope. Mrs. Page. Pray heav'n it be not fo, that you have such a man here; but 'tis moft certain, your husband's coming with half Windfor at his hee's, to fearch for fuch a one. I come before to tell you: if know yourfelf clear, why, I am glad of it; but if you have a friend here, convey, convey him out. Be not amaz'd,

you

call

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