Be Slender therefore mute, for slender is his | basket go, and dive into the deep-Descend,

trust to dame Fortune for the rest; but the rogue will'd it not-he had a jest in store-for the goal I bargain'd and for the goal I must on.-'Twas not in my ability to vault-Itwas a precipice of five foot--I should ha' burst like a bladder, and with as much explosion too, for I had fasted —The town did come in view, and I was in a cart, drove like dung for a fallow; a man of my rank and parts!-I was compell'd to creep between the horns of the teeming hides, and ensconce me beneath.-I was compell'd to forego the light of day, or would I have lived, mine Antient, to be shotten, like a tale of bricks, from the nether end of a cart into Tanner's yard? I'd rather roll'd and been dash'd—I'd rather have lain till the day of resurrection in the paunches of fallow hounds.-Had I been diminutive, I must have into the pit-but I o'ershadow'd it— the tan-pit, for the foul-favour'd whipshot had made it his mark.

Haste, good mine Antient, I have no more to tell thee.-Mine Hostess did think I had risen from the dead-Would I had not been so much among the living! But indeed I was much corrupted. - Let me see thee-Delay not.

JOHN FALSTAff.

misused thee—I confess it, I confess it; but be thou the good Samaritan-I have need of oil to my wounds-I have been cozen'd, revil'd, and whipt-cozen'd by Woman, revil'd by man, and whipt by Child.have been antler'd, my good Antient, though not wedded.— -But I lie, I have been wedded too ;-to a buck- basket, to the hot fingers of fairy-elves, to the frail promises of woman. -Yea, I have had the Spinster's ring-I was sous'd into the Thames, and wrung by mine Host's scullions; cramp'd 'twixt hand and hand like a rinc'd doublet.- -I had thought my swoln belly were but a mass of congealed sack, beverag'd, indeed, with a slight smack of distillation from the poppies of the drowsy God; but I was out, villainously mistaken -I had more bucket-water than sack: and for distillations, I'm a knave an there hath been a scruple of it in my whole system for a matter of eight and forty hours. There is no rest in a cart-Mine Host, and his fry of Inkeepers-all the lice of Egypt lye in their quarters !--did enter into confederacy to unhorse me- broke their backs, forsooth! 'Tis a lie.-The disciple Ananias leas'd not so largely-'tis a lie But thou art at Windsor-thou must be advised of all this; for the ballad-singing knaves did deal out, circulate their protest -'twas a standing jest-thou must know it. I will briefly then unfold to thee, mine Antient, how I escaped me away. I had note of a commodity of hides being carted for London,-buckler's for Hal's, I would say the King's service.-A curse on Hal! Would he were fellow-twin to the Giant, he with the vulture at his chitterlings!-To Windsor went I for a reconciliation; from Windsor came I for a Tanner's yard!-Mark me, good mine Antient :-Having notes that there were hides going for London, I barter'd with the Carter, brib'd the Boor to decamp at midnight without coil, for the One would think, the only particle of town was mad, would ha' kept me for sport, Promethean animation thy carcase made a Sampson of me, had I consorted dowered with, had concenter'd in thy perwith Ox-hides by day.-In I got, unknow-petually verduring nasalities ;—and yet have ing of other passengers--there were myriads I seen thee trail a pike most puissantly,--by night they did roost-on the morrow Nay, 'twas thy gait, thy warlike deportI was envelop'd, a lump of corruption! a ment, procured thee a Halbert; superadvery dunghill, with all it's suffocative smells! ded indeed to a subtilty of finger thou wert --The buck-basket was a mansion to it, a egregiously endowed with. Court--would I had been there again! I'd submitted to be quoited into the river-I'd submitted to be stirred like a boiled cabbage -yea, by the cowlstaff.-I was fifty times in the mind to descend on the road, and

SIR JOHN TO CORPORAL BARDOLPH.1

WHY, thou damn'd Mulciberian Cyclopsbeaming rascal-thou recreant servitor to recreant Hinds; thou hast no more honourable aspirement in thee, than is in a tailabbreviated Butcher's retainer.-Because the apostate Prince, the Eastcheap Iscariot, commended the boy Francis, thou must, forsooth, perpetually gibbet, gibbet, gibbet, up and down like mine Hostess's pybald turnspit.

was

1 Perhaps the Reader should be reminded, that Bardolph had left Sir John's service on account of the Tapster to mine Host of the Garter. Merry Wives of Knight's increased expenses, and engaged himself as Windsor." Act 1.-Scene 3.