me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and after wards pick'd my pocket. Bar. You Banbury cheese! Slen. Ay, it is no matter. Pift. How now, Mephoftophilus ? Nym. Slice, I fay! pauca, pauca; flice, that's my humour. Slen. Where's Simple, my man ?-can you tell, coufin? Eva. Peace: I pray you! Now let us under. ftand: There is three umpires in this matter, as I understand that is-mafter Page, fidelicet, master Page; and there is myfelf, fidelicet, myself; and the three party is, laftly and finally, mine hoft 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 caufe, with as great discreetly as we can. Fal. Piftol, Pift. He hears with ears. Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrafe is this, He hears with ear? Why, it is affectations. Fal. Piftol, did you pick mafter Slender's purfe? Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he, (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again elfe,) of feven groats in mill-fixpences, and two Edward fhovel-boards, that coft me two fhil, ling and two pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by thefe gloves. Fal. Is this true, Pistol? Eva. No; it is falfe, if it is a pick.purfe. I combat challenge of this latten bilbo : Nym. Be avis'd, fir, and pafs good humours: I will fay, marry trap, with you, if you run the nuthook's humour 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 altogether an afs. Fal. What fay you, Scarlet and John? Bard. Why, fir, for my part, I fay, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five fentences. Eva. It is his five fenfes : fie, what the ignorance is ! Bard. And being fap, fir, was, as they fay, cashier'd; and fo conclufions pafs'd the careires. Slen. Ay, you fpake in Latin then to; but 'tis no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilft I live again, but in honeft, 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. Got'udge me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Miftrefs ANNE PAGE with wine; Miftrefs FORD and Miftrefs PAGE following. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit ANNE PAGE Slen. O heaven! this is miftrefs Anne Page. Page. How now, miftrefs Ford ? Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth, you are very well met: by your leave, good miftrefs. [kiffing her 1 Page. Wife, bid thefe gentlemen welcome :--Come, we have a hot venison pafty to dinner ; come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness. my [Exeunt all but SHAL. SLENDER and EVANS. Slen. I had rather than forty fhillings, I had book of Songs and Sonnets here: Enter SIMPLE. How now, Simple! where have you been? I must wait on myself, muft I? You have not The Book of Riddles about you, have you? Sim. Book of Riddles ! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas ? 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 fir Hugh here;-Do you underftand me? Slen. Ay, fir, you fhall find me reasonable; if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reafon. Shal. Nay, but understand me. Slen. So I do, fir. Eva. Give ear to his motions, mafter Slender: I will defcription the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. Sten. Nay, I will do as my coufin Shallow fays: I pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, fimple though I stand here. Eva. But that is not the queftion; the question is concerning your marriage. Shal. Ay, there's the point, fir. Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it; to miftrefs Anne Page. Slen. Why, if it be fo, I will marry her, upon any reasonable demands. Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? Let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philofophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mouth;-Therefore, precifely, can you carry your good will to the maid ? Shal. Coufin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slen. I hope, fir,-- I will do, as it fhall become one that would do reafon. Eva. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies, you must fpeak poffitable, as if you can carry her your defires, towards her. Shal. That you must: Will you, upon good dowry, marry her? Slen. I will do a greater thing than that, upon your requeft, coufin, in any reafon. Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, fweet coz; what I do, is to pleasure you, coz: Can you love the maid ? Slen. I will marry her, fir, at your requeft; 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 occafion to know one another: I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you fay, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely diffolved, and diffolutely. : Eva. It is a fery difcretion anfwer; fave, the fault is in the 'ort diffolutely the 'ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely;-his meaning is good. Shal. Ay, I think my coufin meant well. Șlen. Ay, or else I would I might be hang'd, la. Re-enter ANNE PAGE. Shat. Here comes fair mistress Anne :--Would I were young, for your fake, mistress Anne! Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father defires your worships' company. Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne. Eva. Od's pleffed will! I will not be abfence at the grace. fir. [Exeunt SHALLOW and Sir H. EVANS. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, Slen. No, I thank you, forfooth, heartily; Į am very well. Anne. The dinner attends you, fir. Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forfooth:-Go, firrah, for all you are my man, go, wait upon my coufin Shallow: [Exit SIMPLE.] A justice of peace fometime may be beholden to his friend for a man:-I keep but three men and a boy yet, till my mother be dead: But what though? yet I live like a poor gentleman born. Aune. I may not go in without your worship: they will not fit, till you come. Slen. I'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did. Anne. I pray you, fir, walk in. Sten. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my fhin the other day with playing at fword and dagger with a master of fence, three veney's for a difh of ftew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark fo? be there bears i' the town? Anne. I think, there are, fir; I heard them talk'd of. |