Enter FORD, PAGE, CAIUS, and Sir HUGH EVANS.

FORD. Pray you, come near: if I fufpect without cause, why then make sport at me, then let me be your jeft; I deferve it.-How now? whither bear you this?

SERV. To the laundrefs, forfooth.

MRS. FORD. Why, what have you to do whither they bear it? You were beft meddle with buckwafhing.

FORD. Buck? I would I could wash myself of the buck! Buck, buck, buck? Ay, buck; I warrant you, buck; and of the feafon too, it shall appear.* [Exeunt Servants with the basket.] Gentlemen,

this interrogation, or the paffages adduced in Mr. Steevens's note. To drumble and drone are often ufed in connexion. HENLEY.

A drumble drone, in the western dialect, fignifies a drone of humble bee. Mrs. Page may therefore mean---How lazy and stupid you are! be more alert. MALONE.

3 carry them to the laundress in Datchet mead;] Mr. Dennis objects, with fome degree of reafon, to the probability of the circumftance of Falstaff's being carried to Datchet mead, and thrown into the Thames. "It is not likely (he observes) that Falftaf would fuffer himself to be carried in the basket as far as Datchet mead, which is half a mile from Windfor, and it is plain that they could not carry him, if he made any resistance." MALONE. it fhall appear.] Ford feems to allude to the cuckold's horns. So afterwards: and fo buffets himself on the forehead, crying, peer out, peer out." Of the feafon is a phrase of the forest. MALONE.

4

Mr. Malone points the paffage thus." Ay, buck; I warrant you, buck, and of the seafon too; it fhall appear." I am fatisfied with the old punctuation. In The Rape of Lucrece, our poet makes his Leroine compare herself to an " unfeafonable doe;" and, in Blunt's Cuftoms of Manors, p. 168, is the fame phrase employed by Ford.--"A bukke delivered him of feyfone, by the woodmafter and keepers of Needwoode." STEEVENS.

So, in a letter written by Queene Catharine, in 1526, Howard's Collection, Vol. I. p. 21x: "We will and command you, that

I have dream'd to-night; I'll tell you my dream. Here, here, here be my keys: afcend my chambers, search, seek, find out: I'll warrant, we'll unkennel the fox:-Let me ftop this way firft:-So, now uncape.

༢

PAGE. Good mafter Ford, be contented: you wrong yourself too much.

FORD. True, mafter Page.-Up, gentlemen; you fhall fee fport anon: follow me, gentlemen. [Exit. EVA. This is fery fantastical humours, and jealoufies.

CAIUS. By gar, 'tis no de fafhion of France: it is no jealous in France.

PAGE. Nay, follow him, gentlemen; fee the iffue of his fearch. [Exeunt EVANS, PAGE, and CAIUS.

ye delyver or caufe to be delyvered unto our trufty and well-beloved John Creuffe--one buck of season.” The feafon of the hynd or doe (fays Manwood) doth begin at Holyrood-day, and lafteth till Candelmas." Foreft Laws, 1598. MALONE.

So, now uncape.] So the folio of 1623 reads, and rightly. It is a term in fox-hunting, which fignifies to dig out the fox when earth'd. And here is as much as to fay, take out the foul linen under which the adulterer lies hid. The Oxford editor reads---uncouple, out of pure love to an emendation.

WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton feems to have forgot that the linen was already carried away. The alufion in the foregoing fentence is to the ftopping every hole at which a fox could enter, before they uncape or turn him out of the bag in which he was brought. I fuppofe every one has heard of a bag-fox. STEEVENS.

Warburton, in his note on this paffage, not only forgets that the foul linen had been carried away, but he alfo forgets that Ford did not at that time know that Falstaff had been hid under it; and Steevens forgets that they had not Falstaff in their poffeffica, as hunters have a bag-fox, but were to find out where he was hid. They were not to chafe him, but to roufe him. I therefore believe that Hanmer's amendment is right, and that we ought to read--uncouple.--Ford, like a good sportsman, first tops the earths, and then uncouples the hounds.

M. MASON.

MRS. PAGE. Is there not a double excellency in this?

MRS. FORD. I know not which pleafes me better, that my husband is deceived, or fir John.

MRS. PAGE. What a taking was he in, when your husband afk'd who was in the basket! •

MRS. FORD. I am half afraid he will have need of washing; fo throwing him into the water will do him a benefit.

MRS. PAGE. Hang him, dishonest rascal! I would, all of the fame ftrain were in the fame diftrefs:

MRS. FORD. I think, my husband hath some fpecial fufpicion of Falftaff's being here; for 1 never faw him fo grofs in his jealousy till now.

MRS. PAGE. I will lay a plot to try that: And we will yet have more tricks with Falftaff: his diffolute disease will scarce obey this medicine.

MRS. FORD. Shall we fend that foolifh carrion, miftrefs Quickly, to him, and excufe his throwing into the water; and give him another hope, to betray him to another punishment?

MRS. PAGE. We'll do it; let him be fent for to-morrow eight o'clock, to have amends.

Mr. M. Máfon alfo feems to forget that Ford at least thought he had Falstaff fecure in his houfe, as in a bag, and therefore fpeaks of him in terms applicable to a bag-fox. STEEVENS.

who was in the basket!] We should read-what was in the basket for though in fact Ford has afked no fuch question, he could never fufpect there was either man or woman in it. The propriety of this emendation is manifeft from a fubfequent paffage, where Falstaff tells Mafter Brook-" the jealous knave asked them once or twice what they had in their basket. RITSON.

7 that foolish carrion, ] The old copy has-foolishion carrion. The correction was made by the editor of the fecond folio.

VOL. V.

K

MALONE

Re-enter FORD, PAGE, CAIUS, and Sir HUGH

EVANS.

FORD. I cannot find him: may be the knave bragg'd of that he could not compass.

MRS. PACE. Heard you that?

MRS. FORD. Ay, ay, peace: '-You ufe me well mafter Ford, do you?

FORD. Ay, I do so.

MRS. FORD. Heaven make

thoughts!

FORD. Amen.

you

better than your

MRS. PAGE. You do yourfelf mighty wrong, mafter Ford.

FORD. Ay, ay; I muft bear it.

EVA. If there be any pody in the house, and in the chambers, and in the coffers, and in the preffes, heaven forgive my fins at the day of judgement!

CAIUS. By gar, nor I too; dere is no bodies.

PAGE. Fie, fie, mafter Ford! are you notafhamed? What fpirit, what devil fuggefts this imagination? I would not have your diftemper in this kind, for the wealth of Windfor Castle.

FORD. 'Tis my fault, inafter Page: I fuffer for it. EVA. You fuffer for a pad confcience: your wife is as honeft a 'omans, as I will'defires among five thousand, and five hundred too.

CAIUS. By gar, I fee 'tis an honest woman. FORD. Well;-I promifed you a dinner :-Come, come, walk in the park: I pray you, pardon me;

7 Ay, ay, peace ] Thefe words were recovered from the early quarto by Mr. Theobald. But in his and the other modern editions, I, the old fpelling of the affirmative particle, has inadvertently been retained. MALONE

I will hereafter make known to you, why I have done this. Come, wife; come, mistress Page; I pray you pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me. PAGE. Let's go in, gentlemen; but, trust me, we'll mock him. I do invite you to morrow morning to my house to breakfast; after, we'll a birding together; I have a fine hawk for the bufh: Shall it be fo?

FORD. Any thing.

EVA. If there is one, I fhall make two in the company.

CAIUS. If there be one or two, I fhall make-a de turd.

EVA. În your teeth: 8 for fhame.

FORD. Pray you go, master Page.

EVA. I pray you now, remembrance to-morrow on the loufy knave, mine hoft.

CAIUS. Dat is good; by gar, vit all my heart. EVA. A loufy knave; to have his gibes, and his mockeries. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

A Room in Page's Houfe.

Enter FENTON, and Mistress ANNÉ PAGE, FENT. I fee, I cannot get thy father's love; Therefore, no more turn me to him, fweet Nan.

ANNE. Alas! how then?

FENT.

Why, thou must be thyself.
He doth object, I am too great of birth;
And that, my state being gall'd with my expence,

8 In your teeth:] This dirty reftoration was made by Mr. Theobald. Evan's application of the doctor's words is not in the folio. STEEVENS.