Jul. Ay, madam. Sil. Ursula, bring my picture there. [Picture brought -Go, give your master this: tell him from me, Sil. I pray thee, let me look on that again. I will not look upon your master's lines : Jul. Madam, he sends your ladyship this ring. Though his false finger hath profan'd the ring, Sil. What say'st thou ? Jul. I thank you, madam, that you tender her: Poor gentlewoman! my master wrongs her much. Sil. Dost thou know her? Jul. Almost as well as I do know myself: To think upon her woes, I do protest, That I have wept an hundred several times. Sil. Belike, she thinks that Proteus has forsook her. Jul. She hath been fairer, madam, than she is : Sil. How tall was she? Jul. About my stature: for, at Pentecost, Sil. She is beholden to thee, gentle youth!- Jul. And she shall thank you for't, if e'er you know her. A virtuous gentlewoman, mild, and beautiful. Since she respects my mistress' love so much. Alas, how love can trifle with itself! If this fond love were not a blinded god? [Exit. SCENE II-The same. An apartment in the Duke's Thu. I'll wear a boot, to make it somewhat rounder. Pro. She says, it is a fair one. Thu. Nay, then the wanton lies; my face is black. Black men are pearls in beauteous ladies' eyes. For I had rather wink than look on them. Thu. How likes she my discourse? Pro. Ill, when you talk of war. [Aside. Thu. But well, when I discourse of love, and peace? Jul. But better, indeed, when you hold your peace. [Aside. What halloing, and what stir, is this to-day? These are my mates, that make their wills their law, [Aside. To keep them from uncivil outrages. Withdraw thee, Valentine; who's this comes here ? [Steps aside. Enter Proteus, Silvia, and Julia. Pro. Madam, this service I have done for you, (Though you respect not aught your servant doth,) To hazard life, and rescue you from him, That would have fore'd your honour and your love. Vouchsafe me, for my meed, but one fair look; A smaller boon than this I cannot beg, And less than this, I am sure, you cannot give. Val. How like a dream is this I see and hear! [Aside. Love, lend me patience to forbear a while. But, by my coming, I have made you happy. Besides, she did intend confession Sil. By thy approach thou mak'st me most unhappy. Jul. And me, when he approacheth to your presence. At Patrick's cell, this even; and there she was not: These likelihoods confirm her flight from hence. I would have been a breakfast to the beast, Th. Why, this it is to be a peevish girl, That flies her fortune, when it follows her: Ill after; more to be reveng'd on Eglamour, Than for the love of reckless Silvia. [Exit. Pre. And I will follow, more for Silvia's love, Than hate of Eglamour that goes with her. [Exit. Jul. And I will follow, more to cross that love, Than hate for Silvia, that is gone for love. [Exit. SCENE III. Frontiers of Mantua. The Forest. Enter Silvia, and Out-laws. Out. Come, come; Be patient, we must bring you to our captain. 2 Out. Come, bring her away. 1 Out. Where is the gentleman that was with her? 3 Out. Being nimble-footed, he hath out-run us, But Moyses, and Valerius, follow him. Go thou with her to the west end of the wood, 1 Out. Come, I must bring you to our captain's cave : Fear not; he bears an honourable mind, And will not use a woman lawlessly. Sil. O Valentine, this I endure for thee. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Another part of the Forest. Enter Valentine. Fal. How use doth breed a habit in a man! Therefore be gone, solicit me no more. Pro. What dangerous action, stood it next to death, Would I not undergo, for one calm look? O, 'tis the curse in love, and still approv'd, When women cannot love where they're belov'd! Sil. When Proteus cannot love, where he's belov'd, Thou hast no faith left now, unless thou hadst two, Val. Thou common friend, that's without faith or love; (For such is a friend now,) treacherous man! I am sorry, I must never trust thee more, The private wound is deepest: O time, most curst! 'Mongst all foes, that a friend should be the worst! Val. Forbear, I say; it is my lord the duke Your grace is welcome to a man disgrac'd, Pro. My shame and guilt confounds me. Forgive me, Valentine: if hearty sorrow Be a sufficient ransom for offence, I tender it here; I do as truly suffer, Pro. But, how eam'st thou by this ring? at my depart, I gave this unto Julia. Jul. And Julia herself did give it me; Jul. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths, It is the lesser blot, modesty finds, Women to change their shapes, than men their minds. Pro. Than men their minds! 'tis true: O heaven! were man But constant, he were perfect: that one error What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy Val. Come, come, a hand from either: Thu. Yonder is Silvia; and Silvia's mine. Val. Thurio, give back, or else embrace thy death; Come not within the measure of my wrath: Val. I thank your grace; the gift hath made me happy. I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake, Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be. Are men endued with worthy qualities; And fit for great employment, worthy lord. Duke. Thou hast prevail'd: I pardon them and thee; Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts. Val. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him; he blushes. Val. I warrant you, my lord, more grace than boy. Duke. What mean you by that saying? Val. Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along, That done, our day of marriage shall be yours; Slen. I may quarter, coz ? Shal. You may, by marrying. Eva. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it. Eva. Yes, py'r-lady; if he has a quarter of your saat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but this is all one: If sir John Faltaff have committed disparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, 9 make atonements and compromises between you. Shel. The council shall hear it; it is a riot. Eve. It is not meet the council hear a riot; there 10 no fear of Got in a riot: the council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that. Stal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the ward should end it. E. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it: There is Anne Page, which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity. Slen. Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman. Eva. It is that fery person, 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 peuny. Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts. Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is goot gifts. Shal. Well, let us see honest master Page: Is Falstaff there? Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar, as I do despise one that is false; or, as I despise one that is not true. The knight, sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. I 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 worships 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. Sten. How does your fallow greyhound, sir? I heard say, he was outrun on Cotsale. Page. It could not be judg'd, sir. Sten. You'll not confess, you'll not confess. Pist. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner!-Sir John, and master mine, I combat challenge of this latten bilbo: Slen. By these gloves, then, 'twas he Shal. That he will not;-'tis your fault, 'tis your Word of denial: froth and seum, thou ly'st. 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. 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 of 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 strait ;-I have done all this :That is now answer'd. Shal. The council shall know this. Ful. "Twere better for you, if it were known in counsel; you'll be laugh'd at. Eva. Pauca verba, sir John, good worts. Fal. Good worts! good cabbage.-Slender, I broke your head: What matter have you against ne? Slen. 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! Slen. Ay, it is no matter. Pist. How now, Mephostophilus? Slen. Ay, it is no matter. Nym. Slice, I say; pauca, pauca; slice! that's my humour. Sten. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, cous in? Eva. 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. Fat. Pistol Pist. He hears with ears. Eva. The tevil and his tam! What phrase is this, He hears with car? Why, it is affectations. Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse ? Sten. Ay, by these gloves, did he, (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 shilling and two-pence apiece of Yead Miller, by these gloves. Fal. Is this true, Pistol? Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse. Nym. Be advised, sir, and pass good humours: I will say, 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 ass. Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John? Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences. Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, 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 1 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. Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Mistress Anne Page, with wine; Mistress Ford and Mistress Page following. within. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink 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 venison pasty to dinner: come, gentlemen, I hop. we shall drink down all unkindness. [Exeunt all but Shal. Slend. 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 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 sir Hugh here;-Do you understand 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 |