Sir John Falstaff. Fenton. Shallow, a country Justice. Mr. Page,} two gentlemen dwelling at Windfor William Page, a boy, fon to Mr. Page. Hof of the Garter Inn. Mrs. Anne Page, her daughter, in love with Fenton. Mrs. Quickly, fervant to Dr. Caius. Servants to Page, Ford, &c. SCENE, Windfor; and the parts adjacent. MERRY WIVES O F WINDSOR. ACT I. SCENE I. Windfor. Before Page's Houfe. Enter Justice SHALLOW, SLENDER, and Sir HUGH EVANS. SHAL. Sir Hugh', perfuade me not; I will make a Star-chamber matter of it: if he were twenty 2 Sir Hugh,] This is the firft, of fundry inftances in our poet, where a parfon is called fir. Upon which it may be obfeived, that anciently it was the common designation both of one in holy orders and a knight. Fuller, fomewhere in his Church Hiftory fays, that anciently there were in England more firs than knights; and fo Lately as temp. W. & Mar. in a depofition in the Exchequer in a cafe of tythes, the witnefs fpeaking of the curate, whom he remembered, ftyles him, fir Giles. Vide Gibfan's View of the State of the Churches of Door, Home-Lacy. &c. p. 36. SIR J. HAWKINS. Sir is the defignation of a Bachelor of Arts in the Univerfities of Cambridge and Dublin; but is there always annexed to the furname;-Sir Evans, &c. In confequence, however of this, all the inferior Clergy in England were diftinguifhed by this title affixed to their chriftian name for many centuries. Hence our author's. Sir Hugh in the prefent play,-Sir Topas in Twelfth Night, Sie Oliver in As you like it, &c. MALONE. |