[Exit.. Believe it, Page; he speaks sense. this. Nym. [To Page] And this is true; I like not the humour of lying. He hath wronged me in some humours: I should have borne the humoured letter to her; but I have a sword and it shall bite upon my necessity. He loves your wife; there's the short and the long. My name is Corporal Nym; I speak and I avouch; 'tis true: my name is Nym and Falstaff loves your wife. Adieu. I love not the humour of bread and cheese, and 140 there's the humour of it. Adieu. [Exit. Page. 'The humour of it,' quoth a'! here's a fellow frights English out of his wits. Ford. I will seek out Falstaff. Page. I never heard such a drawling, affecting rogue. Ford. If I do find it: well. Page. I will not believe such a Cataian, though the priest o' the town commended him for a true man. Ford. 'Twas a good sensible fellow well. [Mrs. Page and Mrs. Ford come forward. 133. humour. The fashionable misuse by which this 'poor innocent word was racked and tortured' (Jonson), is ridiculed in Nym's meaningless formula. Jonson, almost at the same time, laid his heavier hand upon the abuse in the Induction to Every Man out of his Humour. The predominance of some peculiar mental quality may be truly said (he declares) to be a 'humour '; and it was in this sense that he himself created the comedy of humours: 150 But that a rook, by wearing a pyed feather, The cable hatband, or the threepiled ruff, A yard of shoe-tye, or the Switzer's knot On his French garters, should affect a humour, O, it is more than most ridiculous! And Nym goes some lengths beyond this. 145. affecting, affected. 148. Cataian (Chinese), a rogue. Mrs. Page. Whither go you, George? Hark you. Mrs. Ford. How now, sweet Frank! why art thou melancholy? Ford. I melancholy ! I am not melancholy. Get you home, go. Mrs. Ford. Faith, thou hast some crotchets in thy head. Now, will you go, Mistress Page? Mrs. Page. Have with you. You'll come to dinner, George. [Aside to Mrs. Ford] Look who comes yonder: she shall be our messenger to this paltry knight. Mrs. Ford. [Aside to Mrs. Page] Trust me, I thought on her she'll fit it. Enter MISTRESS QUICKLY. Mrs. Page. You are come to see my daughter Anne? Quick. Ay, forsooth; and, I pray, how does good Mistress Anne? Mrs. Page. Go in with us and see: we have an hour's talk with you. [Exeunt Mrs. Page, Mrs. Ford, and Mrs. Quickly. Page. How now, Master Ford! Ford. You heard what this knave told me, did you not? Page. Yes and you heard what the other told me? Ford. Do you think there is truth in them? 160 170 Page. Hang 'em, slaves! I do not think the knight would offer it: but these that accuse him 180 in his intent towards our wives are a yoke of his discarded men; very rogues, now they be out of service. 181. yoke, pair. Ford. Were they his men? Page. Marry, were they. Ford. I like it never the better for that. Does he lie at the Garter? Page. Ay, marry, does he. If he should intend this voyage towards my wife, I would turn her loose to him; and what he gets more of her 190 than sharp words, let it lie on my head. Ford. I do not misdoubt my wife; but I would be loath to turn them together. A man may be too confident: I would have nothing lie on my head: I cannot be thus satisfied. Page. Look where my ranting host of the Garter comes: there is either liquor in his pate or money in his purse when he looks so merrily. Enter HOST. How now, mine host! Host. How now, bully-rook! thou'rt a gentle- 200 Cavaleiro-justice, I say! man. Enter SHALLOW. Shal. I follow, mine host, I follow. Good even and twenty, good Master Page! Master Page, will you go with us? we have sport in hand. Host. Tell him, cavaleiro - justice; tell him, bully-rook. Shal. Sir, there is a fray to be fought between Sir Hugh the Welsh priest and Caius the French doctor. Ford. Good mine. host o' the Garter, a word with you. [Drawing him aside. Host. What sayest thou, my bully-rook? Shal. [To Page] Will you go with us to be 210 hold it? My merry host hath had the measuring of their weapons; and, I think, hath appointed them contrary places; for, believe me, I hear the parson is no jester. our sport shall be. Hark, I will tell you what [They converse apart. Host. Hast thou no suit against my knight, my 220 guest-cavaleire ? Ford. None, I protest: but I'll give you a pottle of burnt sack to give me recourse to him and tell him my name is Brook; only for a jest. Host. My hand, bully; thou shalt have egress and regress; said I well?—and thy name shall be Brook. It is a merry knight. Will you go, An-heires? Shal. Have with you, mine host. Page. I have heard the Frenchman hath good 230 skill in his rapier. Shal. Tut, sir, I could have told you more. the time, with my long sword I would have made Host. Here, boys, here, here! shall we wag? Page. Have with you. I had rather hear them scold than fight. [Exeunt Host, Shal., and Page. 240 Ford. Though Page be a secure fool, and stands so firmly on his wife's frailty, yet I cannot put off my opinion so easily she was in his company at Page's house; and what they made : technical term introduced with the use of the rapier, which began to oust the English broadsword for duelling in the latter half of Elizabeth's reign. 237. tall, doughty. 241. secure, foolishly trustful. T there, I know not. Well, I will look further into 't : and I have a disguise to sound Falstaff. If I find her honest, I lose not my labour; if she be otherwise, 'tis labour well bestowed. [Exit. SCENE II. A room in the Garter Inn. Enter FALSTAFF and PISTOL. Fal. I will not lend thee a penny. Pist. Why, then the world's mine oyster, Which I with sword will open. Fal. Not a penny. I have been content, sir, you should lay my countenance to pawn: I have grated upon my good friends for three reprieves for you and your coach-fellow Nym; or else you had looked through the grate, like a geminy of baboons. I am damned in hell for swearing to gentlemen my friends, you were good soldiers 10 and tall fellows; and when Mistress Bridget lost the handle of her fan, I took 't upon mine honour thou hadst it not. Pist. Didst not thou share? hadst thou not Fal. Reason, you rogue, reason: thinkest thou I'll endanger my soul gratis? At a word, hang no more about me, I am no gibbet for you. Go. A short knife and a throng! To your manor of Pickt-hatch! Go. You'll not bear a letter for me, you rogue! you stand upon your 20 honour. Why, thou unconfinable baseness, it is as much as I can do to keep the terms of my 6. grated upon, harassed. 8. geminy, couple. 19. Pickt-hatch, a district of ill-repute in London. 21. unconfinable, unrestrainable. |