Mrs Ford. Nay, I will consent to act any villany against him, that may not sully the chariness of our honesty. O, that my husband saw this letter! it would give eternal food to his jealousy. Mrs Page. Why, look where he comes; and my Mrs Ford. You are the happier woman. knight. Come hither. [They retire. Enter Ford, with Pistol, and Page, with Nym. Ford. Well, I hope it be not so. Pist. Hope is a curtal dog in some affairs : Sir John affects thy wife. Ford. Why, sir, my wife is not young. Pist. He wooes both high and low, both rich and poor, Ford. Love my wife! Pist. With liver burning hot. Prevent, or go thou, Like Sir Actæon he, with Ringwood at thy heels: Ford. What name, sir? Pist. The horn, I say. Farewell. 120 Take heed; have open eye; for thieves do foot by Take heed, ere summer comes, or cuckoo-birds do sing. Believe it, Page; he speaks sense. Ford. [Aside] I will be patient; I will find out this. [Exit. 130 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 140 cheese, and there's the humour of it. Adieu. 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. Page. How now, Meg! [Exit. 150 [Mrs Page and Mrs Ford come forward. 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 Mrs Ford. Faith, thou hast some crotchets in thy head. Mrs Page. Have with you. You'll come to dinner, 160 yonder: she shall be our messenger to this paltry Mrs Ford. [Aside to Mrs Page] Trust me, I thought Enter Mistress Quickly. Mrs Page. You are come to see my daughter Anne ? Mistress Anne ? Mrs Page. Go in with us and see: we have an hour's talk with you. 170 [Exeunt Mrs Page, Mrs Ford, and Mrs Quickly. Page. How now, Master Ford! Ford. You heard what this knave told me, did you Page. Yes: and you heard what the other told me ? Page. Hang 'em, slaves! I do not think the knight 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 toward my wife, I would turn her loose to him; and what he gets more of her than sharp words, let it lie on my head. Ford. I do not misdoubt my wife; but I would be 180 loath to turn them together. A man may be too 190 Page. Look where my ranting host of the Garter How now, mine host! Enter Host. Host. How now, bully-rook! thou'rt a gentleman. Enter Shallow. Shal. I follow, mine host, I follow. Good even and twenty, good Master Page! Master Page, will 200 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 say 'st thou, my bully-rook ? Shal. [To Page] Will you go with us to behold it? 210 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. Hark, I will tell you what our sport shall be. [They converse apart. Host. Hast thou no suit against my knight, my guestcavaleire ? 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 Shal. Have with you, mine host. in his rapier. Shal. Tut, sir, I could have told you more. 220 In these times you stand on distance, your passes, stoccadoes, and I know not what; 'tis the heart, 230 Master Page; 'tis here, 'tis here. I have seen the time, with my long sword I would have made you four tall fellows skip like rats. Host. Here, boys, here, here! shall we wag? Page. Have with you. I had rather hear them scold [Exeunt Host, Shal., and Page. than fight. 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 there I know 240 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. |