I 20

Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my

deer, and broke open my lodge.
Fal. But not kissed your keeper's daughter?
Shal. Tut, a pin ! this shall be answered.
Fal. I will answer it straight; I have done all this.

That is now answered.
Shal. The council shall know this.
Fal. 'Twere better for you if it were known in

counsel : you'll be laughed at.
Evans. Pauca verba, Sir John; goot worts.
Fal. Good worts ! good cabbage. Slender, I broke

your head : what matter have you against me? Slen. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against

you; and against your cony-catching rascals,

Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol.
Bard. You Banbury cheese!
Slen. Ay, it is no matter.
Pist. How now, Mephostophilus !
Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

130 Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca: slice! that's my

humour.
Slen. Where's Simple, my man? Can you tell, cousin ?
Evans. 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. 140 Evans. 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.

Fal. Pistol !
Pist. He hears with ears.
Evans. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this,

• He hears with ear'? why, it is affectations.
Fal. Pistol, did you pick Master Slender's purse?
Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he, or I would I might

never come in mine own great chamber again 150
else, of seven groats in mill-sixpences, and two
Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling
and two pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these

gloves.
Fal. Is this true, Pistol ?
Evans. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse.
Pist. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner! Sir John and

master mine,
I combat challenge of this latten bilbo.
Word of denial in thy labras here !

Word of denial : froth and scum, thou liest !
Slen. By these gloves, then, 'twas he.
Nym. Be avised, 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

170
Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John ?
Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say the gentleman had

160

:

Bard. And being fap, sir, was, as they say, cashiered;

and so conclusions passed the careires.
Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no

matter : I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again,
but in honest, civil, godly company, for this 180
trick : if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those
that have the fear of God, and not with drunken

knaves.
Evans. So Got udge me, that is a virtuous mind.
Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen ;

you hear it.

Enter Anne Page, with wine; Mistress Ford and Mistress

Page, following Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within.

[Exit Anne Page. Slen. O heaven! this is Mistress Anne Page. Page. How now, Mistress Ford !

190 Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well

met : by your leave, good mistress. [Kisses her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome. Come,

we have a hot venison pasty to dinner : come,
gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all un-

kindness. [Exeunt all except Shal., Slen., 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 200

Book of Riddles about you, have you?
Sim. Book of Riddles ! why, did you not lend it to

Alice Shortcake upon All-hallowmas last, a fort

night 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, 210

I shall do that that is reason.
Shal. Nay, but understand me.
Slen. So I do, sir.
Evans. Give ear to his motions, Master Slender: I

will description the matter to you, if you be

capacity of it. Slen. Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow says: I pray

you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his

country, simple though I stand here. Evans. But that is not the question: the question is 220

concerning your marriage.
Shal. Ay, there's the point, sir.
Evans. Marry, is it; the very point of it; to Mistress

Anne Page.
Slen. Why, if it be so, I will marry her upon any

reasonable demands.
Evans. But can you affection the 'oman?

command to know that of your mouth or of your
lips; for divers philosophers hold that the lips is
parcel of the mouth. Therefore, precisely, can 230

you carry your good will to the maid ?
Shal. Cousin Abraham Slender, can you love her ?
Slen. I hope, sir, I will do as it shall become one that

would do reason.

Let us

Evans. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies ! you must

speak possitable, if you can carry her your de

sires towards her. Shal. That you must.

Will you, upon good dowry,

marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that, upon your 240

request, cousin, in any reason. Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, sweet coz: what I do is to pleasure you, coz.

Can you love the maid ? Slen. I will marry her, sir, at your request : but if

there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married and have more occasion to know one another; I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you say "Marry 250 her,'I will marry her; that I am freely dissolved,

and dissolutely
Evans. It is a fery discretion answer; save the fall is

in the ort dissolutely’: the ort is, according
to our meaning, resolutely :' his meaning is

good.
Shal. Ay, I think my cousin meant well.
Slen. Ay, or else I would I might be hanged, la!
Shal. Here comes fair Mistress Anne.

Re-enter Anne Page.
Would I were young for your sake, Mistress 260

Anne !
Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father desires

your worships' company.
Shal. I will wait on him, fair Mistress Anne.