Pardon me, good lady; So much besmear it. Por. Let not that doctor e'er come near my Since he hath got the jewel that I loved, And that which you did swear to keep for me, I'll not deny him any thing I have, No, not my body nor my husband's bed: Know him I shall, I am well sure of it: 220 Lie not a night from home; watch me like Argus: 230 Now, by mine honour, which is yet mine own, Ner. And I his clerk; therefore be well advised Ant. I am the unhappy subject of these quarrels. Por. Sir, grieve not you; you are welcome notwithstanding. Bass. Portia, forgive me this enforced wrong; Por. Mark you but that! In both my eyes he doubly sees himself; Bass. 249. wealth, welfare. 240 Which, but for him that had your husband's ring, 250 Will never more break faith advisedly. Por. Then you shall be his surety. Give him this And bid him keep it better than the other. Ant. Here, Lord Bassanio; swear to keep this ring. Bass. By heaven, it is the same I gave the doctor! Por. I had it of him: pardon me, Bassanio; For, by this ring, the doctor lay with me. Ner. And pardon me, my gentle Gratiano; For that same scrubbed boy, the doctor's clerk, In lieu of this last night did lie with me. Gra. Why, this is like the mending of highways In summer, where the ways are fair enough: What, are we cuckolds ere we have deserved it? Por. Speak not so grossly. You are all amazed: Here is a letter; read it at your leisure; It comes from Padua, from Bellario: There you shall find that Portia was the doctor, Nerissa there her clerk: Lorenzo here Shall witness I set forth as soon as you And even but now return'd; I have not yet Enter'd my house. Antonio, you are welcome; And I have better news in store for you Than you expect: unseal this letter soon; There you shall find three of your argosies Are richly come to harbour suddenly: You shall not know by what strange accident I chanced on this letter. I am dumb. Ant. 262. In lieu of this, in consideration of this (ring). 260 270 not? 280 Gra. Were you the clerk that is to make me cuckold? Ner. Ay, but the clerk that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man. Bass. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow : When I am absent, then lie with my wife. Ant. Sweet lady, you have given me life and living: For here I read for certain that my ships Are safely come to road. Por. How now, Lorenzo! My clerk hath some good comforts too for you. Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without a fee. 290 There do I give to you and Jessica, From the rich Jew, a special deed of gift, After his death, of all he dies possess'd of. Lor. Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way It is almost morning, Gra. Let it be so: the first inter❜gatory [Exeunt. 300 298. inter gatories, a legal term; questions put to a swornwitness. 230 MERRY W SIR JOHN FALSTAFF. FENTON, a gentleman. SHALLOW, a country justice. SLENDER, Cousin to Shallow. FORD, PAGE, } two gentlemen dwelling at Windsor. WILLIAM PAGE, a boy, son to Page. BARDOLPH, PISTOL, sharpers attending on Falstaff. MISTRESS FORD. MISTRESS PAGE. ANNE PAGE, her daughter. MISTRESS QUICKLY, servant to Doctor Caius. Servants to Page, Ford, etc. SCENE: Windsor, and the neighbourhood. DURATION OF TIME The confusion of time, due apparently to compression, is Mr. Daniel proposes the discussed in the Introduction. following arrangement as 'in accordance with the obvious intention of the author' : Day 1. I. 1.-4. 2. II. 1.-3., III. 1.-4., and the Quickly portion of 5. 3. The Ford portion of III. 5., IV., V. 232 INT THE earliest text of bearing the followin excellent conceited and the merrie W with Sundrie variab Hugh the Welch H wise cousin M. Slen of Auncient Pist William Shakespeare Acted by the right laine's Seruants. elsewhere. London 1 Iohnson, and are to Churchyard... ( had been entered on Busby, a notorious ferred it to Johnso slight alterations in widely different vers Folio, and this was s Quarto, 1630. The versions cannot ever determined, but the paratively narrow. (1) that the Quarto |