Nym. He was gotten in drink, is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroick, and there's the humour of it.

Fal. I am glad, I am so quit of this tinderbox; his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unfkilful finger, he kept not time.

6

Nym. The good humour is to steal at a minute's reft.

Pift. Convey, the Wise it call: fteal? foh; a fico for the phrafe!

Fal. Well, Sirs, I am almoft out at heels.

Pift. Why then let kibes enfue.

Fal. There is no remedy: I muft cony-catch, I muft fhift.

Pift. Young ravens muft have food.

Fal. Which of you know Ford of this town?
Pift. I ken the wight, he is of substance good.
Fal. My honeft lads, I will tell you what I am about.
Pift. Two yards and more.

Fal. No quips now, Piftol: indeed I am in the wafte two yards about; but I am now about no waste, I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife: Ifpy entertainment in her; fhe difcourses, she carves, the gives the leer of invitation: I can construe the action of her familiar ftile, and the hardest voice of her behaviour, to be english'd right, is, I am Sir John Falstaff's.

Pift. He hath study'd her well, and tranflated her well out of honesty into English.

Nym. The anchor is deep; will that humour pass?

- at a minute's reft.] It was very judiciously suggested to me by a young gentleman who knows more of mufick than I, that our authour probably wrote at a minim's-reft.

The anchor is deep; will that humour pass?] I fee not what

relation the anchor has to tranfla tion. Perhaps we may read the authour is deep; or perhaps the line is out of its place, and should be inferted lower after Falstaff has faid,

Sail like my pinnace to thofe golden fhores.

Fal.

.

Fal. Now, the report goes, fhe has all the rule of her husband's purse: fhe hath a legion of angels. Pift. As many devils entertain; and to her, boy, fay I.

Nym. The humour rifes; it is good; humour me the angels.

Fal. I have writ me here a letter to her; and here another to Page's wife, who even now gave me good eyes too, examin'd my parts with moft judicious eyliads; fometimes, the beam of her view gilded my foot; fometimes, my portly belly.

Pift. Then did the fun on dung-hill shine.

Nym. I thank thee for that humour.

8

Fal. O, fhe did fo courfe o'er my exteriors with fuch a greedy intention, that the appetite of her eye did feem to scorch me up like a burning-glafs. Here's another letter to her; fhe bears the purfe too; fhe is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty. I will be Cheater to them both, and they fhall be Exchequers to me; they fhall be my East and West-Indies, and I will trade to them both.

fhe is a Region in Guiana, all Gold and Bounty.] If the Tradition be true (as I doubt not, but it is) of this Play being wrote at Queen Elizabeth's Command; this Paffage, perhaps, may furnish a probable Conjecture that it could not appear 'till after the Year 1598. The mention of Guiana, then fo lately difcover'd to the English, was a very happy Compliment to Sir W. Raleigh, who did not begin his Expedition for South America 'till 1595, and return'd from it in 1596, with an advantageous account of the great Wealth of Guiana. Such an Address of the

VOL II.

Go, bear thou this letter to

Hh

WARBURTON.

mistress

miftrefs Page, and thou this to miftrefs Ford: we will thrive, lads, we will thrive.

Pift. Shall I Sir Pandarus of Troy become,

And by my fide wear steel? then, Lucifer, take all !
Nym. I will run no base humour; here, take the
humour letter, I will keep the 'haviour of reputation.
Fal. Hold, Sirrah, bear you these letters tightly,
Sail like my pinnace to these golden fhores. [To Robin.
Rogues, hence, avaunt! vanish like hail-ftones, go;
Trudge, plod away o'th' hoof, feek shelter, pack!
Falstaff will learn the humour of the age,
French thrift, you rogues; myself, and fkirted page.
[Exit Falstaff and Boy.

I

Pift. Let vultures gripe thy guts; for gourd, and
Fullam holds:

And high and low beguiles the rich and poor.
Tefter I'll have in pouch, when thou fhalt lack,
Bafe Phrygian Turk!

Nym. I have operations in my head, which be humours of revenge.

Pift. Wilt thou revenge

?

Nym. By welkin, and her ftar.

Pift. With wit, or steel?

Nym. With both the humours, I:

I will difcufs the humour of this love to Ford.

1

Pift. And I to Page fhall eke unfold,
How Falstaff, varlet vile,

His dove will prove, his gold will hold,

And his foft couch defile.

Nym. My humour fhall not cool; I will incenfe Ford to deal with poifon; I will poffefs him with yellowness; for the Revolt of Mien is dangerous: that is my true humour.

Pift. Thou art the Mars of male contents; I fecond thee; troop on.

[Exeunt.

Changes to Dr. Caius's Houfe.

Enter Mrs. Quickly, Simple, and John Rugby.

Quick.

W

HAT, John Rugby! I pray thee, go to the cafement, and fee if you can see my master, master Doctor Caius, coming; if he do, i'faith, and find any body in the house, here will be old abufing of God's patience, and the King's English, Rug. I'll go watch.

Quic. Go, and we'll have a poffet for't foon at night, in faith, at the latter end 3 of a fea-coal fire. [Exit Rugby.] An honeft, willing, kind fellow, as ever fervant fhall come in houfe withal; and I warrant you, no tell-tale, nor no breed-bate; his worst fault is, that he is given to pray'r; he is fomething peevish that way; but no-body but has his fault; but let that pafs. Peter Simple, you fay your name is? Sim. Ay, for fault of a better.

2

Quic. And mafter Slender's your mafter?
Sim. Ay, forfooth.

the Revolt of Mien] I fuppofe we may read, the revolt of men. Sir T. Hanmer reads, this revolt of mine. Either may

ferve, for of the prefent text I can find no meaning.

3

at the latter end, &c.] That is, when my mafter is in bed. Hh 2 Quic

Quic. Does he not wear a great round beard, like a glover's paring-knife?

4

Sim. No, forfooth; he hath but a little wee-face, with a little yellow beard, a Cain-colour'd beard. Quie. A foftly-fprighted man, is he not?

Sim. Ay, forfooth, but he is as tall a man of his hands, as any is between this and his head: he hath fought with a warrener.

Quic. How fay you? oh, I fhould remember him; does he not hold up his head, as it were? and ftrut in his gate?

Sim. Yes, indeed, does he.

Quic. Well, heav'n fend Anne Page no worfe fortune! Tell mafter parfon Evans, I'll do what I can for your master: Anne is a good girl, and I wish—

Enter Rugby..

Rug. Out, alas! here comes my master.

Quic. We fhrall all be fhent; run in here, good young man; go into this clofet ; [huts Simple in the clofet.] He will not stay long. What, John Rugby! John! what John, I fay; go, John, go enquire for my master; I doubt, he be not well, that he comes not home and down, down, a-down-a, &c. [Sings.

SCENE X.

Enter Doctor Caius.

Caius. Vat is you fing? I do not like des toys; pray you, go and vetch me in my clofet un boitier verd, a box, a green-a box; do intend vat I speak ? a green-a box.