XXXII. SEEMING CIVILITY. The meeting between the knight of the Red Cross, attended by Truth, with Hypocrisy. (Spencer's FAIRIE QUEENE.) (1) AT length they chaunst to meet upon the Description way An aged sire (2) in long black weeds yclad, (3) His feete all bare, his beard all hoarie grey, And by his belt his booke he hanging had. Sober he seem'd, and very sagely sad, And to the ground his eyes were lowly bent, Simple of shew, and void of malice bad. And all the way he prayed as he went, his And often knock'd repent. breast as one that did He faire the knight saluted, louting(4) low, Who faire him quited, (5) as that courteous was, And after asked him, if he did know Of straunge adventures which abroad did pas. 66 "Ah my deare sonne," (quoath he) how Civility. should, alas, Silly old man, that lives in hidden cell, Bidding his beads (6) all day for his trespas, Tidings of warre, and worldly trouble tell? With holy father fits not with such things to mell. (7) But if of daunger, which hereby doth dwell, (1) The edition from which this is taken viz. Church's, is in my @pinion, incomparably preferable, for correctness, to all others. (2) Hypocrify. (3) Clothed. (4) Bowing. (5) Returned his falutation. (6) Saying his prayers. (7) Meddle. Alarm. Threatening. Fear. Advising. Of a straunge man I can you tidings tell, weare. (2) For to all knighthood it is foul disgrace, "Far hence (quoath he) in wastfull wildernesse night, And well I wote, (4) that of your later fight long, At night doth baite his steeds the ocean waves Then with the sunne, take, Sir, your timely rest, 66 Right well, Sir knight, ye have advised bin." Quoath then that aged man! "The way to win (5) Is wisely to advise; now day is spent Inviting. Therefore with me you may take up your Inn For this same night." The knight was well content: So with that godly Father to his home they went. (1) Creature. (2) Pafs. (3) Truth. (4) Know. (5) Conquer, XXXIII. TREPIDATION. VEXATION. The humorous scene of craming Sir John Falstaff into the basket of foul linen, to prevent his being caught by jealous Ford. (1) FALSTAFF and Mrs. FORD. Serv. [without.] MADAM, Madam, Madam! Here is Mrs. Page, sweating and blowing, and looking wild, and says she must speak with you immediately. Fal. She shan't see me. I will ensconce me behind the arras. Hafte. Fear. Mrs. Ford. Pray do. She is a very tattling Directing. woman. Mrs. Ford. Enter MRS. PAGE. What's the matter? How now? Question. Mrs. Page. O Mrs. Ford! What have you done! You're sham'd; you're overthrown; you are undone forever. Alarm. Fear. Mrs. Ford. What's the matter, good Mrs. Page? Mrs. Page. Ο well a-day, Mrs. Ford! Hav- Reproof. ing an honest man to your husband, to give him such cause of suspicion. Mrs. Ford. What cause of suspicion ? Mrs. Page. What cause of suspicion! Out upon you; How I'm mistaken in you; I could not have thought you capable of such a thing. (1) In teaching the right utterance of this scene, the pupil must be lat into the plot of it, if he has not read or feen the play. He must be made to understand, that Falstaff, a fat, old, humorous, worthless, needy knight, has, in the former part of the play, made love to Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page, with a view, merely of getting money of them, and that they concert this interview, and its confequences, on purpose to be revenged on him for his attempt to corrupt them; while Ford is jealous in earnest; and Falstaff, from time to time, communicates to him, under the name of Brook, (not knowing him to be Mrs. Ford's husband,) an account of his intrigues, and their bad fuccess. Question. Fear. Warning. Mrs. Ford. Why, alas! what is the matter? Mrs. Page. Matter! Why, woman, your husband is a coming hither, with all the officers of Windsor, to search for a gentleman, that is here now in the house, by your consent, to take an ill advantage of his absence. You are undone. Mrs. Ford. It is not so, I hope. Mrs. Page. Pray heaven it be not so, that you have a man here. But it is most certain, that Mr. Ford is coming with half Windsor at his heels, to search the house. I come before to tell you. If you know yourself clear, I am glad of it. But if you have any body here, convey him out as fast as you can. Be not amazed. Call your senses to you. Defend your reputation, or bid farewel to your happiness for ever. Trepidation Mrs. Ford. What shall I do? There is a gentleman here, my dear friend. And I fear not mine own shame, so much as his peril. I had rather than a thousand pounds he were safe out of the house. Mrs. Page. Never stand crying: You had rather! You had rather. Exciting. Your husband's at hand. Bethink you of some conveyance. Advising. the house you cannot hide him. Look, here is a basket. If he be of any reasonable stature, he may creep in here, and you may throw foul linen upon him, as if it were going to bucking. It is whitening time; send him by your two men to Datchet-mead. In Anxiety. Mrs. Ford. He is too big to go in there. What shall I do? Hurry. Surprize & Enter FALSTAFF from behind the arras. Falst. Let me see it. I'll in. I'll in. Fol low your friend's counsel. I'll in. Mrs. Page. What, Sir John Falstaff! Is this reproach. the love you professed to me in your letters? Apology. Falst. I do love you for all this. Help me out of this scrape, and I'll convince you how much I love you. (He goes into the basket : they cover him with foul linen.] Hafte. Mrs. Page. [To Falstaff's boy.] Help to cover your Master, sirrah. [To Falstaff.] Ah, you are a sad dissembler, Sir John. [To Mrs. ReproachFord.] Call your men, Mrs. Ford. Quick, ing. quick. Mrs. Ford. What, John! Robert! John! Why John, I say. Make haste and take up these clothes here. Where's the cowl-staff? How you gape! Carry them away directly to Mrs. Plash, the laundress, at Datchet-mead. [They carry away the basket. Ford ineets them. Is prevented searching the basket. Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page retire, and enjoy the punishment, they had inflicted on Falstaff.] Scene changes to the Inn. - Enter FALSTAFF Falst. Bardolph, I say. Bard. Ordering. Falst. Go, fetch me a quart of sack. Put a Confufion. toast in it. (Exit Bard.) Have I lived to be Vexation. carried in a basket, like a barrow of butcher's offals, and to be thrown into the Thames? Well, Vexation, if ever I let myself be served such another trick, Self ConI'll have my brains, if there be any in my skull, demnation. taken out, and buttered, to begi given my dog Jowler for his breakfast on nerv year's day. The rogues chucked me into the river with as little remorse as they would have drown'd a bitch's blind puppies, fifteen i' the litter. And then a man of my weight must have a comfortable alacrity in sinking. If the bottom had been on a level with the bed of the river Styx, down I should have gone. For that matter, I had been fairly drown'd if the if the shore had not been so kind as to shelve it a little in my favour. And then to think, only to think of my being drown'd!-A man of my size! For your fresh water swells you an ordinary man L |