Part 8

_Fal._ Have I laid my brain in the sun, and dried it, that it wants matter to prevent so gross o’erreaching as this? Am I ridden with a Welsh goat too? shall I have a coxcomb of frize? Tis time I were choked with a piece of toasted cheese. 135

_Evans._ Seese is not good to give putter; your pelly is all putter.

_Fal._ ‘Seese’ and ’putter’! have I lived to stand at the taunt of one that makes fritters of English? This is enough to be the decay of lust and late-walking through the realm. 140

_Mrs Page._ Why, Sir John, do you think, though we would have thrust virtue out of our hearts by the head and shoulders, and have given ourselves without scruple to hell, that ever the devil could have made you our delight?

_Ford._ What, a hodge-pudding? a bag of flax? 145

_Mrs Page._ A puffed man?

_Page._ Old, cold, withered, and of intolerable entrails?

_Ford._ And one that is as slanderous as Satan?

_Page._ And as poor as Job?

_Ford._ And as wicked as his wife? 150

_Evans._ And given to fornications, and to taverns, and sack, and wine, and metheglins, and to drinkings, and swearings, and starings, pribbles and prabbles?

_Fal._ Well, I am your theme: you have the start of me; I am dejected; I am not able to answer the Welsh 155 flannel; ignorance itself is a plummet o’er me: use me as you will.

_Ford._ Marry, sir, we’ll bring you to Windsor, to one Master Brook, that you have cozened of money, to whom you should have been a pander: over and above that you 160 have suffered, I think to repay that money will be a biting affliction.

_Page._ Yet be cheerful, knight: thou shalt eat a posset to-night at my house; where I will desire thee to laugh at my wife, that now laughs at thee: tell her Master Slender 165 hath married her daughter.

_Mrs Page._ [_Aside_] Doctors doubt that: if Anne Page be my daughter, she is, by this, Doctor Caius’ wife.

_Enter SLENDER._

_Slen._ Whoa, ho! ho, father Page!

_Page._ Son, how now! how now, son! have you 170 dispatched?

_Slen._ Dispatched!--I’ll make the best in Gloucestershire know on’t; would I were hanged, la, else!

_Page._ Of what, son?

_Slen._ I came yonder at Eton to marry Mistress Anne 175 Page, and she’s a great lubberly boy. If it had not been i’ the church, I would have swinged him, or he should have swinged me. If I did not think it had been Anne Page, would I might never stir!--and ’tis a postmaster’s boy.

_Page._ Upon my life, then, you took the wrong. 180

_Slen._ What need you tell me that? I think so, when I took a boy for a girl. If I had been married to him, for all he was in woman’s apparel, I would not have had him.

_Page._ Why, this is your own folly. Did not I tell you how you should know my daughter by her garments? 185

_Slen._ I went to her in white, and cried ‘mum,’ and she cried ‘budget,’ as Anne and I had appointed; and yet it was not Anne, but a postmaster’s boy.

_Mrs Page._ Good George, be not angry: I knew of your purpose; turned my daughter into green; and, indeed, 190 she is now with the doctor at the deanery, and there married.

_Enter CAIUS._

_Caius._ Vere is Mistress Page? By gar, I am cozened: I ha’ married un garçon, a boy; un paysan, by gar, a boy; it is not Anne Page: by gar, I am cozened. 195

_Mrs Page._ Why, did you take her in green?

_Caius._ Ay, by gar, and ’tis a boy: by gar, I’ll raise all Windsor. [_Exit._

_Ford._ This is strange. Who hath got the right Anne?

_Page._ My heart misgives me:--here comes Master 200 Fenton.

_Enter FENTON and ANNE PAGE._

How now, Master Fenton!

_Anne._ Pardon, good father! good my mother, pardon!

_Page._ Now, mistress, how chance you went not with Master Slender? 205

_Mrs Page._ Why went you not with master doctor, maid?

_Fent._ You do amaze her: hear the truth of it. You would have married her most shamefully, Where there was no proportion held in love. The truth is, she and I, long since contracted, 210 Are now so sure that nothing can dissolve us. The offence is holy that she hath committed; And this deceit loses the name of craft, Of disobedience, or unduteous title; Since therein she doth evitate and shun 215 A thousand irreligious cursed hours, Which forced marriage would have brought upon her.

_Ford._ Stand not amazed; here is no remedy: In love the heavens themselves do guide the state; Money buys lands, and wives are sold by fate. 220

_Fal._ I am glad, though you have ta’en a special stand to strike at me, that your arrow hath glanced.

_Page._ Well, what remedy? Fenton, heaven give thee joy! What cannot be eschew’d must be embraced. 225

_Fal._ When night-dogs run, all sorts of deer are chased.

_Mrs Page._ Well, I will muse no further. Master Fenton, Heaven give you many, many merry days! Good husband, let us every one go home, And laugh this sport o’er by a country fire; 230 Sir John and all.

_Ford._ Let it be so. Sir John, To Master Brook you yet shall hold your word; For he to-night shall lie with Mistress Ford. [_Exeunt._

NOTES: V, 5

## SCENE V.] SCENE III. Pope.

Enter F...] Enter Sir John with a Buck’s head upon him (Q1 Q2). 22: _bribe_] Theobald. _brib’d_ Ff Q3. 32-34: Printed as verse in Ff Q3. 34: Enter ... tapers] See note (X). 35: Quick.] Qui. Ff Q3. 37: _orphan_] _ouphan_ Theobald (Warburton). 41: _shalt thou leap_] _when thou’st leapt_ Collier MS. _having leapt_ Singer. 42: _unswept_] _to sweep_ S. Verges conj. 46: [Lies ... face] Rowe. 47: _Bede_] Ff Q3. _Pede_ Theobald. _Pead_ (Q1 Q2). 51: _as_] _that_ F4. 53: Quick.] Qu. F1 Q3 F2. Qui. F3 F4. 57: _state as_] _site as_ Hanmer. _seat as_ S. Walker conj. 58: _and_] _as_ Theobald (Warburton). 63: _nightly, meadow-fairies,_] Capell. _Nightly-meadow-Fairies_ Ff Q3. 66: _More_] _Mote_ F1 Q3. 68: _emerald tufts_] _Emrold-tuffes_ Ff Q3. _purple_] _purfled_ Warburton. 69: _sapphire, pearl_] Theobald. _saphire-pearle_ Ff Q3. _and_] _in_ Warburton. 75: _Pray you_] om. Pope. 86: [They burn ... tapers.] Rowe. 90: _time_] _time._ Eva. _It is right, indeed, he is full of lecheries and iniquity._ Theobald (from Q1 Q2). 91: _sinful_] _simple_ Pope. 93: _a bloody fire_] _i’ th’ blood a fire_] Hanmer. 95: _heart_] _the heart_ Hanmer. 97: _Mutually_] _mutuall_ Q3. 100: The stage direction which follows was inserted by Theobald from Q1 Q2, with some verbal changes. 101: Enter...] Enter... They lay hold on him. Rowe. 101, 102: Printed as prose in Ff Q3. 105: _these, husband_] _these husband_ F1 Q3. _these husbands_ F2 F3 F4. _these, husbands_ Hanmer. _yokes_] _yoakes_ F1 Q3. _okes_ F2 F3. _oaks_ F4. _oaks_ [Pointing to the horns. Hanmer. _fair yokes_] _fairy jokes_ Jackson conj. 111: _paid to Master Brook_] _paid to M. Foord_ (Q1 Q2). _pay’d too, Master Brook_ Capell. 120: _the sudden_] _with the sudden_ Hanmer. 136: _pelly_] F2 F3 F4. _belly_ F1 Q3. 148: _as slanderous_] _slanderous_ Q3. 152: _sack, and wine_] _sacks, and wines_ Pope. 153: _starings_] F1 Q3. _staring_ F2 F3 F4. 156: _is a plummet o’er me_] _is plummet o’er me_ Q3. _has a plume o’ me_ Johnson conj. _is a planet o’er me_ Farmer conj. 162: After this line Theobald inserts from Q1 Q2: Mrs Ford. _Nay, husband, let that go to make amends; Forgive that sum, and so we’ll all be friends._ Ford. _Well, here’s my hand: all is forgiven at last._ 167, 168: Given to Mrs Ford in Q3. [Aside] Theobald. 169: SCENE VI. Pope. _Whoa_] _What_ Rowe. 177: _i’ the_] _i’t_ F2. 186: _white_] Pope. _green_ Ff Q3. 190, 196: _green_] Pope. _white_ Ff Q3. 190: _into_] _in_ Q3. 193: SCENE VII. Pope. 194: _un garçon_] Capell. _oon garsoon_ F1 Q3. _one garsoon_ F2 F3 F4. _un paysan_] Capell. _oon pesant_ Ff Q3. _boy_] _boe_ F2 F3 F4. 196: _did you_] _did you not_ Rowe. 214: _title_] _guile_ Collier MS. 225: After this line Pope, followed by Theobald, inserts from Q1 Q2: Evans [aside to Fenton] _I will dance and eat plums at your wedding._ 231: _Let it be so. Sir John,_] _Let it be so (Sir John:)_ Ff Q3.

NOTES.

NOTE I.

I. 1. 41. Master Page is called ‘George’ in three places, II. 1. 135 and 143, and V. 5. 189, but we have left the text of the Folios uncorrected, as the mistake may have been Shakespeare’s own. It is however possible that a transcriber or printer may have mistaken ‘Geo.’ for ‘Tho.’

In I. 3. 89, 90, on the other hand, we have not hesitated to correct the reading of the Folio, substituting ‘Page’ for ‘Ford,’ and ‘Ford’ for ‘Page,’ because, as the early Quartos have the names right, it seems likely that the blunder was _not_ due to Shakespeare.

NOTE II.

I. 1. 49. Here again, as in line 40, F2 F3 F4 read ‘good,’ F1 Q3 ‘goot,’ but we have not thought it necessary to do more than give a specimen of such variations. Capell, in order to make Dr Caius’s broken English consistent with itself, corrects it throughout and substitutes ‘de’ for ‘the,’ ‘vill’ for ‘will,’ and so forth. As a general rule, we have silently followed the first Folio.

NOTE III.

I. 1. 114. With regard to this and other passages which Pope, Theobald, Malone, &c. have inserted from the early Quartos, our rule has been to introduce, between brackets, such, and such only, as seemed to be absolutely essential to the understanding of the text, taking care to give in the note all those which we have rejected.

The fact that so many omissions can be supplied from such mutilated copies as the early Quartos, indicates that there may be many more omissions for the detection of which we have no clue. The text of the _Merry Wives_ given in F1 was probably printed from a carelessly written copy of the author’s MS.

NOTE IV.

I. 3. 95. Perhaps, as in the _Two Gentlemen of Verona_, III. 1. 315, and other passages, some of which are mentioned by Sidney Walker in his ‘Criticisms,’ Vol. II. p. 13 sqq., this vexed passage may be emended by supplying a word. We venture to suggest ’the revolt of mine _anger_ is dangerous.’ The recurrence of the same letters +anger+ in the word ‘dangerous,’ might mislead the printer’s eye and cause the omission.

NOTE V.

II. 1. 5. In the copy of Johnson’s Edition, which belongs to Emmanuel College, there is a MS. note of Dr Farmer’s referring to Sonnet CXLVII. in support of the conjecture ‘physician’ for ‘precisian;’ we find there

‘My reason, the physician to my love,’ &c.

NOTE VI.

II. 1. 194, 196. Here again we have followed the early Quartos in reading ‘Brook’ instead of ‘Broome,’ the name given by Ff Q3. That the former was the original name is proved by the jest in II. 2. 136, where the Folios make sheer nonsense.

Mr Halliwell suggests that the following lines, IV. 4. 75, 76,

’Nay I’ll to him again in name of Broome; He’ll tell me all his purpose: sure he’ll come,’

were intended to rhyme and therefore favour the later reading. But in this scene there are no rhyming lines except the couplet at the end.

On the whole, it seems likely that the name was altered in the stage copies at the instance of some person of the name of Brook living at Windsor, who had sufficient acquaintance with the players, or interest with their patrons, to get it done.

NOTE VII.

III. 1. 74. 78. Mr Staunton is unquestionably right in supposing that one part of Evans’s speech is spoken aside to his opponent, and the other part aloud. It is impossible else to account for the sudden change of tone. It might have been conjectured that, being a parson, he wished to appear peacefully minded, and therefore made his offers of reconciliation aloud and his menaces in an under tone, but Caius’s reply shews that it was the threat which had been made aloud. Evans’s valour, it would seem, had already evaporated when he had ‘a great dispositions to cry’ (III. 1. 20) and, besides, he had just begun to see that he was being made a laughing-stock. As his former speech (74, 75,) is also conciliatory, it was probably spoken so as to be heard by Caius only. He wished to keep up his credit for courage in the eyes of the bystanders. In the corresponding scene of the first Quartos we have the words ‘Hark van urd in your ear,’ and the meaning of the text may have been obscured by some omission in the Folio.

NOTE VIII.

IV. 4. 41. No doubt there is an omission here in the Folio, which may be

## partly supplied from the Quarto. But it is probable that Mrs Ford gave a

still fuller explanation of her device and the grounds on which the disguise was recommended to Falstaff, otherwise Page would not have been so confident of his falling into the snare.

NOTE IX.

IV. 5. 49. In the edition of 1778 Steevens reads ‘Ay, sir Tike, like’ ... but it is clear from Farmer’s note that it should be ‘Ay, sir Tike,’ ... and so it is corrected in the later Editions of Steevens. In the Edition annotated by Fanner, mentioned in note V., we find another conjecture of his: ‘Ay, sir, if you like,’ ... or it may have been ‘Ay, sir, an you like,’ for the word preceding ‘you’ has been cut away by the binder.

NOTE X.

The stage direction of the early Quartos is: _Enter Sir Hugh like a Satyre, and boyes drest like Fayries, Mistresse Quickly, like the Queene of Fayries; they sing a song about him and afterward speake._

The Folio enumerates at the commencement of the scene all who take part in it, including _Anne Page_, _Fairies_, _Quickly_ and _Pistol_, and in this place has merely _Enter Fairies_. Malone introduced _Anne Page as the Fairy Queen_, and at the end, _with waxen tapers on their heads_. He however still assigned the speeches 35-39, 53-74, 82-85, and 88-90 to _Quickly_. Recent Editors have generally given them to _Anne_, on the ground that it is proved by IV. 6. 20 and V. 3. 11, 12, that she was to ‘present the Fairy Queen,’ and that the character of the speeches is unsuitable to Mrs Quickly. It has been argued, too, that the _Qui._ of the folios, line 35, may be a misprint for _Qu._, i.e. _Queen_. This however is contradicted by the fact that Mrs Quickly plays the Queen in the early Quartos, and that the recurrence of _Qui._, line 88, proves that the printer of the first Folio used either _Qui._ or _Qu._ indifferently as the abbreviation of _Quickly_.

Most likely, in this and other respects the play was altered by its author, but the stage MSS. were not corrected throughout with sufficient care. This will account for the mistake about the colours ‘green’ and ‘white’ in the final scene, lines 186, 190, 196.

Or we may suppose Mrs Quickly to have agreed to take Anne’s part in order to facilitate her escape with Fenton.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[Transcriber’s Note:

The following text is reproduced exactly as printed, “taken _literatim_ from Q1, the edition of 1602”. Spelling and punctuation are unchanged. In some sections, initial capital letters do not match the rest of the word: a Roman initial may be used in an italic word, or the reverse. These mismatched letters are shown in {B}races to avoid using mid-word _L_owlines.]

A Pleasant Conceited Comedie,

of _Syr Iohn Falstaffe,_

and the merry Wiues of _Windsor_.

_Enter Iustice _Shallow_, Syr _Hugh_, Maister _Page_, and _Slender_._

_Shal._ Nere talke to me, Ile make a star-chamber matter of it. The Councell shall know it.

_Page._ Nay good maister _Shallow_ be perswaded by mee.

_Slen._ Nay surely my vncle shall not put it vp so.

_Sir Hu._ Wil you not heare reasons M. _Slenders?_ 5 You should heare reasons.

_Shal._ Tho he be a knight, he shall not thinke to carrie it so away. M. _Page_ I will not be wronged. For you Syr, I loue you, and for my cousen, He comes to looke vpon your daughter. 10

_Pa._ And heres my hand, and if my daughter Like him so well as I, wee’l quickly haue it a match: In the meane time let me entreate you to soiourne Here a while. And on my life Ile vndertake To make you friends. 15

_Sir Hu._ I pray you M. _Shallowes_ let it be so. The matter is pud to arbitarments. The first man is M. _Page_, videlicet M. _Page_. The second is my selfe, videlicet my selfe. The third and last man, is mine host of the gartyr. 20

_Enter Syr _Iohn Falstaffe_, _Pistoll_, _Bardolfe_, and _Nim_._

Heere is sir _Iohn_ himselfe now, looke you.

_Fal._ Now M. _Shallow_, youle complaine of me to the Councell, I heare?

_Shal._ Sir _Iohn_, sir _Iohn_, you haue hurt my keeper, [25] Kild my dogs, stolne my deere.

_Fal._ But not kissed your keepers daughter.

_Shal._ Well this shall be answered.

_Fal._ He answere it strait. I haue done all this. This is now answred.

_Shal._ Well, the Councell shall know it. 30

_Fal._ Twere better for you twere knowne in counsell, Youle be laught at.

_Sir Hugh._ Good vrdes sir _Iohn_, good vrdes.

_Fal._ Good vrdes, good Cabidge. _Slender_ I brake your head, 35 What matter haue you against mee?

_Slen._ I haue matter in my head against you and your cogging companions, _Pistoll_ and _Nym._ They carried mee to the Tauerne, and made mee drunke, and afterward picked my pocket.

_Fal._ What say you to this _Pistoll_, did you picke Maister 40 _Slenders_ purse _Pistoll_?

_Slen._ I by this handkercher did he. Two faire shouell boord shillings, besides seuen groats in mill sixpences.

_Fal._ What say you to this _Pistoll_?

_Pist._ Sir _Iohn_, and Maister mine, I combat craue 45 Of this same laten bilbo. I do retort the lie Euen in thy gorge, thy gorge, thy gorge.

_Slen._ By this light it was he then.

_Nym._ Syr my honor is not for many words, But if you run bace humors of me, 50 I will say mary trap. And there’s the humor of it.

_Fal._ You heare these matters denide gentlemen, You heare it.

_Enter Mistresse _Foord_, Mistresse _Page_, and her daughter _Anne_._

_Pa._ No more now, I thinke it be almost dinner time, 55 For my wife is come to meete vs.

_Fal._ Mistresse _Foord_, I think your name is, If I mistake not.

_Syr_ Iohn kisses her.

_Mis. Ford._ Your mistake sir is nothing but in the Mistresse. But my husbands name is _Foord_ sir. 60

_Fal._ I shall desire your more acquaintance. The like of you good misteris _Page_.

_Mis. Pa._ With all my hart sir _Iohn_. Come husband will you goe? Dinner staies for vs. 65

_Pa._ With all my hart, come along Gentlemen.

_Exit all, but _Slender_ and Mistresse _Anne_._

_Anne._ Now forsooth why do you stay me? What would you with me?

_Slen._ Nay for my owne part, I would litle or nothing with you. I loue you well, and my vncle can tell you how my liuing stands. 70 And if you can loue me why so. If not, why then happie man be his dole.

_An._ You say well M. _Slender_. But first you must giue me leaue to Be acquainted with your humor, 75 And afterward to loue you if I can.

_Slen._ Why by God, there’s neuer a man in christendome can desire more. What haue you beares in your Towne mistresse _Anne_, your dogs barke so?

_An._ I cannot tell M. _Slender_, I think there be. 80

_Slen._ Ha how say you? I warrant your afeard of a Beare let loose, are you not?

_An._ Yes trust me.

_Slen._ Now that’s meate and drinke to me, He run yon to a beare, and take her by the mussell, 85 You neuer saw the like. But indeed I cannot blame you, For they are maruellous rough things.

_Anne._ Will yo go into dinner M. _Slendor?_ The meate staies for you. 90

_Slen._ No faith not I. I thanke you, I cannot abide the smell of hot meate Nere since I broke my shin. Ile tel you how it came By my troth. A Fencer and I plaid three venies For a dish of stewd prunes, and I with my ward 95 Defending my head, he hot my shin. Yes faith.

_Enter Maister _Page_._

_Pa._ Come, come Maister _Slender_, dinner staies for you.

_Slen._ I can eate no meate, I thanke you.

_Pa._ You shall not choose I say.

_Slen._ Ile follow you sir, pray leade the way. 100 Nay be God misteris _Anne_, you shall goe first, I haue more manners then so, I hope.

_An._ Well sir, I will not be troublesome.

_Exit omnes._

NOTES: SCENE I

28: _strait_] _straight_ Halliwell. 85: _yon_] om.

_Enter Sir _Hugh_ and _Simple_, from dinner._ [SC. II.]

_Sir Hu._ Hark you _Simple_, pray you beare this letter to doctor _Cayus_ house, the French Doctor. He is twell vp along the street, and enquire of his house for one mistris _Quickly_, his woman, or his try nurse, and deliuer this Letter to her, it tis about Maister _Slender_. Looke you, will you do it now? 5

_Sim._ I warrant you sir.

_Sir Hu._ Pray you do, I must not be absent at the grace. I will goe make an end of my dinner, There is pepions and cheese behinde.

_Exit omnes._

_Enter Sir _Iohn Falstaffes_ Host of the Garter, _Nym_, _Bardolfe_, _Pistoll_, and the Boy._ [SC. III.]

_Fal._ Mine Host of the Garter.

_Host._ What ses my bully Rooke? Speake schollerly and wisely.

_Fal._ Mine Host, I must turne away some of my followers.

_Host._ Discard bully, _Hercules_ cassire. 5 Let them wag, trot, trot.

_Fal._ I sit at ten pound a weeke.

_Host._ Thou art an Emperor _Cæsar_, _Phesser_ and _Kesar_ bully. Ile entertaine _Bardolfe_. He shall tap, he shall draw. Said I well, bully _Hector_? 10

_Fal._ Do good mine Host.

_Host._ I haue spoke. Let him follow. _Bardolfe_ Let me see thee froth, and lyme. I am at A word. Follow, follow.

_Exit Host._

_Fal._ Do _Bardolfe_, a Tapster is a good trade, 15 An old cloake will make a new Ierkin, A withered seruingman, a fresh Tapster: Follow him _Bardolfe_.

_Bar._ I will sir, Ile warrant you Ile make a good shift to liue.

_Exit Bardolfe._

_Pis._ O bace gongarian wight, wilt thou the spicket willd? 20

_Nym._ His minde is not heroick. And theres the humor of it.

_Fal._ Well my Laddes, I am almost out at the heeles.

_Pis._ Why then let cybes insue.

_Nym._ I thanke thee for that humor.

_Fal._ Well I am glad I am so rid of this tinder Boy. 25 His stealth was too open, his filching was like An vnskilfull singer, he kept not time.

_Nym._ The good humour is to steale at a minutes rest.

_Pis._ Tis so indeed _Nym_, thou hast hit it right.

_Fal._ Wel, afore God, I must cheat, I must conycatch. 30 Which of you knowes _Foord_ of this Towne?

_Pis._ I ken the wight, he is of substance good.

_Fal._ Well my honest Lads, Ile tell you what I am about.

_Pis._ Two yards and more.