Word of denial in thy Labra's here;

Word of denial; froth and fcum, thou ly'ft.
Slen. By thefe gloves, then 'twas he.

Nym. Be advis'd, Sir, and pafs good humours: I will fay marry trap with you, if you run the base humour on me; that is the very note of it.

Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it; for tho' I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an ass. Fal. What fay you, Scarlet and John?

Bard. Why, Sir, for my part, I fay, the gentleman had drunk himfelf out of his five fentences.

Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the Ignorance is! Bard. And being fap, Sir, was, as they fay, cafhier'd; and fo conclufions paft the car-eires.

Slen. Ay, you fpake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter; I'll never be drunk whilft I live again, but in honeft, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with thofe that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves.

Eva. So Got udg me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all thefe matters deny'd, gentlemen; you hear it.

Enter Mißtress Anne Page, with wine. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. Exit Anne Page.

it Latten, as it should be, in the common Characters: And as a Proof that the Author defign'd This fhould be address'd to Slender, Sir Hugh does not there interpofe one Word in the Quarrel. But what then fignifies-latten Bilbo? Why, Piftel fecing Slender fuch a flim, puny, Wight; would intimate, that he is as thin as a Plate of that compound Metal, which is call'd latten: and which was, as we are told, the Old Orichalc. Monfieur Dacier, upon this Verfe in Horace's Epistle de Arte Poetica,

Tibia non ut nunc Orichalco vinéta, &c. fays, Eft une espece de Cuivre de montagne, come son nom mesme le temoigne; c'eft ce que nous appellons aujourd'huy du leton. "It is a fort of Mountain-Copper, as its very Name imports, " and which we at this time of Day call Latten,”

Slen

Slen. Oh heav'n! this is mistress Anne Page.

Enter Mistress Ford and Miftrefs Page.

Page. How now, mistress Ford?

Fal. Miftrefs Ford, by my troth, you are very well met; by your leave, good miftrefs. [Kiffing her. Page. Wife, bid thefe gentlemen welcome: come, we have a hot venifon pafty to dinner; come, gentlemen; I hope, we shall drink down all unkindness. [Exe. Fal. Page, &c.

Manent Shallow,, Evans, and Slender.

Slen. I had rather than forty fhillings, I had my book of fongs and fonnets here.

Enter Simple.

How now, Simple, where have you been? I must wait on my felf, muft I? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you?

Simp. Book of riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake (4) upon All-hallowmas laft, a fortnight afore Martlemas?

Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we ftay 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 fhall find me reasonable: if it be fo, I fhall do that that is reason.

Shal. Nay, but understand me.

Slen. So I do, Sir.

(4) Upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas.] Sure, Simple's a little out in his Reckoning. Allhallowmas is almost five Weeks after Michaelmas. But may it not be urg'd, it is defign'd, Simple fhould a pear thus ignorant, to keep up Character? I think, not. The fimpleft Creatures (nay, éven Naturals) generally are very precife in the Knowledge of Feftivals, and marking how the Seafons run: And therefore I have ventur'd to fufpect, our Poet wrote Martlemas, as the Vulgar call it; which is near a fortnight after All-Saints Day, i. e. eleven Days, both inclufive. VOL. I.

L

Eva.

Eva. Give ear to his motions, Mr. Slender: I will defcription the matter to you, if you be capacity of it.

.

Slen. Nay, I will do, as my coufin Shallow fays: I pray you, pardon me; he's a Juftice of peace in his country, fimple tho' I ftand here.

Eva. But that is not the queftion; the question is concerning your marriage.

Shal. Ay, there's the point, Sir.

Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it, to Mrs. Anne Page.

Slen. Why, if it be fo, I will marry her upon any reasonable demands.

Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philofophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mind: therefore precifely, can you carry your good

Will to the maid ?

Shal. Coufin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slen. I hope, Sir, I will do, as it fhall become one that would do reafon.

Eva. Nay, Got's lords and fpeak poffitable, if you can carry wards her.

his ladies, you must her your defires to

Shal. That you muft: will you, upon good dowry, marry her?

Slen. I will do a greater thing than that upon your requeft, coufin, in any reafon.

Sha. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, fweet coz; what I do, is to pleasure you, coz; can you love the maid ?

Slen. I will marry her, Sir, at your requeft: but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heav'n may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are marry'd, and have more occafion to know one another: (5) I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt:

(s) I hope, upon Familiarity will grow more Content.] Cer tainly, the Editors in their Sagacity have murther'd a Jeft here. It is design'd, no Doubt,; that Stender should say de

crease,

contempt: but if you say, marry her, I will marry her, that I am freely diffolved, and diffolutely.

Eva. It is a ferry discretion answer, fave, the fall is in th'ort diffolutely: the ort is, according to our meaning, refolutely; his meaning is good.

Shal. Ay, I think, my coufin meant well.

Slen. Ay, or else I would I might be hang'd, la.
Enter Mistress Anne Page.

Shal. Here comes fair mistress Anne: 'would, I were young for your fake, mistress Anne!

Anne. The dinner is on the table; my father defires your worship's company.

Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne.

Eva. Od's pleffed will, I will not be absence at the Grace. [Ex. Shallow and Evans. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, Sir? Slen. No, I thank you, forfooth, heartily; I am very well.

Anne. The dinner attends you, Sir.

Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forfooth. Go, Sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my coufin Shallow: [Ex. Simple.] A Jultice of peace fometime may be beholden to his friend for a man. I keep but three men and a boy yet, 'till my mother be dead; but what though, yet I live like a poor gentleman born.

Anne. I may not go in without your worship; they will not fit, 'till you come.

Slen. I'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did.

Anne. I pray you, Sir, walk in.

Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my fhin th'other day with playing at fword and dag

creafe, inftead of increafe; and dissolved, dissolutely, instead of refolved and refolutely: but to make him say, on the present Occafion, that upon Familiarity will grow more Content, instead of Contempt, is difarming the Sentiment of all its Salt and Humour, and difappointing the Audience of a reasonable Caufe for Laughter.

ger with a master of fence, three veneys for a dish of itew'd prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the fmell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark fo? be there bears i'th' town?

Anne. I think, there are, Sir; I heard them talk'd of, Slen. I love the fport well, but I fhall as foon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you fee the bear loofe, are you not? Anne. Ay, indeed, Sir.

Slen. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Sackerfon loose twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but I warrant you, the women have fo cry'd and fhriek'd at it, that it paft: but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em, they are very ill-favour'd rough things.

Enter Mr. Page.

Page. Come, gentle Mr. Slender, come; we stay for

you.

Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, Sir.

Page. By cock and pye, you fhall not chufe, Sir;

come; come.

do

Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way.

Page. Come on, Sir.

Slen. Miftrefs Anne, your felf shall go first.

Anne. Not I, Sir; pray you, keep on.

Slen. Truly, I will not go firft, truly-la: I will not you that wrong.

Anne. I pray you, Sir.

Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome ; you do your felf wrong, indeed-la.

Re-enter Evans and Simple.

[Exeunt.

Eva. Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Caius' house which is the way; and there dwells one miftrefs Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurfe, or his dry nurie, or his cook, or his laundry, his wafher, and his wringer.

Simp. Well, Sir.

Eva. Nay, it is petter yet; give her this letter; for