need of washing; so throwing him into the water will do him a benefit.
Mistress Page
Hang him, dishonest rascal! I would all of the same strain were in the same distress.
Mistress Ford
I think my husband hath some special suspicion of Falstaffās being here, for I never saw him so gross in his jealousy till now.
Mistress Page
I will lay a plot to try that, and we will yet have more tricks with Falstaff: his dissolute disease will scarce obey this medicine.
Mistress Ford
Shall we send that foolish carrion, Mistress Quickly, to him, and excuse his throwing into the water, and give him another hope, to betray him to another punishment?
Mistress Page
We will do it; let him be sent for tomorrow eight oāclock, to have amends.
Re-enter
Ford,
Page,
Doctor Caius, and
Sir Hugh Evans.
Ford
I cannot find him: may be the knave bragged of that he could not compass.
Mistress Page
Aside to Mistress Ford. Heard you that?
Mistress Ford
Aside to Mistress Page. Ay, ay, peace.ā ā
You use me well, Master Ford, do you?
Ford
Ay, I do so.
Mistress Ford
Heaven make you better than your thoughts!
Ford
Amen!
Mistress Page
You do yourself mighty wrong, Master Ford.
Ford
Ay, ay; I must bear it.
Sir Hugh Evans
If there be any pody in the house, and in the chambers, and in the coffers, and in the presses, heaven forgive my sins at the day of judgment!
Doctor Caius
Be gar, nor I too; there is no bodies.
Page
Fie, fie, Master Ford, are you not ashamed? What spirit, what devil suggests this imagination? I would not haā your distemper in this kind for the wealth of Windsor Castle.
Ford
āTis my fault, Master Page: I suffer for it.
Sir Hugh Evans
You suffer for a pad conscience. Your wife is as honest a āomans as I will desires among five thousand, and five hundred too.
Doctor Caius
By gar, I see ātis an honest woman.
Ford
Well, I promised you a dinner. Come, come, walk in the Park: I pray you pardon me; I will hereafter make known to you why I have done this. Come, wife, come, Mistress Page; I pray you pardon me;
takes their hands pray heartily, pardon me.
Exeunt
Mistress Ford and
Mistress Page.
Page
To the others. Letās go in, gentlemen; but, trust me, weāll mock him. I do invite you tomorrow morning to my house to breakfast; after, weāll a-birding together; I have a fine hawk for the bush. Shall it be so?
Ford
Anything.
Sir Hugh Evans
If there is one, I shall make two in the company.
Doctor Caius
If there be one or two, I shall make-a the turd.
Ford
Pray you go, Master Page.
Exeunt
Ford and
Page.
Sir Hugh Evans
I pray you now, remembrance tomorrow on the lousy knave, mine host.
Doctor Caius
Dat is good; by gar, with all my heart.
Sir Hugh Evans
A lousy knave! to have his gibes and his mockeries!
Exeunt.
Scene IV
A room in Pageās house.
Enter
Fenton and
Anne Page.
Fenton
I see I cannot get thy fatherās love;
Therefore no more turn me to him, sweet Nan.
Anne Page
Alas! how then?
Fenton
Why, thou must be thyself.
He doth object, I am too great of birth;
And that my state being gallād with my expense,
I seek to heal it only by his wealth.
Besides these, other bars he lays before me,
My riots past, my wild societies;
And tells me ātis a thing impossible
I should love thee but as a property.
Anne Page
May be he tells you true.
Fenton
No, heaven so speed me in my time to come!
Albeit I will confess thy fatherās wealth
Was the first motive that I wooed thee, Anne:
Yet, wooing thee, I found thee of more value
Than stamps in gold, or sums in sealƩd bags;
And ātis the very riches of thyself
That now I aim at.
Anne Page
Gentle Master Fenton,
Yet seek my fatherās love; still seek it, sir.
If opportunity and humblest suit
Cannot attain it, why thenā āhark you hither.
They converse apart.
Enter
Justice Shallow,
Slender, and
Mistress Quickly.
Justice Shallow
Break their talk, Mistress Quickly: my kinsman shall speak for himself.
She draws near the lovers.
Slender
Pale. Iāll make a shaft or a bolt onāt. āSlid, ātis but venturing.
Justice Shallow
Be not dismayed.
Slender
No, she shall not dismay me. I care not for that, but that I am afeard.
Mistress Quickly
To Anne Page. Hark ye; Master Slender would speak a word with you.
Anne Page
I come to him. Aside.
This is my fatherās choice.
O, what a world of vile ill-favourād faults
Looks handsome in three hundred pounds a year!
Mistress Quickly
Steps between them. And how does good Master Fenton? Pray you, a word with you.
Anne moves away.
Justice Shallow
Sheās coming; to her, coz. O boy, thou hadst a father!
Slender
I had a father, Mistress Anne; my uncle can tell you good jests of him. Pray you, uncle, tell Mistress Anne the jest how my father stole two geese out of a pen, good uncle.
Justice Shallow
Mistress Anne, my cousin loves you.
Slender
Ay, that I do; as well as I love any woman in Gloucestershire.
Justice Shallow
He will maintain you like a gentlewoman.
Slender
Ay, that I will come cut and long-tail, under the degree of a squire.
Justice Shallow
He will make you a hundred and fifty pounds jointure.
Anne Page
Good Master Shallow, let him woo for himself.
Justice Shallow
Marry, I thank you for it; I thank you for that good comfort. She calls you, coz; Iāll leave you.
He stands aside.
Anne Page
Now, Master Slender.
Slender
Plucking his beard. Now, good Mistress Anne.ā ā
Anne Page
What is your will?
Slender
My will! āodās heartlings, thatās a pretty jest indeed! I neāer made my will yet, I thank heaven; I am not such a sickly creature, I give heaven praise.
Anne Page
I mean, Master Slender, what would you with me?
Slender
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