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every flight occafion, that could but niggardly give me fight of her; not only bought many presents to give her, but have given largely to many, to know what The would have given: briefly, I have pursued her, as love hath purfu'd me; which hath been on the wing of all occafions. But whatsoever I have merited, either in my mind, or in my means, meed, I am fure, I have received none; unless experience be a jewel; that I have purchas'd at an infinite rate; and that hath taught me to say this:

"Love like a fhadow flies, when fubftance love pur

fues;

"Pursuing that that flies, and flying what pursues." Fal. Have you receiv'd no promise of fatisfaction at her hands?

Ford. Never.

Fal. Have you importun'd her to fuch a purpose ? Ford. Never.

Fal. Of what quality was your love then?

Ford. Like a fair houfe, built upon another man's ground; fo that I have loft my edifice, by mistaking the place where I erected it.

Fal. To what purpose have you unfolded this to me?

Ford. When I have told you that, I have told you all. Some fay, that though fhe appear honeft to me, yet in other places fhe enlargeth her mirth fo far, that there is fhrewd construction made of her. Now, Sir John, here is the heart of my purpose: you are a gentleman of excellent breeding, admirable difcourfe, of great admittance, authentick in your place and perfon, generally allow'd for your many war-like, court-like, and learned preparations.

Fal. O Sir!

Ford. Believe it, for you know it: there is money; spend it, spend it; fpend more; fpend all I have; only give me fo much of your time in exchange of it, as to lay an amiable fiege to the honefty of this Ford's VOL. I.

wife:

wife: use your art of wooing, win her to confent tơ you; if any man may, you may as foon as any.

Fal. Would it apply well to the vehemence of your affection, that I fhould win what you would enjoy? methinks, you prescribe to yourself very prepofterously.

Ford. O, understand my drift! fhe dwells fo fecurely on the excellency of her honour, that the folly of my foul dares not prefent itself; she is too bright to be look'd againft. Now, could I come to her with any detection in my hand, my defires had inftance and argument to commend themselves; I could drive her then from the ward of her purity, her reputation, her marriage vow, and a thousand other her defences, which now are too too ftrongly embattel'd against me. What fay you to't, Sir John?

Fal. Mafter Brook, I will firft make bold with your money; next, give me your hand; and last, as I am a gentleman, you fhall, if you will, enjoy Ford's wife. Ford. O good Sir!

Fal. Mafter Brook, I fay you fhall.

Ford. Want no money, Sir John, you shall want

none.

Fal. Want no miftrefs Ford, mafter Brook, you fhall want none. I fhall be with her (I may tell you) by her own appointment. Even as you came in to me, her affiftant, or go-between, parted from me: I fay, I fhall be with her between ten and eleven; for at that time the jealous rafcally knave, her husband, will be forth. Come you to me at night, you fhall know how I fpeed.

Ford. I am bleft in your acquaintance. Do you know Ford, Sir?

Fal. Hang him, poor cuckoldly knave! I know him not yet I wrong him to call him poor; they say, the jealous wittolly knave hath maffes of money; for

inftance and argument-] Inftance is example. JOHNSON.

the

I will

the which his wife feems to me well-favour'd. use her as the key of the cuckoldly rogue's coffer; and there's my harvest-home.

Ford. I would you knew Ford, Sir; that you might avoid him, if you faw him.

Fal. Hang him, mechanical falt-butter rogue! I will ftare him out of his wits; I will awe him with my cudgel; it fhall hang like a meteor o'er the cuckold's horns. Mafter Brook, thou fhall know, I will predominate over the peafant, and thou fhalt lye with his wife. Come to me foon at night. Ford's a knave, and I will aggravate his ftile; thou, mafter Brook, fhalt know him for knave and cuckold. Come to me foon at night. [Exit.

Ford. What a damn'd Epicurean rascal is this! My heart is ready to crack with impatience. Who fays, this is improvident jealoufy? My wife hath fent to him, the hour is fix'd, the match is made: would any man have thought this? See the hell of having a falle woman! my bed shall be abus'd, my coffers ranfack'd, my reputation gnawn at; and I fhall not only receive this villainous wrong, but ftand under the adoption of abominable terms, and by him that does me the wrong. Terms! names! Amaimon founds well; Lucifer, well; Barbafon, well; yet they are devils' additions, the names of fiends: but cuckold! wittol! cuckold! the devil himself hath not fuch a name. Page is an afs, a fecure afs; he will truft his wife, he will not be jealous: I will rather truft a Fleming with my butter, parfon Hugh the Welchman with my cheese, an Irishman with my Aqua vitæ bottle, or a thief to walk my ambling gelding, than my wife with herself then fhe plots, then fhe ruminates, then she devises; and what they think in their hearts they may

7-and I will aggravate his ftile-] Stile is a phrase from the herald's office. Falltaff means, that he will add more titles to thofe he already enjoys. STEEVENS.

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effect, they will break their hearts but they will effect. Heaven be prais'd for my jealoufy!-8 Eleven o'clock the hour;-I will prevent this, detect my wife, be reveng❜d on Falstaff, and laugh at Page: I will about it;-better three hours too foon, than a minute too late. Fie, fie, fie! cuckold! cuckold! cuckold!

[Exit.

SCENE

III.

Changes to Windfor park.

Enter Caius and Rugby.

Caius. Jack Rugby!

Rug. Sir.

Caius. Vat is de clock, Jack?

Rug. 'Tis past the hour, Sir, that Sir Hugh promis'd to meet.

Caius. By gar, he has fave his foul, dat he is no come; he has pray his Bible well, dat he is no come: by gar, Jack Rugby, he is dead already, if he be

come.

Rug. He is wife, Sir: he knew, your worship would kill him, if he came.

Caius. By gar, de herring is no dead fo as I vill kill him. Take your rapier, Jack; I vill tell you how I vill kill him.

Rug. Alas, Sir, I cannot fence.

Caius. Villan-a, take your rapier.
Rug. Forbear; here's company.

Enter Hoft, Shallow, Slender, and Page.

Hoft. 'Blefs thee, bully Doctor.

Shal. 'Save you, mafter Doctor Caius.

8-Eleven o'clock-] Ford fhould rather have faid ten o'clock: the time was between ten and eleven; and his impatient fufpicion was not likely to ftay beyond the time. JOHNSON.

Page.

Page. Now, good mafter Doctor!

Slen. Give you good-morrow, Sir.

Caius. Vat be all you one, two, tree, four, come for?

Hoft. To fee thee fight, to fee thee foin, to fee thee traverse, to fee thee here, to see thee there, to see thee pass thy punto, thy stock, thy reverse, thy diftance, thy montant. Is he dead, my Ethiopian? Is he dead, my Francifco? ha, bully? What fays my Æfculapius? my Galen? 9 my heart of elder? ha? is he dead, bully ftale? is he dead?

Caius. By gar, he is de coward Jack Priest of the vorld; he is not fhew his face.

Hoft. Thou art a

of Greece, my boy.

Caftilian king Urinal: Hector

Caius. I pray you bear vitness, that me have stay fix or seven, two, tree hours for him, and he is no

come.

Shal. He is the wiser man, mafter Doctor: he is a curer of fouls, and you a curer of bodies: if you fhould fight, you go against the hair of your profeffions: is it not true, master Page?

Page. Mafter Shallow, you have yourself been a great fighter, though now a man of peace.

Shal. Body-kins, mafter Page, though I now be old, and of the peace, if I fee a fword out, my finger itches to make one: though we are juftices, and doctors, and churchmen, mafter Page, we have fome falt

9 my heart of elder ?- -] It fhould be remember'd, to make this joke relish, that the elder tree has no heart. I suppose this expreffion was made use of in oppofition to the common one, heart of oak. STEEVENS.

Caftilian-] Sir T. Hanmer reads Cardalian, as used corruptedly for Cœur de lion. JOHNSON. Caftilian and Ethiopian, like time to have been cant terms. than one of the old comedies.

Cataian, appear in our author's
I have met with them in more
STEEVENS.

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