Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, sir? I heard say, he was outrun on Cotsall.1

Page. It could not be judged, sir.

Slen. You'll not confess, you'll not confess. Shal. That he will not ;-'tis your fault, 'tis your fault. 'Tis a good dog.

Page. A cur, sir.

Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog. Can there be more said? he is good and fair.-Is sir John Falstaff here?

Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between you.

Evans. It is spoke as a christians ought to speak. Shal. He hath wronged me, master Page.

Page. Sir, he doth in some sort confess it.

Shal. If it be confessed, it is not redressed; is not that so, master Page? He hath wronged me;— indeed, he hath ;—at a word, he hath;-believe me; -Robert Shallow, esquire, saith, he is wronged.

Page. Here comes sir John.

Enter SIR JOHN FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, NYM, and

PISTOL.

Fal. Now, master Shallow; you'll complain of me to the king?

Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge.

Fal. But not kissed your keeper's daughter?

1 Cotswold, in Glocestershire.

Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answered.

Fal. I will answer it straight :-I have done all this. That is now answered.

Shal. The Council shall know this.

Fal. "Twere better for you, if it were known in counsel: you'll be laughed at.

Evans. Pauca verba, sir John; good worts.

Fal. Good worts! good cabbage.1-Slender, I broke your head. What matter have you against me?

2

Slen. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you; and against your coney-catching rascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. They carried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards picked my pocket.

Bar. You Banbury cheese! 3

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Pis. How now, Mephostophilus ? 4

Slen. Ay, it is no matter.

Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca ;5 slice! that's my

humor.

Slen. Where's Simple, my man?—can you tell, cousin?

Evans. Peace, I pray you! Now let us under

Worts was the ancient name of all the cabbage kind.

2 Sharpers were called coney-catchers.

Cheese consisting of nothing but paring in allusion to the thin carcase of Slender.

The name of a familiar spirit in the old story of Doctor Faustus.

5 Few words.

stand. There is three umpires in this matter, as I understand that is-master Page, fidelicet, master Page; and there is myself, fidelicet, myself; and the three party is, lastly and finally, mine host of the Garter.

Page. We three, to hear it, and end it between them.

Evans. Fery goot: I will make a prief of it in my note-book; and we will afterwards 'orke upon the cause, with as great discreetly as we can.

Fal. Pistol,

Pis. He hears with ears.

Evans. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this, 'He hears with ear?' Why, it is affectations. Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse? Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he, (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again else) of seven groats in mill-sixpences,1 and two Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling and two pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves.

Fal. Is this true, Pistol?

Eans. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse.

Pis. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner!-Sir John, and master mine,

Mill-sixpences were used by way of counters to cast up

money.

2 The broad shillings of Edward the Sixth, much used in the game of shuffle-board.

I combat challenge of this latten bilbo : '
Word of denial in thy labras here;
Word of denial: froth and scum, thou liest.

Slen. By these gloves, then 'twas he.

Nym. Be avised,3 sir, and pass good humors: I will say, 'marry trap' with you, if you run the nuthook's humor on me; 5 that is the very note 6 of it.

Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it: for though I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an ass.

Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John? 7

Bar. Why, sir, for my part, I say, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences.

Evans. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is!

Bar. And being fap, sir, was, as they say, cashiered; and so conclusions passed the careires."

Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but 'tis no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves.

1 This blade as thin as a lath. Latten is a mixed metal, made of copper and calamine.

3 Cautious.

Lips.

4 I will catch you in your own trap.

6 Truth.

5 If you say I am a thief. 7 In allusion to Bardolph's red face. 8 Drunk. 9. And so, in the end, he reeled about with a circuitous motion, like a horse. passing a carier.'-Malone. To pass a carier' was a technical term, signifying running a career.

Evans. So Got 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind. Fal. You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen; you hear it.

Enter ANNE PAGE with wine; MRS. FORD and MRS. PAGE following.

Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Exit Anne Page. Slen. O heaven! this is mistress Anne Page. Page. How now, mistress Ford?

Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met by your leave, good mistress. [kissing her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome.Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner; come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkind[Exeunt all but Shallow, Slender, and Evans. Slen. I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book of Songs and Sonnets here.

ness.

Enter SIMPLE.

How now, Simple! where have you been? I must wait on myself, must I? You have not The Book of Riddles about you, have you?

Sim. Book of Riddles! why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas ? 1

Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we stay for you.

Allhallowmas is almost five weeks after Michaelmas. Shakspeare probably intended to blunder.