THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. (WRITTEN ABOUT 1598.) INTRODUCTION. This is an offshoot from the comedy of King Henry IV., while King Henry V. is the direct continuation of the history. Dennis, in 1702, reports a tradition that this play was written in fourteen days, by order of the Queen; and Rowe adds: "She was so well pleased with that admirable character of Falstaff, in the two parts of Henry IV., that she commanded him to continue it for one play more, 22d to show him in love." This may have been the cause why Shakespeare does not fulfill the prom made in the Epilogue of Henry IV., that Falstaff should re-appear with Henry V. in France; bat, indeed, among the great deeds of the victor of Agincourt there would be small room for a Falstaff. The choice of Windsor as the scene, and the compliments to the owner of Windsor Castle, And to the wearers of the Order of the Garter, suggest that the play was meant especially for Elizabeth and her courtiers. An early sketch of The Merry Wives was published in quarto, 1602; some caches in the play, as given in the folio, were evidently made after the accession of James I. (1603); the word "council is altered to "king" (Act I., Sc. I., L. 113); "these knights will hack," exclaims Mrs. Page (Act II., Se L., L. 52), and the allusion to James's too liberal creation of knights in 1604 was probably appreciated. Some critics have held that the first sketch of The Merry Wives was written early as 1592. A German duke is spoken of by Bardolph as about to visit Windsor, and his genlemen ride off with mine host of the Garter's horses unpaid for. In the early sketch (Act IV., Sc. v., of the revised play), instead of "cousin-germans," where Evans puns upon the words cozen and GerTH, occurs the strange "cosen garmombles." Now, Count Frederick of Mömpelgard had visited England and accompanied the Queen to Windsor, Aug. 1592; and in the passport which he received For his journey back to the Continent, we read that he shall be furnished with post-horses, and shall gay nothing for the same. Next year the Count became Duke of Wirtemberg, and in 1595 he craved hat, in accordance with a promise given, Elizabeth would confer upon him the Order of the Garter, sh Elizabeth, on various pretexts, declined. "Garmombles" obviously reverses the true name Mompelgard;" but the inference that the date of the play is 1592, because it refers to the visit of be Germans, is unwarrantable, for such an event would be remembered, and the more so because of Je Duke's subsequent unavailing attempt to obtain the honor of the Garter. If we try to make out caet relations between the characters of The Merry Wives and the same characters as they appear the historical plays, we shall fail. The comedy has a certain independence of the histories, and annot be pieced on to them in any way: the persons are the same and not the same. Mrs. Quickly, rvant of Dr. Caius, has a different history from the Mrs. Quickly of the Boar's Head Tavern. Nor Falstaff conceived in quite the same manner as the Falstaff of Henry IV. Here the knight is nous, his genius deserts him; the never-defeated hangs his head before two country dames; the k-basket, the drench of Thames water, the blows of Ford's cudgel, are reprisals too coarse upon De most inimitable of jesters. Yet the play is indeed a merry one, with well-contrived incidents nd abundance of broad mirth. A country air breathes over the whole; nowhere else has Shakeare represented English middle-class life in the country, and he has here done it with a vigorous, ealthy pleasure. It is not, however, a poetical play, unless comely English maidenhood, in the tson of pretty Anne Page, lend it something of poetry. There is a propriety in the fact that this medy is written almost wholly in prose. The merry wives are a delightful pair, with "their sly Lezhing looks, their apple-red cheeks, their brows the lines whereon look more like the work of rth than of years;" and Slender, most brainless of youths, most incapable of lovers, is dear for ke of the laugh at him which pretty Anne Page must have when alone. Altogether, if we can cept Falstaff's discomfitures, it is a merry play to laugh at if not to love. R JOHN FALSTAFF ALLOW, a country justice. ENDER, cousin to Shallow. DRAMATIS PERSONE. FORD, two gentlemen dwelling PAGE, at Windsor. 1. SCENE I. Windsor. Before PAGE's house. Enter JUSTICE SHALLOW, SLENDER, and SIR HUGH EVANS. Shal. Sir Hugh, persuade me not; I will make a Star-chamber matter of it if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire. Slen. In the county of Gloucester, justice of peace and Coram.' Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and 'Custalorum.' Slen. Ay, and 'Rato-lorum' too; and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself Armigero,' in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigero.' 11 Shal. Ay, that I do; and have done any time these three hundred years. Slen. All his successors gone before him hath done't; and all his ancestors that come after him may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat. Evans. Yes, py'r lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but that is all one. If Sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence to make atonements and compremises between you. Shal. The council shall hear it; it is a riot. Evans. It is not meet the council hear a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot: the council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it. 41 Evans. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which peradventure prings goot discretions with it: there is Anne Page, which is daughter to Master Thomas Page, which is pretty virginity. Slen. Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman. Evans. It is that fery person for all the orld, as just as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of moneys, and gold and sil ver, is her grandsire upon his death's-bedGot deliver to a joyful resurrections !-give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a goot motion if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage between Master Abraham and Mistress Anne Page. hundred pound ? 60 Slen. Did her grandsire leave her seven Evans. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts. Evans. Seven hundred pounds and possibilities is goot gifts. Shal. Well, let us see honest Master Page Is Falstaff there? Evans. Shall I tell you a lie ? I do despise a liar as I do despise one that is false, or as I despise one that is not true. The knight, Sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruid by your well-willers. I will peat the door fog Master Page. [Knocks.) What, hoa! Got pless your house here! Page. [Within] Who's there? Enter PAGE, Evans. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and Justice Shallow; and here youn Master Slender, that peradventures shall te you another tale, if matters grow to your lis ings. Page. I am glad to see your worships well I thank you for my venison, Master Shallow Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you much good do it your good heart! I wishe your venison better; it was ill killed. Hot doth good Mistress Page?-and I thank you always with my heart, la! with my heart. Page. Sir, I thank you. Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, do. Page. I am glad to see you, good Mast Slender. Slen. How does your fallow greyhour sir? I heard say he was outrun on Cotsail Page. It could not be judged, sir. Slen. You'll not confess, you'll not confe Shal, Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog: cau there be more said? he is good and fair. Is Sir John Falstaff here? 100 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 redress'd: 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 comez Sir John. 110 That is now answered. 120 Shal. The council shall know this. in counsel: you'll be laughed at. Erans. Pauca verba, Sir John; goot worts. Fal. Good worts! good cabbage. Slender, I broke your head: what matter have you against me? Slen. Marry, sir, I have matter in my head against you; and against your cony-catching Pascals, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. Bard. You Banbury cheese ! Slen. Ay, it is no matter. Pist. How now, Mephostophilus! Slen. Ay, it is no matter. 130 Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca: slice! hat's my humor. Slen. Where's Simple, my man? Can you ell, cousin? Evans. Peace, I pray you. Now let us unerstand. There is three umpires in this mater. as I understand; that is, Master Page, delicet Master Page; and there is myself, delicet myself; and the three party is, lastly and finally, mine host of the Garter. Pige. We three, to hear it and end it beween them. Evans. Fery goot: I will make a prief of in my note-book; and we will afterwards k upon the cause with as great discreetly as Fal. Is this true, Pistol? John and Master mine, Sir 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, sir, and pass good humors: I will say 'marry trap' with you, if you run the nuthook's humor on me; that is the very note 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? Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences. 180 Evans. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. 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. 190 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; MISTRESS FORD and MISTRESS PAGE, following. Page. Nay, daughter, carry the wine in; we'll drink within. [Erit 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. [Kisses her. 200 Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome. Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner: come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness. [Exeunt all except Shal., Slen., and Evans. Slen. I had rather than forty shillings I had my Book of Songs and Sonnets here. 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 All-hallow mas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas? Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we stay 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 shall find me reasonable; if it be so, I shall do that that is reason. Shal. Nay, but understand me. Slen. So I do, sir. 220 Evans. Give ear to his motions, Master Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. Slen. Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow says: I pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here. Evans. But that is not the question: the question is concerning your marriage. Shal. Ay, there's the point, sir. Evans. Marry, is it; the very point of it; to Mistress Anue Page. 231 Slen. Why, if it be so, I will marry her upon any reasonable demands. Evans. But can you affection the 'oman ? Let us command to know that of your mouth or of your lips; for divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth. Therefore, precisely, can you carry your good will to the maid: [love her? 240 Shal. Cousin Abraham Slender, can you Slen. I hope, sir, I will do as it shall become one that would do reason, Evans. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies! you must speak possitable, if you can carry her your desires towards her. Shal. That you must. Will you, upon good dowry, marry her? Slen. I will do a greater thing than that, upon your request, cousin, in any reason. Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, sweet coz: what I do is to pleasure you, coz. Can you love the maid? Slen. I will marry her, sir, at your request: but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married and have more occasion to know one another; I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you say, Marry her, I will marry her; that I am freely dissolved, and dissolutely. 260 Evans. It is a fery discretion answer; save the fall is in the ort 'dissolutely:' the ort is, according to our meaning, 'resolutely:" his meaning is good. Shal. Ay, I think my cousin meant well. Slen, Ay, or else I would I might be hanged, la ! Shal. Here comes fair Mistress Anne. Re-enter ANNE PAGE. Would I were young for your sake, Mistress Anne! Anne. The dinner is or the table; my father desires your worships' company. 271 Evans, Od's plessed will! I will not be absence at the grace. Anne. in, sir ? [Exeunt Shallow and Evans Will't please your worship to come Slen. No, I thank you, forsooth, heartily: I am very well. Anne. The dinner attends you, sir. Slen. I am nota-hungry, I thank you, for sooth. Go, sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my cousin Shallow. [Exit Simple.] A justice of peace sometimes may be be holding 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 wor ship: they will not sit till you come. 291 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 bruised my shin th' other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence: three veneys for a dish of stewed prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot meat since. Why do your dogs bark so? be there bears i' the town? Anne. I think there are, sir; I heard them talked of. 301 Slen. I love the sport well; but I shall as soon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you see the bear loose, are you not? Anne. Ay, indeed, sir. Slen. That's meat and drink to me, now, I have seen Sackerson loose twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but, I warrant you, the women have so cried and shrieked at it, that it passed: but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em; they are very ill-favored rough things. Re-enter PAGE. Page. Come, gentle Master Slender, come; we stay for you. Slen. I'll eat nothing, I thank you, sir. Page. By cock and pie, you shall not choose, sir! come, come. Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way. Slen. Mistress Anne, yourself shall go first Slen. Truly, I will not go first; truly, i I will not do you that wrong. Anne. I pray you, sir. Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly than tron blesome. You do yourself wrong, indeed, La [Ехеми SCENE II. The same Enter SIR HUGH EVANS and SIMPLE Evans. Go your ways, and ask of Dom tor Caius' house which is the way: and then dwells one Mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurse, or his dry nurse, or his cook, or his laundry, his washer, and his wringer. Sum. Well, sir. Evans. Nay, it is petter yet. Give her this etter; for it is a 'oman that altogether's ac(uaintance with Mistress Anne Page: and the etter is, to desire and require her to solicit our master's desires to Mistress Anne Page. pray you, be gone: I will make an end of by dinner; there's pippins and cheese to [Exeunt. SCENE III, A room in the Garter Inn. Enter FALSTAFF, HOST, BARDOLPH, NYM, Fal. Mine host of the Garter! Fal. Truly, mine host, I must turn away me of my followers. Host. Discard, bully Hercules; cashier: let em wag; trot, trot. Fel. I sit at ten pounds a week. Host, Thou'rt an emperor, Cæsar, Keisar, Pheezar. I will entertain Bardolph; he ul draw, he shall tap: said I well, bully tor? entertainment in her; she discourses, she carves, she gives the leer of invitation: I can construe the action of her familiar style; and the hardest voice of her behavior, to be Englished rightly, is, 'I am Sir John Falstaff's.' Pist. He hath studied her will, and translated her will, out of honesty into English. Nym. The anchor is deep: will that humor pass? Fal. Now, the report goes she has all the rule of her husband's purse: he hath a legion of angels. 60 Pist. As many devils entertain; and 'To her, boy,' say I. Nym. The humor rises; it is good: humor me the angels. Fal. I have writ me here a letter to her: and here another to Page's wife, who even now gave me good eyes too, examined my parts mosaicious tilladeaminate E beam of her view gilded my foot, sometimes my portly belly. 71 Pist. Then did the sun on dunghil shine. Nym. I thank thee for that humor. Fal. O, she did so course o'er my exteriors with such a greedy intention, that the appetite of her eye did seem to scorch ne up like a burning-glass! IHere's another Icter to her: she bears the purse too; she is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty. I will be cheater to them both, and they shall be exchequers to me; they shall be my East and West Indies, and I will trade to them Loth. Go bear thou this letter to Mistress Page; and thou this to Mistress Ford: we will thrive, lads, we will thrive. Pist. Shall I Sir Pandarus of Troy become, And by my side wear steel? then, Lucifer take all! Nym. I will run no base humor: here, take the humor-letter: I will keep the havior of reputation. Fal. [To Robin] Hold, sirrah, bear you these letters tightly; Sail like my pinnace to these golden shores. Rogues, hence, avaunt! vanish like hailstones, go; Trudge, plod away o' the hoof; seek shelter, pack! Falstaff will learn the humor of the age, French thrift, you rogues; myself and skirted [Exeunt Falstaff and Robin. page. Pist. Let vultures gripe thy guts! for gourd and fullam holds, And high and low beguiles the rich and poor: Tester I'll have in pouch when thou shalt lack, Base Phrygian Turk! Nym. I have operations which be humors of revenge. Pist. Wilt thou revenge ? Nym. By welkin and her star! Pist. With wit or steel? Nym. With both the humors, I: 100 I will discuss the humor of this love to Page, Pist. And I to Ford shall eke unfold |