Mrs. Ford. Heav'n make you better than your thoughts! Ford. Amen.

Mrs. Page. You do yourfelf mighty wrong, Mr. Ford.

Ford. Ay, ay; I must bear it.

Eva. If there be any pody in the house, and in the chambers, and in the coffers, and in the preffes, heav'n forgive my fins at the day of judgment!

Caius. By gar, nor I too; there is no bodies.

Page. Fie, fie, Mr. Ford, are you not afham'd? what fpirit, what devil, fuggefts this imagination? I would not ha' your diftemper in this kind, for the wealth of Windfor Caftle.

Ford. 'Tis my fault, Mr. Page: I suffer for it.

Eva. You fuffer for a pad confcience; your wife is as honeft a o'mans, as I will defires among five thou fand, and five hundred too.

Caius. By gar, I fee, 'tis an honeft woman.

Ford. Well I promis'd 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, miftrefs Page; I pray you pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me.

Page. Let's go in, gentlemen; but trust me, we'll mock him. I do invite you to-morrow morning to my house to breakfast; after, we'll a birding together; I have a fine hawk for the bush. Shall it be fo?

Ford. Any thing.

Eva. If there is one, I fhall make two in the company.

Caius. If there be one or two, I shall make-a de turd.

Eva. In your teeth-for fhame.

Ford. Pray you go, Mr. Page.

Eva. I pray you now, remembrance to-morrow on the loufy knave, mine Hoft.

Caius. Dat is good, by gar, with all my heart.

Eva.

Eva. A loufy knave, to have his gibes, and his mockeries.

Fent.

I

SCENE XII.

Changes to Page's Houfe.

[Exeunt.

Enter Fenton and Mistress Anne Page.
SEE, I cannot get thy father's love;

Therefore no more turn me to him, sweet Nan. Anne. Alas! how then?

Fent. Why, thou must be thyfelf.

He doth object, I am too great of birth;

And that my state being gall'd with my expence,
I seek to heal it only by his wealth.

Befides thefe, other bars he lays before me,
My riots paft, my wild focieties:

And tells me, 'tis a thing impoffible

I fhould love thee, but as a property.
Anne. May be, he tells you true.

Fent. No, heav'n fo fpeed me in my time to come!
Albeit, I will confefs, thy father's wealth
Was the firft motive that I woo'd thee Anne:
Yet wooing thee, I found thee of more value
Than ftamps in gold, or fums in fealing bags;
And 'tis the very riches of thyfelf

That now I aim at.

Anne. Gentle Mr. Fenton,

Yet feek my father's love: still seek it, Sir;
If opportunity and humbleft' fuit '

-father's wealth] Some light may be given to those who fhall endeavour to calculate the encrease of English wealth, by obferving, that Latymer in the time of Edward VI. mentions it as a proof of his father's profperity, That though but a yeoman, he gave his daughters five pounds each for her portion. At the latter end of Elizabeth, seven hun

Can

dred pounds were fuch a temptation to courtship, as made all other motives fufpected. Congreve makes twelve thousand pounds more than a counterballance to the affectation of Belinda. No poet would now fly his favourite character at less than fifty thousand.

If opportunity and bumble fuit] Dr. Thirlby imagines,

that

Cannot attain it, why then-hark you hither. [Fenton and Mistress Anne go apart.

Enter Shallow, Slender, and Mistress Quickly.

Shal. Break their talk, miftrefs Quickly; my kinfman fhall speak for himself.

Slen. I'll make a fhaft or a bolt on't: 'd'slid, 'tis but venturing.

Shal. Be not dismay'd.

Slen. No, fhe fhall not difmay me: I care not for that, but that I am affeard.

Quic. Hark ye, Mr. Slender would fpeak a word with you.

Anne. I come to him. This is my father's choice. O, what a world of vile ill favour'd faults

Look handfome in three hundred pounds a year! Quic. And how does good mafter Fenton? pray you, a word with you.

Shal. She's coming; to her, coz. O boy, thou hadft a father!

Slen. I had a father, Mrs. Anne; my uncle can tell you good jefts of him.-Pray you, uncle, tell Mrs. Anne the jeft, how my father stole two geese out of a pen, good uncle.

Shal. Miftrefs Anne, my coufin loves you.

Slen. Ay, that I do, as well as I love any woman in Gloucestershire.

Shal. He will maintain you like a gentlewoman. Slen. Ay, that I will, come cut and long-tail, under the degree of a Squire.

Shal. He will make you a hundred and fifty pounds jointure.

that our Author with more Propriety wrote:

"the frequent Opportunities you "find of folliciting my Father,

If Importunity and bumbleft Suit." and your Obfequioufnefs to

I have not ventur'd to disturb the

"him, cannot get him over to "your Party, &c." THEOBALD. LI 2

Text, because it may mean, "If

Anne.

Anne. Good mafter Shallow, let him woo for himself. Shal. Marry, I thank you for it; I thank you for that. Good comfort; the calls you, coz. I'll leave you. Anne. Now, mafter Slender.

Slen. Now, good mistress Anne.
Anne. What is your will?

Slen. My Will? od's heart-lings, that's a pretty jeft, indeed; I ne'er made my Will yet, I thank heav'n; I am not fuch a fickly creature, I give heav'n praise.

Anne. I mean, Mr. Slender, what would you with me? Slen. Truly, for my own part, I would little or nothing with you; your father and my uncle have made motions; if it be my luck, fo; if not, happy man be his dole! they can tell how things go, better than I can; you may ask your father; here he comes.

SCENE XIV.

Enter Page, and Mistress Page.

Page. Now, mafter Slender: love him, daughter

Anne.

Why how now? what does mafter Fenton here? You wrong me, Sir, thus ftill to haunt my houfe: I told you, Sir, my daughter is difpos'd of.

Fent. Nay, mafter Page, be not impatient.

Mrs. Page. Good Master Fenton, come not to my child.

Page. She is no match for you.
Fent. Sir, will you hear me?

Page. No, good mafter Fenton.

Come, mafter Shallow; come, fon Slender, in.
Knowing my mind, you wrong me, mafter Fenton.

[Exeunt Page, Shallow, and Slender.

Quic. Speak to miftrefs Page.

Fent. Good miftrefs Page, for that I love your daughter

In fuch a righteous fashion as I do,

Perforce, against all checks, rebukes and manners,

I must advance the colours of my love,

And

And not retire. Let me have your good will.

Anne. Good mother, do not marry me to yon fool. Mrs. Page. I mean it not, I feek you a better huf

band.

Quic. That's my mafter, mafter Doctor.

Anne. Alas, I had rather be fet quick i'th' earth, And bowl'd to death with turnips 2.

Mrs. Page. Come, trouble not yourfelf; good mafter Fenton,

I will not be your friend nor enemy:

My daughter will I queftion how the loves you,
And as I find her, fo am I affected.

'Till then, farewel, Sir-fhe muft needs go in,
Her Father will be angry. [Exe. Mrs. Page and Anne.
Fent. Farewel, gentle mistress; farewel, Nan.

*

Quic. This is my doing now. Nay, faid I, will you caft away your child on a fool, and a physician? look on master Fenton-This is my doing.

Fent. I thank thee; and I pray thee, once to-night Give my fweet Nan this ring. There's for thy pains. [Exit.

Quic. Now heav'n fend thee good fortune! A kind heart he hath, a woman would run through fire and water for fuch a kind heart. But yet, I would my master had mistress Anne, or I would Mr. Slender had her; or, in footh, I would Mr. Fenton had her. I will do what I can for them all three, for fo I have promis'd; and I'll be as good as my word, but fpeciously for Mr. Fenton. Well, I muft of another errand to Sir John Falstaff from my two mistresses; what a beast am I to flack it?

[Exit.

2 Anne. Alas, I had rather be to the procurefs, Quickly, who fet quick i'th earth, would mock the young woman's And bowl'd to death with tur- averfion for her mafter the DocWARBURTON.

nips.] Can we think the fpeaker would thus ridicule her own imprecation? We may be fure the last line fhould be given

tor.

fool and a phyfician?] I fhould read fool or a phyfician, meaning Slender and Caius. L13

SCENE