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hell on fire; he would never else cross me But, stay; I smell a man of middle-earth. thus.

Enter SIR HUGH EVANS, like a Satyr; PISTOL as
Hobgoblin; ANNE PAGE, as the Fairy Queen,
attended by her Brother and Others, as Fairies,
with waxen tapers on their heads.

Anne. Fairies, black, grey, green, and white,
You moonshine revellers, and shades of night, 44
You orphan heirs of fixed destiny,
Attend your office and your quality.
Crier Hobgoblin, make the fairy oyes.

Pist. Elves, list your names: silence, you
airy toys!

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Fal. Heavens defend me from that Welsh fairy, lest he transform me to a piece of cheese! Pist. Vile worm, thou wast o'erlook'd even in thy birth.

Anne. With trial-fire touch me his finger-end:
If he be chaste, the flame will back descend
And turn him to no pain; but if he start,
It is the flesh of a corrupted heart.

Pist. A trial! come.

Ενα.

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Come, will this wood take fire? [They burn him with their tapers.

Fal. Oh, oh, oh!

Anne. Corrupt, corrupt, and tainted in desire!

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I'll wink and couch: no man their works must
eye.
[Lies down upon his face.

Lust is but a bloody fire,

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The several chairs of order look you scour
With juice of balm and every precious flower: 68
Each fair instalment, coat, and several crest,
With loyal blazon, ever more be blest!
And nightly, meadow-fairies, look you sing,
Like to the Garter's compass, in a ring:
The expressure that it bears, green let it be,
More fertile-fresh than all the field to see;
And, Honi soit qui mal y pense write
In emerald tufts, flowers purple, blue, and white;
Like sapphire, pearl, and rich embroidery,
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Buckled below fair knighthood's bending knee:
Fairies use flowers for their charactery.
Away! disperse! But, till 'tis one o'clock,
Our dance of custom round about the oak
Of Herne the hunter, let us not forget.

80

Eva. Pray you, lock hand in hand; your-
selves in order set;

And twenty glow-worms shall our lanthorns be,
To guide our measure round about the tree. 85

Pinch him, and burn him, and turn him about,
Till candles and star-light and moonshine be out.

During this song, the Fairies pinch FALSTAFF.
DOCTOR CAIUS comes one way, and steals
away a Fairy in green; SLENDER another
way, and takes off a Fairy in white; and
FENTON comes, and steals away ANNE
PAGE. A noise of hunting is heard within.
The Fairies run away. FALSTAFF pulls
off his buck's head, and rises.

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See you these, husband? do not these fair yokes
Become the forest better than the town?

Ford. Now sir, who's a cuckold now? Master Brook, Falstaff's a knave, a cuckoldly knave; here are his horns, Master Brook: and, Master Brook, he hath enjoyed nothing of Ford's but his buck-basket, his cudgel, and twenty pounds of money, which must be paid too, Master Brook; his horses are arrested for it, Master Brook. 121 Mrs. Ford. Sir John, we have had ill luck; we could never meet. I will never take you for

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Fal. And these are not fairies? I was three or four times in the thought they were not fairies; and yet the guiltiness of my mind, the sudden surprise of my powers, drove the grossness of the foppery into a received belief, in despite of the teeth of all rime and reason, that they were fairies. See now how wit may be made a Jack-a-lent, when 'tis upon ill employment!

Eva. Sir John Falstaff, serve Got, and leave your desires, and fairies will not pinse you. 140 Ford. Well said, fairy Hugh.

Eva. And leave you your jealousies too, I

pray you.

Ford. I will never mistrust my wife again, till thou art able to woo her in good English.145 Fal. Have I laid my brain in the sun and dried it, that it wants matter to prevent so gross o'er-reaching as this? Am I ridden with a Welsh goat too? shall I have a coxcomb of frize? 'Tis time I were choked with a piece of toasted cheese.

Eva. Seese is not goot to give putter: your pelly is all putter. 153

Fal. 'Seese' and 'putter!' have I lived to stand at the taunt of one that makes fritters of English? This is enough to be the decay of lust and late-walking through the realm.

157

Mrs. Page. Why, Sir John, do you think, though we would have thrust virtue out of our hearts by the head and shoulders, and have given ourselves without scruple to hell, that ever the devil could have made you our delight?

Ford. What, a hodge-pudding? a bag of flax? Mrs. Page. A puffed man?

164

Page. Old, cold, withered, and of intolerable entrails?

Ford. And one that is as slanderous as Satan? Page. And as poor as Job?

Ford. And as wicked as his wife?

168

Eva. And given to fornications, and to taverns, and sack and wine and metheglins, and to drinkings and swearings and starings, pribbles and prabbles? 173

Fal. Well, I am your theme: you have the start of me; I am dejected; I am not able to answer the Welsh flannel. Ignorance itself is a plummet o'er me: use me as you will. 177 Ford. Marry, sir, we'll bring you to Windsor, to one Master Brook, that you have cozened of money, to whom you should have been a pander:

over and above that you have suffered, I think, to repay that money will be a biting affliction. Mrs. Ford. Nay, husband, let that go to make amends;

Forgive that sum, and so we'll all be friends. 184 Ford. Well, here's my hand: all is forgiven at last.

Page. Yet be cheerful, knight: thou shalt eat a posset to-night at my house; where I will desire thee to laugh at my wife, that now laughs at thee. Tell her, Master Slender hath married her daughter.

Mrs. Page. [Aside.] Doctors doubt that: if Anne Page be my daughter, she is, by this Doctor Caius' wife.

Enter SLENDER.

193

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MEASURE FOR MEASURE

VINCENTIO, the Duke.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

ANGELO, Lord Deputy in the Duke's absence.

ESCALUS, an Ancient Lord, joined with Angelo

in the deputation.

CLAUDIO, a young Gentleman.

LUCIO, a Fantastic.

Two other like Gentlemen.

ELBOW, a simple Constable.
FROTH, a foolish Gentleman.
POMPEY, Tapster to Mistress Overdone.
ABHORSON, an Executioner.
BARNARDINE, a dissolute Prisoner.

VARRIUS, a Gentleman attending on the Duke. MARIANA, betrothed to Angelo.

PROVOST.

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ISABELLA, sister to Claudio.

JULIET, beloved of Claudio. FRANCISCA, a Nun.

MISTRESS OVERDONE, a Bawd.

Lords, Officers, Citizens, Boy, and Attendants.

SCENE.-Vienna.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-An Apartment in the DUKE'S Palace.

Enter ANGELO.

Ang. Always obedient to your Grace's will, I come to know your pleasure.

Duke.

Angelo, Enter DUKE, ESCALUS, Lords, and Attendants. There is a kind of character in thy life,

Duke. Escalus.

Escal. My lord?

Duke. Of government the properties to unfold,

Would seem in me to affect speech and discourse, Since I am put to know that your own science 5 Exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice

My strength can give you: then no more remains,
But that, to your sufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work. The nature of our people, 9
Our city's institutions, and the terms

For common justice, you're as pregnant in,
As art and practice hath enriched any

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We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice 24 Proceeded to you; therefore take your honours.

Our haste from hence is of so quick condition 53
That it prefers itself, and leaves unquestion'd
Matters of needful value. We shall write to you,
As time and our concernings shall importune, 56
How it goes with us; and do look to know
What doth befall you here. So, fare you well:
To the hopeful execution do I leave you
Of your commissions.

Ang.

Yet, give leave, my lord, 60 That we may bring you something on the way. Duke. My haste may not admit it; Nor need you, on mine honour, have to do With any scruple: your scope is as mine own, 64 So to enforce or qualify the laws

68

As to your soul seems good. Give me your hand;
I'll privily away: I love the people,
But do not like to stage me to their eyes.
Though it do well, I do not relish well
Their loud applause and Aves vehement,
Nor do I think the man of safe discretion

That does affect it. Once more, fare you well. 72
Ang. The heavens give safety to your purposes!
Escal. Lead forth and bring you back in
happiness!

Duke. I thank you. Fare you well.

[Exit. Escal. I shall desire you, sir, to give me leave To have free speech with you; and it concerns me To look into the bottom of my place: A power I have, but of what strength and nature I am not yet instructed.

80

Ang. 'Tis so with me. Let us withdraw to

gether,

And we may soon our satisfaction have
Touching that point.
Escal.

I'll wait upon your honour.
[Exeunt.

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First Gent. Ay, and more.

Lucio. A French crown more.

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First Gent. Thou art always figuring diseases in me; but thou art full of error: I am sound. 57

Lucio. Nay, not as one would say, healthy; but so sound as things that are hollow: thy bones are hollow; impiety has made a feast of thee.

Enter MISTRESS OVERDONE.

61

First Gent. How now! which of your hips has the most profound sciatica?

Mrs. Ov. Well, well; there's one yonder arrested and carried to prison was worth five thousand of you all.

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Second Gent. Who's that, I pray thee?
Mrs. Ov. Marry, sir, that's Claudio, Signior

Claudio.

First Gent. Claudio to prison! 'tis not so. 70 Mrs. Ov. Nay, but I know 'tis so: I saw him arrested; saw him carried away; and, which is

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