Ford. Went you not to her yesterday, Sir, as you told me you had appointed? Fal. I went to her, master Brook, as you fee, like a poor old man; but I came from her, mafter Brook, like a poor old woman. That fame knave, Ford her husband, hath the finest mad devil of jealousy in him, mafter Brook, that ever govern'd frenzy. I will tell you; he beat me grievously, in the shape of a woman; for in the shape of a man, mafter Brook, I fear not Goliah with a weaver's beam; because I know also, life is a fhuttle; I am in hafte; go along with me, I'll tell you all, master Braak. Since I pluckt geefe, play'd truant and whipt top, I knew not what 'twas to be beaten, 'till lately. Follow me, I'll tell you strange things of this knave Ford, on whom to-night I will be reveng'd, and I will deliver his wife into your hand. Follow; ftrange things in hand, mafter Brook! follow.[Exeunt. BANDENKOGALDOINKDENKITIKO A CT V. Enter Page, Shallow, and Slender. PAGE. OME, come: we'll couch i'th” castle-ditch, 'till we fee the light of our faires. Remember, fon Slender, my daughter. Slen. Ay, forfooth, I have spoke with her, and we, have a nay-word how to know one another. I come to her in white, and cry, mum; fhe cries, budget; and by that we know one another. Shal. That's good too; but what needs either your mum, or her budget; the white will decipher her well enough. It hath ftruck ten o'clock. Pase. The night is dark, light and spirits will become it well; heav'n profper our fport! No man means evil but the devil, and we fhall know him by his horns. Let's away; follow me. [Exeunt. Enter Miftrefs Page, Miftrefs Ford and Caius. Ms. Page. Mr. Doftor, my daughter is in green; when you lee your time, take her by the hand, away. with her to the Deanly, and cifpatch it quickly; go before into the Park: we two must go together. Caius. I know vat I have to do; adieu. [Exit. Mrs. Page. Fare you well, Sir. My husband will not rejoice fo much at the abuse of Falstaff, as he will chafe at the Doctor's marrying my daughter; but 'tis no matter; better a little chiding, than a great deal of heart-break. M. Ford. Where is Nan now, and her troop of fairies, (27) and the Witch devil Evans? Mrs Page. They are all couch'd in a pit hard by Herm's oak, with obfcur'd lights; which, at the very Battant of Falflaf's and our meeting, they will at once display to the night. Mrs. Ford. That cannot chafe but amaze him. Mrs. Page. If he be not amaz'd, he will be mock'd; if he be amaz'd, he will every way be rocke'd. Mrs. Fard. We'll betray him finely. Mrs. Page. Against fuch lewdflers, and their lechery, Thofe, that betray them, do no treachery. Mrs. Ford. The hour draws on; to the oak, to the oak, Enter Evans and Fairies. [Exeunt. Eva. Trib, trib, fairies; come, and remember your parts be pold, I pray you; follow me into the pit; (27) And the Welch devil Herne?] Thus all the impreffions have Blunder'd after each other; but Falfoff was to reprefent Herne, and he was no Welchman. Where was the attention, or fagacity, of our Editors, not to obferve that Mrs. Ford is inquiring for Evans by the name of the Welch devil? The miftake, of the word Herne getting into the text, might eafily happen by the inadvertence of Transcribers,, who threw their eyes too hastily on the fucceeding line, where the word again occurs. Dr. Thirlby likewife difcover'a the blunder of this paffage. and and when I give the watch-'ords, do as I pid you: come, come; trib, trib. Enter Falfaff, with a Buck's head on. [Exeunt. Fal. The Windfor bell hath truck twelve, the minute draws on; now the h t-blooded Gods affift me? Remember, Jove, thou wast a bull for thy Europa; love fet on thy horns. Oh powerful love! that, in fome refpects, makes a beast a man; in fome other, a man a beaft: You were alfo, Jupiter, a fwan, for the love of Leda: oh. omnipotent love! how near the Gol drew to the complexion of a goofe? A fault done first in the form of a beaft,-O Jove, a beaftly fault; and then another fault in the femblance of a fowl: think on't, Jove, a foul fault. When Gods have hot backs, what fhall poor men do? for me, I am here a Windfer ftag, and the fatteft, I think, i' th' foreft, Send me a cool rut-time, Jove, or who can blame me to pifs my tallow? who comes here? my doe? Enter Mistress Ford and Miftrefs Page. Mrs. Ford. Sir John? art thou there, my deer? my male-deer? Fal. My doe with the black fcut? let the fky rain potatoes; let it thunder to the tune of Green-Sleeves; bail kiffing-comfits, and fnow eringoes; let there come a tempeft of provocation, I will shelter me here. Mrs. Ford. Miftrefs Page is come with me, fweet heart. Fal. (28) Divide me like a bribe-buck, each a haunch; I will keep my fides to myfelf, my fhoulders for the fellow of this walk, and my horns I bequeath your husbands. Am I a woodman, ha? Speak I like Herne the hunter? why, now is Cupid a child of confeience, he makes reftitution. As I am a true fpirit, welcome! [Noife within (28) Divide me like a brib'd-buck,] Thus all the old copies, miftakingly It must be, bribe-buck; i e. a buck fent for a bribe. E made the correction in my SHAKESPEARE Rford; and Mr, Pops has reform'd the paffage by it, in his laft edition. Mrs. Page. Alas! what noife? Mrs. Ford. Heav'n forgive our fins! Mrs. Ford. Mrs. Page. Away, away. [The women run out. Fal. I think, the devil will not have me damn'd, left the oil that is in me thould fet hell on fire; he never would elfe cross me thus. Enter Sir Hugh like a Satyr; Quickly, and otheos, drefk like Fairies, with Tapers. Quic. Fairies, black, grey, green, and white, Eva. Elves, lift your names; filence, you airy toys. Fal. They're fairies; he,that fpeaks to them, fhall die. I'll wink and couch; no man their works must eye. [Lies down upon his face. Eva.Where's Pede? go you, and where you find a maid, That, ere fhe fleep, hath thrice her prayers faid, Raife up the organs of her fantafy; Sleep fhe as found as careless infancy; But thofe, that fleep, and think not on their fins, Pinch them, arms, legs, backs, fhoulders, fides and shins. (29) You orphan heirs of] Why, orphan heirs? Destiny, to which they ow'd their original, and to whom they were heirs, was yet in being fure: therefore they could not be call'd orphans. Doubtles, the Poet wrote; You ouphen-beirs of fixed deftiny. i. e. You elves, that fucceed to, and minifter in, fome of the works of definy. They are call'd both bofore and after, in this play, cupbs here, cuphin; for en is either the Saxon termination of plural nous; (the word itself being from the Saxon Alpenne, lamia, demones or the termination of an adjective, form'd from a noun; tweeden, woollen, golden, brazen, &c. Mr. Warburton, Quic. About, about; Search Windfor castle, elves, within and out. In emrold-tuffs, flow'rs purple, blue and white, Away, disperse; but, 'till 'tis one o'clock; Of Herne, the hunter, let us not forget. Eva, Pray you, lock hand in hand, yourselves in order fet : And twenty glow-worms fhall our lanthorns be, Fal. Heav'ns defend me from that Welch fairy, left he transform me to a piece of cheese! Eva. Vild worm, thou waft o'er-look'dev'n in thybirths. Quic. With trial-fire touch me his finger-end; If he be chafte, the flame will back descend, And turn him to no pain; but if he start, It is the flesh of a corrupted heart. (30) and the owner it.] And cannot be the true reading,. both because the grammar of the fentence will not allow it, and ins court to Queen Elizabeth directs to another, reading ; as the owner it. for, fure, he would not with a thing, which his complaifance and: address must suppose actually was; viz. the worth of the owner. Q: 5. Mr. Warburtona Ecua |