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. Eva. It is spoke as a Christians ought to speak. 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, N¥м, and PISTOL. Fal. Now, master Shallow; you'll complain of me to the king? killed my Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed deer, and broke open my lodge. Fal. But not kissed your keeper's daughter? 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. Eva. Pauca verba, Sir John, good worts. 1 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 rascals, Bar 2 1 Worts was the ancient term for all the cabbage kind. 2 A common name for cheats and sharpers in the time of Elizabeth. "By a metaphor taken from those that rob warrens and conie grounds.”. Minshew's Dict. dolph, Nym, and Pistol. They carried me to the tavern, and made me drunk, and afterwards picked my pocket. Bar. You Banbury cheese!1 Slen. Ay, it is no matter. 1 Pist. How now, Mephostophilus ?? 3 Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca; slice! that's my humor. Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, cousin? Eva. Peace, I pray you! Now let us understand : 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. Eva. Fery goot: I will make a prief of it in my note-book; and we will afterwards 'ork upon the cause with as great discreetly as we can. Fal. Pistol, Pist. He hears with ears. Eva. 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, and two Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling and twopence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves. Fal. Is this true, Pistol? 4 Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse. Pist. Ha, thou mountain-foreigner!-Sir John, and master mine, 1 Said in allusion to the thin carcass of Slender. So, in Jack Drum's Entertainment, 1601-" Put off your clothes, and you are like a Banbury Cheese, nothing but paring." 2 The name of a spirit, or familiar, in the old story book of Faustus. It was a cant phrase, probably, for an ugly fellow. 4 Mill-sixpences were used as counters; and King Edward's shillings used in the game of shuffle-board. |