he will carry't, he will carry't; 'tis in his buttons; he will carry't.

Page. Not by my consent, I promise you.

Ford. (R.) I beseech you heartily, some of you go home with me to dinner; besides your cheer you shall have sport; I'll show you a monster. Master Doctor, you shall go;-so shall you, master Page;-and you, Sir Hugh.

Shal. Well, fare you well. We shall have the freer wooing at Master Page's.

[Exeunt SHALLOW, SLENDER, and SIMPLE, L. Host. Farewell, my hearts; I will to my honest knight Falstaff, and drink canary with him. [Exit, L. Ford. (R.) I think I shall drink in pipe-wine first with him; I'll make him dance. Will you go gentles? [Exeunt FORD, PAGE, and EVANS, R. Caius. (c.) Go home, John Rugby, I come anon. [Exeunt CAIUS, R. and RUGBY, L.

SCENE III.-Ford's House.-Door R. and L.

Enter MRS. FORD and MRS. PAGE, R.

Mrs. Ford. What, John! what, Robert!

Mrs. Page. Quickly, quickly;-is the buck-basketMrs. Ford. I warrant :- What, Robin, I say.

Enter JOHN and ROBERT, L. with a huge Buck-basket.

Mrs. Page. Come, come, come.
Mrs. Ford. Here, set it down.

[They place it in c. of Stage. Mrs. Page. Give your men the charge; we must be brief.

Mrs. Ford. Marry, as I told you before, John and Robert, be ready here hard-by in the brew-house; and, when I suddenly call you, come forth, and (without any pause or staggering) take this basket on your shoulders: that done, trudge with it in all haste, and carry it among the whitsters in Datchet-mead, and there empty it in the muddy ditch, close by the Thames' side. Mrs. Page. You will do it?

Mrs. Ford. I have told them over and over; they lack no direction. Be gone, and come when you are call'd. O, we'll teach him!

[Exeunt JoHN and ROBERT, R.

DUET.-MRS. FORD AND MRS. PAGE.

All that glitters is not gold,
Often you have heard that told,
Many a man his life has sold,

But lov'd mistress to behold-

We'll leave a proof, by that which we shall do,
Wives may be merry, and yet honest too

Gilded wood may worms infold-
Were our lover wise or bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old-
Yet we'd say, 66

We'll leave a proof, &c.

your suit is cold."

Mrs. Page. Here comes little Robin.

Enter ROBIN, L.

Mrs. Ford. How now, my eyas-musket? what news with you?

Rob. My master, Sir John, is come in at the back door, Mistress Ford, and requests your company.

Mrs. Page. You little Jack-a-lent, have you been true to us?

Rob. Ay, I'll be sworn. My master knows not of your being here; and hath threaten'd to put me into everlasting liberty, if I tell you of it; for he swears he'll turn me away.

Mrs. Page. Thou'rt a good boy: this secresy of thine shall be a tailor to thee, and shall make thee a new doublet and hose. I'll go hide me.

Mrs. Ford. Do so:-Go and tell thy master, I am alone. [Exit ROBIN, R.] Mistress Page, remember you your cue.

me.

Mrs. Page. I warrant thee; if I do not act it, hiss [Exit, R. Mrs. Ford. Go to then ;-we'll use this unwholesome humidity, gross watery pumpion; we'll teach him to know turtles from jays.

Enter FALSTAFF, L.

Fal. Have I caught thee, my heavenly jewel?— Why, this is the period of my ambition: O, this blessed hour!

Mrs. Ford. O, sweet Sir John!

Fal. Mistress Ford, I cannot cog, I cannot prate, Mistress Ford. Now shall I sin in my wish: I would thy husband were dead; I'll speak it before the best lord, I would make thee my lady.

Mrs. Ford. I your lady, Sir John! alas, I should be a pitiful lady.

Fal. Let the court of France show me such another; I see how thine eye would emulate the diamond:-Thou hast the right arch'd bent of the brow that becomes the ship-tire, the tire-valiant, or any tire of Venetian ad

mittance.

Mrs. Ford. A plain kerchief, Sir John :-my brows become nothing else; nor that well neither.

Fal. Thou art a traitor to say so: I see what thou wert, if fortune thy foe were not: nature is thy friend : come, thou canst not hide it.

Mrs. Ford. Believe me, there's no such thing in me. Fal. What made me love thee? Let that persuade thee, there's something extraordinary in thee. Come, I cannot cog, and say, thou art this and that, like a many of these lisping hawthorn-buds, that come like women in men's apparel, and smell like Bucklersbury in simpletime; I cannot; but I love thee; none but thee; and thou deservest it.

Mrs. Ford. Do not betray me, sir; I fear, you love Mistress Page.

Fal. Thou might'st as well say, I love to walk by the counter-gate; which is as hateful to me as the reek of a lime-kiln.

Mrs. Ford. Well, heaven knows how I love you; and you shall one day find it.

Fal. Keep in that mind; I'll deserve it.

Mrs. Ford. Nay, I must tell you, so you do: or else I could not be in that mind.

Enter ROBIN, L.

Rob. Mistress Ford, Mistress Ford! here's Mistress Page at the door, looking wildly, and would needs speak with you presently. [Exit, L. Fal. She shall not see me; I will ensconce me behind the arras.

Mrs. Ford. 'Pray you, do so; she's a very tattling [Exit FALSTAFF, R.

woman.

Enter ROBIN and MRS. PAGE, L.

What's the inatter? How now?

Mrs. Page. Q, Mistress Ford, what have you done? You're sham'd, you are overthrown, you are undone for

ever.

Mrs. Ford. What's the matter, good Mistress Page? Mrs. Page. O, well-a-day, Mistress Ford! having an honest man to your husband, to give him such cause of suspicion !

Mrs. Ford. What cause of suspicion ?

Mrs. Page. What cause of suspicion?-Out upon you!-how am I mistook in you?

Mrs. Ford. Why, alas! what's the matter?

Mrs. Page. Your husband's coming hither, woman, with all the officers in Windsor, to search for a gentle man, that, he says, is here now in the house, by your consent, to take an ill advantage of his absence.-You are undone.

Mrs. Ford. Speak louder. [Aside.]-"Tis not so, I hope.

Mrs. Page. 'Pray heaven it be not so, that you have such a man here; but, 'tis most certain, your husband's coming, with half Windsor at his heels, to search for such a one. I come before to tell you: if you know yourself clear, why, I am glad of it: but, if you have a friend here, convey, convey him out. Be not amaz'd; call all your senses to you; defend your reputation, or bid farewell to your good life for ever.

Mrs. Ford. What shall I do? There is a gentleman, my dear friend; and I fear not mine own shame, so much as his peril: I had rather than a thousand pound, he were out of the house.

Mrs. Page. For shame, never stand "you had rather,' and .. you had rather;" your husband's here at hand, bethink you of some conveyance; in the house you can not hide him.-O, how have you deceiv'd me!-Look, here is a basket; if he be of any reasonable stature, he may creep in here; and throw the linen upon him, as if it were going to bucking: or (it is whiting-time), send him by your men to Datchet-mead.

Mrs. Ford. He's too big to go in there:-What shall I do?

Enter FALSTAFF, running on, R.

Fal. Let me see't, let me see't! O, let me see't! I'll in, I'll in;-follow your friend's counsel;-I'll in.

Mrs. Page What! Sir John Falstaff! Are these your letters, knight?

Fal. I love thee, and none but thee; help me away: let me creep in here; I'll never—

[He goes into the Basket, they cover him with the Linen.

Mrs. Page. Help to cover your master, boy:-Call your men, Mistress Ford.-[Exit ROBIN, R.]-You dissembling knight!

Mrs. Ford. What, John, Robert, John!

Enter JOHN, ROBERT, and two others, R.

Go, take up these clothes here, quickly: where's the cowl-staff?-Look, how you drumble: carry them to the laundress in Datchet-mead; quickly-come.

Enter FORD, PAGE, CAIUS, and EVANS, L.

Ford. 'Pray you, come near: if I suspect without cause, why then make sport at me, then let me be your jest; I deserve it. [While FORD is speaking, the men raise the Basket, and are going off L. S. E.] How now? whither bear you this?

Mrs. Ford. Why, what have you to do whither they bear it? you were best meddle with buck-washing.

Ford. Buck!-I would I could wash myself of the buck! Buck, buck, buck! Ay, buck; I warrant you, buck; and of the season too, it shall appear. [Exeunt men, with the Basket, L. s. E.] Gentlemen, I have dream'd to-night; I'll tell you my dream.-Here, here, here be my keys; ascend my chambers, search, seek, find out: I'll warrant, we'll unkennel the fox:-Let me stop this way first;-so, now uncape.

Page. Good Master Ford, be contented: you wrong yourself too much.

Ford. True, Master Page.-Up, gentlemen; you shall see sport anon: follow me, gentlemen. [Exit, R. Page. Nay, follow him, gentlemen; see the issue of his search.

[Exit, R.

Eva. This is fery fantastical humours, and jealousies.

[Exit, R.

Caius. By gar, 'tis no de fashion of France: it is not jealous in France.

[Exit, R.

Mrs. Page. Is there not a double excellency in this? Mrs. Ford. I know not which pleases me better, that my husband is deceiv'd, or Sir John.

Mrs. Page. What a taking was he in, when your husband asked who was in the basket!

Mrs. Ford. I think, my husband hath some special