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And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.

You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld

Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,
This tale of Heme the Hunter for a truth.

PAGE. Why yet there want not many that do fear
In deep of night to walk by this Herne's oak.

But what of this?
MRS. FORD. Marry, this is our device-

That Falstaff at that oak shall meet with us,
Disguis'd, like Heme, with huge horns on his head.

PAGE. Well, let it not be doubted but he'll come,
And in this shape. When you have brought him thither,

What shall be done with him? What is your plot?
MRS. PAGE. That likewise have we thought upon, and

thus:
Nan Page my daughter, and my little son,

And three or four more of their growth, we'll dress
Like urchins, ouphes, and fairies, green and white,

With rounds of waxen tapers on their heads,
And rattles in their hands; upon a sudden,

As Falstaff, she, and I, are newly met,
Let them from forth a sawpit rush at once

With some diffused song; upon their sight
We two in great amazedness will fly.

Then let them all encircle him about,
And fairy-like, to pinch the uncleanknight;

And ask him why, that hour of fairy revel,
In their so sacred paths he dares to tread

In shape profane.
MRS. FORD. And till he tell the truth,

Let the supposed fairies pinch him sound,
And burn him with their tapers.

MRS. PAGE. The truth being known,
We'll all present ourselves; dis-horn the spirit,

And mock him home to Windsor.
FORD. The children must

Be practis'd well to this or they'll nev'r do 't.
EVANS. I will teach the children their behaviours; and I will

be like a jack-an-apes also, to burn the knight with my
taber.

FORD. That will be excellent. I'll go buy them vizards.
MRS. PAGE. My Nan shall be the Queen of all the Fairies,

Finely attired in a robe of white.
PAGE. That silk will I go buy. [Aside] And in that time

Shall Master Slender steal my Nan away,
And marry her at Eton.-Go, send to Falstaff straight.

FORD. Nay, I'll to him again, in name of Brook;
He'll tell me all his purpose. Sure, he'll come.

MRS. PAGE. Fear not you that. Go get us properties
And tricking for our fairies.

EVANS. Let us about it. It is admirable pleasures, and fery
honest knaveries. Exeunt PAGE, FORD, and EVANS

MRS. PAGE. Go, Mistress Ford.
Send Quickly to Sir John to know his mind.

Exit MRS. FORD
I'll to the Doctor; he hath my good will,

And none but he, to marry with Nan Page.
That Slender, though well landed, is an idiot;

And he my husband best of all affects.
The Doctor is well money'd, and his friends

Potent at court; he, none but he, shall have her,
Though twenty thousand worthier come to crave her. Exit

SCENE 5.
The Garter Inn

Enter HOST and SIMPLE
HOST. What wouldst thou have, boor? What, thick-skin?

Speak, breathe, discuss; brief, short, quick, snap.
SIMPLE. Marry, sir, I come to speak with Sir John Falstaff

from Master Slender.
HOST. There's his chamber, his house, his castle, his

standing-bed and truckle-bed; 'tis painted about with the
story of the Prodigal, fresh and new. Go, knock and can; he'll

speak like an Anthropophaginian unto thee. Knock, I say.
SIMPLE. There's an old woman, a fat woman, gone up into

his chamber; I'll be so bold as stay, sir, till she come down;
I come to speak with her, indeed.

HOST. Ha! a fat woman? The knight may be robb'd. I'll call.
Bully knight! Bully Sir John! Speak from thy lungs

military. Art thou there? It is thine host, thine Ephesian, calls.
FALSTAFF. [Above] How now, mine host?

HOST. Here's a Bohemian-Tartar tarries the coming down of
thy fat woman. Let her descend, bully, let her descend;

my chambers are honourible. Fie, privacy, fie!
Enter FALSTAFF

FALSTAFF. There was, mine host, an old fat woman even
now with, me; but she's gone.

SIMPLE. Pray you, sir, was't not the wise woman of
Brainford?

FALSTAFF. Ay, marry was it, mussel-shell. What would you
with her?

SIMPLE. My master, sir, my Master Slender, sent to her,
seeing her go thorough the streets, to know, sir, whether one

Nym, sir, that beguil'd him of a chain, had the chain or no.
FALSTAFF. I spake with the old woman about it.

SIMPLE. And what says she, I pray, sir?
FALSTAFF Marry, she says that the very same man that

beguil'd Master Slender of his chain cozen'd him of it.
SIMPLE. I would I could have spoken with the woman

herself; I had other things to have spoken with her too,
from him.

FALSTAFF. What are they? Let us know.
HOST. Ay, come; quick.

SIMPLE. I may not conceal them, sir.
FALSTAFF. Conceal them, or thou diest.

SIMPLE.. Why, sir, they were nothing but about Mistress
Anne Page: to know if it were my master's fortune to

have her or no.
FALSTAFF. 'Tis, 'tis his fortune.

SIMPLE. What sir?
FALSTAFF. To have her, or no. Go; say the woman told me

so.
SIMPLE. May I be bold to say so, sir?

FALSTAFF. Ay, sir, like who more bold?
SIMPLE., I thank your worship; I shall make my master glad

with these tidings. Exit SIMPLE
HOST. Thou art clerkly, thou art clerkly, Sir John. Was

there a wise woman with thee?
FALSTAFF. Ay, that there was, mine host; one that hath

taught me more wit than ever I learn'd before in my life;
and I paid nothing for it neither, but was paid for my

learning.
Enter BARDOLPH

BARDOLPH. Out, alas, sir, cozenage, mere cozenage!
HOST. Where be my horses? Speak well of them, varletto.

BARDOLPH. Run away with the cozeners; for so soon as I
came beyond Eton, they threw me off from behind one of

them, in a slough of mire; and set spurs and away, like
three German devils, three Doctor Faustuses.

HOST. They are gone but to meet the Duke, villain; do not
say they be fled. Germans are honest men.

Enter SIR HUGH EVANS
EVANS. Where is mine host?

HOST. What is the matter, sir?
EVANS. Have a care of your entertainments. There is a friend

of mine come to town tells me there is three
cozen-germans that has cozen'd all the hosts of Readins,

of Maidenhead, of Colebrook, of horses and money. I tell you for
good will, look you; you are wise, and full of gibes and

vlouting-stogs, and 'tis not convenient you should be
cozened. Fare you well. Exit

Enter DOCTOR CAIUS
CAIUS. Vere is mine host de Jarteer?

HOST. Here, Master Doctor, in perplexity and doubtful
dilemma.

CAIUS. I cannot tell vat is dat; but it is tell-a me dat you
make grand preparation for a Duke de Jamany. By my

trot, dere is no duke that the court is know to come; I
tell you for good will. Adieu. Exit

HOST. Hue and cry, villain, go! Assist me, knight; I am
undone. Fly, run, hue and cry, villain; I am undone.

Exeunt HOST and BARDOLPH
FALSTAFF. I would all the world might be cozen'd, for I have

been cozen'd and beaten too. If it should come to the car
of the court how I have been transformed, and how my

transformation hath been wash'd and cudgell'd, they
would melt me out of my fat, drop by drop, and liquor

fishermen's boots with me; I warrant they would whip me
with their fine wits till I were as crestfall'n as a dried pear.

I never prosper'd since I forswore myself at primero. Well,
if my wind were but long enough to say my prayers,

would repent.
Enter MISTRESS QUICKLY

Now! whence come you?
QUICKLY. From the two parties, forsooth.

FALSTAFF. The devil take one party and his dam the other!
And so they shall be both bestowed. I have suffer'd more

for their sakes, more than the villainous inconstancy of
man's disposition is able to bear.

QUICKLY. And have not they suffer'd? Yes, I warrant;
speciously one of them; Mistress Ford, good heart, is beaten

black and blue, that you cannot see a white spot about her.
FALSTAFF. What tell'st thou me of black and blue? I was

beaten myself into all the colours of the rainbow; and
was like to be apprehended for the witch of Brainford. But

that my admirabledexterity of wit, my counterfeiting the
action of an old woman, deliver'd me, the knave constable

had set me i' th' stocks, i' th' common stocks, for a witch.
QUICKLY. Sir, let me speak with you in your chamber; you

shall hear how things go, and, I warrant, to your content.
Here is a letter will say somewhat. Good hearts, what ado

here is to bring you together! Sure, one of you does not
serve heaven well, that you are so cross'd.

FALSTAFF. Come up into my chamber. Exeunt
SCENE 6.

The Garter Inn
Enter FENTON and HOST

HOST. Master Fenton, talk not to me; my mind is heavy; I
will give over all.

FENTON. Yet hear me speak. Assist me in my purpose,
And, as I am a gentleman, I'll give the

A hundred pound in gold more than your loss.
HOST. I will hear you, Master Fenton; and I will, at the least,

keep your counsel.
FENTON. From time to time I have acquainted you

With the dear love I bear to fair Anne Page;
Who, mutually, hath answer'd my affection,

So far forth as herself might be her chooser,
Even to my wish. I have a letter from her

Of such contents as you will wonder at;


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