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FALSTAFF. No. Master Brook; but the peaking cornuto her
husband, Master Brook, dwelling in a continual 'larum of

jealousy, comes me in the instant of our, encounter, after
we had embrac'd, kiss'd, protested, and, as it were, spoke

the prologue of our comedy; and at his heels a rabble of his
companions, hither" target="_blank" title="ad.到那里 a.那边的">thither provoked and instigated by his

distemper, and, forsooth, to search his house for his wife's
love.

FORD. What, while you were there?
FALSTAFF. While I was there.

FORD. And did he search for you, and could not find you?
FALSTAFF. You shall hear. As good luck would have it, comes

in one Mistress Page, gives intelligence of Ford's approach;
and, in her invention and Ford's wife's distraction, they

convey'd me into a buck-basket.
FORD. A buck-basket!

FALSTAFF. By the Lord, a buck-basket! Ramm'd me in with
foul shirts and smocks, socks, foul stockings, greasy

napkins, that, Master Brook, there was the rankest compound
of villainous smell that ever offended nostril.

FORD. And how long lay you there?
FALSTAFF. Nay, you shall hear, Master Brook, what I have

suffer'd to bring this woman to evil for your good. Being
thus cramm'd in the basket, a couple of Ford's knaves, his

hinds, were call'd forth by their mistress to carry me in
the name of foul clothes to Datchet Lane; they took me on

their shoulders; met the jealous knave their master in the
door; who ask'd them once or twice what they had in their

basket. I quak'd for fear lest the lunatic knave would have
search'd it; but Fate, ordaining he should be a cuckold,

held his hand. Well, on went he for a search, and away
went I for foul clothes. But mark the sequel, Master

Brook-I suffered the pangs of three several deaths: first,
an intolerablefright to be detected with a jealous rotten

bell-wether; next, to be compass'd like a good bilbo in the
circumference of a peck, hilt to point, heel to head; and

then, to be stopp'd in, like a strong distillation, with
stinking clothes that fretted in their own grease. Think of that

-a man of my kidney. Think of that-that am as subject to
heat as butter; a man of continualdissolution and thaw. It

was a miracle to scape suffocation. And in the height of
this bath, when I was more than half-stew'd in grease, like

a Dutch dish, to be thrown into the Thames, and cool'd,
glowing hot, in that surge, like a horse-shoe; think of that

-hissing hot. Think of that, Master Brook.
FORD. In good sadness, sir, I am sorry that for my sake you

have suffer'd all this. My suit, then, is desperate;
you'll undertake her no more.

FALSTAFF. Master Brook, I will be thrown into Etna, as I
have been into Thames, ere I will leave her thus. Her

husband is this morning gone a-birding; I have received from
her another embassy of meeting; 'twixt eight and nine is

the hour, Master Brook.
FORD. 'Tis past eight already, sir.

FALSTAFF. Is it? I Will then address me to my appointment.
Come to me at your convenientleisure, and you shall

know how I speed; and the conclusion shall be crowned
with your enjoying her. Adieu. You shall have her, Master

Brook; Master Brook, you shall cuckold Ford. Exit
FORD. Hum! ha! Is this a vision? Is this a dream? Do I sleep?

Master Ford, awake; awake, Master Ford. There's a hole
made in your best coat, Master Ford. This 'tis to be

married; this 'tis to have linen and buck-baskets! Well, I will
proclaim myself what I am; I will now take the lecher; he

is at my house. He cannot scape me; 'tis impossible he
should; he cannot creep into a halfpenny purse nor into

a pepper box. But, lest the devil that guides him should aid
him, I will search impossible places. Though what I am I

cannot avoid, yet to be what I would not shall not make
me tame. If I have horns to make one mad, let the proverb

go with me-I'll be horn mad. Exit
ACT IV. SCENE I.

Windsor. A street
Enter MISTRESS PAGE, MISTRESS QUICKLY, and WILLIAM

MRS. PAGE. Is he at Master Ford's already, think'st thou?
QUICKLY. Sure he is by this; or will be presently; but truly

he is very courageous mad about his throwing into the
water. Mistress Ford desires you to come suddenly.

MRS. PAGE. I'll be with her by and by; I'll but bring my
young man here to school. Look where his master comes;

'tis a playing day, I see.
Enter SIR HUGH EVANS

How now, Sir Hugh, no school to-day?
EVANS. No; Master Slender is let the boys leave to play.

QUICKLY. Blessing of his heart!
MRS. PAGE. Sir Hugh, my husband says my son profits

nothing in the world at his book; I pray you ask him some
questions in his accidence.

EVANS. Come hither, William; hold up your head; come.
MRS. PAGE. Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your

master; be not afraid.
EVANS. William, how many numbers is in nouns?

WILLIAM. Two.
QUICKLY. Truly, I thought there had been one number

more, because they say 'Od's nouns.'
EVANS. Peace your tattlings. What is 'fair,' William?

WILLIAM. Pulcher.
QUICKLY. Polecats! There are fairer things than polecats,

sure.
EVANS. You are a very simplicity oman; I pray you, peace.

What is 'lapis,' William?
WILLIAM. A stone.

EVANS. And what is 'a stone,' William?
WILLIAM. A pebble.

EVANS. No, it is 'lapis'; I pray you remember in your prain.
WILLIAM. Lapis.

EVANS. That is a good William. What is he, William, that
does lend articles?

WILLIAM. Articles are borrowed of the pronoun, and be
thus declined: Singulariter, nominativo; hic, haec, hoc.

EVANS. Nominativo, hig, hag, hog; pray you, mark: genitivo,
hujus. Well, what is your accusative case?

WILLIAM. Accusativo, hinc.
EVANS. I pray you, have your remembrance, child.

Accusativo, hung, hang, hog.
QUICKLY. 'Hang-hog' is Latin for bacon, I warrant you.

EVANS. Leave your prabbles, oman. What is the focative
case, William?

WILLIAM. O-vocativo, O.
EVANS. Remember, William: focative is caret.

QUICKLY. And that's a good root.
EVANS. Oman, forbear.

MRS. PAGE. Peace.
EVANS. What is your genitive case plural, William?

WILLIAM. Genitive case?
EVANS. Ay.

WILLIAM. Genitive: horum, harum, horum.
QUICKLY. Vengeance of Jenny's case; fie on her! Never

name her, child, if she be a whore.
EVANS. For shame, oman.

QUICKLY. YOU do ill to teach the child such words. He
teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do fast

enough of themselves; and to call 'horum'; fie upon you!
EVANS. Oman, art thou lunatics? Hast thou no understandings

for thy cases, and the numbers of the genders? Thou
art as foolish Christian creatures as I would desires.

MRS. PAGE. Prithee hold thy peace.
EVANS. Show me now, William, some declensions of your

pronouns.
WILLIAM. Forsooth, I have forgot.

EVANS. It is qui, quae, quod; if you forget your qui's, your
quae's, and your quod's, you must be preeches. Go your

ways and play; go.
MRS. PAGE. He is a better scholar than I thought he was.

EVANS. He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress Page.
MRS. PAGE. Adieu, good Sir Hugh. Exit SIR HUGH

Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long. Exeunt
SCENE 2.

FORD'S house
Enter FALSTAFF and MISTRESS FORD

FALSTAFF. Mistress Ford, your sorrow hath eaten up my
sufferance. I see you are obsequious in your love, and I

profess requital to a hair's breadth; not only, Mistress Ford, in
the simple office of love, but in all the accoutrement,

complement, and ceremony of it. But are you sure of your
husband now?

MRS. FORD. He's a-birding, sweet Sir John.
MRS. PAGE. [Within] What hoa, gossip Ford, what hoa!

MRS. FORD. Step into th' chamber, Sir John. Exit FALSTAFF
Enter MISTRESS PAGE

MRS. PAGE. How now, sweetheart, who's at home besides
yourself?

MRS. FORD. Why, none but mine own people.
MRS. PAGE. Indeed?

MRS. FORD. No, certainly. [Aside to her] Speak louder.
MRS. PAGE. Truly, I am so glad you have nobody here.

MRS. FORD. Why?
MRS. PAGE. Why, woman, your husband is in his old lunes

again. He so takes on yonder with my husband; so rails
against all married mankind; so curses an Eve's daughters,

of what complexion soever; and so buffets himself on the
forehead, crying 'Peer-out, peer-out!' that any madness I

ever yet beheld seem'd but tameness, civility, and patience,
to this his distemper he is in now. I am glad the fat knight

is not here.
MRS. FORD. Why, does he talk of him?

MRS. PAGE. Of none but him; and swears he was carried out,
the last time he search'd for him, in a basket; protests to

my husband he is now here; and hath drawn him and the
rest of their company from their sport, to make another

experiment of his suspicion. But I am glad the knight is not
here; now he shall see his own foolery.

MRS. FORD. How near is he, Mistress Page?
MRS. PAGE. Hard by, at street end; he will be here anon.

MRS. FORD. I am undone: the knight is here.
MRS. PAGE. Why, then, you are utterly sham'd, and he's but

a dead man. What a woman are you! Away with him,
away with him; better shame than murder.

MRS. FORD. Which way should he go? How should I bestow
him? Shall I put him into the basket again?

Re-enter FALSTAFF
FALSTAFF. No, I'll come no more i' th' basket. May I not go

out ere he come?
MRS. PAGE. Alas, three of Master Ford's brothers watch the

door with pistols, that none shall issue out; otherwise you
might slip away ere he came. But what make you here?

FALSTAFF. What shall I do? I'll creep up into the chimney.
MRS. FORD. There they always use to discharge their

birding-pieces.
MRS. PAGE. Creep into the kiln-hole.

FALSTAFF. Where is it?


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