WILLIAM PAGE, a Boy, Son to Mr. Page.

Sir HUGH EVANS, a Welsh Parson.

Dr. CAIUS, a French Physician.

Host of the Garter Inn.

BARDOLPH,

PISTOL,

NYM,

Followers of Falstaff.

ROBIN, Page to Falstaff.

SIMPLE, Servant to Slender.

RUGBY, Servant to Dr. Caius.

Mrs. FORD.

Mrs. PAGE.

ANNE PAGE, her Daughter, in love with Fenton. Mrs. QUICKLY, Servant to Dr. Caius.

Servants to Page, Ford, &c.

SCENE, Windsor; and the Parts adjacent.

1 A list of characters was first printed with the play by Rowe.

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Windsor. Before PAGE'S House.

Enter Justice SHALLOW', SLENDER, and Sir HUGH EVANS.

Shal. Sir Hugh', persuade me not; I will make a Starchamber matter of it: if he were twenty sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire.

Slen. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram. Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and cust-alorum.

Slen. Ay, and ratolorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero.

Shal. Ay, that I do; and have done any time these three hundred years.

Slen. All his successors, gone before him, hath don't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat.

Shal. It is an old coat.

Era. The dozen white louses do become an old coat well;

1 Enter Justice Shallow, &c.] In the folio, 1623, here, as was not unusual elsewhere, all the persons engaged at any time in the scene are named, as entering with the three characters that in fact commence it: "Enter Justice Shallow, Slender, Sir Hugh Evans, Master Page, Falstaff, Bardolf, Nym, Pistol, Anne Page, Mistress Ford, Mistress Page, Simple." In the corr. fo. 1632 all the names are struck through with a pen, but those of Shallow, Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans, and the entrances of the rest are duly noted at the proper points in the dialogue. The old reason for naming all at the opening of the scene probably was, that the performers might be ready when they were wanted.

2 SIR Hugh,] "Sir" was of old almost indifferently applied to knights and churchmen. See Vol. iii. p. 400; Vol. iv. pp. 15. 285. 335, &c.

it agrees well, passant: it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies love.

Shal. The luce is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat 3.

Slen. I may quarter, c oz

Shal. You may, by marrying.

Era. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it.

Shal. Not a whit.

Era. Yes, per-lady: if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures. But that is all one if sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compremises between

you.

Shal. The council shall hear it': it is a riot.

Era. It is not meet the council hear a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot. The council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot: take your vizaments in that.

Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it.

Era. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it. There is Anne Page, which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity.

3 The LUCE is the fresh fish; the SALT FISH is an old coat.] A “luce" was the old name for a pike; and it is to be observed, that Sir Thomas Lucy, whom Shakespeare is supposed to have intended to ridicule in this passage, bore three "luces" in his coat-of-arms. According to Leland's Collectanea" (as quoted by Tollet) they were not "white luces," excepting as "white" might be meant to indicate that they were fresh (as fresh herrings were called "white," and salt herrings red), for he tells us that the arms of Sir Geffrey de Lucy were trois luz d'or; but in Ferne's "Blazon of Gentry," 1586, it appears that they were "lucies hariant, argent." When Shallow adds that "the salt fish is an old coat," a joke seems intended upon the manner in which salt fish was, or was capable of being, kept for use.

4 It is MARRING, indeed,] The same proverbial joke upon "marrying" and "marring" is introduced elsewhere: see "All's Well that Ends Well," A. ii. sc. 3, Vol. ii. p. 570, and "Romeo and Juliet," A. i. sc. 2, Vol. v. p. 109.

5 The COUNCIL shall hear it :] Some modern editors, like Justice Shallow, seem to have confounded the Star-chamber and the Council: he first threatens "to make a Star-chamber matter of it," and afterwards says that "the council shall hear of it." The Court of Star-chamber and the King's Council were distinct bodies. The royal Council seems formerly to have been nearly equivalent to the Cabinet of our day.

master GEORGE Page,] In all the folios it stands "Thomas Page," but

Slen. Mistress Anne Page? speaks small, like a woman.

She has brown hair, and

Eva. It is that fery person for all the orld; as just as you will desire, and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire, upon his death's-bed, (God deliver to a joyful resurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old. It were a goot motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage between master Abraham, and mistress Anne Page.

Slen. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pound? Era. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts. Era. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is good gifts. Shal. Well, let us see honest master Page. Is Falstaff there?

Era. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar, as I do despise one that is false; or, as I despise one that is not true. The knight, sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. I will peat the door for master Page. [Knocks.] What, hoa! Got pless your house here!

Page. Who's there?

[Above at the window. Era. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and justice Shallow; and here young master Slender, that, peradventures, shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings.

Enter PAGE.

Page. I am glad to see your worships well. I thank you for my venison, master Shallow.

Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you: much good do it your good heart. I wished your venison better; it was ill

amended to "George Page" in the corr. fo. 1632: the 4to. editions have nothing like the passage.

Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pound?] There seems no adequate reason for depriving Slender of this and the next speech with his name prefixed: they are given to him in all the folios, and he may very naturally make the inquiry, and follow it up by observing that he knows her, &c. All modern editors vary from the authentic copies, some with insufficient reasons assigned, and some without any. The corr. fo. 1632 makes no change in the prefixes, and we think that none ought to be made.

8 Enter Page.] The ordinary course has been to make Page enter earlier, with the words "Who's there?" but the corrector of the fo. 1632 shows that greater vivacity was given to the situation, by making Page first look out at the window to see who knocked, and then to come upon the stage, after Evans has finished his speech. There can surely be no objection to this arrangement of the business, and we adopt it, as the old and natural mode of conducting the scene.

killed. How doth good mistress Page ?-and I thank you always with my heart, la; with my heart.

Page. Sir, I thank you.

Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do.

Page. I am glad to see you, good master Slender.

Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, sir? I heard say, he was outrun on Cotsall".

Page. It could not be judg'd, sir.

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.
Shal. He hath wrong'd me, master Page.

Page. Sir, he doth, in some sort, confess it.

Shal. If it be confess'd, it is not redress'd: is not that so, master Page? He hath wrong'd me; indeed, he hath ;--at a word, he hath ;-believe me :-Robert Shallow, Esquire, saith, he is wrong'd.

Page. Here comes sir John.

Enter Sir JOHN FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, NYM, and PISTOL.

Fal. Now, master Shallow; you'll complain of me to the king 10?

Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge.

Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter?

Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answered.

Fal. I will answer it straight:-I have done all this.That is now answer'd.

Shal. The council shall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you, if it were known in counsel1: you'll be laughed at.

9 he was outrun on COTSALL.] i. e. On Cotswold downs, in Gloucestershire, celebrated for coursing.

10 you'll complain of me to the KING?] "To the Council" in the 4tos. 1 "Twere better for you, if it were known in coUNSEL :] "Counsel" seems here equivalent to secresy, as in Heywood's "Edward IV., Part I.," edit. Shakespeare Society, p. 45:-" Nay, that's counsel, and two may keep it, if one be