The Merry Wives of Windsor Part 3

_Slen._ I will marry her, sir, at your request: but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease 225 it upon better acquaintance, when we are married and have more occasion to know one another; I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you say, 'Marry her,'

I will marry her; that I am freely dissolved, and dissolutely.

_Evans._ It is a fery discretion answer; save the fall is in 230 the ort 'dissolutely:' the ort is, according to our meaning, 'resolutely:' his meaning is good.

_Shal._ Ay, I think my cousin meant well.

_Slen._ Ay, or else I would I might be hanged, la!

_Shal._ Here comes fair Mistress Anne. 235

_Re-enter ANNE PAGE._

Would I were young for your sake, Mistress Anne!

_Anne._ The dinner is on the table; my father desires your wors.h.i.+ps' company.

_Shal._ I will wait on him, fair Mistress Anne.

_Evans._ Od's plessed will! I will not be absence at the 240 grace. [_Exeunt Shallow and Evans._

_Anne._ Will't please your wors.h.i.+p to come in, sir?

_Slen._ No, I thank you, forsooth, heartily; I am very well.

_Anne._ The dinner attends you, sir. 245

_Slen._ I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forsooth. Go, sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my cousin Shallow. [_Exit Simple._] A justice of peace sometimes may be beholding to his friend for a man. I keep but three men and a boy yet, till my mother be dead: but 250 what though? yet I live like a poor gentleman born.

_Anne._ I may not go in without your wors.h.i.+p: they will not sit till you come.

_Slen._ I' faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did. 255

_Anne._ I pray you, sir, walk in.

_Slen._ I had rather walk here, I thank you. I bruised my s.h.i.+n th' other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence; three veneys for a dish of stewed prunes; and, by my troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot 260 meat since. Why do your dogs bark so? be there bears i' the town?

_Anne._ I think there are, sir; I heard them talked of.

_Slen._ I love the sport well; but I shall as soon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you 265 see the bear loose, are you not?

_Anne._ Ay, indeed, sir.

_Slen._ That's meat and drink to me, now. I have seen Sackerson loose twenty times, and have taken him by the chain; but, I warrant you, the women have so cried and 270 shrieked at it, that it pa.s.sed: but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em; they are very ill-favoured rough things.

_Re-enter PAGE._

_Page._ Come, gentle Master Slender, come; we stay for you.

_Slen._ I'll eat nothing, I thank you, sir. 275

_Page._ By c.o.c.k and pie, you shall not choose, sir! come, come.

_Slen._ Nay, pray you, lead the way.

_Page._ Come on, sir.

_Slen._ Mistress Anne, yourself shall go first. 280

_Anne._ Not I, sir; pray you, keep on.

_Slen._ Truly, I will not go first; truly, la! I will not do you that wrong.

_Anne._ I pray you, sir.

_Slen._ I'll rather be unmannerly than troublesome. 285 You do yourself wrong, indeed, la! [_Exeunt._

NOTES: I, 1

6: _Custalorum_] _Custos_ Farmer conj.

7: _Rato-lorum_] Ff. _Rotulorum_ Q3.

10: _I_] _We_ Steevens (Farmer conj.).

12: _hath_] F1 Q3 F2. _have_ F3 F4.

19: _The luce is_] _The luce_ [To _Slen._ showing him his seal-ring]

_is_ Capell.

23: _marring_] F1 Q3. _marrying_ F2 F3 F4.

25: _py'r lady_] _per-lady_ Ff Q3.

26: _skirts_] _s.h.i.+rts_ Q3.

28: _unto_] _upon_ Pope.

30: _compremises_] _compromises_ Pope.

32: _hear_] F1 Q3. _hear of_ F2 F3 F4.

34: _take your_] F1 Q3. _take you_ F2 F3 F4.

38: _and_] _that_ Pope.

40: _goot_] F1 Q3. _good_ F2 F3 F4.

41: _Thomas_] Ff Q3. _George_ Theobald. See note (I).

44: _small_] F1 Q3. om. F2 F3 F4.

45: _orld_] Ff. _world_ Q3.

49: See note (II).

52, 54, 55: Given to Shallow by Capell.

53: _her father_] _his father_ Capell (corrected in MS.).

56: _possibilities_] F1 Q3. possibility F2 F3 F4.

63: _well-willers_] _well-wishers_ Rowe.

65: Enter PAGE.] Edd. Enter Page. Rowe (after line 64).

Halliwell (after line 69).

65: SCENE II. Pope.

67: _here_] F1 Q3. _here's_ F2 F3 F4.

70: _wors.h.i.+ps_] _wors.h.i.+p's_ Rowe.

75: _thank_] _love_ (Q1 Q2) Steevens (Farmer conj.).