Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,

This tale of Herne 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.
We'll send him word to meet us in the field,
Disguis'd like Herne, with huge horns

on his

head. 360 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 we have 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 saw-pit 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 unclean knight;
And ask him, why, that hour of fairy revel,
In their so sacred paths he dares to tread

370

In shape prophane?

Mrs. Ford. And till he tell the truth,

Let the supposed fairies pinch him sound,

380

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 ne'er do't.

Eva. 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. This will be excellent. I'll go buy them vizards.

391

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; and, in that time Shall master Slender steal my Nan away, [Aside. And marry her at Eton.-Go, send to Falstaff straight.

Ford. Nay, I'll to him again in the name of Brook :

He'll tell me all his purpose. Sure, he'll come. Mrs. Page. Fear not you that: Go get us pro perties

And tricking for our fairies.

400

Eva. Let us about it: It is admirable pleasures,

and fery honest knaveries.

[Ex. PAGE, FORD, and EVANS.

Mrs.

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 ideot;
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,

. 410

Though twenty thousand worthier come to crave her.

[Exit.

SCENE V.

The Garter Inn. Enter Host and SIMPLE.

Host. What would'st thou have, boor what, thick-skin? speak, breathe, discuss; brief, short, quick, snap.

Simp. 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 call; he'll speak like an Anthropophaginian unto thee: Knock, I say.

421

Simp. 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.

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.

Fal. How now, mine host?

Host. Here's a Bohemian-Tartar tarries the com. ing down of thy fat woman: Let her descend, bully, let her descend; my chambers are honourable: Fie! privacy? fie!

Enter FALSTAFF.

433

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

Simp. Pray you, sir, was't not the wise woman of Brentford?

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

Simp. My master, sir, master Slender sent to her, seeing her go through the street, to know, sir, whether one Nym, sir, that beguil'd him of a chain, had the chain, or no.

Fal. I spake with the old woman about it. Simp. And what says she, I pray, sir ? Fal. Marry, she says, that the very beguil'd master Slender of his chain, it.

443

same man, that

cozen'd him of

Samp. I would I could have spoken with the wo

man herself; I'had other things to have spoken with

her too, from him.

Fal. What are they? let us know.

Host. Ay, come; quick.

Simp. I may not conceal them, sir.

Fal. Conceal them, or thou dy'st.

451

Simp. Why, sir, they were nothing but about mistress Anne Page; to know, if it were my master's fortune to have her, or no.

Fal. 'Tis, 'tis his fortune.

Simp. What, sir?

460

Fal. To have her-or no: Go; say the woman told me so.

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

Fal. Ay, sir Tike; like who more bold.

Simp. I thank your worship: I shall make my master glad with these tidings. [Exit SIMP. Host. Thou art clerkly, thou art clerkly, sir John : Was there a wise woman with thee?

Fal. 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.

472

Bard. Out, alas, sir! cozenage! meer cozenage! Host. Where be my horses? speak well of them, varletto.

Bard. Run away with the cozeners: for so soon as I came beyond Eton, they threw me off, from be