The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Merry Wives of Windsor

By William Shakespeare.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dramatis Personae
4. The Merry Wives of Windsor
   1. Act I
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
   2. Act II
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
   3. Act III
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
   4. Act IV
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
   5. Act V
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
5. Colophon
6. Uncopyright

Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription produced for Project Gutenberg and on digital scans available at the Internet Archive.

The writing and artwork within are believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases this ebook edition under the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.

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Dramatis Personae

• Sir John Falstaff

• Fenton, a young gentleman

• Shallow, a country justice

• Slender, cousin to Shallow

• Ford, a Gentleman dwelling at Windsor

• Page, a Gentleman dwelling at Windsor

• William Page, a boy, son to Page

• Sir Hugh Evans, a Welsh parson

• Doctor 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 Doctor Caius

• Mistress Ford

• Mistress Page

• Anne Page, her daughter, in love with Fenton

• Mistress Quickly, servant to Doctor Caius

• Servants to Page, Ford, etc.

Scene: Windsor and the neighbourhood

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Act I

Scene I

Windsor. Before Page’s house.

	Enter Justice Shallow, Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans.
Justice Shallow	Hotly. Sir Hugh, persuade me not; I will make a Star Chamber matter of it; if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire.
Slender	Nodding. In the county of Gloucester, Justice of Peace, and “coram.”
Justice Shallow	Ay, cousin Slender, and “cust-alorum.”
Slender	Ay, and “rato-lorum” too; and a gentleman born, Master Parson, who writes himself “armigero” in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation⁠—“armigero.”
Justice Shallow	Ay, that I do; and have done any time these three hundred years.
Slender	All his successors, gone before him, hath done’t; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat.
Justice Shallow	Proudly. It is an old coat.
Sir Hugh Evans	The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant; it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies love.
Justice Shallow	Coldly. The luce is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat.
Slender	I may quarter, coz?
Justice Shallow	You may, by marrying.
Sir Hugh Evans	It is marring indeed, if he quarter it.
Justice Shallow	Not a whit.
Sir Hugh Evans	Yes, py’r 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 compromises between you.
Justice Shallow	The Council shall hear it; it is a riot.
Sir Hugh Evans	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.
Justice Shallow	Ha! o’ my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it.
Sir Hugh Evans	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.
Slender	Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman.
Sir Hugh Evans	It is that fery person for all the ’orld, as just as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of moneys, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire upon his death’s-bed⁠—Got 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.
Justice Shallow	Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pound?
Sir Hugh Evans	Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny.
Justice Shallow	I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts.
Sir Hugh Evans	Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is goot gifts.
Justice Shallow	Well, let us see honest Master Page. Is Falstaff there?
Sir Hugh Evans	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	Within. Who’s there?
Sir Hugh Evans	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.
Justice Shallow	Master