The Merry Wives of Windsor

with you, coz; marry, this, coz: there is, as ’twere, a tender, a kind of tender, made afar off by Sir Hugh here: do you understand me? Slender Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable; if it be so, I shall do that that is reason. Justice Shallow Nay, but understand me. Slender So I do, sir. Sir Hugh Evans At his other side. Give ear to his motions, Master Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it. Slender Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow says; I pray you pardon me; he’s a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here. Sir Hugh Evans But that is not the question; the question is concerning your marriage. Justice Shallow Ay, there’s the point, sir. Sir Hugh Evans Marry is it; the very point of it; to Mistress Anne Page. Slender Why, if it be so, I will marry her upon any reasonable demands. Sir Hugh Evans But can you affection the ’oman? Let us command to know that of your mouth or of your lips; for diverse philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth: therefore, precisely, can you carry your good will to the maid? Justice Shallow Cousin Abraham Slender, can you love her? Slender I hope, sir, I will do as it shall become one that would do reason. Sir Hugh Evans Nay, Got’s lords and his ladies! you must speak possitable, if you can carry her your desires towards her. Justice Shallow That you must. Will you, upon good dowry, marry her? Slender I will do a greater thing than that upon your request, cousin, in any reason. Justice Shallow Nay, conceive me, conceive me, sweet coz; what I do is to pleasure you, coz. Can you love the maid? Slender I will marry her, sir, at your request; but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease 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. Sir Hugh Evans It is a fery discretion answer; save, the fall is in the ’ort “dissolutely:” the ’ort is, according to our meaning, “resolutely.” His meaning is good. Justice Shallow Ay, I think my cousin meant well. Slender Ay, or else I would I might be hanged, la! Justice Shallow Here comes fair Mistress Anne. Re-enter Anne Page. He bows. Would I were young for your sake, Mistress Anne! Anne Page Curtsies. The dinner is on the table; my father desires your worships’ company. Justice Shallow I will wait on him, fair Mistress Anne! Sir Hugh Evans Hurries in. Od’s plessed will! I will not be absence at the grace. Exeunt Justice Shallow and Sir Hugh Evans. Anne Page To Slender. Will’t please your worship to come in, sir? Slender Simpering. No, I thank you, forsooth, heartily; I am very well. Anne Page The dinner attends you, sir. Slender I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forsooth. To Simple. Go, sirrah, for all you are my man, go wait upon my cousin Shallow. Exit Simple. A justice of peace sometime may be beholding to his friend for a man. I keep but three men and a boy yet, till my mother be dead. But what though? Yet I live like a poor gentleman born. Anne Page I may not go in without your worship: they will not sit till you come. Slender I’ faith, I’ll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did. Anne Page Impatient. I pray you, sir, walk in. Slender I had rather walk here, I thank you. I bruised my shin 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 meat since. Why do your dogs bark so? Be there bears i’ the town? Anne Page I think there are, sir; I heard them talked of. Slender I love the sport well; but I shall as soon quarrel at it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you see the bear loose, are you not? Anne Page Ay, indeed, sir. Slender 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 shrieked at it that it passed; 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. Slender I’ll eat nothing, I thank you, sir. Page By cock and pie, you shall not choose, sir! come, come. He stands aside to let him pass in. Slender Nay, pray you lead the way. Page Going in. Come on, sir. Slender Begins to follow but then turns. Mistress Anne, yourself shall go first. Anne Page Not I, sir; pray you keep on. Slender Truly, I will not go first; truly, la! I will not do you that wrong. Anne Page Keeps behind him. I pray you, sir. Slender I’ll rather be unmannerly than troublesome. You do yourself wrong indeed, la!He goes in. Exeunt.

Scene II

The same.

	Enter Sir Hugh Evans and Simple.
Sir Hugh Evans	Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Caius’ house which is the way; and there dwells one Mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurse, or his dry nurse, or his cook, or his laundry, his washer, and his wringer.
Simple	Well, sir.
Sir Hugh Evans	Nay, it is petter yet. Give her this letter; for it is a ’oman that altogether’s acquaintance with Mistress Anne Page; and the letter is to desire and require her to solicit your master’s desires to Mistress Anne Page. I pray you be gone: I will make an end of my dinner; there’s pippins and