_They put the Tapers to his fingers, and he starts._
_Sir Hu._ It is right indeed, he is full of lecheries and iniquitie.
_Quic._ A little distant from him stand,
And euery one take hand in hand,
And compasse him within a ring,
First pinch him well, and after sing. 65
_Here they pinch him, and sing about him, and the Doctor comes one
way and steales away a boy in red. And Slender another way he
takes a boy in greene: And Fenton steales misteris Anne, being in
white. And a noyse of hunting is made within; and all the
{F}airies runne away. Falstaffe pulles off his bucks head, and rises
vp. And enters _M._ Page, _M._ Ford, and their wiues, _M._ Shallow,
sir Hugh._
_Fal._ _Horne_ the hunter quoth you: am I ghost?
Sblood the Fairies hath made a ghost of me:
What hunting at this time at night?
He lay my life the mad prince of _Wales_
Is stealing his fathers Deare. How now who haue we here, what is 70
all _Windsor_ stirring? Are you there?
_Shal._ God saue you sir _Iohn Falstaffe_.
_Sir Hu._ God plesse you sir _Iohn_, God plesse you.
_Pa._ Why how now sir _Iohn_, what a pair of horns in your
hand? 75
_For._ Those hornes he ment to place vpon my head,
And M. _Brooke_ and he should be the men:
Why how now sir _Iohn_, why are you thus amazed?
We know the Fairies man that pinched you so,
Your throwing in the Thames, your beating well, 80
And what's to come sir _Iohn_, that can we tell.
_Mi. Pa._ Sir _Iohn_ tis thus, your dishonest meanes
To call our credits into question,
Did make vs vndertake to our best,
To turn your leaud lust to a merry Iest. 85
_Fal._ Iest, tis well, haue I liued to these yeares
To be gulled now, now to be ridden?
Why then these were not _{F}airies?_
_Mis. Pa._ No sir _Iohn_ but boyes.
_Fal._ By the Lord I was twice or thrise in the mind 90
They were not, and yet the grosnesse
Of the fopperie perswaded me they were.
Well, and the fine wits of the Court heare this,
Thayle so whip me with their keene Iests,
That thayle melt me out like tallow, 95
Drop by drop out of my grease. Boyes!
_Sir Hu._ I trust me boyes Sir _Iohn:_ and I was
Also a Fairie that did helpe to pinch you.
_Fal._ I, tis well I am your May-pole,
You haue the start of mee, 100
Am I ridden too with a wealch goate?
With a peece of toasted cheese?
_Sir Hu._ Butter is better then cheese sir _Iohn_,
You are all butter, butter.
_For._ There is a further matter yet sir _Iohn_, 105
There's 20. pound you borrowed of M. _Brooke_ sir _Iohn_,
And it must be paid to M. _{F}ord_ sir _Iohn_.
_Mi. For._ Nay husband let that go to make amends,
Forgiue that sum, and so weele all be friends.
_For._ Well here is my hand, all's forgiuen at last. 110
_Fal._ It hath cost me well,
I haue beene well pinched and washed.
_Enter the Doctor._
_Mi. Pa._ Now M. Doctor, sonne I hope you are.
_Doct._ Sonne begar you be de ville voman,
Begar I tinck to marry metres _An_, and begar 115
Tis a whorson garson Iack boy.
_Mis. Pa._ How a boy?
_Doct._ I begar a boy.
_Pa._ Nay be not angry wife, {I}le tell thee true,
{I}t was my plot to deceiue thee so: 120
And by this time your daughter's married
To M. _{S}lender_, and see where he comes.
_Enter Slender._
Now sonne _Slender_,
Where's your bride?
_{S}len._ Bride, by Gods lyd _I_ thinke theres neuer a man in the 125
worell hath that crosse fortune that _I_ haue: begod I could cry for
verie anger.
_Page._ Why whats the matter sonne _{S}lender?_
_{S}len._ Sonne, nay by God _I_ am none of your son.
_Pa._ No, why so? 130
_{S}len._ Why so God saue me, tis a boy that I haue married.
_Page._ How, a boy? why did you mistake the word?
_{S}len._ No neither, for _I_ came to her in red as you bad me, and _I_
cried mum, and hee cried budget, so well as euer you heard, and I
haue married him. 135
_{S}ir Hugh._ Ieshu M. _{S}lender_, cannot you see but marrie boyes?
_Pa._ O _I_ am vext at hart, what shal I do?
_Enter {F}enton and Anne._
_Mis. {P}a._ Here comes the man that hath deceiued vs all:
How now daughter, where haue you bin?
_An._ At Curch forsooth. 140
_{P}a._ At Church, what haue you done there?
_Fen._ Married to me, nay sir neuer storme,
Tis done sir now, and cannot be vndone.
_{F}ord:_ Ifaith M. _Page_ neuer chafe your selfe,
She hath made her choise wheras her hart was fixt, 145
Then tis in vaine for you to storme or fret.
_Fal._ _I_ am glad yet that your arrow hath glanced.
_Mi. For._ Come mistris _Page_, Ile be bold with you,
Tis pitie to part loue that is so true.
_Mis. Pa._ Altho that I haue missed in my intent, 150
Yet _I_ am glad my husbands match was crossed,
Here M. _{F}enton_, take her, and God giue thee ioy.
_Sir Hu:_ Come M. _{P}age_, you must needs agree.
_{F}o._ I yfaith sir come, you see your wife is wel pleased:
_{P}a._ _I_ cannot tel, and yet my hart's well eased, 155
And yet it doth me good the Doctor missed.
Come hither _{F}enton_, and come hither daughter,
Go too you might haue stai'd for my good will,
But since your choise is made of one you loue,
Here take her _{F}enton_, & both happie proue. 160
_Sir. Hu._ _I_ wil also dance & eate plums at your weddings.
_For._ All parties pleased, now let vs in to feast,
And laugh at _{S}lender_ and the Doctors ieast.
He hath got the maiden, each of you a boy
To waite vpon you, so God giue you ioy, 165
And sir _Iohn Falstaffe_ now shal you keep your word,
For _Brooke_ this night shall lye with mistris _Ford_.
_Exit omnes._
NOTES: SCENE XVII
59: Tapers] Torches.
79: _so_] om.
93: _and_] _if_.
101: _ridden_] _written_.
131: _that_] om. Halliwell.
138: _the man_] _he_.
140: _Curch_] _Church_ Halliwell.
147: _that_] _then_ Halliwell.
154: _I yfaith_] _I faith_.
161: _also_] om.
_FINIS._
* * * * *
* * * *
* * * * *
Sources:
The Quarto editions of _The Merry Wives of Windsor_ are described in
the introduction to the play.
The general Preface (e-text 23041) discusses the 17th- and
18th-century editions in detail; the newer (19th-century) editions
are simply listed by name. The following editions may appear in the
Notes. All inset text is quoted from the Preface.
Folios:
F1 1623; F2 (no date given); F3 1663; F4 1685.
"The five plays contained in this volume occur in the first Folio
in the same order, and ... were there printed for the first time."
Early editions:
Rowe 1709
Pope 1715
"Pope was the first to indicate the _place_ of each new scene;
as, for instance, _Tempest_, I. 1. 'On a ship at sea.' He also
subdivided the scenes as given by the Folios and Rowe, making
a fresh scene whenever a new character entered--an arrangement
followed by Hanmer, Warburton, and Johnson. For convenience of
reference to these editions, we have always recorded the
commencement of Pope's scenes."
Theobald 1733
Hanmer ("Oxford edition") 1744
Warburton 1747
Johnson 1765
Capell 1768; _also Capell's annotated copy of F2_
Steevens 1773
Malone 1790
Reed 1803
Later editions:
Singer, Knight, Cornwall, Collier, Phelps, Halliwell, Dyce, Staunton
Errors and inconsistencies:
[Text-critical notes]
I. 1. 65: Enter PAGE.] ...
65: SCENE II. Pope. [_duplicate numbering in original_]
I. 3. 95: _the_]
95: _mine_] [_duplicate numbering in original_]
II. 1. 45: [44:]
III. 1. 14: [16:]
III. 1. 37, 65, 105: [, 104:]
V. 5. 97: _Mutually_ [_body text has lower-case "mutually"_]
[Endnotes]
I: ... 134 and 142 [135 and 143]
IV: I. 3. 95. [I. 3. 96.]
VII: III. 1. 74, 78. [74. 78.]
