fir, give me your hand, fir: an early stirrer, by the rood. And how doth my good coufin Silence?

Sil. Good morrow, good coufin Shallow.

Shal. And how doth my coufin, your bedfellow? and your fairest daughter, and mine, my goddaughter Ellen? Sil. Alas, a black ouzel, coufin Shallow.

Shal. By yea and nay, fir, I dare fay, my coufin William is become a good fcholar: He is at Oxford, ftill, is

he not?

Sil. Indeed, fir; to my coft.

Shal. He must then to the inns of court fhortly: I was once of Clement's-inn; where, I think, they will talk of mad Shallow yet.

Sil. You were call'd-lufty Shallow, then, coufin.

Shal. By the mass, I was call'd any thing; and I would have done any thing, indeed, and roundly too. There was I, and little John Doit of Staffordshire, and black George Bare, and Francis Pickbone, and Will Squele a Cotswold man, you had not four fuch fwinge-bucklers in all the inns of court again: and, I may say to you, we knew where the bona-robas were; and had the best of them all at commandment. Then was Jack Falstaff, now fir John, a boy; and page to Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk.

Sil. This fir John, coufin, that comes hither anon about foldiers?

Shal. The fame fir John, the very fame. I saw him break Skogan's head at the court gate, when he was a crack, not thus high: and the very fame day did I fight with one Sampson Stockfish, a fruiterer, behind Gray'sinn. O, the mad days that I have spent! and to fee how many of mine old acquaintance are dead!

Sil. We fhall all follow, coufin.

Shal. Certain, 'tis certain; very fure, very fure: death,

as

as the Psalmist faith, is certain to all; all shall die. How a good yoke of bullocks at Stamford fair?

Sil. Truly, coufin, I was not there.

Shal. Death is certain.-Is old Double of your town

living yet?

Sil. Dead, fir.

Shal. Dead-See, fee!-he drew a good bow;-And dead!-he shot a fine fhoot :-John of Gaunt lov'd him well, and betted much money on his head. Dead !-he would have clapp'd i'the clout at twelve fcore; and car.. ry'd you a forehand shaft a fourteen and fourteen and a half, that it would have done a man's heart good to fee. -How a fcore of ewes now?

Sil. Thereafter as they be: a score of good ewes may be worth ten pounds.

Shal. And is old Double dead!

Enter BARDOLPH, and one with him.

Sil. Here come two of fir John Falstaff's men, as I .think.

Bard. Good morrow, honest gentlemen: I beseech you, which is juftice Shallow ?

Shal. I am Robert Shallow, fir; a poor efquire of this county, and one of the king's justices of the peace : What is your good pleasure with me?

Bard. My captain, fir, commends him to you; my captain, fir John Falstaff: a tail gentleman, by heaven, and a moft gallant leader.

Shal. He greets me well, fir; I knew him a good backfword man: How doth the good knight? may I ask, how my lady his wife doth ?

Bard. Sir, pardon; a foldier is better accommodated, than with a wife.

Shal. It is well faid, in faith, fir; and it is well said indeed too. Better accommodated!-it is good; yea, indeed, is it good phrases are furely, and ever were, very commendable. Accommodated !-it comes of accommodo: very good; a good phrafe.

:

Phrase,

Bard. Pardon me, fir; I have heard the word. call you it? By this good day, I know not the phrase: but I will maintain the word with my fword, to be a soldierlike word, and a word of exceeding good command. Accommodated; That is, when a man is, as they say, accommodated: or, when a man is,-being,-whereby,—he may be thought to be accommodated; which is an excellent thing.

Enter FALSTAFF.

Shal. It is very juft:-Look, here comes good fir John. -Give me your good hand, give me your worship's good hand: By my troth, you look well, and bear your years very well welcome, good fir John.

:

Fal. I am glad to fee you well, good mafter Robert Shallow-Mafter Sure-card, as I think.

Shal. No, fir John; it is my coufin Silence, in commiffion with me.

Fal. Good mafter Silence, it well befits you should be of the peace.

Sil. Your good worship is welcome.

Fal. Fie! this is hot weather.-Gentlemen, have you provided me here half a dozen fufficient men ?

Shal. Marry, have we, fir. Will you fit?
Fal. Let me fee them, I beseech you.

Shal. Where's the roll? where's the roll? where's the roll? Let me fee, let me fee. So, fo, fo, fo: Yea, marry, fir-Ralph Mouldy :-let them appear as I call;

let

let them do so, let them do fo.-Let me fee; Where is Mouldy?

Moul. Here, an't please you.

Shal. What think you, fir John? a good limb'd fellow : young, strong, and of good friends.

Fal. Is thy name Mouldy?

Moul. Yea, an't please you.

Fal. 'Tis the more time thou wert used.

Shal. Ha, ha, ha! most excellent, i'faith! things, that are mouldy, lack use: Very fingular good!-In faith, well faid, fir John; very well faid.

Fal. Prick him.

[To SHALLOW. Moul. I was prick'd well enough before, an you could have let me alone: my old dame will be undone now, for one to do her husbandry, and her drudgery: you need not to have prick'd me; there are other men fitter to go out than I.

Fal. Go to; peace, Mouldy, you fhall go. Mouldy, it is time you were spent.

Moul. Spent!

Shal. Peace, fellow, peace; ftand afide; Know you where you are ?-For the other, fir John :—let me see ;— Simon Shadow !

Fal. Ay marry, let me have him to fit under: he's like to be a cold foldier.

Shal. Where's Shadow?

Shad. Here, fir.

Fal. Shadow, whofe fon art thou?

Shad. My mother's fon, fir.

Fal. Thy mother's fon! like enough; and thy father's fhadow: fo the fon of the female is the fhadow of the male: It is often fo, indeed; but not much of the father's fubftance.

Shal. Do you like him, fir John?

Fal. Shadow will ferve for fummer,-prick him ;-for we have a number of shadows to fill up the mufter-book.

Shal. Thomas Wart!

Fal. Where's he?

Wart. Here, fir.

Fal. Is thy name Wart?

Wart. Yea, fir.

Fal. Thou art a very ragged wart.
Shal. Shall I prick him, fir John.

Fal. It were fuperfluous; for his apparel is built upon his back, and the whole frame ftands upon pins: prick him no more.

Shal. Ha, ha, ha!-you can do it, fir; you can do it: I commend you well.-Francis Feeble!

Fee. Here, fir.

Fal. What trade art thou, Feeble?

Fee. A woman's tailor, fir.

Shal. Shall I prick him, fir?

Fal. You may: but if he had been a man's tailor, he would have prick'd you.-Wilt thou make as many holes in an enemy's battle, as thou haft done in a woman's petticoat?

Fee. I will do my good will, fir; you can have no more. Fal. Well faid, good woman's tailor! well faid, courageous Feeble! Thou wilt be as valiant as the wrathful dove, or most magnanimous mouse.-Prick the woman's tailor well, mafter Shallow; deep, ma 1er Shallow.

Fee. I would, Wart might have gone, fir.

Fal. I would, thou wert a man's tailor; that thou might'st mend him, and make him fit to go. I cannot put him to a private soldier, that is the leader of so many thousands: Let that fuffice, most forcible Feeble.

Fee. It thall fuffice, fir.

Fal.