[Shallow.] And how doth your bed-fellow ?-and your fair daughter and mine she is too-my god-daughter Ellen?-By yea and nay, sir, I dare say, my young cousin William is become a good scholar: he is at Oxford still, is he not?

[Silence.] Indeed, to my cost.

[Shallow.] Ay, he must to the inns of court shortly. I was once of Clement's Inn myself; where I think they will talk of mad Shallow yet.

[Silence.] You were called-lusty Shallow, then, cousin.

[Shallow.] By the mass, I was called anything; and I would have done anything,-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 such swinge bucklers in all the inns of court again. Then was Jack Falstaff, now Sir John, a boy, and page to Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk.

[Silence.] This Sir John, cousin, that comes hither anon about soldiers?

[Shallow.] The same Sir John, the very same. I saw him break Skogan's head at the court-gate, when he was a crack not thus high: and the very same day, I did fight with one Sampson Stockfish, a fruiterer, behind Gray's Inn. Oh, the mad days that I have spent, that I have spent!—and to see how many of my old acquaintances are dead!

[Silence.] We shall all follow, cousin.

[Shallow.] Certain, 'tis certain; very sure, very sure: death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all; all shall die.How a good yoke of bullocks at Stamford fair?

[Silence.] Truly, I was not there.

[Shallow.] Death is certain.-Is old Double of your town living yet?

[Silence.] Dead, sir?

[Shallow.] Dead! ah, see, see!—he drew a good bow; and dead!-he shot a fine shoot:-John of Gaunt loved

him well, and betted much money on his head :-and dead-ah! see!-How a score of ewes now?

[Silence.] Thereafter as they be a score of good ewes may be worth ten pound.

[Shallow.] And is old Double dead?

[Silence.] Here come two of Sir John Falstaff's men, as I think.

Shallow's man-servant, Davy, here shows in Bardolph and Falstaff's page. Bardolph asks which is Justice

Shallow:

[Shallow.] I am Robert Shallow, sir; a poor esquire of this county; and one of the king's justices of the peace : what is your good pleasure with me?

[Bardolph.] My captain, sir, commends him to you; my captain, Sir John Falstaff; a bold gentleman and a most gallant leader.

[Shallow.] Sir, I am pleasured: I knew the knight a good back-sword man.

And how doth the good knight ?

and may I ask-how doth my lady his wife?

[Bardolph.] Pardon, sir; a soldier is better accommodated than with a wife.

[Shallow.] It is well said, i' faith, sir; and it is well said, indeed, too:-" better accommodated"-good phrases surely are, and ever were, very commendable. Accommodated!-it comes of accommodo; very good; a very good phrase!

[Bardolph.] Pardon, sir; I have heard the word.

Phrase

call you it? By this day, I know not the phrase; but I will maintain the word with my sword to be a soldier-like word, and a word of exceeding good command. Accommodated,—that is, when a man is, as

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they say, accommodated: or when a man is,--being,whereby, he may be thought to be accommodated; which is an excellent thing.

[Shallow.] It is very just, sir, very just ;-ah! look where comes good Sir John. Give me your good hand, sir, give me your hand, Sir John. By my troth, you look well, very well; and bear your years well: welcome, good Sir John!

[Falstaff] Master Robert Shallow, I am glad to see you well:-master Surecard, I think?

[Shallow.] No, Sir John; my cousin Silence, in commission with me.

[Falstaff] Good master Silence, it well befits that you should be of the peace.-Fie, this is hot weather! Gentlemen, have you provided me here half-a-dozen sufficient men?

[Shallow.] Marry, have we, sir. Will you sit? will you sit?

[Falstaff] Let me see them, I beseech you.

[Shallow.] Where's the roll? where's the roll? where's the roll? Let me see, let me see, let me see. So, so, So, so. Yea, marry, sir, we have provided your number. Let them appear as I call, Davy :—let me see ; where is the first?-ah, Ralph Mouldy! let them appear as I call, Davy; Ralph Mouldy! where is Mouldy? [Mouldy.] Here, sir, an 't please you.

[Shallow.] What think you, Sir John? a good-limbed fellow; young, strong, and of good friends.

[Falstaff] Is thy name Mouldy?

[Mouldy.] Yea, an 't please you.

[Falstaff] 'Tis the more time thou wert used.

[Shallow.] Ha! ha! ha! very singular good, Sir John. Things that are mouldy lack use: Well said, Sir John, very well said!-Let them appear as I call, Davy. Let me see now for the next:-Simon Shadow! Simon Shadow!

[Falstaff] Shadow ?-Shadow will serve for summer. Mark him-we want many shadows to fill up the musterbook. For the next, master Shallow ?

[Shallow.] Let me see, let me see: Thomas Wart!

[Falstaff.] Where is Wart? Wart! is thy name Wart? [Wart.] Yea, sir.

[Falstaff] Thou art a very ragged wart:-let him stand aside for the present: call the next, master Shallow. [Shallow.] Davy, let them appear as I call: Francis Feeble! [Feeble.] Here, sir.

[Falstaff] What trade art thou, Feeble? [Feeble.] A tailor, sir.

[Falstaff] Wilt thou make as many holes in an enemy's battle, as thou dost with thy needle in a coat?

[Feeble.] I will do my good will, sir; and you can have

no more.

[Falstaff] Well said, courageous Feeble prick down the tailor, master Shallow.

[Feeble.] I would Wart might have gone, sir.

[Falstaff.] I would that thou would'st mend him, and make him fit to go. I take him to be the leader of many thousands can I put him to be a private soldier? Let that suffice, most forcible Feeble.

[Feeble.] It shall suffice, sir.

[Falstaff] I am bound to thee, reverend Feeble. Who is next?

[Shallow.] Peter Bullcalf, of the Green!

[Falstaff] Yea, marry, let us see Bullcalf. Trust me, a likely fellow! Prick me Bullcalf till he roar again.

[Bullcalf.] Oh! my good lord captain,—

[Falstaff] What, dost thou roar before thou art pricked? [Bullcalf.] Oh lord, sir, I am a diseased man. [Falstaff] What disease hast thou ?

[Bullcalf] A cough, sir,-a cold, sir, I caught with ringing in the king's affairs on the coronation-day, sir, six years ago come October, sir.

[Falstaff] Thou shalt go to the wars in a gown; and I will take such order that thy friends shall ring for thee. Are here all, master Shallow?

[Shallow.] Here are two more called, Sir John: but you must have only four here: and so, I pray you, go in with me to dinner.

[Falstaff] Come, I'll drink with you, but I cannot tarry dinner. I am glad to see you, in good troth, master Shallow.

[Shallow.] O, Sir John, do you remember when we lay all night in the windmill in Saint George's fields? [Falstaff] No more of that, good master Shallow; no more

of that.

[Shallow.] Ha, cousin Silence, that thou hadst seen that that this knight and I have seen.-Ha, Sir John, said I well?

[Falstaff] We have heard the chimes at midnight, master Shallow.

[Shallow.] That we have, that we have, that we have; our watchword was, "Hem, boys! O, the days that we

have seen, that we have seen!

While the old men are taking a glass, and conversation of this kind is going on between the two who use their tongues, Bardolph is engaged with the countrymen: in a few minutes he pulls Sir John by the sleeve, and whispers to him that he has three pounds to free Mouldy and Bullcalf. Shallow, when the drinking is over, says: