Read Online The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare - Free Book Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
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grievously peaten as an old ’oman. Methinks there
should be terrors in him, that he should not come. Methinks
his flesh is punished, he shall have no desires.
PAGE So think I too.
MISTRESS FORD Devise but how you’ll use 24 him when he comes,
And let us two devise to bring him thither.
MISTRESS PAGE There is an old tale goes that Herne the hunter 26 ,
Sometime 27 a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragged 29 horns,
And there he blasts the tree, and takes 30 the cattle,
And makes milch-kine 31 yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld 34
Received and did deliver to our age
This tale of Herne the hunter for a truth.
PAGE Why, yet there want 37 not many that do fear
In deep of night to walk by this Herne’s Oak.
But what of this?
MISTRESS FORD Marry, this is our device:
That Falstaff at that oak shall meet with us.
PAGE Well, let it not be doubted but he’ll come,
And in this shape 43 . When you have brought him thither,
What shall be done with him? What is your plot?
MISTRESS PAGE That likewise have we thought upon, and thus:
Nan Page my daughter, and my little son,
And three or four more of their growth 47 , we’ll dress
Like urchins , oafs 48 and fairies, green and white,
With rounds of waxen tapers 49 on their heads,
And rattles in their hands. Upon a sudden,
As Falstaff, she and I are newly met,
Let them from forth a sawpit 52 rush at once
With some diffusèd 53 song. Upon their sight,
We two in great amazèdness will fly:
Then let them all encircle him about,
And fairy-like to pinch the unclean knight,
And ask him why, that hour of fairy revel,
In their so sacred paths he dares to tread
In shape profane.
MISTRESS FORD And till he tell the truth,
Let the supposèd fairies pinch him sound 61 ,
And burn him with their tapers.
MISTRESS PAGE The truth being known,
We’ll all present ourselves, dis-horn the spirit,
And mock him home to Windsor.
FORD The children must
Be practised well to this, or they’ll ne’er do’t.
EVANS I will teach the children their behaviours, and I will
be like a jack-an-apes also, to burn the knight with my taber.
FORD That will be excellent. I’ll go buy them vizards 70 .
MISTRESS PAGE My Nan shall be the queen of all the fairies,
Finely attirèd in a robe of white.
PAGE That silk will I go buy.— And in that time
Aside
Shall Master Slender steal my Nan away,
And marry her at Eton 75 .—
Go, send to Falstaff straight.
To Mrs Page and Mrs Ford
FORD Nay, I’ll to him again in name of Broom:
He’ll tell me all his purpose. Sure, he’ll come.
MISTRESS PAGE Fear not you that.— Go get us properties 79 and
tricking 80 for our fairies.
To Page, Ford and Evans
EVANS Let us about it. It is admirable pleasures and fery
honest knaveries.
[
Exeunt Page, Ford and Evans
]
MISTRESS PAGE Go, Mistress Ford,
Send quickly to Sir John, to know his mind.
[
Exit Mistress Ford
]
85 I’ll to the Doctor. He hath my good will,
And none but he, to marry with Nan Page.
That Slender, though well landed 87 , is an idiot,
And he my husband best of all affects 88 .
The Doctor is well moneyed, and his friends
Potent at court. He, none but he, shall have her,
Though twenty thousand worthier come to crave her.
[
Exit
]
Act 4 Scene 5
running scene 17
Enter Host [and] Simple
HOST What wouldst thou have, boor ? What, thick-skin 1 ?
Speak, breathe, discuss 2 : brief, short, quick, snap.
SIMPLE Marry, sir, I come to speak with Sir John Falstaff
from Master Slender.
HOST There’s his chamber, his house, his castle, his
standing-bed and truckle-bed 6 . ’Tis painted about with the
story
should be terrors in him, that he should not come. Methinks
his flesh is punished, he shall have no desires.
PAGE So think I too.
MISTRESS FORD Devise but how you’ll use 24 him when he comes,
And let us two devise to bring him thither.
MISTRESS PAGE There is an old tale goes that Herne the hunter 26 ,
Sometime 27 a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragged 29 horns,
And there he blasts the tree, and takes 30 the cattle,
And makes milch-kine 31 yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld 34
Received and did deliver to our age
This tale of Herne the hunter for a truth.
PAGE Why, yet there want 37 not many that do fear
In deep of night to walk by this Herne’s Oak.
But what of this?
MISTRESS FORD Marry, this is our device:
That Falstaff at that oak shall meet with us.
PAGE Well, let it not be doubted but he’ll come,
And in this shape 43 . When you have brought him thither,
What shall be done with him? What is your plot?
MISTRESS PAGE That likewise have we thought upon, and thus:
Nan Page my daughter, and my little son,
And three or four more of their growth 47 , we’ll dress
Like urchins , oafs 48 and fairies, green and white,
With rounds of waxen tapers 49 on their heads,
And rattles in their hands. Upon a sudden,
As Falstaff, she and I are newly met,
Let them from forth a sawpit 52 rush at once
With some diffusèd 53 song. Upon their sight,
We two in great amazèdness will fly:
Then let them all encircle him about,
And fairy-like to pinch the unclean knight,
And ask him why, that hour of fairy revel,
In their so sacred paths he dares to tread
In shape profane.
MISTRESS FORD And till he tell the truth,
Let the supposèd fairies pinch him sound 61 ,
And burn him with their tapers.
MISTRESS PAGE The truth being known,
We’ll all present ourselves, dis-horn the spirit,
And mock him home to Windsor.
FORD The children must
Be practised well to this, or they’ll ne’er do’t.
EVANS I will teach the children their behaviours, and I will
be like a jack-an-apes also, to burn the knight with my taber.
FORD That will be excellent. I’ll go buy them vizards 70 .
MISTRESS PAGE My Nan shall be the queen of all the fairies,
Finely attirèd in a robe of white.
PAGE That silk will I go buy.— And in that time
Aside
Shall Master Slender steal my Nan away,
And marry her at Eton 75 .—
Go, send to Falstaff straight.
To Mrs Page and Mrs Ford
FORD Nay, I’ll to him again in name of Broom:
He’ll tell me all his purpose. Sure, he’ll come.
MISTRESS PAGE Fear not you that.— Go get us properties 79 and
tricking 80 for our fairies.
To Page, Ford and Evans
EVANS Let us about it. It is admirable pleasures and fery
honest knaveries.
[
Exeunt Page, Ford and Evans
]
MISTRESS PAGE Go, Mistress Ford,
Send quickly to Sir John, to know his mind.
[
Exit Mistress Ford
]
85 I’ll to the Doctor. He hath my good will,
And none but he, to marry with Nan Page.
That Slender, though well landed 87 , is an idiot,
And he my husband best of all affects 88 .
The Doctor is well moneyed, and his friends
Potent at court. He, none but he, shall have her,
Though twenty thousand worthier come to crave her.
[
Exit
]
Act 4 Scene 5
running scene 17
Enter Host [and] Simple
HOST What wouldst thou have, boor ? What, thick-skin 1 ?
Speak, breathe, discuss 2 : brief, short, quick, snap.
SIMPLE Marry, sir, I come to speak with Sir John Falstaff
from Master Slender.
HOST There’s his chamber, his house, his castle, his
standing-bed and truckle-bed 6 . ’Tis painted about with the
story
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