Act IV, Scene i:
I. The street.

[Enter MISTRESS PAGE, MISTRESS QUICKLY, and WILLIAM.]

MRS:

Is he at Master Ford's already, think'st thou?

QUICKLY:

Sure he is by this; or will be presently; but truly

he is very courageous mad about his throwing into the

water. Mistress Ford desires you to come suddenly.

MRS:

I'll be with her by and by; I'll but bring my

young man here to school. Look where his master comes;

'tis a playing day, I see.

[Enter SIR HUGH EVANS.]

How now, Sir Hugh, no school to-day?

EVANS:

No; Master Slender is let the boys leave to play.

QUICKLY:

Blessing of his heart!

MRS:

Sir Hugh, my husband says my son profits

nothing in the world at his book; I pray you ask him some

questions in his accidence.

EVANS:

Come hither, William; hold up your head; come.

MRS:

Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your

master; be not afraid.

EVANS:

William, how many numbers is in nouns?

WILLIAM:

Two.

QUICKLY:

Truly, I thought there had been one number

more, because they say 'Od's nouns.'

EVANS:

Peace your tattlings! What is 'fair,' William?

WILLIAM:

Pulcher.

QUICKLY:

Polecats! There are fairer things than polecats, sure.

EVANS:

You are a very simplicity oman; I pray you, peace.

What is 'lapis,' William?

WILLIAM:

A stone.

EVANS:

And what is 'a stone,' William?

WILLIAM:

A pebble.

EVANS:

No, it is 'lapis'; I pray you remember in your prain.

WILLIAM:

Lapis.

EVANS:

That is a good William. What is he, William, that

does lend articles?

WILLIAM:

Articles are borrowed of the pronoun, and be

thus declined: Singulariter, nominativo; hic, haec, hoc.

EVANS:

Nominativo, hig, hag, hog; pray you, mark: genitivo,

hujus. Well, what is your accusative case?

WILLIAM:

Accusativo, hinc.

EVANS:

I pray you, have your remembrance, child.

Accusativo, hung, hang, hog.

QUICKLY:

Hang-hog is Latin for bacon, I warrant you.

EVANS:

Leave your prabbles, 'oman. What is the focative

case, William?

WILLIAM:

O vocativo, O.

EVANS:

Remember, William: focative is caret.

QUICKLY:

And that's a good root.

EVANS:

'Oman, forbear.

MRS:

Peace.

EVANS:

What is your genitive case plural, William?

WILLIAM:

Genitive case?

EVANS:

Ay.

WILLIAM:

Genitive: horum, harum, horum.

QUICKLY:

Vengeance of Jenny's case; fie on her! Never

name her, child, if she be a whore.

EVANS:

For shame, 'oman.

QUICKLY:

YOU do ill to teach the child such words. He

teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do fast

enough of themselves; and to call 'horum'; fie upon you!

EVANS:

'Oman, art thou lunatics? Hast thou no understandings

for thy cases, and the numbers of the genders? Thou

art as foolish Christian creatures as I would desires.

MRS:

Prithee, hold thy peace.

EVANS:

Show me now, William, some declensions of your pronouns.

WILLIAM:

Forsooth, I have forgot.

EVANS:

It is qui, quae, quod; if you forget your 'quis', your

'quaes', and your 'quods', you must be preeches. Go your

ways and play; go.

MRS:

He is a better scholar than I thought he was.

EVANS:

He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress Page.

MRS:

Adieu, good Sir Hugh.

[Exit SIR HUGH.]

Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long.

[Exeunt.]