READ STUDY GUIDE: Act I, Scenes iii-iv |
|
Act I, Scene iv:
A room in DOCTOR CAIUS'S house.
A room in DOCTOR CAIUS'S house.
| [Enter MISTRESS QUICKLY, and SIMPLE.] |
| QUICKLY: |
| What, John Rugby! |
| [Enter RUGBY.] |
| I pray thee go to the casement, and see if you can see my |
| master, Master Doctor Caius, coming: if he do, i' faith, |
| and find anybody in the house, here will be an old abusing |
| of God's patience and the King's English. |
| RUGBY: |
| I'll go watch. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Go; and we'll have a posset for't soon at night, in |
| faith, at the latter end of a sea-coal fire. |
| [Exit RUGBY.] |
| An honest, willing, kind fellow, as ever servant shall |
| come in house withal; and, I warrant you, no tell-tale |
| nor no breed-bate; his worst fault is that he is given |
| to prayer; he is something peevish that way; but nobody |
| but has his fault; but let that pass. Peter Simple you |
| say your name is? |
| SIMPLE: |
| Ay, for fault of a better. |
| QUICKLY: |
| And Master Slender's your master? |
| SIMPLE: |
| Ay, forsooth. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Does he not wear a great round beard, like a |
| glover's paring-knife? |
| SIMPLE: |
| No, forsooth; he hath but a little whey face, with a |
| little yellow beard—a cane-coloured beard. |
| QUICKLY: |
| A softly-sprighted man, is he not? |
| SIMPLE: |
| Ay, forsooth; but he is as tall a man of his hands as |
| any is between this and his head; he hath fought with a |
| warrener. |
| QUICKLY: |
| How say you?—O! I should remember him. Does |
| he not hold up his head, as it were, and strut in his gait? |
| SIMPLE: |
| Yes, indeed, does he. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Well, heaven send Anne Page no worse fortune! |
| Tell Master Parson Evans I will do what I can for your |
| master: Anne is a good girl, and I wish— |
| [Re-enter RUGBY.] |
| RUGBY: |
| Out, alas! here comes my master. |
| QUICKLY: |
| We shall all be shent. Run in here, good young |
| man; go into this closet.[Shuts SIMPLE in the closet.]He |
| will not stay long. What, John Rugby! John! what, John, |
| I say! Go, John, go inquire for my master; I doubt he be |
| not well that he comes not home. |
| [Exit Rugby.] [Sings.] And down, down, adown-a,' &c. |
| [Enter DOCTOR CAIUS.] |
| CAIUS: |
| Vat is you sing? I do not like des toys. Pray you, go |
| and vetch me in my closet une boitine verde—a box, a green-a |
| box: do intend vat I speak? a green-a box. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Ay, forsooth, I'll fetch it you.[Aside]I am glad |
| he went not in himself: if he had found the young man, |
| he would have been horn-mad. |
| CAIUS: |
| Fe, fe, fe fe! ma foi, il fait fort chaud. Je m'en vais a |
| la cour—la grande affaire. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Is it this, sir? |
| CAIUS: |
| Oui; mettez le au mon pocket: depechez, quickly.—Vere |
| is dat knave, Rugby? |
| QUICKLY: |
| What, John Rugby? John! |
| [Re-enter Rugby.] |
| RUGBY: |
| CAIUS: |
| You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby: come, |
| take-a your rapier, and come after my heel to de court. |
| RUGBY: |
| CAIUS: |
| By my trot, I tarry too long.—Od's me! Qu'ay j'oublie? |
| Dere is some simples in my closet dat I vill not for the |
| varld I shall leave behind. |
| QUICKLY: |
| [Aside.[ Ay me, he'll find the young man there, and be |
| mad! |
| CAIUS: |
| O diable, diable! vat is in my closet?—Villainy! larron! |
| [Pulling SIMPLE out.] Rugby, my rapier! |
| QUICKLY: |
| Good master, be content. |
| CAIUS: |
| Verefore shall I be content-a? |
| QUICKLY: |
| The young man is an honest man. |
| CAIUS: |
| What shall de honest man do in my closet? dere is |
| no honest man dat shall come in my closet. |
| QUICKLY: |
| I beseech you, be not so phlegmatic. Hear the |
| truth of it: he came of an errand to me from Parson Hugh. |
| CAIUS: |
| Vell. |
| SIMPLE: |
| Ay, forsooth, to desire her to— |
| QUICKLY: |
| Peace, I pray you. |
| CAIUS: |
| Peace-a your tongue!—Speak-a your tale. |
| SIMPLE: |
| To desire this honest gentlewoman, your maid, to |
| speak a good word to Mistress Anne Page for my master, |
| in the way of marriage. |
| QUICKLY: |
| This is all, indeed, la! but I'll ne'er put my finger |
| in the fire, and need not. |
| CAIUS: |
| Sir Hugh send-a you?—Rugby, baillez me some paper: tarry |
| you a little-a while.[Writes.] |
| QUICKLY: |
 I am glad he is so quiet: if he had been throughly moved, |
| you should have heard him so loud and so melancholy. But |
| notwithstanding, man, I'll do you your master what good |
| I can; and the very yea and the no is, the French doctor, |
| my master—I may call him my master, look you, for I keep |
| his house; and I wash, wring, brew, bake, scour, dress meat and |
| drink, make the beds, and do all myself— |
| SIMPLE: |
| 'Tis a great charge to come under one body's hand. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Are you avis'd o' that? You shall find it a great charge; |
| and to be up early and down late; but notwithstanding,—to |
| tell you in your ear,—I would have no words of it—my |
| master himself is in love with Mistress Anne Page; but |
| notwithstanding that, I know Anne's mind, that's neither |
| here nor there. |
| CAIUS: |
| You jack'nape; give-a dis letter to Sir Hugh; by gar, |
| it is a shallenge: I will cut his troat in de Park; and I |
| will teach a scurvy jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make. You |
| may be gone; it is not good you tarry here: by gar, I will |
| cut all his two stones; by gar, he shall not have a stone |
| to throw at his dog. |
| [Exit SIMPLE.] |
| QUICKLY: |
| Alas, he speaks but for his friend. |
| CAIUS: |
| It is no matter-a ver dat:—do not you tell-a me dat I |
| shall have Anne Page for myself? By gar, I vill kill de Jack |
| priest; and I have appointed mine host of de Jartiere to |
| measure our weapon. By gar, I vill myself have Anne Page. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Sir, the maid loves you, and all shall be well. We |
| must give folks leave to prate: what, the good-jer! |
| CAIUS: |
| Rugby, come to the court vit me. By gar, if I have |
| not Anne Page, I shall turn your head out of my door. |
| Follow my heels, Rugby. |
| [Exeunt CAIUS and RUGBY.] |
| QUICKLY: |
| You shall have An fool's-head of your own. No, |
| I know Anne's mind for that: never a woman in Windsor |
| knows more of Anne's mind than I do; nor can do more |
| than I do with her, I thank heaven. |
| FENTON: |
| [Within.] Who's within there? ho! |
| QUICKLY: |
| Who's there, I trow? Come near the house, I pray you. |
| [Enter FENTON.] |
| FENTON: |
| How now, good woman! how dost thou? |
| QUICKLY: |
| The better, that it pleases your good worship to ask. |
| FENTON: |
| What news? how does pretty Mistress Anne? |
| QUICKLY: |
| In truth, sir, and she is pretty, and honest, and |
| gentle; and one that is your friend, I can tell you that by |
| the way; I praise heaven for it. |
| FENTON: |
| Shall I do any good, thinkest thou? Shall I not lose |
| my suit? |
| QUICKLY: |
| Troth, sir, all is in His hands above; but |
| notwithstanding, Master Fenton, I'll be sworn on a book |
| she loves you. Have not your worship a wart above your eye? |
| FENTON: |
| Yes, marry, have I; what of that? |
| QUICKLY: |
| Well, thereby hangs a tale; good faith, it is such |
| another Nan; but, I detest, an honest maid as ever broke |
| bread. We had an hour's talk of that wart; I shall never |
| laugh but in that maid's company;—but, indeed, she is |
| given too much to allicholy and musing. But for you—well, |
| go to. |
| FENTON: |
| Well, I shall see her to-day. Hold, there's money |
| for thee; let me have thy voice in my behalf: if thou seest |
| her before me, commend me. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Will I? i' faith, that we will; and I will tell your |
| worship more of the wart the next time we have confidence; |
| and of other wooers. |
| FENTON: |
| Well, farewell; I am in great haste now. |
| QUICKLY: |
| Farewell to your worship.—[Exit FENTON.]Truly, |
| an honest gentleman; but Anne loves him not; for I know |
| Anne's mind as well as another does. Out upon 't, what |
| have I forgot? |
| [Exit.] |
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