The Merry Wives of Windsor The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] · William Shakespeare
SCENE I. _A street._
_Enter MISTRESS PAGE, MISTRESS QUICKLY, and WILLIAM._ _Mrs Page._ Is he at Master Ford’s already, think’st thou? _Quick._ 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. 5 _Mrs Page._ 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 10 play. _Quick._ Blessing of his heart! _Mrs Page._ 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. 15 _Evans._ Come hither, William; hold up your head; come. _Mrs Page._ Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your master, be not afraid. _Evans._ William, how many numbers is in nouns? _Will._ Two. 20 _Quick._ Truly, I thought there had been one number more, because they say, ‘Od’s nouns.’ _Evans._ Peace your tattlings! What is ‘fair,’ William? _Will._ Pulcher. _Quick._ Polecats! there are fairer things than polecats, 25 sure. _Evans._ You are a very simplicity ’oman: I pray you, peace. --What is ‘lapis,’ William? _Will._ A stone.
_Mrs Page._ Prithee, hold thy peace. _Evans._ Show me now, William, some declensions of your pronouns. _Will._ Forsooth, I have forgot. _Evans._ It is qui, quæ, quod: if you forget your 70 ‘quies,’ your ‘quæs,’ and your ‘quods,’ you must be preeches. Go your ways, and play; go. _Mrs Page._ He is a better scholar than I thought he was. _Evans._ He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress 75 Page. _Mrs Page._ Adieu, good Sir Hugh. [_Exit Sir Hugh._] Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long. [_Exeunt._ [A Street] Capell. Page’s House. Pope. 10: _let_] _get_ Collier MS. 25: _polecats_] _powlcat_ Q3. 41: _Accusativo_] _accusative_ F3 F4. _hinc_] _hunc_ Halliwell. 43: _hung_] Pope. _hing_ Ff Q3. 56: _Jenny’s_] _Ginyes_ Ff Q3. 63: _lunaties_] Ff Q3. _lunacies_ Rowe. _lunaticks_ Capell. 64: _of_] _and_ Collier MS. 65: _desires_] _desire_ Pope. 70, 71: _quæ ... quæs_] _que ... ques_ Ff Q3.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.