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Dramatis Personae
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/ Home / Library / Complete Shakespeare / The Merry Wives of Windsor / Act I Scene IV
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The Merry Wives of Windsor: Act 1 Scene 4
Scene IV A room in DOCTOR CAIUS' house.
- [Enter MISTRESS QUICKLY, SIMPLE, and RUGBY]
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- What, John 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 any
- body in the house, here will be an old abusing of
- God's patience and the king's English.
- RUGBY
- I'll go watch.
- MISTRESS 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.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- And Master Slender's your master?
- SIMPLE
- Ay, forsooth.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Does he not wear a great round beard, like a
- glover's paring-knife?
- SIMPLE
- No, forsooth: he hath but a little wee face, with a
- little yellow beard, a Cain-coloured beard.
- MISTRESS 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.
- MISTRESS 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.
- MISTRESS 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.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- We shall all be shent. Run in here, good young man;
- go into this closet: he will not stay long.
- [Shuts SIMPLE in the closet]
- 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.
- [Singing]
- And down, down, adown-a, &c.
- [Enter DOCTOR CAIUS]
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- Vat is you sing? I do not like des toys. Pray you,
- go and vetch me in my closet un boitier vert, a box,
- a green-a box: do intend vat I speak? a green-a box.
- MISTRESS 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.
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- Fe, fe, fe, fe! ma foi, il fait fort chaud. Je
- m'en vais a la cour--la grande affaire.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Is it this, sir?
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- Oui; mette le au mon pocket: depeche, quickly. Vere
- is dat knave Rugby?
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- What, John Rugby! John!
- RUGBY
- Here, sir!
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby. Come,
- take-a your rapier, and come after my heel to the court.
- RUGBY
- 'Tis ready, sir, here in the porch.
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- By my trot, I tarry too long. Od's me!
- Qu'ai-j'oublie! dere is some simples in my closet,
- dat I vill not for the varld I shall leave behind.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Ay me, he'll find the young man here, and be mad!
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- O diable, diable! vat is in my closet? Villain! larron!
- [Pulling SIMPLE out]
- Rugby, my rapier!
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Good master, be content.
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- Wherefore shall I be content-a?
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- The young man is an honest man.
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- What shall de honest man do in my closet? dere is
- no honest man dat shall come in my closet.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- I beseech you, be not so phlegmatic. Hear the truth
- of it: he came of an errand to me from Parson Hugh.
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- Vell.
- SIMPLE
- Ay, forsooth; to desire her to--
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Peace, I pray you.
- DOCTOR 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.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- This is all, indeed, la! but I'll ne'er put my
- finger in the fire, and need not.
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- Sir Hugh send-a you? Rugby, baille me some paper.
- Tarry you a little-a while.
- [Writes]
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- [Aside to SIMPLE] I am glad he is so quiet: if he
- had been thoroughly 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
- [Aside to MISTRESS QUICKLY] 'Tis a great charge to
- come under one body's hand.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- [Aside to SIMPLE] Are you avised 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.
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- You jack'nape, give-a this letter to Sir Hugh; by
- gar, it is a shallenge: I will cut his troat in dee
- 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]
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Alas, he speaks but for his friend.
- DOCTOR 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 Jarteer to measure our weapon. By gar, I
- will myself have Anne Page.
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Sir, the maid loves you, and all shall be well. We
- must give folks leave to prate: what, the good-jer!
- DOCTOR CAIUS
- Rugby, come to the court with me. By gar, if I have
- not Anne Page, I shall turn your head out of my
- door. Follow my heels, Rugby.
- [Exeunt DOCTOR CAIUS and RUGBY]
- MISTRESS 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!
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- Who's there, I trow! Come near the house, I pray you.
- [Enter FENTON]
- FENTON
- How now, good woman? how dost thou?
- MISTRESS QUICKLY
- The better that it pleases your good worship to ask.
- FENTON
- What news? how does pretty Mistress Anne?
- MISTRESS 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?
- MISTRESS 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?
- MISTRESS 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.
- MISTRESS 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.
- MISTRESS 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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