________________________________________________
_ ACT IV. SCENE I.
Windsor. A street.
[Enter MISTRESS PAGE, MISTRESS QUICKLY, and WILLIAM.]
MRS. PAGE.
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. 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 play.
QUICKLY.
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.
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?
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. PAGE.
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. PAGE.
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 qui's, your
quae's, and your quod's, 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 Page.
MRS. PAGE.
Adieu, good Sir Hugh.
[Exit SIR HUGH.]
Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long.
[Exeunt.] _
Read next: ACT IV: SCENE II
Read previous: ACT III: SCENE V
Table of content of Merry Wives of Windsor
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
Post your review
Your review will be placed after the table of content of this book
