Page.
Host.
'Bless thee, bully doctor.
Shal.
'Save you, master doctor Caius.
Page.
Now, good master doctor!
Slen.
Give you good-morrow, sir.
Caius.
Vat be all you, one, two, tree, four, come
for?
Host.
To see thee fight, to see thee foin6 note
, to see
-- 94 --
thee traverse, to see thee here, to see thee there;
to see thee pass thy punto, thy stock7 note, thy reverse,
thy distance, thy montánt. Is he dead, my Ethiopian?
is he dead, my Francisco8 note? ha, bully!
What says my Æsculapius? my Galen? my heart
of elder9 note? ha! is he dead, bully Stale1 note? is
he dead?
Caius.
By gar, he is de coward Jack priest of
the vorld; he is not show his face.
Host.
Thou art a Castilian2 note
king, Urinal! Hector
of Greece, my boy!
-- 95 --
Caius.
I pray you, bear vitness that me have stay
six or seven, two, tree hours for him, and he is no
come.
Shal.
He is the wiser man, master doctor: he is
a curer of souls, and you a curer of bodies; if you
should fight, you go against the hair3 note
of your professions;
is it not true, master Page?
-- 96 --
Page.
Master Shallow, you have yourself been a
great fighter, though now a man of peace.
Shal.
Bodykins, master Page, though I now be
old, and of the peace, if I see a sword out, my
finger itches to make one: though we are justices,
and doctors, and churchmen, master Page, we have
some salt of our youth in us; we are the sons of
women, master Page.
Page.
'Tis true, master Shallow.
Shal.
It will be found so, master Page. Master
doctor Caius, I am come to fetch you home. I am
sworn of the peace; you have showed yourself a
wise physician, and sir Hugh hath shown himself a
wise and patient churchman: you must go with
me, master doctor.
Host.
Pardon, guest justice:—A word* note, monsieur
Muck-water4 note
.
-- 97 --
Caius.
Muck-vater! vat is dat?
Host.
Muck-water, in our English tongue, is
valour, bully.
Caius.
By gar, then I have as much muck-vater
as de Englishman:—Scurvy jack-dog priest! by
gar, me vill cut his ears.
Host.
He will clapper-claw5 note
thee tightly, bully.
Caius.
Clapper-de-claw! vat is dat?
Host.
That is, he will make thee amends.
Caius.
By gar, me do look, he shall clapper-de-claw
me; for, by gar, me vill have it.
Host.
And I will provoke him to't, or let him
wag.
Caius.
Me tank you for dat.
Host.
And moreover, bully,—But first, master
guest, and master Page, and eke cavalero Slender,
go you through the town to Frogmore.
[Aside to them.
Page.
Sir Hugh is there, is he?
Host.
He is there: see what humour he is in;
and I will bring the doctor about by the fields: will
it do well?
Shal.
We will do it.
Page. Shal. and Slen.
Adieu, good master
doctor.
[Exeunt Page, Shallow, and Slender.
Caius.
By gar, me vill kill de priest: for he speak
for a jack-an-ape to Anne Page.
Host.
Let him die: but, first, sheath thy impatience;
throw cold water on thy choler6 note
: go about
the fields with me through Frogmore; I will bring
thee where mistress Anne Page is, at a farm-house
-- 98 --
a feasting; and thou shall woo her: Cry'd game,
said I well7 note
?
-- 99 --
Caius.
By gar, me tank you vor dat: by gar, I
love you; and I shall procure-a you de good guest,
-- 100 --
de earl, de knight, de lords, de gentlemen, my patients.
Host.
For the which, I will be thy adversary towards
Anne Page; said I well?
Caius.
By gar, 'tis good; vell said.
Host.
Let us wag then.
Caius.
Come at my heels, Jack Rugby.
[Exeunt.
James Boswell [1821], The plays and poems of William Shakspeare, with the corrections and illustrations of various commentators: comprehending A Life of the Poet, and an enlarged history of the stage, by the late Edmond Malone. With a new glossarial index (J. Deighton and Sons, Cambridge) [word count] [S10201].
