SCENE III.
Windsor park.
Enter Caius and Rugby.
Caius.
Jack Rugby!
Rug.
Sir.
Caius.
Vat is de clock, Jack?
Rug.
'Tis past the hour, sir, that sir Hugh promis'd
to meet.
Caius.
By gar, he has save his soul, dat he is no
come; he has pray his Pible vell, dat he is no come:
by gar, Jack Rugby, he is dead already, if he be
come.
Rug.
He is wise, sir; he knew, your worship would
kill him, if he came.
Caius.
By gar, de herring is no dead, so as I vill
kill him. Take your rapier, Jack; I vill tell you
how I vill kill him.
Rug.
Alas, sir, I cannot fence.
Caius.
Villan-a, take your rapier.
Rug.
Forbear; here's company.
Enter Host, Shallow, Slender, and 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 foin4 note note &lblank;] To foin, I believe, was the ancient
term for making a thrust in fencing, or tilting. So in The
wise Woman of Hogsdon, 1638:
“I had my wards, and foins, and quarter blows.”
Again, in the Devil's Charter, 1607:
“&lblank; suppose my duellist
“Should falsity the foine upon me thus,
“Here will I take him.”
Spencer, in his Faery Queen, often uses the word foin. So in
b. ii. c. 8:
“And strook and foyn'd, and lash'd outrageously.”
Again, in Holinshed: p. 833: “First six foines with hand-speares,
&c.”
Steevens.
, to see
-- 289 --
thee traverse, to see thee here, to see thee there; to see
thee pass thy punto, thy stock5 note, thy reverse, thy distance,
thy montant. Is he dead, my Ethiopian? Is
he dead, my Francisco? ha, bully! What says my
Æsculapius? my Galen? 6 notemy heart of elder? ha!
is he dead, bully Stale7 note? is he dead?
Caius.
By gar, he is de coward Jack priest of the
vorld; he is not shew his face.
Host.
Thou art a 8 note
Castilian king, Urinal! Hector
of Greece, my boy!
-- 290 --
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 hair9 note of your professions:
is it not true, master Page?
Page.
Master Shallow, you have yourself been a
great fighter, though now a man of peace.
Shal.
Body-kins, 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 shew'd yourself a wise
physician, and Sir Hugh hath shewn himself a wise
-- 291 --
and patient churchman: you must go with me, master
doctor.
Host.
Pardon, guest justice:—A word, monsieur
1 note
mock-water.
Caius.
Mock-vater! vat is dat?
Host.
Mock-water, in our English tongue, is valour,
bully.
Caius.
By gar, then I have as much mock-vater as
de Englishman:—Scurvy-jack-dog-priest! by gar,
me vill cut his ears.
Host.
He will clapper-claw 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 the fields: will it do
well?
Shal.
We will do it.
All.
Adieu, good master doctor.
[Exeunt Page, Shallow, and Slender.
-- 292 --
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 choler: go about
the fields with me through Frogmore; I will bring
thee where mistress Anne Page is, at a farm-house a
feasting; and thou shalt woo her: 2 note
Cry'd game, said
I well?
-- 293 --
Caius.
By gar, me tank you for dat: by gar, I
love you; and I shall procure-a you de good guest,
-- 294 --
de earl, de knight, de lords, de gentlemen, my patients.
Host.
For the which, I will be thy adversary toward
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.
Samuel Johnson [1778], The plays of William Shakspeare. In ten volumes. With the corrections and illustrations of various commentators; to which are added notes by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. The second edition, Revised and Augmented (Printed for C. Bathurst [and] W. Strahan [etc.], London) [word count] [S10901].
