Fen:
Tell me sweet Nan, how doest thou yet resolue,
Shall foolish Slender haue thee to his wife?
Or one as wise as he, the learned Doctor?
Shall such as they enjoy thy maiden hart?
Thou knowst that I haue alwaies loued thee deare,
And thou hast oft times swore the like to me.

An:
Good M. Fenton, you may assure your selfe
My hart is setled vpon none but you,
Tis as my father and mother please:
Get their consent, you quickly shall haue mine.

Fen:
Thy father thinks I loue thee for his wealth,
Tho I must needs confesse at first that drew me,
But since thy vertues wiped that trash away,
I loue thee Nan, and so deare is it set,
That whilst I liue, I nere shall thee forget.

[Quic: ^note]
Godes pitie here comes here father. Enter M. Page his wife, M. Shallow, and Slender.

Pa.
M. Fenton I pray what make you here?
You know my answere sir, shees not for you:
Knowing my vow, to blame to vse me thus.

Fen.
But heare me speake sir.

Pa.
Pray sir get you gon: Come hither daughter,
Sonne Slender let me speak with you. (they whisper.

Quic.
Speake to misteris Page.

Fen.
Pray misteris Page let me haue your consent.

Mis. Pa.
Ifaith M. Fenton tis as my husband please.
For my part, Ile neither hinder you, nor further you.

Quic.
How say you this was my doings?
I bid you speake to misteris Page.

Fen.
Here nurse, theres a brace of angels to drink,
Worke what thou canst for me, farwell. (Exit Fen.

Quic.
By my troth so I will, good hart.

Pa.
Come wife, you an I will in, weele leaue M. Slender
And my daughter to talke together. M. Shallow,
You may stay sir if you please. Exit Page and his wife.

Shal.
Mary I thanke you for that:
To her cousin, to her.

Slen.

Ifaith I know not what to say.

An.

Now M. Slender, what's your will?

Slen.

Godeso, theres a Iest indeed: why misteris An, I neuer made will yet: I thank God I am wise inough for that.

Shal.
Fie cusse fie, thou art not right,
O thou hadst a father.

Slen.
I had a father misteris Anne, good vncle
Tell the Iest how my father stole the goose out of
The henloft. All this is nought, harke you mistresse Anne.

Shal.

He will make you ioynter of three hundred pound a yeare, he shall make you a Gentlewoman.

Slend.

I be God that I vill, come cut and long taile, as good as any is in Glostershire, vnder the degree of a Squire.

An.
O God how many grosse faults are hid
And couered in three hundred pound a yeare?
Well M. Slender, within a day or two Ile tell you more.

Slend.

I thanke you good misteris Anne, vncle I shall haue her.

Quic.

M. Shallow, M. Page would pray you to come you, and you M. Slender, and you mistris An.

Slend.
Well Nurse, if youle speake for me,
Ile giue you more than Ile talke of. Exit omnes but Quickly.

Quic.
Indeed I will, Ile speake what I can for you,
But specially for M. Fenton:
But specially of all for my Maister.
And indeed I will do what I can for them all three. Exit. Enter misteris Ford and her two men.

Mis. For.

Do you heare? when your M. comes take vp this basket as you did before, and if your M. bid you set it downe, obey him.

Ser.

I will forsooth.

Mis. For.

Syr Iohn welcome.

Fal.

What are you sure of your husband now?

Mis. For.

He is gone a birding sir Iohn, and I hope will not come home ^note yet.

Mis. Pa.

Misteris Ford, why woman your husband is in his old vaine againe, hees comming to search for your sweet heart, but I am glad he is not here.

Mis. For.
O God misteris Page the knight is here,
What shall I do?

Mis. Pa.

Why then you'r vndone woman, vnles you make some meanes to shift him away.

Mis. For.
Alas I know no meanes, unlesse
we put him in the basket againe.

Fal.
No Ile come no more in the basket,
Ile creep vp into the chimney.

Mis. For.
There they use to discharge their Fowling peeces.

Fal.
Why then Ile goe out of doores.

Mi. Pa.
Then your vndone, your but a dead man.

Fal.
For Gods sake deuise any extremitie,
Rather then a mischiefe.

Mis. Pa.
Alas I know not what meanes to make,
If there were any womans apparell would fit him,
He might put on a gowne and a mufler,
And so escape.

Mi. For.
Thats wel remembred, my maids Aunt
Gillian of Brainford, hath a gowne aboue.

Mis. Pa.
And she is altogether as fat as he.

Mis. For.
I that will serue him of my word.

Mis. Pa.
Come goe with me sir Iohn, Ile helpe to dresse you.

Fal.
Come for God sake, any thing. Exit Mis. Page and Sir Iohn. Enter M. Ford, Page, Priest ^note, Shallow, the two men carries the basket, and Ford meets it.

For.
Come along I pray, you shal know the cause,
How now whither goe you? Ha whither go you?
Set downe the basket you ssaue,
You panderly rogue, set it downe.

Mis. For.
What is the reason that you vse me thus?

For.
Come hither set downe the basket,

Misteris Ford the modest woman,
Misteris Ford the vertuous woman,
She that hath the iealous foole to her husband,
I mistrust you without cause do I not?

Mis. For.
I Gods my record do you. And if
you mistrust me in any ill sort.

Ford.
Well sed brazen face, hold it out,
You youth in a basket, come out here,
Pull out the cloathes, search.

Hu.
Ieshu plesse me, will you pull vp your wiues cloathes.

Pa.
Fie M. Ford, you are not to go abroad if you be in these fits.

Sir Hugh.
By so ^note kad vdge me, tis verie necessarie
He were put in pethlem.

For.
M. Page, as I am an honest man M. Page,

There was one conueyd out of my house here yesterday out of this basket, why may he not be here now?

Mi. For.
Come ^note mistris Page, bring the old woman downe.

For.
Old woman, what old woman?

Mi. For.
Why my maidens Ant, Gillian of Brainford.
A witch, ^note haue I not forewarned her my house,
Alas we are simple we, we know not what

Is brought to passe vnder the colour of fortune-Telling. Come downe you witch, come downe.

Sir Hu.
By Ieshu I verily thinke she is a witch indeed,
I espied vnder her mufler a great beard.

Ford.
Pray come helpe me to search, pray now.

Pa.
Come weele go for his minds sake. Exit omnes.

Mi. For.
By my troth he beat him most extreamly.

Mi. Pa.
I am glad of it, what shall we proceed any further?

Mi. For.
No faith, now if you will let vs tell our husbands of it.
For mine I am sure hath almost fretted himselfe to death.

Mi. Pa.
Content, come weele go tell them all,
And as they agree, so will we proceed. Exit both.

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