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 foin, to see thee
traverse, to see thee here, to see thee there; to see
thee pass thy punto, thy stock, thy reverse, thy distance,
thy montant4 note. Is he dead, my Ethiopian? is he
-- 217 --
dead, my Francisco? ha, bully! What says my Æsculapius?
my Galen? my heart of elder? ha! is he dead,
bully-stale? 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 Castalian-king-Urinal: Hector of
Greece, my boy.
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 hair 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.
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, monsieur
Mock-water5 note.
Caius.
Mock-vater! vat is dat?
Host.
Mock-water in our English tongue is valour,
bully.
-- 218 --
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 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. 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
shall woo her. Cried game, said I well? 11Q0079
Caius.
By gar, me tank you vor dat: by gar, I love
you; and I shall procure-a you de good guest, 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.
-- 219 --
J. Payne Collier [1842–1844], The works of William Shakespeare. The text formed from an entirely new collation of the old editions: with the various readings, notes, a life of the poet, and a history of the Early English stage. By J. Payne Collier, Esq. F.S.A. In eight volumes (Whittaker & Co. [etc.], London) [word count] [S10101].
