ACT IV. SCENE I.3 The Street. Enter Mrs. PAGE, Mrs. QUICKLY, and WILLIAM. MRS. PAGE. Is he at master Ford's already, think'st thou ? QUICK. 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? EVA. No; master Slender is let the boys leave to play. QUICK. Blessing of his heart! MRS. PAGE. Sir Hugh, my husband says, my 3 This is a very trifling scene, of no use to the plot, and I should think of no great delight to the audience; but Shakspeare best knew what would please. JOHNSON. We may suppose this scene to have been a very entertaining one to the audience for which it was written. Many of the old plays exhibit pedants instructing their scholars. Marston has a very long one in his What you will, between a schoolmaster, and Holofernes, Nathaniel, &c. his pupils. The title of this play was perhaps borrowed by Shakspeare, to join to that of Twelfth Night. What you will appeared in 1607. Twelfth Night was first printed in 1623. STEEVENS. son profits nothing in the world at his book; I pray you, ask him some questions in his accidence. EVA. Come hither, William; hold up your head; come. MRS. PAGE. Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your master, be not afraid. EVA. William, how many numbers is in nouns? WILL. Two. QUICK. Truly, I thought there had been one number more; because they say, od's nouns. EVA. Peace your tattlings. What is fair, William ? WILL. Pulcher. QUICK. Poulcats! there are fairer things than poulcats, sure. EVA. You are a very simplicity 'oman; I pray you, peace. What is lapis, William ? WILL. A stone. EVA. And what is a stone, William ? EVA. No, it is lapis; I pray you remember in your prain. WILL. Lapis. EVA. That is good William. What is he, William, that does lend articles? WILL. Articles are borrowed of the pronoun; and be thus declined, Singulariter, nominativo, hic, hæc, hoc. EVA. Nominativo, hig, hag, hog;-pray you, mark: genitivo, hujus: Well, what is your accusa tive case? WILL. Accusativo, hinc. ACT IV. SCENE 1.3 The Street. Enter Mrs. PAGE, Mrs. QUICKLY, and WILLIAM. MRS. PAGE. Is he at master Ford's already, think'st thou ? QUICK. 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? EVA. No; master Slender is let the boys leave to play. QUICK. Blessing of his heart! MRS. PAGE. Sir Hugh, my husband says, my 3 This is a very trifling scene, of no use to the plot, and I should think of no great delight to the audience; but Shakspeare best knew what would please. JOHNSON. We may suppose this scene to have been a very entertaining one to the audience for which it was written. Many of the old plays exhibit pedants instructing their scholars. Marston has a very long one in his What you will, between a schoolmaster, and Holofernes, Nathaniel, &c. his pupils. The title of this play was perhaps borrowed by Shakspeare, to join to that of Twelfth Night. What you will appeared in 1607. Twelfth Night was first printed in 1623. STEEVENS. son profits nothing in the world at his book; I pray you, ask him some questions in his accidence. EVA. Come hither, William; hold up your head; come. MRS. PAGE. Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your master, be not afraid. EVA. William, how many numbers is in nouns? WILL. TWO. QUICK. Truly, I thought there had been one number more; because they say, od's nouns. EVA. Peace your tattlings. What is fair, William? WILL. Pulcher. QUICK. Poulcats! there are fairer things than poulcats, sure. EVA. You are a very simplicity 'oman; I pray you, peace. What is lapis, William ? WILL. A stone. EVA. And what is a stone, William ? WILL. A pebble. EVA. No, it is lapis; I pray you remember in your prain. WILL. Lapis. EVA. That is good William. What is he, William, that does lend articles? WILL. Articles are borrowed of the pronoun; and be thus declined, Singulariter, nominativo, hic, hæc, hoc. EVA. Nominativo, hig, hag, hog;—pray you, mark: genitivo, hujus: Well, what is your accusa tive case? WILL. Accusativo, hinc. EVA. I pray you, have your remembrance; child; Accusativo, hing, hang, hog. QUICK. Hang hog is Latin for bacon, I warrant you. EVA. Leave your prabbles, 'oman. What is the focative case, William ? WILL. O-vocativo, O. EVA. Remember, William; focative is, caret. QUICK. And that's a good root. EVA. 'Oman, forbear. MRS. PAGE. Peace. EVA. What is your genitive case plural, William? WILL. Genitive case? EVA. Ay. WILL. Genitive,―horum, harum, horum.1 QUICK. 'Vengeance of Jenny's case! fie on her! -never name her, child, if she be a whore. EVA. For shame, 'oman. QUICK. 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! EVA. 'Oman, art thou lunatics? hast thou no understandings for thy cases, and the numbers of ✦horum, harum, horum.] Taylor, the water-poet, has borrowed this jest, such as it is, in his character of a strumpet:: "And comes to horum, harum, whorum, then "She proves a great proficient among men." STEEVens. to hick and to hack,] Sir William Blackstone thought, that this, in Dame Quickly's language, signifies "to stammer or hesitate, as boys do in saying their lessons;" but Mr. Steevens, with more probability, supposes that it signifies, in her dialect, to do mischief. MALONE |
