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The Merry Wives of Windsor

Act III, Scene 4

A room in PAGE'S house.
 
[Enter FENTON and ANNE PAGE]
 
FENTON
         ,       ,       ,         ,          ,
      I see | I can|not get | thy fath|er's love,
        ,          ,          ,        ,              ,
      Therefore | no more | turn me | to him |(sweet^Nan).
 
ANNE PAGE
        ,     ,
      Alas,| how then?
 
FENTON
                             ,          ,        ,
                       Why thou | must be | thyself.
           ,        ,    ,             ,          ,
      He doth | object,| I am | too* great | of birth,
            ,         ,       2      ,           ,       ,
      And that | my state | being galled | with my | expense,
          ,         ,        ,     ,          ,
      I seek | to heal | it on|ly by | his wealth.
       .  T     T     T       ,         ,        ,       ->
      Besides these, oth|er bars | he lays | before || me,
             x     ,          ,      ,     ,
      My / riots past,| my wild | soci|eties,
            ,          ,        ,        ,     ,
      And tells | me 'tis | a thing | impos|sible
      ,            ,              ,       ,     ,
      I should | love thee,| but as | a prop|erty.
 
ANNE PAGE
       ,           ,           ,
      Maybe | he tells | you true.
 
FENTON
      <-__   oo     ,           ,         ,        ,         ,
        No,|   || heaven | so speed | me in | my time | to come,
          x        ,         ,         ,           ,
      Albeit | I will | confess,| thy fath|er's wealth
                  ,    ,        ,        ,             ,
      Was the / first mot|ive that | I wooed | thee (Anne):
           ,        ,        ,         2     ,     ,
      Yet woo|ing thee,| I found | thee of more | value
              ,          ,         ,         ,       ,
      Than stamps | in gold,| or sums | in seal|ed bags:
            ,         ,      ,      ,        ,
      And 'tis | the ve|ry rich|es of | thyself,
            ,       ,
      That now | I aim | at.
 
ANNE PAGE
                               x      ,        ,
                            Gentle | Master | Fenton,
            ,        ,          ,      T      Tx    T
      Yet seek | my fath|er's love,| still seek it sir,
          ,     ,    ,         ,         ,
      If op|portun|ity | and humb|lest suit
       ,    2     ,        ,           ,         ,
      Cannot at|tain it,| why then | hark you | hither.
 
[They converse apart. Enter SHALLOW, SLENDER, and MISTRESS QUICKLY]
 
SHALLOW
        T     T     T     ,           ,
      Break their talk | Mistress | Quickly,
          ,         ,       ,              ,
      My kins|man shall | speak for | himself. (tetra with prev)
 
SLENDER
             ,        ,       2    ,      2      ,         2      ,     3  3->
      I'll make | a shaft | or a bolt | on it, 'slid,| 'tis but vent||uring.
 
SHALLOW
          ,         ,
      Be not | dismayed.
 
SLENDER
                          ,               ,        ,        ->
                         No, she | shall not | dismay || me:
            ,   ,          ,     ,          3  3   ,
      I / care not | for that,| but that | I am afeard.
 
MISTRESS QUICKLY
        ,        ,         ,    2          ,         ,      2
      Hark ye,| Master | Slender would | speak a | word with you.
 
ANNE PAGE
          ,        ,      ,           ,           ,
      I come | to him.| This is | my fath|er's choice:
      ,     2      ,          T   T   T          ,
      O what a | world of | vile ill-fav|ored faults
              ,              ,     ,         ,         ,
      Looks^hand|some in / three hund|red pounds | a year?
 
MISTRESS QUICKLY
       .   T    T    T     ,        ,
      And how does good | Master | Fenton?
        ,            ,          ,    oo
      Pray you | a word | with you.|     (tetra with prev)
 
SHALLOW
             ,        ,        ,
      She's com|ing; to | her coz:
         ,      ,       2     ,
      O boy,| thou hadst a | father.  (tri with prev)
 
SLENDER
I had a father (Mistress Anne) my uncle can tell you good jests of him: Pray you uncle tell Mistress Anne the jest how my father stole two geese out of a pen, good uncle.
 
SHALLOW
Mistress Anne, my cousin loves you.
 
SLENDER
Aye that I do, as well as I love any woman in Gloucestershire.
 
SHALLOW
He will maintain you like a gentlewoman.
 
SLENDER
Aye that I will, come cut and long-tail, under the degree of a squire.
 
SHALLOW
He will make you a hundred and fifty pounds jointure.
 
ANNE PAGE
Good Master Shallow, let him woo for himself.
 
SHALLOW
Marry I thank you for it: I thank you for that good comfort: She calls you (coz) I'll leave you.
 
ANNE PAGE
Now Master Slender.
 
SLENDER
Now good Mistress Anne.
 
ANNE PAGE
What is your will?
 
SLENDER
My will? 'od's heartlings, that's a pretty jest indeed: I nere made my will yet (I thank heaven) I am not such a sickly creature, I give heaven praise.
 
ANNE PAGE
I mean (Master Slender) what would you with me?
 
SLENDER
Truly, for mine own part, I would little or nothing with you: Your father and my uncle hath made motions: if it be my luck, so; if not, happy man be his dole, They can tell you how things go, better than I can: you may ask your father, here he comes.
 
[Enter PAGE and MISTRESS PAGE]
 
PAGE
            ,       ,         ,          ,         ,
      Now Mast|er Slend|er; love | him daught|er Anne.
       T   T   T        2      ,        ,       ,
      Why how now?| what does mast|er Fent|on here?
            ,         ,           ,          ,          ,
      You wrong | me sir,| thus^still | to haunt | my house.
          ,         ,     ,   ,         2      ,
      I told | you sir,| my daught/er is di|sposed of.
 
FENTON
            ,       ,        ,       ,    ,
     
Nay Mast|er Page,| be not | impa|tient.
 
MISTRESS PAGE
             ,       ,        ,     ,            ,
     
Good Mast|er Fent|on, come | not to | my child.
 
PAGE
                ,   ,          ,
     
She is / no match | for you.
 
FENTON
                                    ,       2        ,
                                  
Sir, will you | hear me?
 
PAGE
       ,          ,        ,
     
No, good | Master | Fenton.
             ,       ,         ,          ,        ,
     
Come^Mast|er Shal|low: come | son^Slend|er, in;
        ,    2       ,           ,         ,        ,
     
Knowing my | mind, you | wrong me |(Master | Fenton).
 
[Exeunt PAGE, SHALLOW, and SLENDER]
 
MISTRESS QUICKLY
Speak to Mistress Page.
 
FENTON
              ,         ,     ,      2      ,           ,
      Good* Mist|ress Page,| for that I | love your | daughter
           ,        ,          ,       ,      ,
      In such | a right|eous fash|ion as | I do,
           ,         ,             ,         ,          ,        ->
      Perforce,| against | all* checks,| rebukes,| and man||ners,
      ,       2    ,          ,       ,        ,
      I | must^advance | the col|ors of | my love,
           ,        ,     ,         ,                 ,
      And not | retire.| Let me | have your | good* will.
 
ANNE PAGE
             ,       ,        ,    2          ,    ,
      Good moth|er, do | not mar|ry me to / yond fool.
 
MISTRESS PAGE
          ,        ,        ,       2    x       ,
      I mean | it not,| I seek | you a better | husband.
 
MISTRESS QUICKLY
         ,          ,        ,       ,       oo
      That's my | master,| master | doctor.|
 
ANNE PAGE
        ,     2     ,            ,    ,       2      ,
      Alas | I had rath|er be / set quick | in the earth,
             ,          ,            ,
      And bowled | to death | with turn|ips.  \\
 
MISTRESS PAGE
       __      ,        ,         ,          ,
      Come,| trouble | not your|self good*| Master
       ,        2      ,      2        ,          ,   ,      
      Fenton,| I will not | be your friend,| nor en|emy:
       ,    ,          2      ,         ,          ,
      My daught/er will I | question | how she | loves you,
               ,   ,     ,     2     ,     ,
      And as / I find | her, so am | I af|fected:
             ,          ,          ,           ,         ,
      Till then,| farewell | sir, she | must needs | go in,
           ,        ,        ,
      Her fath|er will | be ang|ry.  \\
 
FENTON
             ,   ,       ,                ,    ,
      Fare/well gent|le mist|ress: fare/well, Nan.
 
[Exeunt MISTRESS PAGE and ANNE PAGE]
 
MISTRESS QUICKLY
This is my doing now: Nay, said I, will you cast away your child on a fool, and a physician: Look on Master Fenton, this is my doing.
 
FENTON
          ,            ,        ,           ,        ,
     
I thank | thee: and | I pray | thee once | tonight,
        ,              ,           ,       ,                ,
     
Give my | sweet^Nan | this ring:| there's for | thy pains.
 
MISTRESS QUICKLY
Now heaven send thee good fortune, A kind heart he hath: a woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart. But yet, I would my master had Mistress Anne, or I would Master Slender had her: or (in sooth) I would Master Fenton had her; I will do what I can for them all three, for so I have promised, and I'll be as good as my word, but speciously for Master Fenton. Well, I must of another errand to Sir John Falstaff from my two mistresses: what a beast am I to slack it.
 
[Exit]

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