BARD. Ay, fir. FAL. Call him in; [Exit BARDOLPH.] Such Brooks are welcome to me, that o'erflow fuch liquor. Ah! ha! mistress Ford and mistress Page, have I encompafs'd you? go to; via!" Re-enter BARDOLPH, with FORD difguifed. FORD. Blefs you, fir. FAL. And you, fir: Would you speak with me? FORD. I make bold, to prefs with so little preparation upon you. FAL. You're welcome; What's your will? Give us leave, drawer. [Exit BARDOLPH. FORD. Sir, I am a gentleman that have spent much; my name is Brook. FAL. Good mafter Brook, I defire more acquaintance of you. 8 FORD. Good fir John, I fue for yours: not to charge you; for I must let you understand, I think myself in better plight for a lender than you are: the which hath fomething embolden'd me to this unfeafon'd intrufion; for they say, if money go before, all ways do lie open. 7 FAL. Money is a good foldier, fir, and will on. -go to; via!] This cant phrafe of exultation or defiance, is common in the old plays. So, in Blurt Mafter Conftable: "Via for fate! Fortune, lo! this is all." STEEVENS. Markham ufes this word as one of the vocal helps neceffary for reviving a horfe's fpirits in galloping large rings, when he grows flothful. Hence this cant phrafe (perhaps from the Italian, via) may be used on other occafions to quicken or pluck up courage. TOLLET. not to charge you ;] That is, not with a purpose of putting you to expence, or being burthenfome. JOHNSON, FORD. Troth, and I have a bag of money here troubles me: if you will help me to bear it, fir John, take all, or half, for eafing me of the carriage. FAL. Sir, I know not how I may deserve to be your porter. FORD. I will tell you, fir, if you will give me the hearing. FAL. Speak, good master Brook; I shall be glad to be your fervant. FORD. Sir, I hear you are a scholar,-I will be brief with you;—and you have been a man long known to me, though I had never fo good means, as defire, to make myself acquainted with you. I shall discover a thing to you, wherein I muft very much lay open mine own imperfection: but, good fir John, as you have one eye upon my follies, as you hear them unfolded, turn another into the regifter of your own; that I may pass with a reproof the easier, fith you yourself know, how easy it is to be fuch an offender. FAL. Very well, fir; proceed. FORD. There is a gentlewoman in this town, her husband's name is Ford. FAL. Well, fir. FORD. I have long loved her, and, I protest to you, bestow'd much on her; follow'd her with a doting obfervance; engrofs'd opportunities to meet her; fee'd every flight occafion, that could but niggardly give me fight of her; not only bought many prefents to give her, but have given largely to many, to know what she would have given: briefly, I have pursued her, as love hath pursued me; which hath been, on the wing of all occafions. But whatsoever 9—fith - i. e. fince. STEEVENS. I have merited, either in my mind, or in my means, meed, I am fure, I have received none; unless experience be a jewel: that I have purchased at an infinite rate; and that hath taught me to say this: Love like a fhadow flies, when fubftance love pursues ; Pursuing that that flies, and flying what pursues.' FAL. Have you received no promise of fatisfaction at her hands? FORD. Never. FAL. Have you importuned her to fuch a purpose? FORD. Never. FAL. Of what quality was your love then? FORD. Like a fair house, built upon another man's ground; fo that I have loft my edifice, by mistaking the place where I erected it. FAL. To what purpose have you unfolded this to me? FORD. When I have told you that, I have told you meed,] i. e. reward. So Spenfer: "A rofy garland was the victor's meed." Again, in our author's Two Gentlemen of Verona: "Vouchfafe me for my meed but one fair look." STEEVENS. 3 Love like a fhadow flies, when fubftance love pursues; Pursuing that that flies, and flying what pursues.] Thefe lines have much the air of a quotation, but I know not whether they belong to any contemporary writer. In Florio's Second Fruites, 1591, I find the following verfes : Again: "Di donne e, et sempre fu natura, "Odiar chi l'ama, e chi non l'ama cura." "Chi per prender l'huomo, piangono, e prefo la devorano, "Chi le fugge fequono, e chi le feque fuggono." Thus tranflated by Florio: 66 66 they are like crocodiles, They weep to winne, and wonne they cause to die, "Follow men flying, and men following fly." MALONE. VOL. III. C c all. Some fay, that, though she appear honeft to me, yet, in other places, the enlargeth her mirth fo far, that there is fhrewd conftruction made of her. Now, fir John, here is the heart of my purpose: You are a gentleman of excellent breeding, admirable difcourfe, of great admittance,+ authentick in your place and perfon, generally allowed for your many war-like, court-like, and learned preparations. FAL. O, fir! FORD. Believe it, for you know it :-There is money; spend it, fpend it; fpend more; spend all I have; only give me fo much of your time in exchange of it, as to lay an amiable fiege to the honefty of this Ford's wife: ufe your art of wooing, win her to confent to you; if any man may, you may as foon as any. FAL. Would it apply well to the vehemency of your affection, that I fhould win what you would enjoy? Methinks, you prescribe to yourself very prepofterously. FORD. O, understand my drift! fhe dwells fo fecurely on the excellency of her honour, that the folly of my foul dares not prefent itself; fhe is too bright to be look'd against. Now, could I come 4-of great admittance,] i. e. admitted into all, or the greatest companies. STEEVENS. 5 generally allowed-] Allowed is approved. So, in King Lear: - if your sweet fway "Allow obedience," &c. STEEVENS. to lay an amiable fiege—] i. e. a fiege of love. So, in Romeo and Juliet: "the fiege of loving terms." MALONE. 7 She is too bright to be look'd againft.] "Nimium lubricus afpici.' Hor. MALONE. to her with any detection in my hand, my defires had inftance and argument to commend themfelves; I could drive her then from the ward of her purity, her reputation, her marriage vow, and a thousand other her defences, which now are too ftrongly embattled against me: What say you to't, fir John? FAL. Mafter Brook, I will first make bold with your money; next, give me your hand; and last, as I am a gentleman, you shall, if you will, enjoy Ford's wife. FORD. O good fir! FAL. Master Brook, I say you fhall. FORD. Want no money, fir John, you shall want none. FAL. Want no mistress Ford, mafter Brook, you fhall want none. I shall be with her (I may tell you,) by her own appointment; even as you came in to me, her affiftant, or go-between, parted from me: I fay, I fhall be with her between ten and eleven; for at that time the jealous rafcally knave, her husband, will be forth. Come you to me at night; you shall know how I speed. inftance and argument · -] Inftance is example. 9 the ward of her purity,] i. e. The defence of it. JOHNSON. STEEVENS. What Ford means to fay is, that if he could once detect her in a crime, he should then be able to drive her from thofe defences with which she would otherwife ward off his addreffes, fuch as her purity, her reputation, her marriage vow, &c. So, in The Winter's Tale, Hermione, fpeaking of Polixenes, fays to Leontes, "Tell him, you're fure "All in Bohemia's well," &c. "Say this to him, |