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Read Ebook: The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare William
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Ebook has 829 lines and 25989 words, and 17 pages
This is our 3rd edition of most of these plays. See the index.
The Merry Wiues of Windsor
by William Shakespeare
July, 2000
Executive Director's Notes:
Barnardo. Who's there? Fran. Nay answer me: Stand & vnfold your selfe
Bar. Long liue the King
As I understand it, the printers often ran out of certain words or letters they had often packed into a "cliche". . .this is the original meaning of the term cliche. . .and thus, being unwilling to unpack the cliches, and thus you will see some substitutions that look very odd. . .such as the exchanges of u for v, v for u, above. . .and you may wonder why they did it this way, presuming Shakespeare did not actually write the play in this manner. . . .
The answer is that they MAY have packed "liue" into a cliche at a time when they were out of "v"'s. . .possibly having used "vv" in place of some "w"'s, etc. This was a common practice of the day, as print was still quite expensive, and they didn't want to spend more on a wider selection of characters than they had to.
You will find a lot of these kinds of "errors" in this text, as I have mentioned in other times and places, many "scholars" have an extreme attachment to these errors, and many have accorded them a very high place in the "canon" of Shakespeare. My father read an assortment of these made available to him by Cambridge University in England for several months in a glass room constructed for the purpose. To the best of my knowledge he read ALL those available . . .in great detail. . .and determined from the various changes, that Shakespeare most likely did not write in nearly as many of a variety of errors we credit him for, even though he was in/famous for signing his name with several different spellings.
So, please take this into account when reading the comments below made by our volunteer who prepared this file: you may see errors that are "not" errors. . . .
Scanner's Notes: What this is and isn't. This was taken from a copy of Shakespeare's first folio and it is as close as I can come in ASCII to the printed text.
The elongated S's have been changed to small s's and the conjoined ae have been changed to ae. I have left the spelling, punctuation, capitalization as close as possible to the printed text. I have corrected some spelling mistakes , typo's and expanded abbreviations as I have come across them. Everything within brackets is what I have added. So if you don't like that you can delete everything within the brackets if you want a purer Shakespeare.
Another thing that you should be aware of is that there are textual differences between various copies of the first folio. So there may be differences between this and other first folio editions. This is due to the printer's habit of setting the type and running off a number of copies and then proofing the printed copy and correcting the type and then continuing the printing run. The proof run wasn't thrown away but incorporated into the printed copies. This is just the way it is. The text I have used was a composite of more than 30 different First Folio editions' best pages.
David Reed
The Merry Wiues of Windsor
Actus primus, Scena prima.
Enter Iustice Shallow, Slender, Sir Hugh Euans, Master Page, Falstoffe, Bardolph, Nym, Pistoll, Anne Page, Mistresse Ford, Mistresse Page, Simple.
Shallow. Sir Hugh, perswade me not: I will make a StarChamber matter of it, if hee were twenty Sir Iohn Falstoffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow Esquire
Slen. In the County of Glocester, Iustice of Peace and Coram
Shal. I and Custalorum
Slen. I, and Ratolorum too; and a Gentleman borne who writes himselfe Armigero, in any Bill, Warrant, Quittance, or Obligation, Armigero
Shal. I that I doe, and haue done any time these three hundred yeeres
Slen. All his successors hath don't: and all his Ancestors may: they may giue the dozen white Luces in their Coate
Shal. It is an olde Coate
Euans. The dozen white Lowses doe become an old Coat well: it agrees well passant: It is a familiar beast to man, and signifies Loue
Shal. The Luse is the fresh-fish, the salt-fish, is an old Coate
Slen. I may quarter
Shal. You may, by marrying
Euans. It is marring indeed, if he quarter it
Shal. Not a whit
Euan. Yes per-lady: if he ha's a quarter of your coat, there is but three Skirts for your selfe, in my simple coniectures; but that is all one: if Sir Iohn Falstaffe haue committed disparagements vnto you, I am of the Church and will be glad to do my beneuolence, to make attonements and compremises betweene you
Shal. The Councell shall heare it, it is a Riot
Euan. It is not meet the Councell heare a Riot: there is no feare of Got in a Riot: The Councell shall desire to heare the feare of Got, and not to heare a Riot: take your vizaments in that
Shal. Ha; o'my life, if I were yong againe, the sword should end it
Euans. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it: and there is also another deuice in my praine, which peraduenture prings goot discretions with it. There is Anne Page, which is daughter to Master Thomas Page, which is pretty virginity
Slen. Mistris Anne Page? she has browne haire, and speakes small like a woman
Euans. It is that ferry person for all the orld, as iust as you will desire, and seuen hundred pounds of Moneyes, and Gold, and Siluer, is her Grand-sire vpon his deathsbed, giue, when she is able to ouertake seuenteene yeeres old. It were a goot motion, if we leaue our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a marriage betweene Master Abraham, and Mistris Anne Page
Slen. Did her Grand-sire leaue her seauen hundred pound? Euan. I, and her father is make her a petter penny
Slen. I know the young Gentlewoman, she has good gifts
Euan. Seuen hundred pounds, and possibilities, is goot gifts
Shal. Wel, let vs see honest Mr Page: is Falstaffe there? Euan. Shall I tell you a lye? I doe despise a lyer, as I doe despise one that is false, or as I despise one that is not true: the Knight Sir Iohn is there, and I beseech you be ruled by your well-willers: I will peat the doore for Mr. Page. What hoa? Got-plesse your house heere
Mr.Page. Who's there? Euan. Here is go't's plessing and your friend, and Iustice Shallow, and heere yong Master Slender: that peraduentures shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings
Mr.Page. I am glad to see your Worships well: I thanke you for my Venison Master Shallow
Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you: much good doe it your good heart: I wish'd your Venison better, it was ill killd: how doth good Mistresse Page? and I thank you alwaies with my heart, la: with my heart
M.Page. Sir, I thanke you
Shal. Sir, I thanke you: by yea, and no I doe
M.Pa. I am glad to see you, good Master Slender
Slen. How do's your fallow Greyhound, Sir, I heard say he was out-run on Cotsall
M.Pa. It could not be iudg'd, Sir
Slen. You'll not confesse: you'll not confesse
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