First folio
| Modern text
| Definitions
| Key line
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| Mist. Page, Robin, Ford, Page, Shallow, Slender, Host, Euans, Caius. | Enter Mistress Page and Robin | | MW III.ii.1.1 | |
| Mist. Page. | MISTRESS PAGE | | | |
| Nay keepe your way (little Gallant) you | Nay, keep your way, little gallant. You | gallant (n.) fine gentleman, man of fashion | MW III.ii.1 | |
| | keep your waykeep going, don't stop | | |
| were wont to be a follower, but now you are a Leader: | were wont to be a follower, but now you are a leader. | wont (v.)be accustomed, used [to], be in the habit of | MW III.ii.2 | |
| whether had you rather lead mine eyes, or eye your | Whether had you rather, lead mine eyes, or eye your | whether (pron.)which of the two | MW III.ii.3 | |
| masters heeles? | master's heels? | | MW III.ii.4 | |
| Rob. | ROBIN | | | |
| I had rather (forsooth) go before you like a man, | I had rather, forsooth, go before you like a man | forsooth (adv.)in truth, certainly, truly, indeed | MW III.ii.5 | |
| then follow him like a dwarfe. | than follow him like a dwarf. | | MW III.ii.6 | |
| M. Pa. | MISTRESS PAGE | | | |
| O you are a flattering boy, now I see | O, you are a flattering boy. Now I see | | MW III.ii.7 | |
| you'l be a Courtier. | you'll be a courtier. | | MW III.ii.8 | |
| Enter Ford | | MW III.ii.9 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| Well met mistris Page, whether go you. | Well met, Mistress Page. Whither go you? | | MW III.ii.9 | |
| M. Pa. | MISTRESS PAGE | | | |
| Truly Sir, to see your wife, is she at | Truly, sir, to see your wife. Is she at | | MW III.ii.10 | |
| home? | home? | | MW III.ii.11 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| I, and as idle as she may hang together for want | Ay; and as idle as she may hang together, for want | idle (adj.)bored, jaded, wearied | MW III.ii.12 | |
| | hang together (v.)keep in one piece, carry on existing | | |
| of company: I thinke if your husbands were dead, you | of company. I think, if your husbands were dead, you | | MW III.ii.13 | |
| two would marry. | two would marry. | | MW III.ii.14 | |
| M. Pa. | MISTRESS PAGE | | | |
| Be sure of that, two other husbands. | Be sure of that – two other husbands. | | MW III.ii.15 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| Where had you this pretty weather-cocke? | Where had you this pretty weathercock? | | MW III.ii.16 | |
| M. Pa. | MISTRESS PAGE | | | |
| I cannot tell what (the dickens) his name | I cannot tell what the dickens his name | | MW III.ii.17 | |
| is my husband had him of, what do you cal your | is that my husband had him of. What do you call your | | MW III.ii.18 | |
| Knights name sirrah? | knight's name, sirrah? | sirrah (n.)sir [commanding, insulting, or familiar, depending on context] | MW III.ii.19 | |
| Rob. | ROBIN | | | |
| Sir Iohn Falstaffe. | Sir John Falstaff. | | MW III.ii.20 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| Sir Iohn Falstaffe. | Sir John Falstaff? | | MW III.ii.21 | |
| M. Pa. | MISTRESS PAGE | | | |
| He, he, I can neuer hit on's name; there | He, he. I can never hit on's name. There | | MW III.ii.22 | |
| is such a league betweene my goodman, and he: is your | is such a league between my good man and he. Is your | league (n.)compact, alliance, treaty, bond of friendship | MW III.ii.23 | |
| | goodman (adj.)[title for a person under the rank of gentleman] mister, master | | |
| Wife at home indeed? | wife at home indeed? | | MW III.ii.24 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| Indeed she is. | Indeed she is. | | MW III.ii.25 | |
| M. Pa. | MISTRESS PAGE | | | |
| By your leaue sir, I am sicke till I see her. | By your leave, sir. I am sick till I see her. | sick (adj.)longing, pining, avid | MW III.ii.26 | |
| Exeunt Mistress Page and Robin | | MW III.ii.26 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| Has Page any braines? Hath he any eies? Hath he | Has Page any brains? Hath he any eyes? Hath he | | MW III.ii.27 | |
| any thinking? Sure they sleepe, he hath no vse of them: | any thinking? Sure, they sleep; he hath no use of them. | | MW III.ii.28 | |
| why this boy will carrie a letter twentie mile as easie, as a | Why, this boy will carry a letter twenty mile as easy as a | | MW III.ii.29 | |
| Canon will shoot point-blanke twelue score: hee peeces | cannon will shoot point-blank twelve score. He pieces | point-blank (adv.)straight, with a direct aim | MW III.ii.30 | |
| | piece out (v.)augment, increase, supplement | | |
| out his wiues inclination: he giues her folly motion and | out his wife's inclination. He gives her folly motion and | motion (n.)urging, prompting, encouragement | MW III.ii.31 | |
| | folly (n.)wantonness, lewdness | | |
| aduantage: and now she's going to my wife, & | advantage. And now she's going to my wife, and | advantage (n.)right moment, favourable opportunity | MW III.ii.32 | |
| Falstaffes boy with her: A man may heare this showre sing | Falstaff's boy with her. A man may hear this shower sing | sing (v.)anticipate trouble, see storm-clouds brewing | MW III.ii.33 | |
| in the winde; and Falstaffes boy with her: good plots, | in the wind. And Falstaff's boy with her! Good plots! | | MW III.ii.34 | |
| they are laide, and our reuolted wiues share damnation | They are laid; and our revolted wives share damnation | revolted (adj.)faithless, disloyal, inconstant | MW III.ii.35 | |
| together. Well, I will take him, then torture my wife, | together. Well, I will take him, then torture my wife, | take (v.)catch out, take by surprise | MW III.ii.36 | |
| | torture (v.)torment, afflict, plague | | |
| plucke the borrowed vaile of modestie from the | pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the | | MW III.ii.37 | |
| so-seeming Mist. Page, divulge Page himselfe for a | so-seeming Mistress Page, divulge Page himself for a | seeming (adj.)apparent, convincing in appearance | MW III.ii.38 | |
| | divulge (v.)proclaim, reveal, make publicly known | | |
| secure and wilfull Acteon, and to these violent | secure and wilful Actaeon; and to these violent | secure (adj.)over-confident, unsuspecting, too self-confident | MW III.ii.39 | |
| | Actaeon (n.)[pron: ak'tayon] cuckold; hunter who saw Artemis (goddess of chastity) bathing naked; she changed him into a stag, who was killed by his own hounds | | |
| proceedings all my neighbors shall cry aime. | proceedings all my neighbours shall cry aim. | aim, cry[archery] show applause, shout approval [of] | MW III.ii.40 | |
| The town clock strikes | | MW III.ii.41 | |
| The clocke giues me my Qu, and my assurance bids me | The clock gives me my cue, and my assurance bids me | | MW III.ii.41 | |
| search, there I shall finde Falstaffe: I shall be rather | search. There I shall find Falstaff. I shall be rather | | MW III.ii.42 | |
| praisd for this, then mock'd, for it is as possitiue, as the | praised for this than mocked, for it is as positive as the | | MW III.ii.43 | |
| earth is firme, that Falstaffe is there: I will go. | earth is firm that Falstaff is there. I will go. | | MW III.ii.44 | |
| Enter Page, Shallow, Slender, Host, Evans, Caius, | | MW III.ii.45.1 | |
| and Rugby | | MW III.ii.45.2 | |
| Shal. Page, &c. | ALL | | | |
| Well met Mr Ford. | Well met, Master Ford. | | MW III.ii.45 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| Trust me, a good knotte; I haue good cheere at home, | Trust me, a good knot. I have good cheer at home, | cheer (n.)entertainment, fare, food and drink | MW III.ii.46 | |
| | knot (n.)company, band, assembly | | |
| | trust mebelieve me | | |
| and I pray you all go with me. | and I pray you all go with me. | | MW III.ii.47 | |
| Shal. | SHALLOW | | | |
| I must excuse my selfe Mr Ford. | I must excuse myself, Master Ford. | | MW III.ii.48 | |
| Slen. | SLENDER | | | |
| And so must I Sir, / We haue appointed to dine | And so must I, sir. We have appointed to dine | appoint (v.)agree, arrange, make an appointment | MW III.ii.49 | |
| with Mistris Anne, / And I would not breake with her for | with Mistress Anne, and I would not break with her for | break (v.)break one's promise, not keep one's word | MW III.ii.50 | |
| more mony / Then Ile speake of. | more money than I'll speak of. | | MW III.ii.51 | |
| Shal. | SHALLOW | | | |
| We haue linger'd about a match betweene An | We have lingered about a match between Anne | linger (v.)stay on [in town], wait around | MW III.ii.52 | |
| Page, and my cozen Slender, and this day wee shall haue | Page and my cousin Slender, and this day we shall have | | MW III.ii.53 | |
| our answer. | our answer. | | MW III.ii.54 | |
| Slen. | SLENDER | | | |
| I hope I haue your good will Father Page. | I hope I have your good will, father Page. | | MW III.ii.55 | |
| Pag. | PAGE | | | |
| You haue Mr Slender, I stand wholly for you, | You have, Master Slender – I stand wholly for you. | stand (v.)continue, remain, wait, stay put | MW III.ii.56 | |
| But my wife (Mr Doctor) is for you altogether. | But my wife, Master Doctor, is for you altogether. | | MW III.ii.57 | |
| Cai. | CAIUS | | | |
| I be-gar, and de Maid is loue-a-me: my nursh-a- | Ay, be-gar, and de maid is love-a me – my nursh-a | | MW III.ii.58 | |
| Quickly tell me so mush. | Quickly tell me so mush. | | MW III.ii.59 | |
| Host. | HOST | | | |
| What say you to yong Mr Fenton? He capers, | What say you to young Master Fenton? He capers, | caper (v.)be lively, show high spirits | MW III.ii.60 | |
| he dances, he has eies of youth: he writes verses, hee | he dances, he has eyes of youth, he writes verses, he | | MW III.ii.61 | |
| speakes holliday, he smels April and May, he wil | speaks holiday, he smells April and May. He will | speak holidayspeak entertainingly; or: talk in a refined way | MW III.ii.62 | |
| carry't, he will carry't, 'tis in his buttons, he will | carry't, he will carry't. 'Tis in his buttons he will | buttons, in one's[unclear meaning] very plain, easy to see | MW III.ii.63 | |
| | carry it (away)[from a falconry term ‘to fly away with the game’] win the day, have the advantage, succeed | | |
| carry't. | carry't. | | MW III.ii.64 | |
| Page. | PAGE | | | |
| Not by my consent I promise you. The Gentleman | Not by my consent, I promise you. The gentleman | | MW III.ii.65 | |
| is of no hauing, hee kept companie with the wilde Prince, | is of no having. He kept company with the wild Prince | having (n.)fortune, estate, means | MW III.ii.66 | |
| and Pointz: he is of too high a Region, he knows too | and Poins. He is of too high a region, he knows too | region (n.)rank, sphere, social standing | MW III.ii.67 | |
| much: no, hee shall not knit a knot in his fortunes, with | much. No, he shall not knit a knot in his fortunes with | knit, knit up (v.)tie, fasten [by means of a knot] | MW III.ii.68 | |
| the finger of my substance: if he take her, let him take | the finger of my substance. If he take her, let him take | | MW III.ii.69 | |
| her simply: the wealth I haue waits on my consent, and | her simply. The wealth I have waits on my consent, and | wait on / upon (v.)depend on, be subject to | MW III.ii.70 | |
| | simply (adv.)as is, without dowry | | |
| my consent goes not that way. | my consent goes not that way. | | MW III.ii.71 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| I beseech you heartily, some of you goe home with | I beseech you heartily, some of you go home with | | MW III.ii.72 | |
| me to dinner: besides your cheere you shall haue sport, | me to dinner. Besides your cheer, you shall have sport – | sport (n.)recreation, amusement, entertainment | MW III.ii.73 | |
| I will shew you a monster: Mr Doctor, you shal go, | I will show you a monster. Master Doctor, you shall go. | | MW III.ii.74 | |
| so shall you Mr Page, and you Sir Hugh. | So shall you, Master Page, and you, Sir Hugh. | | MW III.ii.75 | |
| Shal. | SHALLOW | | | |
| Well, fare you well: We shall haue the freer | Well, fare you well. We shall have the freer | fare ... well (int.)goodbye [to an individual] | MW III.ii.76 | |
| woing at Mr Pages. | wooing at Master Page's. | | MW III.ii.77 | |
| Exeunt Shallow and Slender | | MW III.ii.77 | |
| Cai. | CAIUS | | | |
| Go home Iohn Rugby, I come anon. | Go home, John Rugby. I come anon. | anon (adv.)soon, shortly, presently | MW III.ii.78 | |
| Exit Rugby | | MW III.ii.78 | |
| Host. | HOST | | | |
| Farewell my hearts, I will to my honest Knight | Farewell, my hearts. I will to my honest knight | | MW III.ii.79 | |
| Falstaffe, and drinke Canarie with him. | Falstaff, and drink canary with him. | canary, canaries (n.)variety of sweet wine from the Canary Islands | MW III.ii.80 | |
| Exit | | MW III.ii.80 | |
| Ford. | FORD | | | |
| I thinke I shall drinke in Pipe-wine first with | (aside) I think I shall drink in pipe-wine first with | pipe-wine (n.)wine drawn directly from the cask [pipe] | MW III.ii.81 | |
| him, Ile make him dance. Will you go, Gentles? | him; I'll make him dance. – Will you go, gentles? | gentle (n.)(plural) gentlemen | MW III.ii.82 | |
| All. | ALL | | | |
| Haue with you, to see this Monster. | Have with you to see this monster. | have with youI'll join you, I'll be with you | MW III.ii.83 | |
| Exeunt | Exeunt | | MW III.ii.83 | |