| ACT III SCENE IV | A room in PAGE'S house. | |
| [Enter FENTON and ANNE PAGE] |
| FENTON | I see I cannot get thy father'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--, | 5 |
| And that, my state being gall'd with my expense, |
| I seek to heal it only by his wealth: |
| Besides these, other bars he lays before me, |
| My riots past, my wild societies; |
| And tells me 'tis a thing impossible | 10 |
| I should love thee but as a property. |
| ANNE PAGE | May be he tells you true. |
| FENTON | No, heaven so speed me in my time to come! |
| Albeit I will confess thy father's wealth |
| Was the first motive that I woo'd thee, Anne: | 15 |
| Yet, wooing thee, I found thee of more value |
| Than stamps in gold or sums in sealed bags; |
| And 'tis the very riches of thyself |
| That now I aim at. |
| ANNE PAGE | Gentle Master Fenton, | 20 |
| Yet seek my father's love; still seek it, sir: |
| If opportunity and humblest suit |
| Cannot attain it, why, then,--hark you hither! |
| [They converse apart] |
| [Enter SHALLOW, SLENDER, and MISTRESS QUICKLY] |
| SHALLOW | Break their talk, Mistress Quickly: my kinsman shall |
| speak for himself. | 25 |
| SLENDER | I'll make a shaft or a bolt on't: 'slid, 'tis but |
| venturing. |
| SHALLOW | Be not dismayed. |
| SLENDER | No, she shall not dismay me: I care not for that, |
| but that I am afeard. | 30 |
| MISTRESS QUICKLY | Hark ye; Master Slender would speak a word with you. |
| ANNE PAGE | I come to him. |
[Aside] |
| This is my father's choice. |
| O, what a world of vile ill-favor'd faults |
| Looks handsome in three hundred pounds a-year! | 35 |
| MISTRESS QUICKLY | And how does good Master Fenton? Pray you, a word with you. |
| SHALLOW | She's coming; to her, coz. O boy, thou hadst a father! |
| 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 | 40 |
| a pen, good uncle. |
| SHALLOW | Mistress Anne, my cousin loves you. |
| SLENDER | Ay, that I do; as well as I love any woman in |
| Gloucestershire. |
| SHALLOW | He will maintain you like a gentlewoman. | 45 |
| SLENDER | Ay, 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 | 50 |
| 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 | 55 |
| indeed! I ne'er 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 | 60 |
| 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, Master Slender: love him, daughter Anne. |
| Why, how now! what does Master Fenton here? | 65 |
| You wrong me, sir, thus still to haunt my house: |
| I told you, sir, my daughter is disposed of. |
| FENTON | Nay, Master Page, be not impatient. |
| MISTRESS PAGE | Good Master Fenton, come not to my child. |
| PAGE | She is no match for you. | 70 |
| FENTON | Sir, will you hear me? |
| PAGE | No, good Master Fenton. |
| Come, Master Shallow; come, son Slender, in. |
| Knowing my mind, you wrong me, Master Fenton. |
| [Exeunt PAGE, SHALLOW, and SLENDER] |
| MISTRESS QUICKLY | Speak to Mistress Page. | 75 |
| FENTON | Good Mistress Page, for that I love your daughter |
| In such a righteous fashion as I do, |
| Perforce, against all cheques, rebukes and manners, |
| I must advance the colours of my love |
| And not retire: let me have your good will. | 80 |
| ANNE PAGE | Good mother, do not marry me to yond fool. |
| MISTRESS PAGE | I mean it not; I seek you a better husband. |
| MISTRESS QUICKLY | That's my master, master doctor. |
| ANNE PAGE | Alas, I had rather be set quick i' the earth |
| And bowl'd to death with turnips! | 85 |
| MISTRESS PAGE | Come, trouble not yourself. Good Master Fenton, |
| I will not be your friend nor enemy: |
| My daughter will I question how she loves you, |
| And as I find her, so am I affected. |
| Till then farewell, sir: she must needs go in; | 90 |
| Her father will be angry. |
| FENTON | Farewell, gentle mistress: farewell, 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. | 95 |
| FENTON | I thank thee; and I pray thee, once to-night |
| Give my sweet Nan this ring: there's for thy pains. |
| MISTRESS QUICKLY | Now heaven send thee good fortune! |
[Exit FENTON] |
| A kind heart he hath: a woman would run through |
| fire and water for such a kind heart. But yet I | 100 |
| 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, | 105 |
| I must of another errand to Sir John Falstaff from |
| my two mistresses: what a beast am I to slack it! |
| [Exit] |
The Most Famous Quotations from The Merry Wives of Windsor