ACT IV. SCENE I.
Windsor. A street
Enter MISTRESS PAGE, MISTRESS QUICKLY, and WILLIAM
| MRS.PAGE. | Is he at Master Ford's already, think'st thou?
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| QUICKLY. | Sure he is by this; or will be presently; but truly
he is very courageous mad about his throwing into the
water. Mistress Ford desires you to come suddenly.
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| MRS.PAGE. | I'll be with her by and by; I'll but bring my
young man here to school. Look where his master comes;
'tis a playing day, I see.
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Enter SIR HUGH EVANS
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How now, Sir Hugh, no school to-day?
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| EVANS. | No; Master Slender is let the boys leave to play.
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| QUICKLY. | Blessing of his heart!
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| MRS.PAGE. | write_ads(1,1)> Sir Hugh, my husband says my son profits
nothing in the world at his book; I pray you ask him some
questions in his accidence.
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| EVANS. | Come hither, William; hold up your head; come.
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| MRS.PAGE. | Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your
master; be not afraid.
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| EVANS. | William, how many numbers is in nouns?
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| WILLIAM. | Two.
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| QUICKLY. | Truly, I thought there had been one number
more, because they say 'Od's nouns.'
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| EVANS. | Peace your tattlings. What is 'fair,' William?
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| WILLIAM. | Pulcher.
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| QUICKLY. | write_ads(1,1)> Polecats! There are fairer things than polecats,
sure.
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| EVANS. | You are a very simplicity oman; I pray you, peace.
What is 'lapis,' William?
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| WILLIAM. | A stone.
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| EVANS. | And what is 'a stone,' William?
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| WILLIAM. | A pebble.
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| EVANS. | No, it is 'lapis'; I pray you remember in your prain.
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| WILLIAM. | Lapis.
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| EVANS. | That is a good William. What is he, William, that
does lend articles?
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| WILLIAM. | Articles are borrowed of the pronoun, and be
thus declined: Singulariter, nominativo; hic, haec, hoc.
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| EVANS. | Nominativo, hig, hag, hog; pray you, mark: genitivo,
hujus. Well, what is your accusative case?
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| WILLIAM. | Accusativo, hinc.
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| EVANS. | I pray you, have your remembrance, child.
Accusativo, hung, hang, hog.
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| QUICKLY. | 'Hang-hog' is Latin for bacon, I warrant you.
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| EVANS. | Leave your prabbles, oman. What is the focative
case, William?
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| WILLIAM. | O-vocativo, O.
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| EVANS. | Remember, William: focative is caret.
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| QUICKLY. | And that's a good root.
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| EVANS. | Oman, forbear.
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| MRS.PAGE. | Peace.
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| EVANS. | What is your genitive case plural, William?
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| WILLIAM. | Genitive case?
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| EVANS. | Ay.
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| WILLIAM. | Genitive: horum, harum, horum.
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| QUICKLY. | Vengeance of Jenny's case; fie on her! Never
name her, child, if she be a whore.
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| EVANS. | For shame, oman.
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| QUICKLY. | YOU do ill to teach the child such words. He
teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do fast
enough of themselves; and to call 'horum'; fie upon you!
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| EVANS. | Oman, art thou lunatics? Hast thou no understandings
for thy cases, and the numbers of the genders? Thou
art as foolish Christian creatures as I would desires.
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| MRS.PAGE. | Prithee hold thy peace.
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| EVANS. | Show me now, William, some declensions of your
pronouns.
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| WILLIAM. | Forsooth, I have forgot.
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| EVANS. | It is qui, quae, quod; if you forget your qui's, your
quae's, and your quod's, you must be preeches. Go your
ways and play; go.
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| MRS.PAGE. | He is a better scholar than I thought he was.
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| EVANS. | He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress Page.
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| MRS.PAGE. | Adieu, good Sir Hugh
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Exit SIR HUGH
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Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long
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Exeunt
Next
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