2 Sure he is by this, or will be presently: but, 3 truly, he is very courageous mad about his throwing 4 into the water. Mistress Ford desires you to come suddenly.
MISTRESS PAGE
5 I'll be with her by and by; I'll but bring my young 6 man here to school. Look, where his master comes; 7 'tis a playing-day, I see. Enter SIR HUGH EVANS 8 How now, Sir Hugh! no school to-day?
SIR HUGH EVANS
9 No; Master Slender is let the boys leave to play.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
10 Blessing of his heart!
MISTRESS PAGE
11 Sir Hugh, my husband says my son profits nothing in 12 the world at his book. I pray you, ask him some 13 questions in his accidence.
SIR HUGH EVANS
14 Come hither, William; hold up your head; come.
MISTRESS PAGE
15 Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your 16 master, be not afraid.
SIR HUGH EVANS
17 William, how many numbers is in nouns?
WILLIAM PAGE
18 Two.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
19 Truly, I thought there had been one number more, 20 because they say, ''Od's nouns.'
SIR HUGH EVANS
21 Peace your tattlings! What is 'fair,' William?
WILLIAM PAGE
22 Pulcher.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
23 Polecats! there are fairer things than polecats, sure.
SIR HUGH EVANS
24 You are a very simplicity 'oman: I pray you peace. 25 What is 'lapis,' William?
WILLIAM PAGE
26 A stone.
SIR HUGH EVANS
27 And what is 'a stone,' William?
WILLIAM PAGE
28 A pebble.
SIR HUGH EVANS
29 No, it is 'lapis:' I pray you, remember in your prain.
WILLIAM PAGE
30 Lapis.
SIR HUGH EVANS
31 That is a good William. What is he, William, that 32 does lend articles?
WILLIAM PAGE
33 Articles are borrowed of the pronoun, and be thus 34 declined, Singulariter, nominativo, hic, haec, hoc.
SIR HUGH EVANS
35 Nominativo, hig, hag, hog; pray you, mark: 36 genitivo, hujus. Well, what is your accusative case?
WILLIAM PAGE
37 Accusativo, hinc.
SIR HUGH EVANS
38 I pray you, have your remembrance, child, 39 accusative, hung, hang, hog.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
40 'Hang-hog' is Latin for bacon, I warrant you.
SIR HUGH EVANS
41 Leave your prabbles, 'oman. What is the focative 42 case, William?
WILLIAM PAGE
43 O,--vocativo, O.
SIR HUGH EVANS
44 Remember, William; focative is caret.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
45 And that's a good root.
SIR HUGH EVANS
46 'Oman, forbear.
MISTRESS PAGE
47 Peace!
SIR HUGH EVANS
48 What is your genitive case plural, William?
WILLIAM PAGE
49 Genitive case!
SIR HUGH EVANS
50 Ay.
WILLIAM PAGE
51 Genitive,--horum, harum, horum.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
52 Vengeance of Jenny's case! fie on her! never name 53 her, child, if she be a whore.
SIR HUGH EVANS
54 For shame, 'oman.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
55 You do ill to teach the child such words: he 56 teaches him to hick and to hack, which they'll do 57 fast enough of themselves, and to call 'horum:' fie upon you!
SIR HUGH EVANS
58 'Oman, art thou lunatics? hast thou no 59 understandings for thy cases and the numbers of the 60 genders? Thou art as foolish Christian creatures as 61 I would desires.
MISTRESS PAGE
62 Prithee, hold thy peace.
SIR HUGH EVANS
63 Show me now, William, some declensions of your pronouns.
WILLIAM PAGE
64 Forsooth, I have forgot.
SIR HUGH EVANS
65 It is qui, quae, quod: if you forget your 'quies,' 66 your 'quaes,' and your 'quods,' you must be 67 preeches. Go your ways, and play; go.
MISTRESS PAGE
68 He is a better scholar than I thought he was.
SIR HUGH EVANS
69 He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress Page.
MISTRESS PAGE
70 Adieu, good Sir Hugh. Exit SIR HUGH EVANS 71 Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long.
