Windsor. A street
Enter MISTRESS PAGE, MISTRESS QUICKLY, and WILLIAM MRS. PAGE Is he at Master Ford's already, think'st thou?
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.
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.
Enter SIR HUGH EVANS How now, Sir Hugh, no school to-day?
EVANS No; Master Slender is let the boys leave to play.
QUICKLY Blessing of his heart!
MRS. PAGE 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.
EVANS Come hither, William; hold up your head; come.
MRS. PAGE Come on, sirrah; hold up your head; answer your
master; be not afraid.
EVANS William, how many numbers is in nouns?
WILLIAM Two.
QUICKLY Truly, I thought there had been one number
more, because they say 'Od's nouns.'
EVANS Peace your tattlings. What is 'fair,' William?
WILLIAM Pulcher.
QUICKLY Polecats! There are fairer things than polecats,
sure.
EVANS You are a very simplicity oman; I pray you, peace.
What is 'lapis,' William?
WILLIAM A stone.
EVANS And what is 'a stone,' William?
WILLIAM A pebble.
EVANS No, it is 'lapis'; I pray you remember in your prain.
WILLIAM Lapis.
EVANS That is a good William. What is he, William, that
does lend articles?
WILLIAM Articles are borrowed of the pronoun, and be
thus declined: Singulariter, nominativo; hic, haec, hoc.
EVANS Nominativo, hig, hag, hog; pray you, mark: genitivo,
hujus. Well, what is your accusative case?
WILLIAM Accusativo, hinc.
EVANS I pray you, have your remembrance, child.
Accusativo, hung, hang, hog.
QUICKLY 'Hang-hog' is Latin for bacon, I warrant you.
EVANS Leave your prabbles, oman. What is the focative
case, William?
WILLIAM O-vocativo, O.
EVANS Remember, William: focative is caret.
QUICKLY And that's a good root.
EVANS Oman, forbear.
MRS. PAGE Peace.
EVANS What is your genitive case plural, William?
WILLIAM Genitive case?
EVANS Ay.
WILLIAM Genitive: horum, harum, horum.
QUICKLY Vengeance of Jenny's case; fie on her! Never
name her, child, if she be a whore.
EVANS For shame, oman.
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!
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.
MRS. PAGE Prithee hold thy peace.
EVANS Show me now, William, some declensions of your
pronouns.
WILLIAM Forsooth, I have forgot.
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.
MRS. PAGE He is a better scholar than I thought he was.
EVANS He is a good sprag memory. Farewell, Mistress Page.
MRS. PAGE Adieu, good Sir Hugh.
Exit SIR HUGH Get you home, boy. Come, we stay too long.
Exeunt