maid, then. I'll be sworn, As my mother was, the first hour I was born. I do believe the swearer. What with me? Shall I vouchsafe your worship a word or two? Two thousand, fair woman: and I'll vouchsafe thee the hearing. There is one Mistress Ford, sir:--I pray, come a little nearer this ways:--I myself dwell with master Doctor Caius,-- Well, on: Mistress Ford, you say,-- Your worship says very true: I pray your worship, come a little nearer this ways. I warrant thee, nobody hears; mine own people, mine own people. Are they so? God bless them and make them his servants! Well, Mistress Ford; what of her? Why, sir, she's a good creature. Lord Lord! your worship's a wanton! Well, heaven forgive you and all of us, I pray! Mistress Ford; come, Mistress Ford,-- Marry, this is the short and the long of it; you have brought her into such a canaries as 'tis wonderful. The best courtier of them all, when the court lay at Windsor, could never have brought her to such a canary. Yet there has been knights, and lords, and gentlemen, with their coaches, I warrant you, coach after coach, letter after letter, gift after gift; smelling so sweetly, all musk, and so rushling, I warrant you, in silk and gold; and in such alligant terms; and in such wine and sugar of the best and the fairest, that would have won any woman's heart; and, I warrant you, they could never get an eye-wink of her: I had myself twenty angels given me this morning; but I defy all angels, in any such sort, as they say, but in the way of honesty: and, I warrant you, they could never get her so much as sip on a cup with the proudest of them all: and yet there has been earls, nay, which is more, pensioners; but, I warrant you, all is one with her. But what says she to me? be brief, my good she-Mercury. Marry, she hath received your letter, for the which she thanks you a thousand times; and she gives you to notify that her husband will be absence from his house between ten and eleven. Ten and eleven? Ay, forsooth; and then you may come and see the picture, she says, that you wot of: Master Ford, her husband, will be from home. Alas! the sweet woman leads an ill life with him: he's a very jealousy man: she leads a very