Windsor.A street
Enter MISTRESS PAGE, MISTRESS QUICKLY, and WILLIAMMRS.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