Fang. An I but fist him once; an a' come but
within my vice,—
Host. I am undone by his going; I warrant
you, he's an infinitive thing upon my score. 28
Good Master Fang, hold him sure: good Master
Snare, let him not 'scape. A' comes continuantly
to Pie-corner—saving your manhoods—to buy
a saddle; and he's indited to dinner to the Lub- 32
ber's Head in Lumbert Street, to Master Smooth's
the silkman: I pray ye, since my exion is entered,
and my case so openly known to the world, let
him be brought in to his answer. A hundred 36
mark is a long one for a poor lone woman to
bear; and I have borne, and borne, and borne;
and have been fubbed off, and fubbed off, and
fubbed off, from this day to that day, that it is a 40
shame to be thought on. There is no honesty in
such dealing; unless a woman should be made
an ass, and a beast, to bear every knave's wrong.
Yonder he comes; and that arrant malmsey- 44
nose knave, Bardolph, with him. Do your offices,
do your offices, Master Fang and Master Snare;
do me, do me, do me your offices.
Enter Falstaff, and Bardolph.
Fal. How now! whose mare's dead? what's 48
the matter?
Fang. Sir John, I arrest you at the suit of
Mistress Quickly.
Fal. Away, varlets! Draw, Bardolph: cut 52
26 vice: figuratively, grip
28 infinitive: infinite (Dame Quickly's more obvious errors in speech are not, hereafter, glossed)
upon my score: in my debt
32, 33 Lubber's . . . Street: Libbard's, i.e., Leopard's, Head Inn, in Lombard Street
34 exion: Dame Quickly's error for 'action'
37 one; cf. n.
39 fubbed: fobbed, i.e., put off deceitfully
44, 45 malmsey-nose: red-nosed
