ACT IV. SCENE I.

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