Today’s Totally Random
Line(s)
I
had rather walk here, I thank you. I bruised my shin th’ other day with playing
at sword and dagger with a master of fence; three veneys for a dish of stewed
prunes, and , by my troth, I cannot abide the smell of hot meat since. Why do
your dogs bark so? Be there bears i’ the town?
-Master Slender
The Merry Wives of Windsor Act I, Scene i, Line 273
Act I, scene i. I
was able to take my time and listen to the whole scene this morning, since it
is Sunday. So that's nice.
Justice Shallow, his cousin Master Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans have
been discussing the viability of Anne Page as a wife for Master Slender. Now, a
bit later in the scene, Slender finds himself alone with Anne outside her
father’s house. She’s trying to get Slender to come in and join them all for
dinner. Slender is nervous about trying to impress Anne and basically talks
nonsense in his nervousness.
Anne says, I pray you sir, walk in, trying to
get Slender to come in to the house. Today’s Totally Random Line is his reply.
For clarification, a master of fence is a master swordsman, and a veney is a
bout. Basically, he’s telling Anne that he hurt himself fencing with a master
swordsman, and that he bested the master swordsman winning a dish of stewed
prunes. Now, apparently after eating the prunes, he doesn’t like the smell of
meat. Then he quickly changes the topic to barking dogs and bears.
Quite the Don Juan, this fellow. Eh?
And here's a pic of me in my prime. You can tell just by looking how smooth this guy must have been. No talk of stewed prunes for him. No siree, it was pure creamed onions banter all the way.