most are the gossiping scene between the four women in the first act,
Falstaffs air "Auand'ero paggio del Duca di Norfolk era sottile" in the
second, and the fairy music in the last act.

The text is so well known to all readers of Shakespeare, that it may be
recorded quite shortly. It is almost literally that of the Merry Wives
of Windsor. The first scene is laid in the Garter Inn of that town.
After a quarrel with the French Physician Dr. Cajus, who has been
robbed while drunk by Falstaff's servants Bardolph and Pistol, {76}
Falstaff orders them off with two love-letters for Mrs. Alice Ford and
Mrs. Meg Page. The Knaves refusing indignantly to take the parts of
go-betweens Falstaff sends them to the devil and gives the letters to
the page Robin.

In the second act the two ladies having shown each other the
love-letters, decide to avenge themselves on the old fat fool.

Meanwhile Falstaff's servants betray their master's intentions towards
Mrs. Ford to her husband, who swears to guard his wife, and to keep a
sharp eye on Sir John. Then ensues a love-scene between Fenton and Mr.
Ford's daughter Anna, who is destined by her father to marry the rich
Dr. Cajus, but who by far prefers her poor suitor Fenton.

After a while the merry Wives assemble again, in order to entice
Falstaff into a trap. Mrs. Quickley brings him an invitation to Mrs.
Ford's house in absence of the lady's husband, which Sir John accepts
triumphantly.

Sir John is visited by Mr. Ford, who assumes the name of Mr. Born, and
is nothing loth to drink the bottles of old Cypros-wine, which the
latter has brought with him. Born also produces a purse filled with
sovereigns, and entreats Falstaff to use it in order to get admittance
to a certain Mrs. Ford, whose favour Born vainly sought. Falstaff
gleefully reveals the rendez-vous, which he is to have with the lady
and thereby leaves poor disguised Mr. Ford a prey to violent jealousy.

{77}

The next scene contains Falstaff's well-known interview with
mischievous Alice Ford, which is interrupted by Mrs. Meg's announcement
of the husband.

Falstaff is packed into a washing-basket, while husband and neighbours
search for him in vain. This scene, in which Falstaff, half
suffocated, alternately sighs and begs to be let out, while the women
tranquilly sit on the basket and enjoy their trick, is extremely comic.
The basket with Falstaff, full wash and all is turned over into a
canal, accompanied b