only by Caius. The parson tells the doctor that he wishes to be friends with him and that neither of them should be the laughing-stocks, the source of humor and ridicule, for the men who are watching them. Caius, though, is still upset that Evans did not appear at the time and place that was appointed for the duel; and Evans responds that the Host had told him to appear at Frogmore at that very time.
The Host then confesses that he purposely deceived the parson and the doctor. The Host is proud of his prank, and he refers to himself as a “Machiavel” (85). He means that he is a great political schemer. The word is derived from the name Niccolò Machiavelli after he wrote his book The Prince (in 1513). The book advocates the use subtlety and deceptive political strategy necessary for leadership.
The Host laughs as he admits that he would be reluctant to lose either his physician, who gives him his medicines and attends to the ailments of his body, or his minister, who provides him with “the Proverbs and the No-verbs” (87-88). The Proverbs refers to the book of the Old Testament of the Bible which addresses issues of proper moral behavior and conduct. The Host’s invented word No-verbs has a dual meaning: (1) it can refer to prohibitions, improper acts of behavior that the good Christian should avoid; and (2) it can also mean a sentence without verbs (in other words, the mangling of English). Thus, the Host humorously both compliments the parson and criticizes him at the same time. His intention, though, is to bring the two