For then both parties nobly are subdued, And neither party loser. P. John. Go, my lord, And let our army be discharged too. [Exit WESTMOReland. And, good my lord, so please you, let our trains March by us; that we may peruse the men We should have coped withal. Arch. Go, good lord Hastings, [Exit HASTINGS. P. John. I trust, my lords, we shall lie to-night together. Re-enter WESTMORELAND. Now, cousin, wherefore stands our army still? P. John. They know their duties. Re-enter HASTINGS. Hast. My lord, our army is dispersed already Like youthful steers unyoked, they take their courses East, west, north, south; or, like a school broke up, Each hurries toward his home, and sporting-place. West. Good tidings, my lord Hastings; for the which Mowb. Is this proceeding just and honorable? Arch. Will thus break your faith? P. John. I pawned thee none. I promised you redress of these same grievances, Whereof you did complain; which, by mine honor, I will perform with a most Christian care. But, for you, rebels,-look to taste the due Meet for rebellion, and such acts as yours. Most shallowly did you these arms commence, SCENE III. Another Part of the Forest. Alarums; Excursions. Enter FALSTAFF and COLEVILE, meeting. Fal. What's your name, sir? of what condition are you; and of what place, I pray? Cole. I am a knight, sir; and my name is-Colevile of the dale. Fal. Well then, Colevile is your name; a knight is your degree; and your place, the dale. Colevile shall still be your name; a traitor your degree; and the dungeon your place,-a place deep enough: so shall you still be Colevile of the dale. Cole. Are not you sir John Falstaff? Do Fal. As good a man as he, sir, whoe'er I am. ye yield, sir? or shall I sweat for you? If I do sweat, they are drops of thy lovers, and they weep for thy death therefore rouse up fear and trembling, and do observance to my mercy. Cole. I think you are sir John Falstaff; and in that thought, yield me. Fal. I have a whole school of tongues in this belly of mine; and not a tongue of them all speaks any other word but my name. An I had but a belly of any indifferency, I were simply the most active fellow in Europe. My womb, my womb, my womb undoes me. Here comes our general. 1 i. e. foolishly. 2 "It cannot but raise some indignation to find this horrid violation of faith passed over thus slightly by the Poet without any note of censure or detestation.”—-Johnson. Enter PRINCE JOHN of Lancaster, WESTMORELAND, and others. P. John. The heat is past; follow no further now ;— Call in the powers, good cousin Westmoreland. [Exit WEST. Now, Falstaff, where have you been all this while? When every thing is ended, then you come. These tardy tricks of yours will, on my life, One time or other, break some gallows' back. Fal. I would be sorry, my lord, but it should be thus; I never knew yet, but rebuke and check was the reward of valor. Do you think me a swallow, an arrow, or a bullet? have I, in my poor and old motion, the expedition of thought? I have speeded hither with the very extremest inch of possibility; I have foundered nine score and odd posts; and here, traveltainted as I am, have, in my pure and immaculate valor, taken sir John Colevile of the dale, a most furious knight, and valorous enemy. But what of that? He saw me, and yielded; that I may justly say with the hook-nosed fellow of Rome, -I came, saw, and overcame. P. John. It was more of his courtesy than your deserving. Fal. I know not; here he is, and here I yield him ; and I beseech your grace, let it be booked with the rest of this day's deeds; or, by the Lord, I will have it in a particular ballad else, with mine own picture on the top of it, Colevile kissing my foot. To the which course, if I be enforced, if you do not all show like gilt two-pences to me; and I, in the clear sky of fame, o'ershine you as much as the full moon doth the cinders of the element,' which show like pins' heads to her; believe not the word of the noble. Therefore let me have right, and let desert mount. P. John. Thine's too heavy to mount. 1 A ludicrous term for the stars. P. John. Thine's too thick to shine. Fal. Let it do something, my good lord, that may do me good, and call it what you will. P. John. Is thy name Colevile ?1 Cole. It is, my lord. P. John. A famous rebel art thou, Colevile. Fal. And a famous true subject took him. Cole. I am, my lord, but as my betters are, That led me hither; had they been ruled by me, You should have won them dearer than you have. Fal. I know not how they sold themselves; but thou, like a kind fellow, gavest thyself away; and I thank thee for thee. Re-enter WESTMORELAND. P. John. Now, have you left pursuit? Blunt, lead him hence; and see you guard him sure. Our news shall go before us to his majesty,- Fal. My lord, I beseech you, give me leave to go 1 It appears that Colevile was designed to be pronounced as a trisyllable; it is often spelled Colleville in the old copies. 2 "At the king's coming to Durham the lord Hastings, sir John Colevile of the dale, &c. being convicted of the conspiracy, were there beheaded.”—Holinshed, p. 530. It is to be observed that there are two accounts of the termination of the archbishop of York's conspiracy, both of which are given by Holinshed. He states that on the archbishop and earl marshal submitting to the king and to his son prince John, there present, "their troopes skaled and fledde ther wayes; but being pursued, many were taken, many slain, &c.; the archbishop and earl marshall were brought to Pomfret to the king, who from thence went to Yorke, whyther the prisoners were also brought, and there beheaded." It is this last account that Shakspeare has followed, but with some variation; for the names of Colevile and Hastings are not mentioned among those who were beheaded at York. through Glostershire; and, when you come to court, stand my good lord,' 'pray, in your good report. P. John. Fare you well, Falstaff; I, in my condition,2 Shall better speak of you than you deserve. [Exit. Fal. I would you had but the wit; 'twere better than your dukedom.-Good faith, this same young, sober-blooded boy doth not love me; nor a man cannot make him laugh ;—but that's no marvel; he drinks no wine. There's never any of these demure boys come to any proof; for thin drink doth so over-cool their blood, and making many fish-meals, that they fall into a kind of male green-sickness; and then, when they marry, they get wenches: they are generally fools and cowards ;-which some of us should be too, but for inflammation. A good sherris sack hath a twofold operation in it. It ascends me into the brain; dries me there all the foolish, and dull, and crudy vapors which environ it; makes it apprehensive, quick, forgetive, full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes; which delivered o'er to the voice, (the tongue,) which is the birth, becomes excellent wit. The second property of your excellent sherris is, the warming of the blood; which, before cold and settled, left the liver white and pale, which is the badge of pusillanimity and cowardice but the sherris warms it, and makes it course from the inwards to the parts extreme. It illumineth the face; which, as a beacon, gives warning to all the rest of this little kingdom, man, to arm and then the vital commoners, and inland petty spirits, muster me all to their captain, the heart; who, great, and puffed up with this retinue, doth any deed of courage; and this valor comes of sherris. So that skill in the weapon is nothing, without sack; for that sets it a-work; and learning, a mere hoard of gold kept by a 1 Stand my good lord, or be my good lord, means stand my friend, be my patron or benefactor, report well of me. 2 Condition is most frequently used by Shakspeare for nature, disposition. The prince may therefore mean, " I shall, in my good nature, speak better of you than you deserve." 3 Inventive, imaginative. |