Enter BARDOLPH. Bard. What news? [tavern. Fal. You lie, you rogue; tis going to the king's well contented to be there, in respect of the love I bear your house. He could be contented,-Why is he not then? In respect of the love he bears our house-he shows in this, he loves his own barn better than he loves our house. Let me see some more. The purpose you undertake is dangerous;Why, that's certain; 'tis dangerous to take a cold, to sleep, to drink: but I tell you, my lord fool, out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety. The purpose you undertake is dangerous; the friends you have named, uncertain; the time itself, unsorted; and your whole plot too light, for the counterpoise of so great an opposition.-Say you so, say you so? I say unto you again, you are a shallow, cowardly hind, and you lie. What a lackbrain is this! By the Lord, our plot is a good plot as grand-plot, good friends, and full of expectation: an ever was laid; our friends true and constant: a good P. Hen. Sirs, you four shall front them in the Barrow lane; Ned Poins and I will walk lower: if they scape from your encounter, then they light 阅时 Peto. How many be there of them? Gads. Some eight, or ten. Fal. Zounds! will they not rob us? P. Hen. What, a coward, sir John Paunch? Fal. Indeed, I am not John of Gaunt, your father: but yet no coward, Hal. P. Hen. Well, we leave that to the proof. Pons. Sirrah Jack, thy horse stands behind the hedge; when thou need'st him, there thou shalt bad him. Farewell, and stand fast. Fal. Now cannot I strike him, if I should be hanged. P. Hen. Ned, where are our disguises? [Exeunt P. Henry and Poins. Fal. Now, my masters, happy man be his dole, say 1; every man to his business. Fal. Strike; down with them: cut the villains' throats: Ah whoreson caterpillars! bacon-fed aves! they hate us youth: down with them; Berce them. [for ever. Trav. O, we are undone, both we and ours, Fal. Hang ye, gorbellied knaves; Are ye undone? No, ye fat chuff's; I would, your store were bere! On. bacons, on! What, ye knaves? young en must live: You are grand jurors, are ye? We'll Jure ye, i'faith. Exeunt Fals. etc. driving the Travellers out. Re-enter Prince HENRY and POINS. P. Hen. The thieves have bound the true men : Now could thou and I rob the thieves, and go mernly to London, it would be argument for a week, laughter for a month, and a good jest for ever. Poins. Stand close, I hear them coming. Re-enter Thieves. Fal. Come, my masters, let us share, and then to horse before day. An the prince and Poins be not two arrant cowards, there's no equity stirring: there's no more valour in that Poins, than in a wild dock. P. Hen. Your money. (Rushing out upon them.) As they are sharing, the Prince and Poins set P. Hen, Got with much ease. Now merrily to The thieves are scatter'd, and possess'd with fear [Exeunt. Enter HOTSPUR, reading a letter. excellent plot, very good friends. What a frostyspirited rogue is this! Why, my lord of York commends the plot, and the general course of the action. Zounds, an I were now by this rascal, I could brain him with his lady's fan. Is there not my father, my uncle, and myself lord Edmund Mortimer, my lord of York, and Owen Glendower? Is there not, beside, the Douglas? Have I not all their letters, to meet me in arms by the ninth of the next month? and are they not, some of them, set forward already? What a pagan rascal is this! an infidel! Ha! you shall see now, in very sincerity of fear and cold heart, will be to the king, and lay open all our proceedings. O, I could divide myself, and go to buffets, for moving such a dish of skimmed milk with so honourable an action! Hang him! Let him tell the king. We are prepared: I will set forward to-night. Lady. O my good lord, why are you thus alone? Some heavy business hath my lord in hand, Serv. He is, my lord, an hour ago. Hot. Hath Butler brought those horses from the sheriff? Serv. One horse, my lord, he brought even now, Hot. That roan shall be my thrupe Well, I will back him straight: O espérance: My love, my horse. Lady. My horse, Out, you mad-headed ape! A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen, As you are toss'd with. In faith, I'll know your business, Harry, that I will. I fear, my brother Mortimer doth stir About his title; and hath sent for you, To line his enterprize: But if you go Hot. So far afoot, I shall be weary, love. Lady. Come, come, you paraquito, answer me Directly to this question that I ask. In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry, Away, you trifler!-Love?-I love thee not, Lady. Do you not love me? do you not, indeed? Hot. Not an inch farther. But hark you, Kate! Whither I go, thither shall you go too; To-day will I set forth, to morrow you.Will this content you, Kate? Lady. It must, of force. Exeunt. SCENE IV.-Eastcheap. A Room in the Boar's Head Tavern. Enter Prince HENRY and POINS. pence, and-You are welcome; with this shrill addition-Anon, anon, sir! Score a pint of bustard in the Half-moon, or so. But, Ned, to drive away the time till Falstaff come, I prythee, do thou stand in some by room, while I question my puny drawer, to what end he gave me the sugar; and do thou never leave calling-Francis, that his tale to me may be nothing but-anon. Step aside, and I'll show thee a precedent. Poins. Francis! P. Henry. Thou art perfect. Enter FRANCIS. Fran. Anon, anon, sir. Pomegranate, Ralph. [Exit Poins. Look down into the P. Hen. Come hither, Francis. P. Hen. How long hast thou to serve, Francis→ Fran. Anon, anon. sir. P. Hen. Five years! by 'rlady, a long lease for the clinking of pewter. But, Francis, darest thou be so valiant, as to play the coward with thy inden ture, and to show it a fair pair of heels, and run from it? Fran. O lord, sir! I'll be sworn upon all the books in England, I could find in my heartPoins. Within.) Francis! Fran. Anon, anon, sir. P. Hen. How old art thou, Francis? Fran. Let me see,-About Michaelmas next I shall be Poins. (Within.) Francis! Fran. Anon, sir.-Pray you, stay a little, my Fran. Anon, anon. P. Hen. Anon, Francis? No, Francis: but tomorrow, Francis; or, Francis, on Thursday; or, indeed, Francis, when thou wilt. But, Francis,Fran. My lord? P. Hen. Wilt thon rob this leathern-jerkin, crys. tal-button, nott-pated, agate-ring, puke-stocking, caddis garter, smooth tongue, Spanish pouch,Fran. O lord, sir, who do you mean? P. Hen. Why then, your brown bastard is your P. Hen. Ned, pr`ythee, come out of that fat room, only drink: for, look you, Francis, your white can and lend me thy hand to laugh a little. Poins. Where hast been, Hal? P. Hen. With three or four loggerheads, amongst three or four score hogsheads. I have sounded the very base string of humility. Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers; and can call them all by their christian names, as,-Tom, Dick, and Francis. They take it already upon their salvation, that, though I be but prince of Wales, yet I am the king of courtesy; and tell me flatly I am no proud Jack, like Falstaff; but a Corinthian, a lad of mettle, a good boy,-by the Lord, so they call me; and when I am king of England, I shall command all the good lads in Eastcheap. They call-drinking deep, dying scarlet: and when you breathe in your watering, they cry-hem! and bid you play it off-To conclude, I am so good a proficient in one quarter of an hour, that I can drink with any tinker in his own language during my life. I tell thee, Ned, thou hast lost much honour, that thou wert not with me in this action. But, sweet Ned, -to sweeten which name of Ned, I give thee this pennyworth of sugar, clapped even now in my hand by an under skinker; one that never spake other English in his life, than-Eight shillings and six vas doublet will sully in Barbary, sir, it cannot come to so much. : goodman Adam, to the pupil age of this present twelve o'clock at midnight. Re-enter FRANCIS, with wine. What's o'clock, Francis? P. Hen. That ever this fellow should have fewer words than a parrot, and yet the son of a woman! -His industry is-up stairs, and down stairs; his eloquence, the parcel of a reckoning. I am not yet of Percy's mind, the Hotspur of the north; he, that ALis me some six or seven dozen of Scots at a breakfast, washes his hands, and says to his wife,-Fy upon this quiet life! I want work. O my sweet Marry, says she, how many hast thou killed today? Give my roan horse a drench, says he; and answers, Some fourteen, an hour after; a trifle, a trifle. pry thee, call in Falstaff: I'll play Percy, and that damped brawn shall play dame Mortimer his wife. Rivo, says the drunkard. Call in ribs, cali in tallow. Enter FALSTAFF, GADSHILL, BARDOLPH, and PETO. Poins. Welcome, Jack. Where hast thou been? Fal. A plague of all cowards, I say, and a vengeance too! marry, and amen!-Give me a cup of Back, boy-Ere I lead this life long, I'll sew netherstocks, and mend them, and foot them too. A plague of all cowards!-Give me a cup of sack, rogue.-Is there to virtue extant? (He drinks.) P. Hen. Didst thou never see Titan kiss a dish of butter? pitiful-hearted Titan, that melted at the sweet tale of the sun? if thou didst, then behold that compound. Fal. You rogue, here's lime in this sack too: There is nothing but rognery to be found in villainous man: yet a coward is worse than a cup of sack with hime in it; a villainous coward.-Go thy ways, old Jack; die when thou wilt; if manhood, good manload, be not forgot upon the face of the earth, then am I a shotten herring. There live not three good mes unhanged in England; and one of them is fat and grows old: God help the while! a bad world, I say! I would I were a weaver; I could sing palias or any thing: A plague of all cowards, I say P. Hen. How now, wool-sack? what mutter you? Fal. A king's son! It I do not beat thee out of thy kingdora with a dagger of lath, and drive all thy subjects afore thee like a flock of wild geese, I never wear hair où my face more. You prince of Wales! [the matter? P. Hen. Why, you whoreson round inan! what's Pal. Are you not a coward? answer me to that; and Poins there? Peins. Zounds, ye fat paunch, an ye call me coward, I'll stab thee. Pal. I call thee coward! I'll see thee damned ere I call thee coward: but I would give a thousand poand. I could run as fast as thou canst. You are straight enough in the shoulders, you care not who sees your back: Call you that backing of your friends? A plague upon such backing! give me them that will face me.-Give me a cup of sack :-I am a togne, if I drunk to-day. P. Hen. O villain! thy lips are scarce wiped since the drunk'st last. Fal. All's one for that. A plague of all cowards, stal sav 1. (He drinks.) P. Hen. What's the matter? Fal. What's the matter? there be four of us here bave ta en a thousand pound this morning. P. Hen. Where is it, Jack? where is it? Fal. Where is it? taken from us it is: a hundred up a frir of us. P. Hen. What, a hundred, man? Fal. I am a rogue, if I were not at half-sword with a dozen of them two hours together. I have Yap d by miracle. I am eight times thrust through the doublet; four, through the hose; my backler cut through and through; my sword hacked like a hand-saw, ecce signum. I never dealt better since I was a man: all would not do. A plague of all cowards!-Let them speak: if they speak more or less than truth, they are villains, and the sons of darkness. P. Hen. Speak, sirs; how was it? Peto. No, no, they were not bound. Fal. You rogue, they were bound, every man of them; or I am a Jew else, an Ebrew Jew. Gads. As we were sharing, some six or seven fresh men set upon us,[the other. Fal. And unbound the rest, and then come in P. Hen. What, fought ye with them all? Fal. All? I know not what ye call, all; but if I fought not with fifty of them, I am a bunch of radish if there were not two or three and fifty upon poor old Jack, then am I no two-legged creature. [of them. Poins. Pray God, you have not murdered some Fal. Nay, that's past praying for: for I have peppered two of them: two, I am sure, I have paid; two rogues in buckram suits. I tell thee what, Hal,-if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, call me horse. Thou knowest my old ward;-here I lay, and thus I bore my point. Four rogues in buckram let drive at me,[now. P. Hen. What, four? thou said'st but two, even Fal. Four, Hal; I told thee four. Poins. Ay, ay, he said four. Fal. These four came all a-front, and mainly thrust at me. I made me no more ado, but took all their seven points in my target, thus. P. Hen. Seven? why, there were but four, even Fal. In buckram. [now. Poins. Ay, four, in buckram suits. Fal. Seven, by these bilts, or I am a villain else. P. Hen. Pr'ythee, let him alone; we shall have more anon. Fal. Dost thou hear me, Hal? P. Hen. Ay, and mark thee too, Jack. Fal. Do so, for it is worth the listening to. These nine in buckram, that I told thee of,P. Hen. So, two more already. Fal. Their points being broken,Poins. Down fell their hose. Fal. Began to give me ground: But I followed me close, came in foot and hand; and, with a thought, seven of the eleven I paid. P. Hen. O nonstrous! eleven buckram men grown out of two! Fal. But, as the devil would have it, three misbegotten knaves, in Kendal green, came at my back, and let drive at me ;--for it was so dark, Hal, that thou couldst not see thy hand. P. Hen. These lies are like the father that begets them; gross as a mountain, open, palpable. Why, thou clay brained guts; thou knotty-pated fool; thou whore son, obscene, greasy tallow-keech, Fal. What, art thou mad? art thou mad? is not the truth, the truth! P. Hen. Why, how couldst thou know these men in Kendal green, when it was so dark thou couldst not see thy hand? come, tell us your reason: What sayest thou to this? Poins. Come, your reason, Jack, your reasou. Fal. What, upon compulsion? No; were I at the strappado, or all the racks in the world, 1 would not tell you on compulsion. Give you a reason on compulsion! if reasons were as plenty as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon compulsion, I. P. Hen. I'll be no longer guilty of this sin; this sanguine covard, this bed-presser this horse-back breaker, this huge hill of flesh;— Fal. Away, you starveling, you elf skin, you |