Fal. No, no, no; not so; I did not think, thou wast within hearing. P. Hen. I shall drive you then to confess the wilful abuse; and then I know how to handle you. Fal. No abuse, Hal, on mine honour; no abuse. P. Hen. Not! to dispraise me; and call me-partler, and bread-chipper, and I know not what? Fal. No abuse, Hal. Poins. No abuse ! Fal. No abuse, Ned, in the world; honest Ned, none. I dispraised him before the wicked, that the wicked might not fall in love with him :-in which doing, I have done the part of a careful friend, and a true subject, and thy father is to give me thanks for it. No abuse, Hal ;none,Ned, none;-no, boys, none. P. Hen. See now, whether pure fear, and entire cowardice, doth not make thee wrong this virtuous gentlewoman to close with us? Is she of the wicked? Is thine hostess here of the wicked? Or is the boy of the wicked? Or honest Bardolph, whose zeal burns in his nose, of the wicked? Poins. Answer, thou dead elm, answer. Fal. The fiend hath pricked down Bardolph irrecoverable; and his face is Lucifer's privy-kitchen, where he doth nothing but roast malt-worms. For the boy,-there it a good angel about him; but the devil outbids him too. P. Hen. For the women, Fal. For one of them,-she is in hell already, and burns, poor soul! For the other,-I owe her money; and whether she be damned for that, I know not. Host. No, I warrant you. Fal. No, I think thou art not; I think, thou art quit for that: Marry, there is another indictment upon thee, for suffering flesh to be eaten in thy house, contrary to the law; for the which, I think, thou wilt howl. Host. All victuallers do so: What's a joint of mutton or two in a whole Lent? P. Hen. You, gentlewoman, Dol. What says your grace? Fal. His grace says that which his flesh rebels against. Host. Who knocks so loud at door? look to the door there, Francis. Enter PETO. P. Hen. Peto, how now? what news? Peto. The king your father is at Westminster ; And there are twenty weak and wearied posts, I met, and overtook, a dozen captains, P. Hen. By heaven, Poins, I feel me much to blame, So idly to profane the precious time; When tempest of commotion, like the south Give me my sword, and cloak :—Falstaff, good night. [Exe. P. HEN. POINS, PETO, and BARD. Fal. Now comes in the sweetest morsel of the night, and we must hence, and leave it unpicked. [Knocking heard.] More knocking at the door? [Re-enter BARDOLPH.] How now? what's the matter? Bard. You must away to court, sir, presently; a dozen captains stay at door for you. Fal. Pay the musicians, sirrah. [To the Page.]-Farewell, hostess;-farewell, Doll. You see, my good wenches, how men of merit are sought after the undeserver may sleep, when the man of action is called on. Farewell, good wenches: If I be not sent away post, I will see you again ere I go. Dol. I cannot speak ;-If my heart be not ready to burst :-Well, sweet Jack, have a care of thyself. Fal. Farewell, farewell. [Exeunt FAL. and BARD.. Host. Well, fare thee well I have known thee these twenty-nine years, come peascod-time; but an honester, and truer-hearted man,-Well, fare thee well. Bard. [Within.] Mistress Tear-sheet,Host. What's the matter? Bard. Bid mistress Tear-sheet come to my master. Host. O run, Doll, run; run, good Doll. ACT III. [Exeunt. SCENE I-A Room in the Palace. Enter King HENRY in his nightgown, with a Page. K.Hen. Go, call the carls of Surrey and of Warwick; But, ere they come, bid them o'er-read these letters, And well consider of them: Make good speed. [Exit Page. How many thousand of my poorest subjects Why rather, sleep, liest thou in smoky cribs, And hush'd with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber; And lull'd with sounds of sweetest melody? Who take the ruffian billows by the top, Deny it to a king? Then, happy low, lie down !9 Enter WARWICK and SURREY. War. Many good morrows to your majesty! War. 'Tis one o'clock, and past. K. Hen. Why then, good morrow to you all, my lords. Have you read o'er the letters that I sent you? War. We have, my liege. K. Hen. Then you perceive, the body of our kingdom [7] This alludes to the watchmen set in garrison towns upon some eminence, attending upon an alarum-bell, which was to ring out in case of fire, or any approaching danger. He had a case or box to shelter him from the weather, but at his utmost peril, he was not to sleep whilst he was upon duty. These alarum-bells are mentioned in several other places of Shakspeare. HANMER. [8] Hurly is noise, derived from the French hurler to howl, as hurly-burly from Hurluburlu, Fr. STEEV. [9] The sense seems to be this: "You, who are happy in your humble situations, lay down your heads to rest: the head that wears a crown lies too uneasy to expect such a blessing." STEEV. How foul it is; what rank diseases grow, My lord Northumberland will soon be cool'd. K.Hen. O heaven! that one might read the book of fate; And see the revolution of the times Make mountains level, and the continent (Weary of solid firmness,) melt itself Into the sea! and, other times, to see The beachy girdle of the ocean Too wide for Neptune's hips; how chances mock, With divers liquors! O, if this were seen, The happiest youth,-viewing his progress through, Since Richard, and Northumberland, great friends, And laid his love and life under my foot; Yea, for my sake, even to the eyes of Richard, (You, cousin Nevil, as I may remember,) [7% WAR. That I and greatness were compell'd to kiss : The time shall come, thus did he follow it, The time will come, that foul sin, gathering head, Foretelling this same time's condition, And the division of our amity. War. There is a history in all men's lives, Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd: [] He refers to King Richard II. act v.sc.2. But whether the king's or the author's memory fails him, so it was, that Warwick was, not present at that conversation. JOHNS. The which observ'd, a man may prophecy, Such things become the hatch and brood of time; King Richard might create a perfect guess, K. Hen. Are these things then necessities? War. It cannot be, my lord; Rumour doth double, like the voice and echo, To comfort you the more, I have receiv'd K. Hen. I will take your counsel; And, were these inward wars once out of hand, SCENE II. [Exeunt. Court before Justice SHALLOW's House in Gloucestershire. Enter SHALLOW and SILENCE, meeting; MOULDY, SHADOW, WART, FEEBLE, BULL-CALF, and Servants, behind. Shal. Come on, come on, come on; give me your hand,sir, give me your hand,sir: an early stirrer, by the rood. And how doth my good cousin Silence? [2] i. e. the cross. POPE. Hearne, in his G'ossary under the word cross, observes, that although the cross nd he rood are commonly taken for he same, vet the rood properly signified formerly the image of Christ on the cross so as to represent both the cross and the figure of our blessed Saviour, as he suffered upon it. The roods that were in churches and chapels were placed in shrines that were called rood-lofts. REED. |