guine coward, this horse-back-breaker, this huge hill of flesh

Fal. Away! you starveling, you eel-skin, you dried neat's tongue, you stock-fish! O for breath to utter what is like thee! you tailor's yard, you sheath, you bow-case,

you

-P. Henry. Well, breathe awhile, and then to it again; and when thou hast tired thyself in base comparisons, hear me speak but this.

Poins. Mark, Jack.

P. Henry. We two saw you four set on four; you bound them, and were masters of their wealth. Mark now, how plain a tale shall put you down. Then did we two, set on you four; and with a word, outfaced you from your prize, and have it; yea, and can show it to you, here in the house: and, Falstaff, you carried yourself away as nimbly, with as quick *dexterity, and roared for mercy, and still ran and roared, as ever I heard a calf. What a slave art thou, to hack thy sword as thou hast done, and then say it was in fight! What trick, what device, what starting-hole, canst thou now find out to hide thee from this open and apparent shame?

Poins. Come, let's hear, Jack. What trick hast thou now?

Fal. Why, I knew ye as well as he that made ye. Why, hear ye, my masters: was it for me to kill the their-apparent? Should I turn upon the true prince? Why, thou knowest I am as valiant as Hercules; but beware instinct; the lion will not touch the true prince; instinct is a great matter; I was a coward on instinct. I shall think the better of myself and thee during my life; I for a valiant lion, and thou for a true prince. But, lads, I am glad you have the money. Hostess, clap to the doors. Watch to-night, pray to-mor

row.

Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold; all the titles of good-fellowship come to you! What shall we be merry? Shall we have a play textempore?

P. Henry. Content; and the argument shall be thy running away.

Fal. Ah! no more of that, Hal, an thou lovest me.

CXLV. THE QUARREL OF BRUTUS AND CASSIUS.

FROM SHAKSPEARE.

Cassius. That you have wronged me doth appear in this: . You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella

For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein my letters, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.

Brutus. You wronged yourself to write in such a case.
Cas. In such a time as this, it is not meet
That every nice offense should bear its comment.
Bru. Yet let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm,
To sell and mart your offices for gold
To undeservers.

Cas. I an itching palm!

You know that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
Bru. The name of Cassius honors this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.

Cas. Bru.

Chastisement!

Remember March, the Ides of March remember!
Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?
What villain touched his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What, shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man in all this world
But for supporting robbers; shall we now
+Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honors,
For so much trash as may be grasped thus?
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.

Cas. Brutus, bay not me.

I'll not endure it: you forget yourself,
To hedge me in; I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.

Bru. Go to; you are not, Cassius.
Cas. I am.

Bru. I say you are not.

Cas. Urge me no more, I shall forget myself;

Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further,

Bru. Away, slight man!

Cas. Is 't possible?

Bru. Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler?

Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?

Cas. O ye gods! ye gods! must I endure all this?

Bru. All this? Ay, more; fret till your proud heart break;

Go, show your slaves how choleric you are,

And make your *bondmen tremble. Must I budge?

Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humor? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you; for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

Cas.

Is it come to this?

Bru. You say you are a better soldier:

Let it appear so; make your vaunting true,

And it shall please me well; for mine own part

I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

Cas. You wrong me every way; you wrong me, Brutus; I said, an elder soldier, not a better : 1

Did I say 'better'?

Bru. If you did, I care not.

Cas. When Cæsar lived, he durst not so have moved me.
Bru. Peace, peace! you durst not so have tempted him.
I durst not!

Cas.

Bru. No.

Cas.

Bru.

What? Durst not tempt him?

For your life, you durst not.

Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love;

I may do that I shall be sorry for.

should be sorry for.

Bru. You have done that you
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats;
For I am armed so strong in honesty
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you

For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;
For I can raise no money by vile means:

Ye gods! I had rather coin my heart,

And drop my blood for

drachmas, than to wring

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection. I did send

То

you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me:

was that done like Cassius?

Should I have answered Caius Cassius so?

When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,

To lock such rascal counters from his friends,

Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts;

That brought my answer back. Brutus hath rived my heart.
A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,

But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
Bru. I do not, till you practice them on me.
Cas. You love me not.

Bru. I do not like your faults.

Cas.

A friendly eye could never see such faults.
Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear
As huge as high †Olympus.

Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

For Cassius is aweary of the world:

Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother;
Checked like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learned, and conned by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep

My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:

If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;

I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:

Strike, as thou didst at Cæsar; for, I know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.

Bru. Sheathe your dagger:

Be angry when you will, it shall have *scope;

Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.
O Cassius, you are yokèd with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire:
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.

Cas. Hath Cassius lived

To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief or blood ill-tempered vexeth him?

Bru.

When I spoke that, I was ill-tempered, too.
Cas. Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.
Bru. And my heart, too.

Cas. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rash humor which my mother gave me, Makes me forgetful?

Bru. Yes, Cassius; and, from henceforth,

When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother *chides, and leave you so.

CXLVI. THE QUACK.

SCENE The Inn.

Enter HOSTESS followed by LAMPEDO, a Quack Doctor.

Hostess. Nay, nay; another fortnight.

Lampedo. It can't be.

The man's as well as I am: have some mercy!

He hath been here almost three weeks already.

Host. Well, then, a week.

Lamp. We may detain him a week. [Enter BALTHAZAR, the patient, from behind, in his night-gown, with a drawn sword.] You talk now like a reasonable thostess,

That sometimes has a reckoning with her conscience.
Host. He still believes he has an inward bruise.
Lamp. I would to heaven he had! or that he'd slipped
His shoulder-blade, or broke a leg or two,

(Not that I bear his person any malice,)

Or fluxed an arm, or even sprained his ankle!

Host. Ay, broken any thing except his neck.
Lamp. However, for a week I'll manage him;
Though he had the constitution of a horse.
A farrier shall prescribe for him.

Balthazar. A farrier! [Aside.]

Lamp. To-morrow, we *phlebotomize again; Next day, my new-invented, patent draught; Then, I have some pills prepared;

On Thursday, we throw in the bark; on Friday

Balth.

[Coming forward.] Well, sir, on Friday-what, on

Friday? Come, proceed.

Lamp. Discovered!

Host. Mercy, noble sir!

Lamp. We crave your mercy!

} They fall on their kne-s.

Balth. On your knees? 't is well!

Pray for your time is short.