I will give it over; by the lord, an I do not, I am a villain. I'll be damn'd for never a King's fon in chriftendom.

P. Henry. Where shall we take a purse to morrow, Jack?

Fal. Where thou wilt, lad, I'll make one; an I do not, call me villain, and baffle me.

P. Henry. I see a good amendment of life in thee, from praying to purse-taking.

Fal. Why, Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal. 'Tis no fin for a Man to labour in his vocation. Poins!. Now shall we know, if Gads-hill have fet a match. O, if men were to be faved by merit, what hole in hell were hot enough for him!

SCENE III.

Enter Poins.

This is the moft omnipotent Villain, that ever cry'd, Stand, to a true Man.

P. Henry. Good morrow, Ned. Poins. Good morrow, fweet Hal. What fays Monfieur Remorse? what fays Sir John Sack and Sugar? Jack! how agree the devil and thou about thy foul, that thou foldeft him on Good-Friday last, for a cup Madera, and a cold capon's leg?

of

P. Henry. Sir John ftands to his word; the devil fhall have his bargain, for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs; He will give the devil his due.

Poins. Then thou art damn'd for keeping thy word with the devil.

P. Henry. Elfe he had been damn'd for cozening the devil.

Poins. But, my lads, my lads, to morrow morning, by four o'clock, early at Gads-bill; there are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with fat purfes. I have vizors for you all; you have horfes for your felves: Gads bill lies to night in Rochefter, I have befpoke fupper to morrow night in Eaft cheap; we may do it, as fecure as fleep : if you will go, I will ftuff your purfes full of crowns ; if you will not, tarry at home and be hang'd.

Fak

Fal. Hear ye, Yedward; if I tarry at home, and go not, I'll hang you for going. Poins. You will, chops?

Fal. Hal, wilt thou make one?

P. Henry. Who, I rob? I a thief? not I, by my faith. Fal. There is neither honesty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee, nor thou cam'ft not of the blood royal, if thou dar'ft not cry, ftand, for ten fhillings. P. Henry. Well then, once in my days I'll be a madсар.

Fal. Why, that's well faid.

P. Henry. Well, come what will, I'll tarry at home. Fal. By the lord, I'll be a traitor then, when thou art King.

P. Henry. I care not.

Poins. Sir John, I pr'ythee, leave the Prince and me alone; I will lay him down such reafons for this adventure, that he shall go.

Fal. Well, may'ft thou have the spirit of perfuafion, and he the ears of profiting, that what thou speak'ft may move, and what he hears may be believ'd; that the true Prince may (for recreation-fake,) prove a falfe thief; for the poor abuses of the time Farewel, you fhall find me in

want countenance.

Eaft-cheap.

P. Henry. Farewel, thou latter fpring! Farewel, allhallown fummer! [Exit Fal. Poins. Now, my good fweet honey lord, ride with us to morrow. I have a jeft to execute, that I cannot manage alone. Falftaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gadsbill, fhall rob thofe men that we have already waylaid; your felf and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head from off my fhoulders.

P. Henry. But how fhall we part with them in fetting forth?

Poins. Why, we will fet forth before or after them; and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail; and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves, which they shall have no fooner atchiev'd, but we'll fet upon them.

P. Henry,

P. Henry. Ay; but, 'tis like, they will know us by our horfes, by our habits, and by every other appoint, ment, to be our felves.

Poins. Tut, our horfes they shall not fee, I'll tye them in the wood; our vizors we will change after we leave them; and, firrah, I have cafes of buckram for the nonce, to immask our noted outward garments.

P. Henry. But, I doubt, they will be too hard for us. Pains. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turn'd Back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he fees reafon, I'll forfwear arms. The virtue of this jeft will be, the incomprehenfible lies that this fame fat rogue will tell us when we meet at fupper; how thirty at least he fought with, what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and, in the reproof of this,, lies the jeft.

P. Henry. Well, I'll go with thee; provide us all things neceffary, and meet me to morrow night in Eaft-cheap, there I'll fup. Farewel.

Poins. Farewel, my lord.

[Exit Poins
P. Henry. I know you all, and will a while uphold
The unyok'd humour of your idleness;
Yet herein will I imitate the Sun,

Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To fmother up his beauty from the world;
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondred at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mifts.
Of vapours, that did feem to ftrangle him.
If all the year were playing holydays,
To fport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they feldom come, they wifht-for come,.
And nothing pleaseth but rare Accidents
So, when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised;
By how much better than my word I am,
By fo much fhall I falfifie men's fears:
And, like bright metal on a fullen ground,
My Reformation, glittering o'er my fault,

I

.

- fhall I falfifie men's HOPES ;] Juft the contrary. We fhould read FEARS.

Shall

Shall fhew more goodly, and attract more eyes,
Than That which hath no foil to fet it off.

I'll fo offend, to make offence a skill;

Redeeming time, when men think leaft I will. [Exit.

SCENE IV.

Changes to an Apartment in the Palace.

Enter King Henry, Northumberland, Worcester, Hotfpur, Sir Walter Blunt, and others.

K. Henry. My blood hath been too cold and tem

Μ

perate,

Unapt to ftir at these indignities;

And you have found me; for accordingly
You tread upon my patience: but be fure,
I will from henceforth rather be my self,
Mighty and to be fear'd, than my Condition;
Which hath been smooth as oyl, foft as young down,
And therefore loft that title of Respect,

Which the proud foul ne'er pays, but to the proud.
Wor. Our Houfe, my fovereign Liege, little deferves
The fcourge of Greatnefs to be used on it :

And that fame Greatness too, which our own hands
Have help'd to make fo portly.

North. My good lord,

K. Henry. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do fee Danger and difobedience in thine eye.

O Sir, your presence is too bold and peremptory ;

2. I will from benceforth rather be my self,

Mighty and to be fear'd, than my Condition;] i. e. I will from henceforth rather put on the character that becomes me, and exert the refentment of an injured King, than ftill continue in the inactivity and mildness of my natural difpofition. And this fentiment he has well expreffed, fave that by his ufual licence, he puts the word condition for difpofition: which ufe of terms depaïfing our Oxford Editor,, as it frequently does, he, in a lofs for the meaning, fubftitutes in for than,

Mighty and to be fear'd in my condition..

So that by condition, in this reading, must be meant ftation, office. But it cannot be predicated of ftation and office, that it is mootb as ayl, foft as young down: which thews that condition must needs be licentiously used for difpofition, as we said before.

And

And Majefty might never yet endure

3 The moody frontlet of a fervant brow. You have good leave to leave us.

Your use and counfel, we shall fend for you.

You were about to speak.
North. Yes, my good lord.

When we need

[Exit Worcester.

[To Northumberland.

Thofe prifoners, in your Highnefs? name demanded,
Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took,
Were, as he says, not with fuch ftrength deny'd
As was deliver'd to your Majefty.

Or Envy therefore, or Mifprifion,
Is guilty of this fault, and not my fon.

Hot. My Liege, I did deny no prisoners;
But I remember, when the fight was done,
When I was dry with rage, and extream toil,
Breathlefs, and faint, leaning upon my fword;
⚫ Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drefs'd;
• Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin, new-reap'd,
'Shew'd like a stubble land at harvest-home.
• He was perfumed like a milliner;

• And 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held • 4 A pouncet-box, which ever and anon

• He gave his nofe: [5 and took't away again; Who, therewith angry, when it next came there, Took it in fnuff] And ftill he fmil'd, and talk'd; And as the foldiers bare dead bodies by, He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly, To bring a flovenly, unhandfome coarfe • Betwixt the wind, and his Nobility.

"With many holyday and lady terms

He question'd me: amongst the reft, demanded
My prifoners, in your Majefty's behalf.

3. The moody FRONTIER -] This is nonfenfe. We fhould read FRONTLET, i. e. forehead.

:

4 A pouncet-box, -] A small box for musk or other perfumes then in fashion: The lid of which being cut with open work gave it its name; from poinfoner, to prick, pierce, or engrave.

5 -and took't away again, &c.] This stupidity between the hooks is the Players'.

I, then