6

bleffed Sun of heav'n prove a micher, and eat blackberries? a queftion not to be afk'd. Shall the son of England prove a thief and take purfes? a queftion to be afk'd. There is a thing, Harry, which thou haft often heard of, and it is known to many in our Land by the name of pitch; this pitch, as ancient writers do report, doth defile; fo doth the company thou keep'ft; for, Harry, now do I not speak to thee in drink, but in tears; not in pleasure, but in paffion; not in words only, but in woes alfo.-And yet there is a virtuous man, whom I have often noted in thy company, but I know not his name.

P. Henry. What manner of man, an it like your Majesty ?

Fal. A goodly portly man, i'faith, and a corpulent; of a chearful look, a pleasing eye, and a most noble carriage; and, as I think, his age fome fifty, or, by'r lady, inclining to threefcore; and now, I remember me, his name is Falstaff. If that man should be lewdly given, he deceives me; for, Harry, I fee virtue in his looks. If then the 7 fruit may be known by the tree, as the tree by the fruit, then peremptorily I speak it, there is virtue in that Falstaff, him keep with, the reft banish. And tell me now, thou naughty varlet, tell me, where haft thou been this month?

P. Henry. Doft thou speak like a King? Do thou ftand for Me, and I'll play my father.

Fal. Depofe me.-If thou doft it half fo gravely, fo majestically, both in word and matter, hang me up by the heels for a rabbet-fucker, or a poulterer's hare.

6 a mícher,] i. e. Truant; to mich, is to lurk out of fight, a hedge-creeper. WARBURTON. The allufion is to a truant-boy, who, unwilling to go to fchool, and afraid to go home, lurks in the fields, and picks wild fruits.

ftored by Sir Thomas Hanmer.

Rabbet-fucker is, I fuppofe, a fucking rabbet. The jeft is in comparing himself to fomething thin and little. So a poulterer's bare, a hare hung up by the hind legs without a fkin, is long and flender. M 4

7 This paffage is happily re

P. Henry,

P. Henry. Well, here I am fet.

Fal. And here I stand; judge, my masters.
P. Henry. Now, Harry, whence come you?
Fal. My noble lord, from Eaft-cheap.

P. Henry. The Complaints I hear of thee are grievous.

Fal. 'Sblood, my lord, they are false — Nay, I'll tickle ye for a young Prince.

P. Henry. 'Sweareft thou, ungracious boy? henceforth ne'er look on me. Thou art violently carried away from grace; there's a devil haunts thee, in the likeness of a fat old man: a tun of man is thy companion. Why doft thou converfe with that trunk of humours, that boulting hutch of beastlinefs, that fwoln parcel of dropfies, that huge bombard of fack, that ftufft cloak-bag of guts, that roafted' Manningtree Ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years? Wherein is he good, but to taste fack and drink it? wherein neat and cleanly, but to carve a capon and eat it? wherein cunning, but in craft? wherein crafty, but in villany? wherein villainous, but in all things? wherein worthy, but in nothing?

2

Fal. I would, your Grace would take me with you. Whom means your Grace?

P. Henry. That villainous abominable mif-leader of youth, Falstaff, that old white bearded Satan. Fal. My lord, the man I know.

P. Henry. I know, thou dost.

Fal. But to fay, I know more harm in him than in my felf, were to fay more than I know. That

9 Boulting butch. ] Bolting butch is, I think, a meal-haz.

Of the Manning-tree Ox I can give no account, but the meaning is clear.

* Cunning was not yet debafed

to a bad meaning. It fignified knowing or fkilful.

2 Take me with you] That is, go ni fafter than I can follow Let me know your meaning.

you.

he is old, the more is the pity, his white hairs do witness it; but that he is, faving your reverence, a whoremafter, that I utterly deny. If fack and fugar be a fault, God help the wicked. If to be old and merry, be a fin, then many an old Hoft, that I know, is damn'd. If to be fat, be to be hated, then Pharoah's lean kine are to be lov'd. No, my good lord, banish Peto, banish Bardolph, banish Poins; but for fweet Jack Falstaff, kind Jack Falstaff, true Jack Falstaff, valiant Jack Falstaff, and therefore more valiant, being as he is, old Jack Falstaff, banish not him thy Harry's company; banish plump Jack, and banish all the world.

P. Henry. I do, I will.

[Knocking; and Hoftefs goes out.

Enter Bardolph running.

Bard. O, my lord, my lord, the Sheriff with a most monftrous Watch, is at the door.

Fal. Out, you rogue!-Play out the Play; I have much to say in behalf of that Falstaff.

Re-enter the Hoftefs.

Hoft. O, my lord, my lord!

Fal. Heigh, heigh, the devil rides upon a fiddleflick what's the matter?

Hoft. The Sheriff and all the watch are at the door: they are come to fearch the houfe. Shall I let them in? Fal. Doft thou hear, Hal? never call a true piece of gold a counterfeit; thou art effentially mad, without feeming fo.

P. Henry. And thou a natural coward, without inftinct.

Fal. I deny your major. If you will deny the Sheriff, fo, if not, let him enter. If I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up; I

hope

hope I fhall as foon be strangled with a halter, as

another.

P. Henry. Go, hide thee behind the arras, the rest walk up above. Now, my mafters, for a true face and good confcience.

Fal. Both which I have had; but their date is out, and therefore I'll hide me.

[Exeunt Falstaff, Bardolph, &c.

P. Henry. Call in the Sheriff.

Now, mafter Sheriff, what is your will with me?
Sker. First, pardon me, my lord.-A hue and cry
Hath follow'd certain men unto this houfe.

P. Henry. What men?

Sher. One of them is well known, my gracious lord, A grofs fat man.

Čar. As fat as butter.

P. Henry. The man, I do affure you, is not here, For I my felf at this time have imploy'd him; And, Sheriff, I engage my word to thee, That I will, by to morrow dinner time, Send him to answer thee, or any man, For any thing he fhall be charg'd withal; And fo let me intreat you leave the house.

Sher. I will, my lord. There are two gentlemen Have in this robbery loft three hundred marks. P. Henry. It may be fo; if he have robb'd these men, He fhall be anfwerable; and fo farewel.

Sher. Good night, my noble lord.

-hide thee behind the arras,] The bulk of Falstaff made him not the fittest to be concealed behind the hangings, but every poct facrifices fomething to the

fcenery; if Falstaff had not been hidden he could not have been found afleep, nor had his pockets fearched.

P. Henry.

P. Henry. I think, it is good morrow, is it not?
Sher. Indeed, my lord, I think it be two o'clock.

[Exit. P. Henry. This oily rascal is known as well as Paul's; go call him forth. 3 Peto. Falstaff fnorting like a horse.

-fast asleep, behind the arras, and

P. Henry. Hark, how hard he fetches breath. Search his Pockets.

[He fearches his pockets, and finds certain papers. P. Henry. What haft thou found?

Peto. Nothing but papers, my lord.

P. Henry, Let's fee, what be they? read them.
Peto. Item, a capon, 2 s. 2 d.

Item, Sawce, 4 d.

Item, Sack, two gallons, 5 s. 8d.

Item, Anchoves and fack after fupper, 2s. 6d.
Item, Bread, a halfpenny.

P. Henry. O monftrous! but one halfpenny-worth of bread, to this intolerable deal of fack? What there is elfe, keep clofe, we'll read it at more advantage; there let him fleep till day. I'll to the Court in the morning we must all to the wars, and thy place fhall

3 go call him forth.] The fcenery here is fomewhat perplexed. When the sheriff came, the whole gang retired, and Fal faff was hidden. As foon as the fheriff is fent away the Prince orders Falstaff to be called: by whom? by Peto. But why had not Peto gone up ftairs with the reft, and if he had, why did not the reft come down with him? The converfation that follows between the prince and Pets, feems to be apart from the others.

I cannot but fufpect that for Peto we should read Poins: what had Peto done that his place fhould be

honourable, or that he should be trufted with the plot against Falstaff? Poins has the prince's confidence, and is a man of

courage.

This alteration clears the whole difficulty, they all retired but Poins, who, with the prince, having only robbed the robbers, had no need to conceal himself from the travellers. We may therefore boldly change the fcenical direction thus, Exeunt Falftaff, Bardolph, Gadshill, and Peto; manent the Prince and Poins.