Accusing it, I put it on my head; To try with it, as with an enemy, But if it did infect my blood with joy, Or swell my thoughts to any strain of pride; Did, with the least affection of a welcome, Heaven put it in thy mind, to take it hence, I met this crown; and I myself know well, But as an honour snatch'd with boisterous hand; You won it, wore it, kept it, gave it me; Then plain, and right must my possession be: Which I, with more than with a common pain, 'Gainst all the world will rightfully maintain. Enter Prince JoHN of LANCASTER, WARWICK, Lords, and Others. K. Hen. Look, look, here comes my John of Lan Shal. He shall answer it.· Some pigeons, Davy; a couple of short-legged hens; a joint of mutton; and any pretty little tiny kickshaws, tell William cook. Davy. Doth the man of war stay all night, sir? Shal. Yes, Davy. I will use him well. A friend i'the court is better, than a penny in purse. Use his men well, Davy; for they are arrant kuaves, and will backbite. Davy. No worse than they are back-bitten, sir; for they have marvellous foul linen. Shal. Well conceited, Davy. About thy business, Davy. Davy. I beseech you, sir, to countenance William Visor of Wincot against Clement Perkes of the hill. Shal. There are many complaints, Davy, against that Visor; that Visor is an arrant knave, on my knowledge. Davy. I grant your worship, that he is a knave sir: but yet, God forbid, sir, but a knave should have some countenance at his friend's request. An honest man, sir, is able to speak for himself, when a knave is not. I have served your worship truly, sir, these eight years: and if I cannot once or twice in a quarter bear out a knave against an honest man, I have but a very little credit with your worship. The knave is mine honest friend, sir; therefore, I beseech your worship, let him be countenanced. Shal. Go, to; I say, he shall have no wrong. Look about, Davy. [Exit Davy.] Where are you, sir John? Come, off with your boots. Give me your hand, master Bardolph. Bard. I am glad to see your worship. Shal. I thank thee with all my heart, kind master Bardolph: and welcome, my tall fellow! [To the Page.] Come, sir John! [Exit Shallow. Fal. I'll follow you, good master Robert Shallow. Enter King HENRY V. Bardolph, look to our horses. [Exeunt Bardolph and Led by the impartial conduct of my soul; Ch. Just. Good morrow; and heaven save your ma- Shal. [Within.] Sir John! Fal. I come, master Shallow; I come, master Shal- War. Exceeding well; his cares are now all ended. War. He's walk'd the way of nature; And, to our purposes, he lives no more.. King. This new and gorgeous garment, majesty, You are, I think, assur'd I love you not. How might a prince of my great hopes forget Ch. Just. I would, his majesty had call'd me with What! rate, rebuke, and roughly send to prison him: The service that I truly did his life, War. Indeed, I think, the young king loves you not. War. Here come the heavy issue of dead Harry: P. John. Well, peace be with him, that hath made Ch. Just. Peace be with us, lest we be heavier! And I dare swear, you borrow not that face The immediate heir of England! Was this easy? P. John. Though no man be assur'd what grace to And, as you are a king, speak in your state,- You stand in coldest expectation: I am the sorrier; 'would, 'twere otherwise. What I have done, that misbecame my place, Offend you and obey you, as I did. Into the hands of justice.-You did commit me; The unstain'd sword that you have us'd to bear; My voice shall sound as you do prompt mine ear; And, princes all, believe me, I beseech you;— SCENE III.-Glostershire. The garden of SHALLOW's house. at another table.]I'll be with you anon:—most sweet Enter FALSTAFF, SHALLOW, SILENCE, BARDOLPH, the Shal. Nay, you shall see mine orchard: where, in an arbour, we will eat a last year's pippin of my own graffing, with a dish of carraways, and so forth;come, cousin Silence; and then to bed. Fal. 'Fore God, you have here a goodly dwelling, and a rich. Shal. Barren, barren, barren; beggars all, beggars all, sir John:-marry, good air.-Spread, Davy; spread, Davy; well said, Davy. Ful. This Davy serves you for good uses; he is your serving-man, and your husbandman. Sil. Be merry, be merry, my wife's as all; .[Singing. For women are shrews, both short and tall: 'Tis merry in hall, when beards wag all, And welcome merry shrove-tide. Be merry, be merry, etc. Fal. I did not think, master Silence had been a man of this mettle. Sil. Who, I? I have been merry twice and once, ere now. Shal. A good varlet, a good varlet, a very good varlet, sir John. By the mass, I have drunk too much sack at supper: A good varlet. Now sit down, now sit down: Come, cousin! Sil. Ah, sirrah! quoth-a, -we shall Do nothing but eat, and make good cheer, [Singing. And praise heaven for the merry year ; When flesh is cheap, and females dear, And lusty lads roam here and there, So merrily, And ever among so merrily. Fal. There's a merry heart! Good master lence, I'll give ye a health for that anon. Shal. Give master Bardolph some wine, Davy! Fal. Well said, master Silence. I'll pledge you a mile to the bottom. Shal. Honest Bardolph, welcome! If thou wantest any thing, and wilt not call, beshrew thy heart. Welcome, my little tiny thief; [To the Page.] and welcome, indeed, too!-I'll drink to master Bardolph, and to all the cavaleroes about London. Davy. I hope to see London once ere I die. Shal. I thank thee. The knave will stick by thee, I can assure thee that; he will not out; he is true How now, Fal. What wind blew you hither, Pistol? Pist. Not the ill wind, which blows no man to good.Sweet knight, thou art now one of the greatest men in the realm. Sil. By'r lady, I think 'a be; but goodman Puff of Si-Barson. Pist. Puff? Puff in thy teeth, most recreant coward base! Davy.Sweet sir,sit. [Seating Bardolph and the Page Sir John, I am thy Pistol, and thy friend, And helter-skelter have I rode to thee: Pist. A foutra for the world, and worldlings base! I speak of Africa, and golden joys. Fal. O base Assyrian knight, what is thy news? Let king Cophetua know the truth thereof. Sil. And Robin Hood, Scarlet, and John. [Sings. Shal. Honest gentleman, I know not your breeding. Shal. Give me pardon, sir. If, sir, you come with news from the court, I take it, there is but two ways; either to utter them, or to conceal them. I am, sir, under the king, in some authority. Pist. Under which king, Bezonian? speak, or die. Pist. Harry the fourth? or fifth? Pist. A foutra for thine office! Sir John, thy tender lambkin now is king; Fal. What! is the old king dead? Dol. I'll tell thee what, thou thin man in a censer! I will have you as soundly swinged for this, you bluebottle rogue! you filthy famished correctioner! if you be not swinged, I'll forswear half-kirtles. Pist. As nail in door: the things I speak, are just. Fal. Away, Bardolph; saddle my horse.- Master Robert Shallow, choose what office thou wilt in the land, 'tis thine. - Pistol, I will double charge thee with dignities. 1 Bead. Come, come, you she knight-errant, come! Host. O, that right should thus overcome might! Well; of sufferance comes case. Bard O joyful day!—I would not take a knighthood for my fortune. Pist. What? I do bring good news ? Dol. Come, you rogue, come; bring me to a justice! Dol. Come, you thin thing; come, you rascal! [Exeunt. SCENE V.- A public place near Westminster Abbey. Fal. Carry master Silence to bed. - Master Shallow, my lord Shallow, be what thou wilt, I am fortune's steward. Get on thy boots; we'll ride all night :O, sweet Pistol. Away, Bardolph! [Exit Bard.] Come Pistol, utter more to me; and, withal, devise something, to do thyself good. -Boot, boot, master Shallow; I know, the young king is sick for me. Let us take any man's horses; the laws of England are at my commandment. Happy are they which have been my friends; and woe to my lord chief justice! Pist. Let vultures vile seize on his lungs also! Where is the life that I led, say they: Why, here it is; welcome these pleasant days. 1 Groom. More rushes, more rushes! [Exeunt. SCENE IV. - London. A Street. Enter Beadles, dragging in Hostess QUICKLY, and DOLL TEAR-SHEET. Fal. Stand here by me, master Robert Shallow; I will make the king do you grace: I will leer upon him, as 'a comes by; and do but mark the countenance that he will give me. Host. No, thou arrant knave; I would I might die, that I might have thee hanged: thou hast drawn my shoulder out of joint. Pist. God bless thy lungs, good knight. Fal. Come here, Pistol; stand behind me.- -0, if I had had time to have made new liveries, I would have bestowed the thousand pound I borrowed of you. [To Shallow.] But 'tis no matter; this poor show doth better: this doth infer the zeal I had to see him. 1 Bead. The constables have delivered her over to me; and she shall have whipping-cheer enough, I warrant her. There hath been a man or two lately killed about her. Dol. Nut-hook, nut-hook, you lie. Come on; I'll tell thee what, thou damned tripe-visaged rascal; an the child I now go with, do miscarry, thou hadst better thou hadst struck thy mother, thou paper-faced villain. Host. O the Lord, that sir John were come! he would make this a bloody day to somebody. But I pray God the fruit of her womb miscarry! 1 Bard. If it do, you shall have a dozen of cushions again; you have but eleven now. Come, I charge you both go with me; for the man is dead, that you and Pistol beat among you. Shal. It doth so. Enter the King,and his train, the Chief Justice among them. Fal. God save thy grace, king Hal! my royal Hal! Pist. The heavens thee guard and keep, most royal imp of fame! Fal. God save thee, my sweet boy! Fal. My king; my Jove! I speak to thee, my heart! King. I know thee not, old man. Fall to thy prayers; So Ma Fo T S How ill white hairs become a fool, and jester! For heaven doth know, so shall the world perceive, [Exeunt King, and his train. Fal. Master Shallow, I owe you a thousand pound. Shal. Ay, marry, sir John; which I beseech you to let me have home with me. Fal. That can hardly be, master Shallow. Do not you grieve at this; I shall be sent for in private to him: look you, he must seem thus to the world. Fear not your advancement; I will be the man yet, that shall make you great. Shal. I cannot perceive how; unless you give me your doublet, and stuff me out with straw. I beseech you, good sir John, let me have five hundred of my thousand. Fal. Sir, I will be as good as my word: this that you heard, was but a colour. Shal. A colour, I fear, that you will die in, sir John. Fal. Fear no colours; go with me to dinner. Come, lieutenant Pistol;-come, Bardolph :-I shall be sent for soon at night. Re-enter Prince Jous, the Chief Justice, Officers, etc. Ch. Just. I cannot now speak: I will hear you soon. Pist. Si fortuna me tormenta, spero me contenta. [Exeunt Fal. Shal. Pist. Bard. Page and Officers. P. John. I like this fair proceeding of the king's He hath intent, his wonted followers P.John. The king hath call'd his parliament, my lord. P.John. I will lay odds, that, ere this year expire, EPILOGUE. SPOKEN BY A DANCER. First, my fear; then, my court'sy; last, my speech. My fear is, your displeasure; my court'sy, my duty; and my speech, to beg your pardons. If you look for a good speech now, you undo me: for what I have to say, is of mine own making; and what, indeed, I should say, will, I doubt, prove mine own marring. But to the purpose, and so to the venture.Be it known to you, (as it is very well,) I was lately here in the end of a displeasing play, to pray your patience for it, and to promise you a better. I did mean, indeed, to pay you with this; which, if like an ill venture, it come unluckily home, I break, and you, my gentle creditors, lose. Here, I promised you, I would be, and here I commit my body to your mercies: bate me some, and I will pay you some, and, as most debtors do, promise you infinitely. If my tongue cannot entreat you to acquit me, will you command me to use my legs? and yet that were but light payment, -to dance out of your debt. But a good conscience will make any possible satisfaction, and so will I. All the gentlewomen here have forgiven me; if the gentlemen will not, then the gentlemen do not agree with the gentlewomen, which was never seen before in such an assembly. One word more, I beseech you. If you be not too much cloyed with fat meat, our humble author will continue the story, with Sir John in it, and make you merry with fair Katharina of France: where, for any thing I know, Falstaff shall die of a sweat, unless already he be killed with your hard opinions; for Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man. My tongue is weary; when my legs are too, I will bid you good night: and so kneel down before you ;but, indeed, to pray for the queen. |