Gads. Sirrah, if they meet not with Saint Nicho-miles afoot with me; and the stony-hearted villains las' clerks, I'll give thee this neck. know it well enough: A plague upon't, when Cham. No, I'll none of it: I pr'ythee keep that thieves cannot be true to one another! [They whisfor the hangman; for, I know, thou worship'st tle.] Whew!-A plague upon you all! Give me Saint Nicholas as truly as a man of falsehood may. my horse, you rogues; give me my horse, and be Gads. What talkest thou to me of the hangman? hanged.

if I hang, I'll make a fat pair of gallows: for, if I P. IIen. Peace, ye fat-guts! lie down; lay thine hang, old sir John hangs with me; and, thou ear close to the ground, and list if thou canst hear knowest, he's no starveling. Tut! there are other the tread of travellers.

Trojans that thou dreamest not of, the which, for Fal. Have you any levers to lift me up again, sport sake, are content to do the profession some being down? "Sblood, I'll not bear mine own flesh grace; that would, if matters should be looked so far afoot again, for all the coin in thy father's into, for their own credit sake, make all whole. I exchequer. What a plague mean ye to colt' me am joined with no foot land-rakers,2 no long-staff, thus? six-penny strikers; none of these mad, mustachio, purple-hued malt-worms: but with nobility, and uncolted. tranquility; burgomasters, and great oneyers;3 Fal. I pr'ythee, good prince Hal, help me to my such as can hold in: such as will strike sooner than horse; good king's son.

P. Hen. Thou liest, thou art not colted, thou art

speak, and speak sooner than drink, and drink sooner P. Hen. Out, you rogue! shall I be your ostler? than pray: And yet I lie; for they pray continually Fal. Go, hang thyself in thy own heir-apparent

to their saint, the commonwealth; or, rather, not garters! If I be ta'en, I'll peach for this. An I pray to her, but prey on her; for they ride up and have not ballads made on you all, and sung to filthy down on her, and make her their boots.+ tunes, let a cup of sack be my poison: When a jest

Cham. What, the commonwealth their boots? is so forward, and afoot too,-I hate it.

will she hold out water in foul way?

Gads. She will, she will; justice hath liquored her.s We steal as in a castle, cock-sure; we have the receipt of fern-seed, we walk invisible.

Cham. Nay, by my faith; I think you are more beholden to the night, than to fern-seed, for your walking invisible.

Gads. Give me thy hand: thou shalt have a share in our purchase, as I am a true' man.

Cham. Nay, rather let me have it, as you are false thief.

a

Fal. You lie, you rogue; 'tis going to the king's

tavern.

Gads. There's enough to make us all.
Fal. To be hanged.

Gads. Go to; Homo is a common name to all men. Bid the ostler bring my gelding out of the stable. Farewell, you muddy knave. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-The road by Gadshill. Enter Prince Henry and Poins; Bardolph and Peto at some narrow lane; Ned Poins, and I, will walk lower: if they 'scape from your encounter, then they light

distance.

Poins. Come, shelter, shelter; I have removed Falstaff's horse, and he frets like a gummed velvet. P. Hen. Stand close.

Enter Falstaff.

Fal. Poins! Poins, and be hanged! Poins! P. Hen. Peace, ye fat-kidneyed rascal; What brawling dost thou keep!

a

P. Hen. Sirs, you four shall front them in the

on us.

Peto, How many be there of them?
Gads. Some eight, or ten.

Fal. Zounds! will they not rob us?

P. Hen. What, a coward, sir John Paunch? Fal. Indeed, I am not John of Gaunt, your grandfather; but yet no coward, Hal.

P. Hen. Well, we leave that to the proof. Poins. Sirrah Jack, thy horse stands behind the find him. Farewell, and stand fast. hedge; when thou needest him, there thou shalt

Fal. Now cannot I strike him, if I should be

hanged.

P. Hen. Ned, where are our disguises?
Poins. Here, hard by; stand close.

[Exeunt P. Henry and Poins.
Fal. Now, my masters, happy man be his dole, 12
say I; every man to his business.
Enter Travellers.

Fal. Where's Poins, Hal? P. Hen. He is walked up to the top of the hill; I'll go seek him. [Pretends to seek Poins. Fal. I am accursed to rob in that thief's company: the rascal hath removed my horse, and tied him I know not where. If I travel but four foot) by the squire further afoot, I shall break my wind. Well, I doubt not but to die a fair death for all this, if I 'scape hanging for killing that rogue. I have forsworn his company hourly any time this two and twenty years, and yet I am bewitched with the rogue's company. If the rascal have not 1 Trav. Come, neighbour; the boy shall lead our given me medicines to make me love him, I'll be horses down the hill: we'll walk afoot awhile, and hanged; it could not be else; I have drunk medi-ease our legs. cines.-Poins!-Hal!-a plague upon you both!Bardolph!-Peto!-I'll starve, ere I'll rob a foot further. An 'twere not as good a deed as drink to Fal. Strike, down with them; cut the villains' turn true1 man, and leave these rogues, I am the throats: Ah! whoreson caterpillars! bacon-fed veriest varlet that ever chewed with a tooth. Eight knaves! they hate us youth: down with them; yards of uneven ground, is threescore and ten fleece them.

Thieves. Stand.

Trav. Jesu bless us!

(5) Oiled, smoothed her over.

1 Trav. O, we are undone, both we and ours infidel! Ha! you shall see now, in very sincerity for ever. of fear and cold heart, will he to the king, and lay Fal. Hang ye, gorbellied' knaves; Are ye un- open all our proceedings. O, I could divide my done? No, ye fat chuffs; I would, your store self, and go to buffets, for moving such a dish of were here! On, bacons, on! What, ye knaves? skimmed milk with so honourable an action! Hang young men must live: You are grand-jurors, are him! let him tell the king: We are prepared: ye? We'll jure ye, i'faith. will set forward to-night."

[Exeunt Fal. &c. driving the Travellers out.

Re-enter Prince Henry and Poins.

P. Hen. The thieves have bound the true men: Now could thou and I rob the thieves, and go merrily to London, it would be argument3 for a week, laughter for a month, and a good jest for ever. Poins. Stand close, I hear them coming.

Re-enter Thieves.

Fal. Come, my masters, let us share, and then to horse before day. An the prince and Poins be not two arrant cowards, there's no equity stirring: there's no more valour in that Poins, than in a wild

duck.

P. Hen, Your money. [Rushing out upon them.

Poins. Villians.

[As they are sharing, the Prince and Poins set upon them. Falstaff, after a blow or two, and the rest, run away, leaving their booty behind them.]

P. Hen. Got with much ease. Now merrily to
horse :

The thieves are scatter'd, and possess'd with fear
So strongly, that they dare not meet each other;
Each takes his fellow for an officer.
Away, good Ned. Falstaff sweats to death,
And lards the lean earth as he walks along:
Wer't not for laughing, I should pity him.
Poins. How the rogue roar'd!
SCENE III.-Warkworth. A room in the castle.
Enter Hotspur, reading a letter.

[Exeunt.

I

Enter Lady Percy.

How now, Kate? I must leave you within these
two hours.

Lady. O, my good lord, why are you thus alone?
For what offence have I, this fortnight, been
A banish'd woman from my Harry's bed?
Tell me, sweet lord, what is't that takes from thee
Thy stomach, pleasure, and thy golden sleep?
Why dost thou bend thine eyes upon the earth;
And start so often when thou sit'st alone?
Why hast thou lost the fresh blood in thy cheeks;
And given my treasures, and my rights of thee,
To thick-ey'd musing, and curs'd melancholy?
In thy faint slumbers, I by thee have watch'd,
And heard thee murmur tales of iron wars:
Speak terms of manage to thy bounding steed;
Cry, Courage!-to the field! And thou hast talk'd
Of sallies, and retires; of trenches, tents,
Of palisadoes, frontiers, parapets;
Of basilisks, of cannon, culverin;
Of prisoners' ransom, and of soldiers slain
And all the 'currents of a heady fight.
Thy spirit within thee hath been so at war,
And thus hath so bestirr'd thee in thy sleep,
That beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow,
Like bubbles in a late-disturbed stream:
And in thy face strange motions have appear'd,
Such as we see when men restrain their breath
On some great sudden haste. O, what portents are
these?
Some heavy business hath my lord in hand,
And I must know it, else he loves me not.

Hot. What, ho! is Gilliams with the packet gone?
Enter Servant.

Serv. He is, my lord, an hour ago.
Hot. Hath Butler brought those horses from the
sheriff?

Serv. One horse, my lord, he brought, even now.
Hot. What horse? a roan, a crop-ear, is it not?
Serv. It is, my lord.

-But, for mine own part, my lord, I could be well contented to be there, in respect of the love beer your house.-He could be contented,-Why is he not then? In respect of the love he bears our house-he shows in this, he loves his own barn better than he loves our house. Let me see some more. The purpose you undertake, is dangerous ;— Why, that's certain; 'tis dangerous to take a cold, to sleep, to drink: but I tell you, my lord fool, out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety. Hot. That roan shall be my throne. The purpose you undertake, is dangerous; the Well, I will back him straight: O esperance!”— friends you have named, uncertain; the time itself Bid Butler lead him forth into the park. [Ex. Serv. unsorted; and your whole plot too light, for the Lady. But hear you, my lord. counterpoise of so great an opposition.-Say you so, Hot. say you so? I say unto you again, you are a shal low, cowardly hind, and you lie. What a lackbrain is this? By the Lord, our plot is a good plot My love, my horse. as ever was laid; our friends true and constant: Lady.

What say'st, my lady?
Lady. What is it carries you away?
Hot.
My horse

Out, you mad-headed ape! a good plot, good friends, and full of expectation: A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen, an excellent plot, very good friends. What a frosty-As you are toss'd with. In faith, spirited rogue is this! Why, my lord of York com- I'll know your business, Harry, that I will. mends the plot, and the general course of the I fear, my brother Mortimer doth stir action. Zounds, an I were now by this rascal, I About his title; and hath sent for you, could brain him with his lady's fan. Is there not To line his enterprize: But if you gomy father, my uncle, and myself? lord Edmund Hot. So far afoot, I shall be weary, love. Mortimer, my lord of York, and Owen Glendower? Lady. Come, come, you paraquito,' answer me Is there not, besides, the Douglas? Have I not all Directly to this question that I ask. their letters, to meet me in arms by the ninth of the In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry, next month? and are they not, some of them, set An if thou wilt not tell me all things true. forward already? What a pagan rascal is this! an Hot. Away,

Away, you trifler!-Love ?-I love thee not,

(7) Motto of the Percy family.
(8) Strengthen. (9) Parrot.

I care not for thee, Kate: this is no world,
To play with mammets,' and to tilt with lips:
We must have bloody noses, and crack'd crowns,
And pass them current too.-Gods me, my horse!
What say'st thou, Kate? what would'st thou have
with me?

Lady. Do you not love me? do you not, indeed?
Well, do not then; for, since you love me not,
I will not love myself. Do you not love me?
Nay, tell me, if you speak in jest, or no.

Hot. Come, wilt thou see me ride?
And when I am o'horseback, I will swear
I love thee infinitely. But hark you, Kate;
I must not have you henceforth question me
Whither I go, nor reason whereabout:
Whither I must, I must; and, to conclude,
This evening must I leave you, gentle Kate.
I know you wise; but yet no further wise,
Than Harry Percy's wife: constant you are;
But yet a woman: and for secrecy,
No lady closer; for I well believe,
Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not know;
And so far will I trust thee, gentle Kate!
Lady. How! so far?

Hot. Not an inch further.

Kate;

Fran. Anon, anon, sir.

P. Hen. How old art thou, Francis?

Fran. Let me see,-About Michaelmas next I shall be

Poins. [Within.] Francis!

Fran. Anon, sir.-Pray you, stay a little, my lord. But hark you, sugar thou gavest me,-'twas a pennyworth, was't P. Hen. Nay, but hark you, Francis: For the

Whither I go, thither shall you go too;
To-day will I set forth, to-morrow you.-
Will this content you, Kate?

Lady.

It must, of force. [Excunt. SCENE IV.-Eastcheap. A room in the Boar's Head Tavern. Enter Prince Henry and Poins. P. Hen. Ned, pr'ythee, come out of that fat room, and lend me thy hand to laugh a little. Poins. Where hast been, Hal?

not?

Fran. O lord, sir! I would it had been two.

P. Ilen. I will give thee for it a thousand pound: ask me when thou wilt, and thou shalt have it. Poins. [Within] Francis!

Fran. Anon, anon.

P. Hen. Anon, Francis? No, Francis: but tomorrow, Francis; or, Francis, on Thursday; or, indeed, Francis, when thou wilt. But, Francis,Fran. My lord?

P. Hen. Wilt thou rob this leather-jerkin, cryscaddis-garter, smooth-tongue, Spanish-pouch,tal-button, nott-pated, agate-ring, puke-stocking, Fran. O lord, sir, who do you mean?"

only drink: for, look you, Francis, your white canP. Hen. Why then, your brown bastard' is your vass doublet will sully; in Barbary, sir, it cannot come to so much.

Fran. What, sir?

Poins. [Within.] Francis!

P. Hen. With three or four loggerheads, amongst three or four score hogsheads. I have sounded the very base string of humility. Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers; and can call them all by their Christian names, as-Tom, Dick, and Francis. They take it already upon their salvation, that though I be but prince of Wales, yet I am the king of courtesy; and tell me flatly I am no proud Jack, like Falstaff; but a Corinthian, a lad of mettle, a good boy,-by the Lord, so they call me and when I am king of England, I shall command all the good lads in Eastcheap. They call-drinking deep, dying scarlet: and when you breathe in your watering, they cry-hem! and bid you play it off. To conclude, I am so good a proficient in Vint. What! stand'st thou still, and hear'st such one quarter of an hour, that I can drink with any a calling? Look to the guests within. [Ex. Fran.] tinker in his own language during my life. I tell My lord, old sir John, with half a dozen more, are thee, Ned, thou hast lost much honour, that thou at the door; Shall I let them in?

them call?
P. Hen. Away, you rogue; Dost thou not hear

[Here they both call him; the drawer stands
amazed, not knowing which way to go.]

Enter Vintner.

wert not with me in this action. But, sweet Ned- P. Hen. Let them alone a while, and then open to sweeten which name of Ned, I give thee this the door. [Exit Vintner.] Poins!

Re-enter Poins.

Poins. Anon, anon, sir.

P. Hen. Sirrah, Falstaff and the rest of the thieves are at the door; Shall we be merry?

pennyworth of sugar, clapped even now in my hand by an under-skinker; one that never spake other English in his life, than-Eight shillings and sirpence, and-You are welcome; with this shrill addition,-Anon, anon, sir! Score a pint of bastard in the Half-moon, or so. But, Ned, to drive Poins. As merry as crickets, my lad. But hark away the time till Falstaff come, I pr'ythee, do thou ve: What cunning match have you made with this stand in some by-room, while I question my puny jest of the drawer? come, what's the issue? drawer, to what end he gave me the sugar; and P. Hen. I am now of all humours, that have do thou never leave calling-Francis, that his tale to me may be nothing but-anon. Step aside, and I'll show thee a precedent.

Poins. Francis!

P. Hen. Thou art perfect.
Poins. Francis'

(1) Puppets

[Exit Poins.

show'd themselves humours, since the old days of goodman Adam, to the pupil age of this present twelve o'clock at midnight. [Re-enter Francis with wine.] What's o'clock, Francis?

Fran. Anon, anon, sir.

P. Hen. That ever this fellow should have fewer

words than a parrot, and yet the son of a woman!- Fal. I am a rogue, if I were not at half-sword His industry is-up-stairs, and down-stairs; his elo- with a dozen of them two hours together. I have quence, the parcel of a reckoning. I am not yet of 'scap'd by miracle. I am eight times thrust through Percy's mind, the Hotspur of the north; he that the doublet; four, through the hose; my buckler kills me some six or seven dozen of Scots at a cut through and through; my sword hacked like a breakfast; washes his hands, and says to his wife,-hand-saw, ecce signum. I never dealt better since Fie upon this quiet life! I want work.-O my I was a man; all would not do. A plague of all sweet Harry, says she, how many hast thou killed cowards!-Let them speak: if they speak more or to-day?-Give my roan horse a drench, says he; less than truth, they are, villains, and the sons of and answers, Some fourteen, an hour after; a trifle, darkness. a trifle. I pr'ythee, call in Falstaff; I'll play Percy, and that damned brawn shall play dame Mortimer, his wife. Rivo, says the drunkard. Call in ribs, call in tallow.

P. Hen. Speak, sirs; how was it?
Gads. We four set upon some dozen,-
Fal. Sixteen, at least, my lord.
Gads. And bound them.

Peto. No, no, they were not bound.

Fal. You rogue, they were bound, every man

Gads As we were sharing, some six or seven fresh men set upon us,-

Fal. And unbound the rest, and then come in

Enter Falstaff, Gadshill, Bardolph, and Peto. Poins. Welcome, Jack. Where hast thou been? of them: or I am a Jew else, an brew Jew. Fal. A plague of all cowards, I say, and a vengeance too! marry, and amen!-Give me a cup of sack, boy.-Ere I lead this life long, I'll sew nether-stocks, and mend them, and foot them too. the other. A plague of all cowards!-Give me a cup of sack, P. Hen. What, fought ye with them all? rogue.-Is there no virtue extant? [He drinks. Fa. All? I know not what ye call, all; but if I P. Hen. Didst thou never see Titan kiss a dish fought not with fifty of them, I am a bunch of raof butter? pitiful-hearted Titan, that melted at the dish: if there were not two or three and fifty upon sweet tale of the son! if thou didst, then behold poor old Jack, then I am no two-legged creature. that compound.. Poins. Pray God, you have not murdered some

Fal. You rogue, here's lime in this sack too: of them. There is nothing but roguery to be found in villa- Fal. Nay, that's past praying for: for I have nous man: Yet a coward is worse than a cup of peppered two of them: two, I am sure, I have sack with lime in it; a villanous coward.-Go thy paid; two rogues in buckram suits. I tell thee ways, old Jack; die when thou wilt, if manhood, what, Hal,-if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, call good manhood, be not forgot upon the face of the me horse. Thou knowest my old ward;-here I earth, then am I a shotten herring. There live not lay, and thus I bore my point. Four rogues in three good men unhanged in England; and one of buckram let drive at me,them is fat, and grows old: God help the while! a bad world, I say! I would I were a weaver; I could sing psalms, or any thing: A plague of all cowards, I say still.

P. Hen. How now, wool-sack? what mutter you? Fal. A king's son! If I do not beat thee out of thy kingdom with, a dagger of lath, and drive all thy subjects afore thee, like a flock of wild geese, I'll never wear hair on my face more. You prince

of Wales!

P. Hen. Why, you whoreson round man! what's the matter?

Fal. Are you not a coward? answer me to that; and Poins there?

Poins. Zounds, yet fat paunch, an ye call me coward, I'll stab thee.

P. Hen. What, four? thou said'st but two, even

now.

Fal. Four, Hal; I told thee four.
Poins. Ay, ay, he said four.

Fal. These four came all a-front, and mainly
thrust at me. I made me no more ado, but took
all their seven points in my target, thus.
P. Hen. Seven? why, there were but four, even
Fal. In buckram.

now.

Poins. Ay, four, in buckram suits.

Fal. Seven, by these hilts, or I am a villain else.
P. Hen. Pry'thee, let him alone; we shall have

more anon.

Fal. Dost thou hear me, Hal?

P. Hen. Ay, and mark thee too, Jack.
Fal. Do so, for it is worth the listening to. These
nine men in backram, that I told thee of,-
P. Hen. So, two more already.
Fal. Their points being broken,-
Poins. Down fell their hose.

Fal. I call thee coward! I'll see thee damned ere I call thee coward: but would give a thousand pound, I could run as fast as thou canst. You are straight enough in the shoulders, you care not who sees your back: Call you that backing of your friends? A plague upon such backing! give me Fal. Began to give me ground: But I followed them that will face me.-Give me a cup of sack.-me close, came in foot and hand; and, with a

I am a rogue, if I drunk to-day.

P. Hen. O, villain! thy lips are scarce wiped since thou drunk'st last.

Fal. All's one for that. A plague of all cowards, still say I. [He drinks.

P. Hen. What's the matter?

thought, seven of the eleven I paid.

P. Hen. 0, monstrous! eleven buckram men grown out of two!

Fal. But, as the devil would have it, three misbegotten knaves, in Kendal green, came at my back, and let drive at me ;-for it was so dark, Fal. What's the matter? there be four of us Hal, that thou could'st not see thy hand. here have ta'en a thousand pound this morning. P. Hen. Where is it, Jack? where is it? Fal. Where is it? taken from us it is: a dred upon four of us.

P. Hen. What, a hundred, man?

(1) Stockings.

P. Hen. These lies are like the father that begets them; gross as a mountain, open, palpable. hun-Why, thou clay-brained guts; thou knotty-pated fool; thou whoreson, obscene, greasy, tallow keech.

(2) A town in Westmoreland, famous for making cloth.

Fal. What, art thou mad? art thou mad? is not the truth, the truth?

(3) A round lump of fat.