Davy-let me see ;-yea, marry,* William cook,a bid him come hither. Sir John, you shall not be excused.

DAVY. Marry, sir, thus ;-those precepts cannot be served: and, again, sir,—shall we sow the head-land with wheat?

SHAL. With red wheat, Davy.

there no young pigeons?

But for William cook;- -are

DAVY. Yes, sir.-Here is now the smith's note, for shoeing, and plough-irons.

:

SHAL. Let it be cast, and paid: sir John, you shall not be excused. DAVY. Now,† sir, a new link to the bucket must needs be had :And, sir, do you mean to stop any of William's wages, about the sack he lost the other day at Hinckley fair?

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 knaves, 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, this ¶ 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, come, 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. Bardolph, look to our horses. [Exeunt BARDOLPH and Page.] If I were sawed into quantities, I should make four dozen of such bearded hermits'-staves as master Shallow. It is a wonderful thing, to see

First folio omits, yea, marry.

First folio omits, back.

First folio, heaven.

(†) First folio omits, now.

Old text, Woncot.
First folio, these.

William cook,-] Servants, and the lower orders of people generally, were commonly distinguished of old by surnames derived from their respective callings."

b Precepts-] Warrants.

VOL. II.

F

the semblable coherence of his men's spirits and his: they, by observing him, do bear themselves like foolish justices; he, by conversing with them, is turned into a justice-like serving-man: their spirits are so married in conjunction with the participation of society, that they flock together in consent, like so many wild geese. If Í had a suit to master Shallow, I would humour his men, with the imputation of being near their master; if to his men, I would curry with master Shallow, that no man could better command his servants. It is certain, that either wise bearing, or ignorant carriage, is caught, as men take diseases, one of another: and therefore, let men take heed of their company. I will devise matter enough out of this Shallow, to keep prince Harry in continual laughter, the wearing-out of six fashions, (which is four terms, or two actions,) and he shall laugh without* intervallums. O, it is much, that a lie, with a slight oath, and a jest with a sad brow, will do with a fellow that never had the ache in his shoulders! O, you shall see him laugh, till his face be like a wet cloak ill laid up.

SHAL. [Within.] Sir John!

FAL. I come, master Shallow; I come, master Shallow.

SCENE II.-Westminster.

[Exit FALSTAFF,

A Room in the Palace.

Enter WARWICK, and the Lord Chief Justice.

WAR. How now, my lord chief justice? whither away?
CH. JUST. How doth the king?

WAR. Exceeding well; his cares are now all ended.
CH. JUST. I hope, not dead.

WAR.

He's walk'd the way of nature;

And, to our purposes, he lives no more.

CH. JUST. I would his majesty had call'd me with him: The service that I truly did his life,

Hath left me open to all injuries.

WAR. Indeed, I think, the young king loves you not.
CH. JUST. I know he doth not, and do arm myself,

To welcome the condition of the time;

Which cannot look more hideously upon me,

Than I have drawn it in my fantasy.

Enter PRINCE JOHN, PRINCE HUMPHREY, CLARENCE,
WESTMORELAND, and others.

WAR. Here come the heavy issue of dead Harry:

O, that the living Harry had the temper

Of him, the worst of these three gentlemen!
How many nobles then should hold their places,
That must strike sail to spirits of vile sort!
CH. JUST. Alas! I fear, all will be overturn'd.

(*) First folio, with.

They flock together in consent,-] In agreement, in union.

Being near their master;] This may mean either resembling their master, or being able to influence him.

P. JOHN. Good morrow, cousin Warwick, good morrow.
P. HUMPH. and CLA. Good morrow, cousin.

P. JOHN. We meet like men that had forgot to speak.
WAR. We do remember; but our argument

Is all too heavy to admit much talk.

P. JOHN. Well, peace be with him that hath made us heavy!
CH. JUST. Peace be with us, lest we be heavier!

P. HUMPH. O, good my lord, you have lost a friend, indeed:
And I dare swear, you borrow not that face

Of seeming sorrow; it is sure, your own.

P. JOHN. Though no man be assur'd what grace to find, You stand in coldest expectation:

I am the sorrier; would 't were otherwise.

CLA. Well, you must now speak sir John Falstaff fair,
Which swims against your stream of quality.

CH. JUST. Sweet princes, what I did, I did in honour,
Led by the impartial* conduct of my soul;
And never shall you see, that I will beg
A ragged and forestall'd remission.—a
If truth and upright innocency fail me,
I'll to the king my master that is dead,
And tell him who hath sent me after him.
WAR. Here comes the prince.

Enter KING HENRY V.

CH. JUST. Good morrow; and God† save your majesty!
KING. This new and gorgeous garment, majesty,

Sits not so easy on me as you think.—

Brothers, you mix your sadness with some fear;
This is the English, not the Turkish court;
Not Amurath an Amurath (2) succeeds,

But Harry, Harry. Yet be sad, good brothers,
For, to speak truth, it very well becomes you;
Sorrow so royally in you appears,

That I will deeply put the fashion on,
And wear it in my heart. Why then, be sad:
But entertain no more of it, good brothers,
Than a joint burthen laid upon us all.
For me, by heaven, I bid you be assur'd,
I'll be your father and your brother too;
Let me but bear your love, I'll bear your cares.
Yet weep, that Harry's dead; and so will I:

(*) First folio, imperial. (†) First folio, heaven.

(+) First folio, But.

A ragged and forestall'd remission.-] Ragged in this place means base, ignominious, as in Shakespeare's eighth sonnet:

but of" forestall'd remission," we believe the import is yet to be sought. That it was a familiar expression is evident, for it occurs twice in Massinger, (in "The Duke of Milan," Act III. Sc. 1; and in "The Bondman," Act III. Sc. 3;) though in neither case does the context assist us to its meaning.

But Harry lives, that shall convert those tears,

By number, into hours of happiness.

PRINCES. We hope no other from your majesty.

KING. You all look strangely on me :-and you most;

You are, I think, assur'd I love you not. [To the Lord Chief Justice. CH. JUST. I am assur'd, if I be measur'd rightly,

Your majesty hath no just cause to hate me.

KING. NO!

How might a prince of my great hopes forget.
So great indignities you laid upon me?

What! rate, rebuke, and roughly send to prison
The immediate heir of England! Was this easy?
May this be wash'd in Lethe, and forgotten?

CH. JUST. I then did use the person of your father;
The image of his power lay then in me:
And, in the administration of his law,
Whiles I was busy for the commonwealth,
Your highness pleased to forget my place,
The majesty and power of law and justice,
The image of the king whom I presented,
And struck me in my very seat of judgment;
Whereon, as an offender to your father,
I gave bold way to my authority,
And did commit you. If the deed were ill,
Be you contented, wearing now the garland,
To have a son set your decrees at nought;
To pluck down justice from your awful bench;
To trip the course of law, and blunt the sword
That guards the peace and safety of your person:
Nay, more; to spurn at your most royal image,
And mock your workings in a second body.
Question your royal thoughts, make the case yours;
Be now the father, and propose a son:
Hear your own dignity so much profan'd,
See your most dreadful laws so loosely slighted,
Behold yourself so by a son disdain'd;
And then imagine me taking your part,
And, in your power, soft silencing your son:
After this cold considerance, sentence me;
And, as you are a king, speak in your state,
What I have done, that misbecame my place,
My person, or my liege's sovereignty.

KING. You are right, justice, and you weigh this well;

Therefore still bear the balance, and the sword:

And I do wish your honours may increase,

Till you do live to see a son of mine

Offend you, and obey you, as I did.

So shall I live to speak my father's words;

Princes.] The prefix to this speech in the quarto is Bro. for " Brothers;" and in the folio, "John, &c.:" it was intended to be spoken by all the Princes together.

Happy am I, that have a man so bold,
That dares do justice on my proper-son:
And not less happy, having such a son,
That would deliver up his greatness so

Into the hands of justice.-You did commit me:
For which, I do commit into your hand

The unstain'd sword that you have us'd to bear;
With this remembrance,-That you use the same
With the like bold, just, and impartial spirit,
As you have done 'gainst me. There is my hand;
You shall be as a father to my youth;

My voice shall sound as you do prompt mine ear;
And I will stoop and humble my intents
To your well-practis'd, wise directions.
And, princes all, believe me, I beseech you ;-
My father is gone wild into his grave,a
For in his tomb lie my affections;
And with his spirit sadly I survive,
To mock the expectation of the world;
To frustrate prophecies, and to raze out
Rotten opinion, who hath writ me down
After my seeming. The tide of blood in me
Hath proudly flow'd in vanity, till now;
Now doth it turn, and ebb back to the sea;
Where it shall mingle with the state of floods,
And flow henceforth in formal majesty.
Now call we our high court of parliament;
And let us choose such limbs of noble counsel,
That the great body of our state may go
In equal rank with the best-govern'd nation;
That war, or peace, or both at once, may be
As things acquainted and familiar to us;-
In which you, father, shall have foremost hand.-

Our coronation done, we will accite,

As I before remember'd, all our state:

[To the Lord Chief Justice.

And (God† consigning to my good intents,)

No prince, nor peer, shall have just cause to say,-
Heaven shorten Harry's happy life one day.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Gloucestershire. The Garden of Shallow's House. Enter FALSTAFF, SHALLOW, SILENCE, BARDOLPH, the Page, and DAVY.

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.

(*) First folio, no.

(†) First folio, heaven.

My father is gone wild into his grave,-] He means, because he has exchanged his own wildness, burying it in that grave, for his father's serious spirit.