Fal. I did not think, master Silence had been a man of this mettle. Pist. A foutra for the world, and worldlings base! Sil. Who I? I have been merry twice and once, I speak of Africa, and golden joys. Sil. And we shall be merry;-now comes in the sweet of the night. Fal. Health and long life to you, master Silence. Sil. Fill the cup, and let it come; 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 cavaleroest about London. Fal. O base Assyrian knight, what is thy news? [Sings. Pist. Why then, lament therefore. 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 Pist. Harry the fourth? or fifth? Pist. A foutra for thine office! [die. Sir John, thy tender lambkin now is king; Fal. What is the old king dead? 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 doublecharge thee with dignities. Bard. O joyful day!-I would not take a knighthood for my fortune. Pist. What? I do bring good news? Ful. Carry master Silence to bed.-Master Shallow, my lord Shallow, be what thou wilt, ! 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 Sil. Is't so? Why, then say, an old man can know, the young king is sick for me. Let us do somewhat. Re-enter DAVY. take any man's horses; the laws of England are at my commandment. Happy are they which Dary. An it please your worship, there's one have been my friends; and woe to my lord chief Pistol come from the court with news. Fal. From the court, let him come in.— justice! Pist. Let vultures vile seize on his lungs also! SCENE IV.-London.-A street. Enter BEADLES, dragging in Hostess QUICKLY, and DOLL TEAR-SHEET. Host. No, thou arrant knave: I would I might die, that I might have thee hanged: thou hast drawn my shoulder out of joint. 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, A term of reproach for a catchpoll. How ill white hairs become a fool, and jester! SCENE V.-A public Place near Westminster | Make less thy body hence,† and more thy grace; Abbey. 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. Pist. God bless thy lungs, good knight. Fal. Come here, Pistol; stand behind me.-O, 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. Leave gormandizing; know, the grave doth gape That I have turn'd away my former self; 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 JOHN, the CHIEF JUSTICE, Officers, &c. Ch. Just. Go, carry Sir John Falstaff to the Take all his company along with him. [soon. Pist. Si fortuna me tormenta, spero me contenta. [Exeunt FAL. SHal. Pist. Bard. PAGE, and Officers. Ch. Just. I cannot now speak: I will hear you the end of a displeasing play, to pray your paTake them away. tience 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. P. John. I like this fair proceeding of the He hath intent, his wonted followers P. John. The king hath call'd his parliament, Ch. Just. He hath. P. John. I will lay odds,-that, ere this year We bear our civil swords, and native fire, 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 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 Katharine 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.* *Most of the ancient interludes conclude with a prayer for the King or Queen. Hence, perhaps, the Vivant Kez et Regina, at the bottom of our modern play-bills. KING HENRY THE FIFTH. PERSONS REPRESENTED. DUKE OF GLOSTER, Brothers to the King. DUKE OF BEDford, DUKE OF EXETER, Uncle to the King. DUKE OF YORK, Cousin to the King. CHARLES THE SIXTH, King of France. DUKES OF BURGUNDY, ORLEANS, and BOURBON. RAMEURES, and GRANDPREE, French Lords. EARLS OF SALISBURY, WESTMORELAND, and GOVERNOR OF HARFLEUR. WARWICK. French Herald. MONTJOY, a AMBASSADORS to the King of England. Lords, Ladies, Officers, French and English The SCENE, at the beginning of the Play, lies in England; but afterwards wholly in France. and fire, Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all, The flat unraised spirit, that hath dar'd, On this unworthy scaffold, to bring forth So great an object: Can this cockpit hold The vasty fields of France? or may we cram Within this wooden O,* the very casques, t That did affright the air at Agincourt? O, pardon! since a crooked figure may Attest, in little place, a million; And let us, ciphers to this great account, On your imaginary forces work: Suppose, within the girdle of these walls Are now confined two mighty monarchies, Whose high upreared and abutting fronts The perilous, narrow ocean parts asunder. Pierce out our imperfections with your thoughts; Into a thousand parts divide one man, And make imaginary puissance : [them Think, when we talk of horses, that you see Printing their proud hoofs i'the receiving earth: For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings, Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times; Turning the accomplishment of many years Into an hour glass; For the which supply, Admit me chorus to this history [pray, Who, prologue-like, your humble patience * An allusion to the circular form of the theatre. against us, If it pass We lose the better half of our possession: Full fifteen earls, and fifteen hundred knights; Cant. 'Twould drink the cup and all. Cant. The king is full of grace, and fair regard. Ely. And a true lover of the holy church. Cant. The courses of his youth promis'd it not. The breath no sooner left his father's body, * Debate. But that his wildness, mortified in him, And whipp'd the offending Adam out of him; To envelop and contain celestial spirits. Ely. We are blessed in the change. Ely. What was the impediment that broke this off? Cant. The French ambassador, upon that in stant, Crav'd audience: and the hour I think is come, Cant. Then go we in, to know his embassy; Ely. I'll wait upon you; and I long to hear it. [Exeunt. |SCENE II.—The same.—A Room of State in the same. You would desire, the king were made a pre- Enter King HENry, Gloster, Bedford, Es late: Hear him debate of commonwealth affairs, You would say, it hath been all-in-all his study; Since his addiction was to courses vain : FTER, WARWICK, WESTMORELAND, and Altendants. K. Hen. Where is my gracious lord of Canterbury? [liege? Exe. Not here in presence. resolv❜d, Before we hear him, of some things of weight, Cant. God and his angels guard your sacred And make you long become it! K. Hen. Sure, we thank you. My learned lord we pray you to proceed; Why the law Salique, that they have in France, Ely. The strawberry grows underneath the Or should, or should not, bar us in our claim. nettle : And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best, Cant. It must be so for miracles are ceas'd; Ely. But, my good lord, How now for mitigation of this bill Cant. He seems indifferent; Or, rather, swaying more upon our part, Ely. How did this offer seem receiv'd, my Cant. With good acceptance of his majesty; Of his true titles to some certain dukedoms; * Listen to. Companiong And God forbid, my dear and faithful lord, reading, Or nicely charge your understanding soul Are every one a woe, a sore complaint, That make such waste in brief mortality. Cant. Then hear me, gracious sovereign,—and |