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.

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Fal. I'll follow you, good Master Robert Shallow. [Exit Shallow. Bardolph, look to our horses. [Exeunt Bardolph and Page.] If I were saw'd into quantities, I should make four dozen of such bearded hermits' staves as [70 Master Shallow. It is a wonderful thing to see the semblable coherence of his men's spirits and his. They, by observing [of] him, do bear themselves like foolish justices; he, by conversing with them, is turn'd into a justice-like serv- [78 ing-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 I had a suit to Master Shallow, I would humour his men with the imputa- [80 tion 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 [as another; 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 'a shall laugh without intervallums. O, it is much [0 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.

[Exit.

Ch. Just. Peace be with us, lest we be heavier!

Glou. 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.

Lan. Though no man be assur'd what grace to find,

You stand in coldest expectation.

30

I am the sorrier; would 't were otherwise! Clar. 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.
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.

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40

How might a prince of my great hopes forget
So great indignities you laid upon me?
What! rate, rebuke, and roughly send to
prison

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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 judgement;
Whereon, as an offender to your father,

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85

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 per-

son ?

Nay, more, to spurn at your most royal image And mock your workings in a second body? se 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 disdained;
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, 10
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:

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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

120

125

130

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,
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 rememb'red, all our state;
And, God consigning to my good intents,
No prince nor peer shall have just cause to say,
God shorten Harry's happy life one day!

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141

145

[Exeunt.

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.

10

Fal. This Davy serves you for good uses; he is your serving-man and your husband.

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
[Singing]

Do nothing but eat, and make good cheer,
And praise God for the merry year,
When flesh is cheap and females dear,

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20

And lusty lads roam here and there So merrily,

And ever among so merrily."

Fal. There's a merry heart! Good Master Silence, I'll give you a health for that anon, 25 Shal. Give Master Bardolph some wine, Davy.

Davy. Sweet sir, sit; I'll be with you anon; most sweet sir, sit. Master page, good master page, sit. Proface! What you want in meat, we 'll have in drink; but you must bear. The heart's all. [Exit.] 32 Shal. Be merry, Master Bardolph; and, my little soldier there, be merry.' Sil. [Singing.] Be merry, wife has all;

66

be merry, my

For women are shrews, both short and

tall.

Shal. Davy! Davy. Your worship! I'll be with you straight. A cup of wine, sir?

Sil. [Singing.] "A cup of wine that's brisk and fine,

And drink unto the leman mine;

And a merry heart lives long-a." 50

Fal. Well said, Master Silence.

Sil. An we shall be merry, now comes in the sweet o' the night.

Fal. Health and long life to you, Master Silence.

55

Sil. [Singing.] "Fill the cup, and let it

come;

I'll pledge you a mile to the bottom." Shal. Honest Bardolph, welcome. If thou want'st anything, 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 cavaleros about London.

63

Davy. I hope to see London once ere I

die.

Pist. What! I do bring good news.

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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 [140 know the young king is sick for me. Let us take any man's horses; the laws of England are at my commandment. Blessed are they that have been my friends; and woe to my Lord Chief Justice!

145

Pist. Let vultures vile seize on his lungs

also!

SCENE IV. [London. A street.]

Enter BEADLES,

[Exeunt.

[dragging in] HOSTESS QUICKLY and DOLL TEARSHEET.

Host. No, thou arrant knave; I would to God that I might die, that I might have thee hang'd. Thou hast drawn my shoulder out of joint.

1. Bead. The constables have deliver'd her over to me; and she shall have whipping-cheer enough, I warrant her. There hath been a man or two lately kill'd about her.

Dol. Nut-hook, nut-hook, you lie. Come on! I'll tell thee what, thou damn'd tripe-visag'd rascal, an the child I now go with do miscarry, thou wert better thou hadst struck thy mother, thou paper-fac'd villain!

7

12

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 mis

Host. O God, that right should thus overcome might! Well, of sufferance comes ease.

Dol. Come, you rogue, come; bring me to a justice.

Host. Ay, come, you starv'd blood-hound. Dol. Goodman death, goodman bones! Host. Thou atomy, thou!

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Dol. Come, you thin thing; come, you ras

cal.