the complexion of my greatness to acknowledge it. Doth it not show vilely in me, to desire small beer? Poins. Why, a prince should not be so loosely studied, as to remember so weak a composition,

P. Hen. Belike then, my appetite was not princely got; for, by my troth, I do now remember the poor creature, small beer.

Poins. How ill it follows, after you have laboured so hard, you should talk so idly! Tell me, how many good young princes would do so, their fathers being so sick as yours at this time is?

P. Hen. Shall I tell thee one thing, Poins?

Poins. Yes; and let it be an excellent good thing. P. Hen. It shall serve among wits of no higher breeding than thine.

Poins. Go to; I stand the push of your one thing that you will tell.

P. Hen. Marry, I tell thee,-it is not meet that I should be sad, now my father is sick; albeit I could tell to thee, (as to one it pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend,) I could be sad, and sad indeed too.

Poins. Very hardly, upon such a subject.

P. Hen. By this hand, thou think'st me as far in the devil's book, as thou, and Falstafi, for obduracy and persistency: But, I tell thee,-my heart bleeds inwardly, that my father is so sick; and keeping such vile company as thou art, hath in reason taken from me all ostentation of sorrow.

Poins. The reason?

P. Hen. What wouldst thou think of me, if I should weep?

Poins. I would think thee a most princely hypocrite. P. Hen. It would be every man's thought: every man would think me an hypocrite indeed.-Well, let the end try the man.

Poins. By the mass, here comes Bardolph.

P. Hen. And the boy that I gave Falstaff; he had

him from me christian; and look, if the fat villain have

not transformed him ape!

Enter BARDOLPH, and PAGE.

Bard. 'Save your grace!

P. Hen. And yours, most noble Bardolph!--And how doth thy master, Bardolph ?

Bard. Well, my lord. He heard of your grace's coming to town; there's a letter for you.

P. Hen. Deliver'd with good respect. And how doth the martlemas, your master?

Bard. In bodily health, sir.

Poins. Marry, the immortal part needs a physician: but that moves not him: though that be sick, it dies

not.

P. Hen. I do allow this wen to be as familiar with me as my dog: and he holds his place; for, look you, how he writes.

Poins. [Reads.] John Falstaff, Knight,-Every man must know that, as often as he has occasion to name himself. Even like those that are kin to the king; for they never prick their finger, but they say, "There's some of the king's blood spilt:" "How comes that?" says he, that takes upon him not to conceive: the answer is as ready as a borrower's cap; "I am the king's poor cousin, sir."

P. Hen. Nay, they will be kin to us, or they will fetch it from Japhet. But the letter:

Poins. Sir John Falstaff, Knight, to the son of the king, nearest his father, Harry, Prince of Wales, greeting. Why, this is a certificate!

P. Hen. Peace!

Poins. I will imitate the honourable Roman in brevity:—he sure means brevity in breath; short-winded. -I commend me to thee, I commend thee, and I leave thee. Be not too familiar with Poins; for he misuses thy favours so much, that he swears, thou art to marry his sister Nell. Repent at idle times, as thou may'st, and

so farewell-Thine, by yea and no, (which is as much as to say, as thou usest him,) Jack Falstaff, with my familiars; John, with my brothers and sisters; and Sir John, with all Europe.

My lord, I'll steep this letter in sack, and make him eat it.

P. Hen. That's to make him eat twenty of his words. But do you use me thus Ned? must I marry your sister?

Poins. May the wench have no worse fortune! but I never said so.

P. Hen. Well, thus we play the fools with the time; and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds, and mock us. Is your master here in London?

Bard. Yea, my lord.

P. Hen. Where sups he?

Bard. At the old place, my lord; in Eastcheap. P. Hen. What company? Sup any women with him?

Page. None, my lord, but old mistress Quickly, and mistress Doll Tearsheet.

P. Hen. Shall we steal upon them, Ned, at supper?

Poins. I am your shadow, my lord; I'll follow you, P. Hen. Sirrah, you boy,-and Bardolph,-no word to your master, that I am yet come to town: There's for your silence. [Gives his Purse.

Bard. I have no tongue, sir.

Page. And for mine, sir,-I will govern it.

P. Hen. Fare ye well; go.

[Exeunt BARDOLPH and PAGE. How might we see Falstaff bestow himself to-night in his true colours, and not ourselves be seen?

Poins. Put on two leather jerkins, and aprons, and wait upon him at his table, as drawers.

P. Hen. From a prince to a prentice? a low transformation that shall be mine; for, in every thing,

the purpose must weigh with the folly. Follow me,

Ned.

[Exeunt the PRINCE and POINS.

SCENE II.

The Boar's Head Tavern, in Eastcheap.

HOSTESS and DOLL TEARSHEET discovered, seated.

Host. I' faith, sweet heart, methinks, now you are in an excellent good temperality; your pulsidge beats as extraordinarily as heart would desire: and your colour, I warrant you, is as red as any rose: But, i' faith, you have drunk too much canaries. How do you now?

Dol. Better than I was. Hem.

Host. Why, that was well said; A good heart's worth gold. Lo, here comes Sir John!

Enter FALSTAFF, with a jug of sack.

Fal. When Arthur first in court-Why, Hostess,and was a worthy king,-How now, mistress Doll? Host. Sick of a calm: yea, good sooth.

Fal. So is all her sect; if they be once in a calm, they are sick.

Dol. You muddy rascal, is that all the comfort you give me?

Host. By my troth, this is the old fashion; you two never meet but you fall to some discord: you are both, in good troth, as rheumatic as two dry toasts; you cannot one bear with another's confirmities. What the good-year! one must bear, and that must be you: you are the weaker vessel, as they say, the emptier vessel. [To DOLL. Dol. Come, I'll be friends with thee, Jack: thou

art going to the wars; and whether I shall ever see thee again, or no, there is nobody cares.

Enter PAGE.

Page. Sir, Ancient Pistol's below, and would speak with you.

Dol. Hang him, swaggering rascal! let him not come hither: it is the foul-mouth'dst rogue in Eng

land.

Host. If he swagger, let him not come here: no, by my faith; I must live amongst my neighbours; I'll no swaggerers: I am in good name and fame with the very best :-Shut the door ;-there comes no swaggerers here: I have not liv'd all this while to have swaggering now ;--shut the door, I pray you. Fal. Dost thou hear, Hostess ?

Host. Pray you, pacify yourself, Sir John; there comes no swaggerers here.

Fal. Dost thou hear? it is mine ancient.

Host. Tilly fally, Sir John, ne'er tell me; your ancient swaggerer comes not in my doors. I was before Master Tisick, the deputy, t'other day: and, as he said to me, it was no longer ago than Wednesday last,-"Neighbour Quickly, says he,"-Master Dumb, our minister, was by then;- Neighbour Quickly," says he, "receive those that are civil;" for, said he, 66 you are in an ill name;”—now he said So, I can tell whereupon; for, says he, "you are an honest woman, and well thought on; therefore take heed what guests you receive: receive, says he, no swaggering companions."-There comes none here;- you would bless you to hear what he said :—no, I'll no swaggerers.

Fal. He's no swaggerer, Hostess; a tame cheater, he; you may stroke him as gently as a puppy-greyhound; he'll not swagger with a Barbary hen, if her feathers turn back in any show of resistance.-Call him up, boy. [Exit PAGE. Host. Cheater, call you him? I will bar no honest

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