And in the calmeft, and most stilleft Night, Deny it to a King? Then happy Low, lye down, War. Many good-morrows to your Majefty. War. 'Tis one a Clock, and past. K.Henry. Why then good-morrow to you all, my Lords: Have you read o'er the Letters that I fent you? War. We have, my Liege. K. Henry. Then you perceive the Body of our Kingdom; How foul it is; what rank Diseases grow, And with what Danger, near the Heart of it. My Lord Northumberland will foon be cool'd. K. Henry. Oh Heav'n, that one might read the Book of Fate, And fee the Revolution of the Times Make Mountains level, and the Continent, Weary of folid firmnefs, melt it felf Into the Sea; and other Times, to fee Too wide for Neptune's Hips; how Chances mock With divers Liquors. 'Tis not ten Years gone, My My Coufin Bullingbroke afcends my Throne: That I and Greatnefs were compell'd to kifs) War. There is a Hiftory in all Mens Lives, Such things become the Hatch and Brood of Time; King Richard might create a perfect Guess, K. Henry. Are these things then Neceffities? And that fame word even now cries out on us: Are fifty thousand strong. War. It cannot be, my Lord: Rumour doth double, like the Voice and Eccho, K.Henry. K. Henry. I will take your Counsel: And were thefe inward Wars once out of Hand, SCENE II. [Exeunt. Enter Shallow and Silence, with Mouldy, Shadow, Wart, Feeble, and Bull-calf. Shal. Come on, come on, come on; give me your Hand, Sir, give me your Hand, Sir; an early Stirrer, by the Rood. And how doth my good Coufin Silence? Sil. Good Morrow, good Coufin Shallow. Shal. And how doth my Coufin, your Bed-fellow? and your fairest Daughter, and mine, my God-Daughter Ellin? Sil. Alas, a black Ouzel, Coufin Shallow. Shal. By yea and nay, Sir, I dare fay my Coufin William is become a good Scholar? He is at Oxford still, is he not? Sil. Indeed, Sir, to my Coft. Shal. He must then to the Inns of Court fhortly: I was once of Clement's-Inn; where, I think, they will talk of mad Shallow yet. Sil. You were call'd Lufty Shallow then, Coufin. Shal. I was call'd any thing, and I would have done any thing indeed too, and roundly too. There was I, and little John Doit of Staffordshire, and black George Bare, and Francis Pickbone, and Will Squele a Cot-fal-man; you had not four fuch Swinge bucklers in all the Inns of Court again: And I may fay to you, we knew where the Bond Roba's were, and had the best of them all at Commandment. Then was Jack Falstaff, now Sir John, Boy, and a Page to Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. Sil. This Sir John, Coufin, that comes hither anon about Soldiers? Shal. The fame Sir John, the very fame: I saw him break Schoggan's Head at the Court-Gate, when he was a Crack, not thus high; and the very fame Day I did fight with one Sampson Stock-fish, a Fruiterer, behind Grays-Inn. Oh the Mad Days that I have spent? and to fee how many of mine old Acquaintance are dead? Sil. We fhall all follow, Coufin. Shal. Certain, 'tis certain, very fure, very fure: Death is certain to all, all fhall Die. How, a good Yoke of Bullocks at Stamford Fair? Sil. Truly, Cousin, I was not there. Shal. Death is certain. Is Old Double of your Town living yet? Sil. Dead, Sir. Shal. Dead! See, fee, he drew a good Bow: And Dead? He shot a fine Shoot. John of Gaunt loved him well, and betted much Mony on his Head. Dead? He would have clapt in the Clowt at Twelve Score, and carried you a fore-hand Shaft at fourteen, and fourteen and a half, that it would have done a Man's Heart good to fee. How, a Score of Ewes now? Sil. Thereafter as they be: A Score of good Ewes may be worth ten Pounds. Shal. And is Old Double Dead? Enter Bardolph and Page. Sil. Here come two of Sir John Falstaff's Men, as I think. Shal. Good Morrow, honeft Gentlemen. Bard. I beseech you, which is Juftice Shallow? Shal. I am Robert Shallow, Sir, a poor Efquire of this County, one of the King's Juftices of the Peace: What is your good Pleasure with me? Bard. My Captain, Sir. commends him to you: My Captain, Sir John Falstaff; a tall Gentleman, and a meft gallant Leader. Shal. He greets me well: Sir, I knew him a good BackSword Man How doth the good Knight? May I ask, how my Lady his Wife doth? Bard Sir. Pardon, a Soldier is better Accommodated, than with a Wife. Shal. It is well faid, Sir; and it is well faid indeed, too: Better accommodated good Phrafes are furely dable. Accommodated good, a good Phrase. It is good, yea indeed is it; and every where very commen-' -it comes of Accommodo, very Bard Bard. Pardon, Sir, I have heard the Word. Phrafe, call you it? By this Day, I know not the Phrase: But I will maintain the word with my Sword, to be a Soldierlike Word, and a Word of exceeding good Command. Accommodated, that is, when a Man is, as they fay, Accommodated; or, when a Man is, being whereby he thought to be Accommodated, which is an excellent thing. Enter Falstaff. Shal. It is very juft: Look, here comes good Sir John. Give me your Hand, give me your Worfhip's good Hand: Truft me, you look well, and bear your Years very well. Welcome, good Sir John. Fal. I am glad to fee you well, good Master Robert . Shallow: Mafter Sure-card, as I think? Shal, No, Sir John, it is my Cousin Silence; in Commiffion with me, Fal. Good Mafter Silence, it well befits you fhould be of the Peace. Sil. Your good Worship is welcome. Fal. Fie, this is hot weather, Gentlemen, have you pro vided me here half a dozen of fufficient Men? Shal. Marry have we, Sir: Will you fit? Fal. Let me fee them, I beseech you. Shal. Where's the Roll? Where's the Roll? Where's the Roll? Let me fee, let me fee, let me fee: So, so, so, fo: Yea marry, Sir. Ralph Mouldy: Let them appear as I call: Let them do fo, let them do fo. Let me fee, Where is Moaldy? Moul. Here, if it please you. Shal. What think you, Sir John, a good limb'd Fellow: Young, Strong, and of good Friends. Fal. Is thy Name Mouldy? Moul. Yea, if it please you. Fal. 'Tis the more time thou wert us'd. Shal. Ha, ha, ha, moft excellent. dy, lack ufe: very fingular good. very well faid. Fal. Prick him. Things that are moul Well faid, Sir John, Moul. I was prickt well enough before, if you could have let me alone: My old Dame will be undone now VOL. IV. C for |