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Beyond his pow'r to build it; who half through
Gives o'er, and leaves his part-created coft
A naked fubject to the weeping clouds,
And waste for churlish winter's tyranny.

Haft. Grant that our hopes, yet likely of fair birth,
Should be ftill-born; and that we now poffeft
The utmost man of expectation:

I think we are a body ftrong enough,

Ev'n as we are, to equal with the King.

Bard. What, is the King but five and twenty thoufand ? Haft. To us no more; nay, not fo much, Lord Bardolph. For his divifions, as the times do brawl,

Are in three heads; one pow'r against the French,
And one against Glendower; perforce a third

Muft take up us: fo is the unfirm King

In three divided; and his coffers found

With hollow poverty and emptiness.

York. That he fhould draw his feveral strengths together, And come against us in full puiffance,

Need not be dreaded.

Haft. If he fhould do so,

He leaves his back unarm'd, the French and Welfb
Baying him at the heels; never fear that.

Bard. Who is it like fhould lead his forces hither?
Haft. The Duke of Lancaster and Westmorland :
Against the Welp, himself and Harry Monmouth.
But who is fubftituted 'gainst the French,
I have no certain notice.

York. Let us on:

And publish the occafion of our arms.

The commonwealth is fick of their own choice
Their over-greedy love hath furfeited.

An habitation giddy and unfure

Hath he that buildeth on the vulgar heart.
O thou fond Many! with what loud applaufe
Did'st thou beat heav'n with bleffing Bolingbroke,
Before he was what thou would't have him be!
And now being trim'd up in thine own defires,
Thou, beaftly feeder, art fo full of him,
That thou provok'ft thy felf to caft him up.

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So, fo, thou common dog, didft thou difgorge
Thy glutton-bofom of the royal Richard,
And now thou wouldst eat thy dead vomit up,

And howl'ft to find it. What truft is in these times?
They that, when Richard liv'd, would have him die,
Are now become enamour'd on his grave:
Thou that threw'ft duft upon his goodly head,
When through proud London he came fighing on
After th'admired heels of Bolingbroke,

Cry'ft now; O Earth, yield us that King again,
And take thou this. O thoughts of men accurs'd!
Paft, and to come, feem beft; things prefent, worst.
Morb. Shall we go draw our numbers, and fet on?
Haft. We are time's fubjects, and time bids, be gone.
[Exeunt,

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Enter Hoftefs with two Officers, Fang and Snare.
[R. Fang, have you enter'd the action ?
Fang. It is enter'd.

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Hoft. Where's your yeoman? is he a lufty yeoman? Will he ftand to it?

Fang. Sirrah, where's Snare?

Hoft. Ay, ay, good Mr. Snare.
Snare. Here, here.

Fang. Snare, we muft arrest Sir John Falstaff.

Hoft. Ay, good Mr. Snare, I have enter'd him and all.. Snare. It may chance coft fome of us our lives: he will

ftab.

Hoft. Alas-the-day, take heed of him; he ftab'd me in mine own houfe, and that most beaftly; he cares not what mifchief he doth, if his weapon be out. He will foin like any devil, he will fpare neither man, woman nor child.

Fang. If I can clofe with him, I care not for his thrust.
Hoft. No, nor I neither; I'll be at your elbow.
Fang. If I but fift him once; if he come but within my

vice.

Vice, or grafp, a metaphor taken from a smith's vice.

Hoft.

:

Hoft. I am undone by his going; I warrant you he is an infinitive thing upon my score. Good Mr. Fang, hold him fure; goed Mr. Snare, let him not 'fcape. He comes continually to Pie-corner, faving your manhoods, to buy a faddle and he is indited to dinner to the Lubbar's-bead in Lombard-freet to Mr. Smooth's the Silkman. I pray ye, fince my action is enter'd, and my cafe fo openly known to the world, let him be brought in to his answer. A hundred mark is a long loan, for a poor lone woman to bear and I have born, and born, and born: and have been fub'à off, and fub'd off, from this day to that day, that it is a fhame to be thought on. There is no honesty in fuch dealing, unless a woman should be made an Afs and a beaft, to bear every knave's wrong.

Enter Falstaff, Bardolph, and the Boy!

Yonder he comes, and that arrant malmfey-nofe knave, Bardolph with him. Do your offices, do your offices: Mr. Fang and Mr. Snare, do me, do me, do me your offices.

Fal. How now? whofe mare's dead? what's the matter? Fang. Sir John, I arreft you at the fuit of Mrs. Quickly. Fal. Away, varlets; draw, Bardolph: cut me off the villain's head throw the quean in the kennel.

Hoft. Throw me in the kennel? I'll throw thee in the kennel. Wilt thou? wilt thou? thou baftardly rogue. Murder, murder! O thou* hony-fuckle villain, wilt thou kill God's officers and the King's? O thou*hony-feed rogue, thou art a hony-feed, a man-queller, and a womanqueller.

Fal. Keep them off, Bardolph.

Fang. A refcue, a rescue!

Hoft. Good people, bring a rescue or two; thou wo't, wo't thou thou wo't, wo't thou, rogue? do, thou hempfeed!

Fal. Away, you fcullion, you rampallian, you fuftilarian: I'll tickle your catastrophe.

SCENE II. Enter Chief Justice. Ch. Juft. What's the matter? keep the peace here, hoa! Hoft. Good my Lord, be good to me. I beseech you ftand to me.

She means to say, bomicidal villain, and homicide rogue.

Ch. Juft.

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Cb. Juft. How now, Sir John? what, are you brawl ing here?

0 Doth this become your place, your time, and bufiness ? You should have been well on your way to York.

Stand from him, fellow, wherefore hang'st thou on him? Hoft. O my moft worshipful Lord, an't please your Grace, I am a poor widow of Eaftcheap, and he is arrefted at my fuit.

Ch. Juft. For what fum ?

Hoft. It is more than for fome, my Lord, it is for all ; all I have; he hath eaten me out of houfe and home he hath put all my fubftance into that fat belly of his; but I will have fome of it out again, or I'll ride thee o'nights like the mare.

Fal, I think I am as like to ride the mare, if I have any vantage of ground to get up.

Ch. Juft. How comes this, Sir John? fie, what man of good temper would endure this tempeft of exclamation? are you not afham'd to inforce a poor widow to so rough a courfe to come by her own?

Fal. What is the grofs fum that I owe thee?

Hoft. Marry, if thou wert an honeft man, thy felf and the mony too. Thou did'ft fwear to me on a parcel-gile goblet, fitting in my Dolphin-chamber, at the round table, by a fea-coal fire, on Wednesday in Whitfun-rucek, when the Prince broke thy head for likening him to a fingingman of Windfor; thou didst fwear to me then, as I was wafhing thy wound, to marry me, and make me my lady thy wife, Canft thou deny it? did not good-wife Keech the butcher's wife come in then, and call me goffip Quicky? coming in to borrow a mess of vinegar; telling us the had a good difh of prawns; whereby thou didst defire to eat fome; whereby I told thee they were ill for a green wound? and didft not thou, when she was gone down ftairs, defire me to be no more fo familiarity with fuch poor people, faying that ere long they should call me Madam? and didft thou not kiss me, and bid me fetch thee thirty fhillings? I put thee now to thy book-oath; deny it if thou can't.

Fal, My Lord, this is a poor mad foul; and the fays up and down the town, that her eldest fon is like you.

She

hath

hath been in good cafe, and the truth is, poverty hath diftracted her; but for these foolish officers, I beseech I may have redress against them.

you

Ch. Juft. Sir John, Sir John, I am well acquainted with your manner of wrenching the true caufe the falfe way. It is not a confident brow, nor the throng of words that come with fuch more than impudent fawcinefs from you, can thruft me from a level confideration. I know you have practis'd upon the eafie-yielding spirit of this woman.Hoft. Yes, in troth, my Lord.

Ch. Juft. Pr'ythee, peace; pay her the debt you owe her, and unpay the villainy you have done her; the one you may do with fterling mony, and the other with currant

repentance.

Fal. My Lord, I will not undergo this fneap without reply. You call honourable boldness impudent fawcinefs: If a man will curt'fie and fay nothing, he is virtuous. No, my Lord, my humble duty remember'd, I will not be your fuitor: I fay to you, I defire deliverance from thefe officers, being upon hafty employment in the King's affairs.

Ch. Juft. You fpeak, as having power to do wrong: but answer in the effect your reputation, and satisfie the poor woman.

Fal. Come hither, hoftess.

SCENE III.

Enter Mr. Gower. Ch. Juft. Now, master Gower, what news?

[Afide.

Gower. The King, my Lord, and Henry Prince of Wales Are near at hand: the reft the paper tells.

Fal. As I am a gentleman-
Hoft. Nay, you faid fo before.

[Afide to the Hoftefs.

Fal. As I am a gentleman, come, no more words of it. Hoft. By this heav'nly ground I tread on, I must be fain to pawn both my plate, and the tapestry of my dining chambers.

Fal. Glaffes, glaffes is the only drinking; and for thy walls, a pretty flight drollery, or the ftory of the prodigal, or the German Hunting in water-work, is worth a thoufand of these bed-hangings, and these fly-bitten tapestries: let it be ten pound, if thou canft. Come, if it were not for thy humours, there is not a better wench in England. Go,

wath

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