as God fave thy Grace, (Majefty, I should fay; for grace thou wilt have none.).

P. Henry. What! none?

Fal. No, by my troth, not fo much as will ferve to be prologue to an egg and butter.

P. Henry. Well, how then? come, roundly, roundly-Fal. Marry, then, fweet wag, when thou art King, let not us that are fquires of the night's body, be call'd thieves of the day's booty. Let us be Diana's foresters, gentlemen of the fhade, minions of the Moon; and let men fay, we be men of good government, being governed as the Sea is, by our noble and chaft mistrels the Moon, under whofe countenance we ——

steal.

P. Henry. Thou fay'ft well, and it holds well too; for the fortune of us, that are the Moon's men, doth ebb and flow like the Sea; being govern'd as the Sea is, by the Moon. As for proof, now: a purfe of gold moft refolutely fnatch'd on Monday night, and moft difiolutely spent on Tuesday morning; got with fwearing, lay by; and fpent with crying, bring in: now in as low an ebb as the foot of the ladder; and by and by in as high a flow as the ridge of the gallows.

8

Fal. By the lord, thou fay'ft true, lad: and is not mine Hoftefs of the tavern a moft fweet wench?

P. Henry. As the honey of Hybla, my old lad of

the

& got with fwearing, lay by ;] i. e. fwearing at the paflengers they robbed, lay by your arms; or rather, lay by was a phrafe that then fignified fland fill, addreffed to those who were preparing to rush forward. But the Oxford Editor kindly accommcdates thefe old thieves with a new cant phrafe, taken from Baghot-Heath or Finchly-Common, of LUG OUT.

9 my old lad of the cafle ;] This alludes to the name ShakeSpear firit gave to this buffoon character, which was Sir John Oldeafle: And when he changed the name, he forgot to ftrike out this expreffion that alluded to it. The reafon of the change was this, one Sir John Oldeafile having fuffered in the time of Henry V. for the opinions of Wickliffe, it gave offence; and therefore the Poet altered it to Falfaff, and endeavours to remove the fcandal,

in

the castle; and is not a buff-jerkin a moft fweet robe of durance?

Fal. How now, how now, mad wag; what, in thy quips and thy quiddities? what a plague have I to do with a buff-jerkin?

P. Henry. Why, what a pox have I to do with my Hoftefs of the tavern?

Fal. Well, thou haft call'd her to a reckoning many a time and oft.

P. Henry. Did I ever call thee to pay thy part?
Fal. No, I'll give thee thy due, thou haft paid all

there.

P. Henry. Yea and elsewhere, fo far as my coin would ftretch; and where it would not, I have us'd my credit.

Fal. Yea, and fo us'd it, that were it not here apparent, that thou art heir apparent - But, I pr'ythee, fweet wag, fhall there be Gallows ftanding in England, when thou art King? and refolution thus fobb'd as it is, with the rufty curb of old father antick, the law? Do not thou, when thou art a King, hang a thief.

P. Henry. No: thou fhalt.

Fal. Shall I? O rare! By the Lord, I'll be a brave judge.

the

in the Epilogue to the fecond part of Henry IV. Fuller takes notice of this matter in his Church-Hiftory, Stage-Poets have themselves been very bold with, and others very merry at, memory of Sir John Oldcastle, whom they have fancied a boon companion, a jovial royfer, and a coward to boot. The beft i, Sir John Falstaff hath relieved the memory of Sir John Oldcastle, and of late is fubftituted buffoon in his place. Book 4. p. 168. But, to be candid, I believe there was no malice in the matter. Shakespear wanted a droll name to his character, and never confidered whom it belonged to, we have a like inftance in the Merry Wives of Windfor, where he calls his French Quack, Caius, a name, at that time, very refpectable, as belonging to an eminent and learned phyfician, one of the founders of Caius College in Cambridge.

H 4

P. Henry.

P. Henry. Thou judgeft falfe already: I mean, thou fhalt have the hanging of the thieves, and fo become a rare hangman.

Fal. Well, Hal, well; and in fome fort it jumps with my humour, as well as waiting in the Court, I can tell you.

P. Henry. For obtaining of fuits?

Fal. Yea, for obtaining of fuits; whereof the hangman hath no lean wardrobe. 'Sblood, I am as melancholy as a gib-cat, or a lugg'd bear.

P. Henry. Or an old Lion, or a lover's lute. Fal. Yea, or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe. P. Henry. What fay'st thou to a Hare, or the melancholy of Moor-ditch?

Fal. Thou haft the most unfavoury fimilies; and art, indeed, the moft (a) incomparative, rafcallieft, fweet young Prince But, Hal, I pr'ythee, trouble me no more with vanity; I would to God, thou and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be bought: an old lord of the Council rated me the other day in the street about you, Sir; but I mark'd him not, and yet he talk'd very wifely, and in the ftreet too.

P. Henry. Thou didft well; for wisdom cries out in the streets, and no man regards it.

Fal. O, thou haft damnable (b) attraction, and art, indeed, able to corrupt a faint. Thou haft done much harm unto me, Hal, God forgive thee for it! Before I knew thee, Hal, I knew nothing; and now am I, if a man fhould fpeak truly, little better than one of the wicked. I muft give over this life, and I will give it over; by the lord, an I do not, I am a villain. I'll be damn'd for never a King's fon in chriftendom.

[(a) incomparative. Oxford Editor. - Vulg. comparative.] [(5) attraction. Oxford Editor. Vülge iteration } :: P. Henry.

P. Henry. Where shall we take a purse to morrow, Jack?

Fal. Where thou wilt, lad, I'll make one; an I do. not, call me villain, and baffle me.

P. Henry. I fee a good amendment of life in thee, from praying to purfe-taking.

Fal. Why, Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal. 'Tis no fin for a Man to labour in his vocation. Poins! Now fhall we know, if Gads-bill have fet a match. O, if men were to be faved by merit, what hole in hell were hot enough for him!

S C E NE III.

Enter Poins.

This is the most omnipotent Villain, that ever cry'd, Stand, to a true Man.

P. Henry. Good morrow, Ned.

Poins. Good morrow, fweet Hal. What fays Monfieur Remorfe? what fays Sir John Sack and Sugar? Jack! how agree the devil and thou about thy foul, that thou foldeft him on Good-Friday laft, for a cup of Madera, and a cold capon's leg?

P. Henry, Sir John ftands to his word; the devil fhall have his bargain, for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs; He will give the devil his due.

Poins. Then thou art damn'd for keeping thy word with the devil.

P. Henry. Elfe he had been damn'd for cozening the devil.

Poins. But, my lads, my lads, to morrow morning, by four o'clock, early at Gads-bill; there are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders' riding to London with fat purses. I have vifors for you all; you have horfes for your felves: Gads-bill lies to night in Rochester, I have bespoke fupper to morrow night in Eaft-cheap; we may do it, as fecure as fleep:

if you

will go, I will ftuff your purfes full of crowns; if you will not, tarry at home and be hang'd.

Fal. Hear ye, redward; if I tarry at home, and go not, I'll hang you for going..

Poins. You will, chops?

Fal. Hal, wilt thou make one?

P. Henry. Who, I rob? I a thief? not I, by my faith.

Fal. There is neither honefty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee, nor thou cam'ft not of the blood royal, if thou dar'ft not cry, stand, for ten fhillings. P. Henry. Well then, once in my days I'll be a madсар.

Fal. Why, that's well faid.

P. Henry. Well, come what will, I'll tarry at home. Fal. By the lord, I'll be a traitor then, when thou art King.

P. Henry. I care not.

Poins. Sir John, I pr'ythce, leave the Prince and me alone; I will lay him down fuch reafons for this adventure, that he shall go.

Fal. Well, may'ft thou have the fpirit of perfuafion, and he the ears of profiting, that what thou fpeak'ft may move, and what he hears may be believ'd; that the true Prince may (for recreation-fake,) prove a falfe thief; for the poor abufes of the time want countenance. Farewel, you fhall find me in Eaft-cheap.

P. Henry. Farewel, thou latter fpring! Farewel, allhallown fummer!

[Exit Fal. Poins. Now, my good fweet hony lord, ride with us to morrow. I have a jeft to execute, that I cannot manage alone. Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gadsbill, fhall rob thofe men that we have already waylaid; your felf and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head from off my fhoulders.

P. Henry.