Fal. All? I know not what ye call all; but if I fought not with fifty of them, I am a bunch of radish : if there were not two or three and fifty upon poor old Jack, then am I no two-legg'd creature. Poins. Pray heav'n you have not murthered fome of them. Fal. Nay, that's paft praying for. I have pepper'd two of them; two, I am fure, I have pay'd, two rogues in buckram fuits. I tell thee what, Hal; If I tell thee a lie, fpit in my face, cail me horfe. Thou know'ft my old ward; here I lay, and thus I bore my point; four rogues in buckram let drive at me. P. Henry. What four? thou faidst but two, even now. Fal. Four, Hal, I told thee four. Poins. Ay, ay, he faid four. Fal. These four came all a front, and mainly thrust at me; I made no more ado, but took all their seven points in my target, thus. P. Henry. Seven, why, there were but four, even now. Fal. In buckram. Poins. Ay, four, in buckram fuits. Fal. Seven, by thefe hilts, or I am a villain elfe. P. Henry. Pr'ythee let him alone, we fhall have more anon. Fal. Doft thou hear me, Hal? P. Henry. Ay, and mark thee too, Jack. Fal. Do fo, for it is worth the liftening to. These nine in buckram, that I told thee of P. Henry. So, two more already. 7 Fal. Their points being broken- Their points being broken down fell his hofe.] To underftand Poins's joke, the double meaning of point must be re membered, which fignifies the sharp end of a wapon, and the lace of a garment. Fal. Fal. Began to give me ground; but I follow'd me clofe, came in foot and hand; and, with a thought, feven of the eleven I pay'd. 9 of dissid toi P. Henry. O monftrous! eleven buckram men grown out of two! Fal. But as the devil would have it, three mif-begotten knaves in Kendal green came at my back, and let drive at me (for it was fo dark, Hal, that thou couldst not fee thy hand). P. Henry. Thefe lies are like the father that begets them, grofs as a mountain, open, palpable. Why, thou clay-brain'd guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whorfon obfcene, greafy tallow-catch Fal. What, art thou mad? art thou mad? is not the truth the truth 2 t P. Henry. Why, how could'ft thou know thefe men in Kendal green, when it was fo dark thou could'ft not fee thy hand? come, tell us your reafon: what fay'ft thou to this? Poins. Come, your reafon, Jack, your reafon. Fal. What, upon compulfion? no; were I at the ftrappado, or all the racks in the world, I would not tell you on compulfion. Give you a reason on compulfion! if reasons were as plenty as black-berries, I would give no man a reafon upon compulfion-I! P. Henry. I'll be no longer guilty of this fin. fanguine coward, this bed-preffer, this horfe-backbreaker, this huge hill of flefh, 9 N This Fal. Away, you starveling, you elf-skin, you For elf-kin Sir T.Hanmer and Dr. Warburton read Eelskin. The true reading, I believe, is Elfkin, or little fairy. For though the Baftard in King John, compares his brother's legs to two eelskins fluff'd, yet an eclkin fimply bears no great refemblance to a man. dry'd dry'd neats-tongue, bull's pizzle, you stock-fifh-O for breath to utter what is like thee-You taylor's yard, you fheath, you bow-cafe, you vile-standing tuck, P. Henry. Well, breathe a while, and then to't again; and when thou haft tir'd thyfelf in bafe comparisons, hear me speak but this. Poins. Mark, Jack. P. Henry. We two faw you four fet on four, you bound them, and were masters of their wealth.---Mark now, how a plain tale fhall put you down.---Then did we two fet on you four, and with a word, out-fac'd you from your prize, and have it; yea, and can fhew it you here in the house. And, Falstaff, you carry'd your guts away as nimbly, with as quick dexterity, and roar'd for mercy, and ftill ran and roar'd, as ever I heard bull-calf. What a flave art thou to hack thy fword as thou haft done, and then fay it was in fight! What trick? what device? what ftarting hole, canft thou now find out, to hide thee from this open and apparent fhame ? Poins. Come, let's hear, Jack: what trick haft thou now? Fal. By the Lord, I knew ye, as well as he that made ye. Why hear ye, my mafters; was it for me to kill the heir apparent? Should I turn upon the true Prince? Why, thou knoweft, I am as valiant as Hercules; but beware inftinct, the Lion will not touch the true Prince. Inftinct is a great matter; I was a coward on instinct. I fhall think the better of myself, and thee, during my life; I, for a valiant Lion, and thou for a true Prince. But, by the lord, lads, I am glad you have the mony. Hoftefs, clap to the doors; watch to-night, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship come to you! What, fhall we be merry? fhall we have a play extempore? VOL. IV. M P. Henry. P. Henry. Content--and the argument halls ben thy running away. ediloft ob of ¿3 Fal. Ah --no more of that, Hal, if thou loveft me. 100 pd to asdi Eue Hoft. O Jefu! my lord the Prince fay'ft thou to me? 1995 21857 25 hoftefs, what d: no brow Hoft. Marry, my lord, there is a Nobleman of the Court at door would fpeak with you; he fays, he comes from your father. I P. Henry. Give him as much as will make him a royal man, and fend him back again to my mother. Fal. What manner of man is he? Hoft. An old man. Fal. What doth gravity out of his bed at midnight? Shall I give him his answer? P. Henry. Pr'ythee, do, Jack. Fal. Faith, and I'll fend him packing. [Exit. P. Henry. Now, Sirs, by'r lady, you fought fair; fo did you, Peto; fo did you, Bardolph; you are Lions too, you ran away upon instinct; you will not touch the true Prince; no. Fie! Bard. 'Faith, I ran when I faw others run. P. Henry. Tell me now in earnest; how came FalStaff's fword fo hackt? Peto, Why, he hackt it with his dagger, and faid, he would fwear truth out of England, but he would make you believe it was done in fight, and perfuaded us to do the like. Bard. Yea, and to tickle our nofes with fpear-grafs, to make them bleed; and then beflubber our garments with it, and fwear it was the blood of true men. I did that I did not thefe feven years before, I blush'd to hear his monftrous devices. P. Henry. O villain, thou ftolleft a cup of fack eighteen years ago, and wert? taken with the manner, and ever fince thou haft blush'd extempore. Thou hadst fire and fword on thy fide, and yet thou ranneft away; what inftinct hadft thou for it? ། יג Bard. My lord, do you fee thefe meteors? do you behold these exhalations? P. Henry. I do. 5 Bard. What think you they portend? ་ Here comes lean Jack, here comes bare-bone. How now, my fweet creature of bombaft? How long is't. ago, Jack, fince thou faw'ft thy own knee? |