The happiest youth viewing his progrefs through, Wou'd fhut the book, and fit him down and die. Since Richard and Northumberland, great Friends, My coufin Bolingbroke afcends my Throne; (Though then, Heav'n knows, I had no fuch intent; But that neceffity fo bow'd the State, That I and Greatnefs were compell'd to kiss :) The time fhall come, (thus did he follow it,) The time will come, that foul fin, gathering head, War. There is a hiftory in all men's lives, Such things become the hatch and brood of time; King Richard might create a perfect guefs, Which should not find a ground to root upon, K. Henry. Are these things then neceffities? And that fame word even now cries out on us: War. It cannot be: Rumour doth double, like the voice and echo, The Pow'rs, that you already have sent forth, To comfort you the more, K. Henry. I will take your counsel: And were these inward wars once out of hand, SCENE III. [Exeunt. Changes to Justice Shallow's Seat in Gloucestershire. Enter Shallow and Silence, Juftices; with Mouldy, Shadow, Wart, Feeble, and Bull-calf. OME on, come on, come on; give me Shal your hand, Sir; an early ftirrer, by the rood. And how doth my good cousin 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 Ellen? Sil. Sil. Alas, a black ouzel, coufin Shallow. Shal. By yea, and nay, Sir, I dare fay, my coufin William is become a good fcholar: he is at Oxford ftill, 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's-wold man, you had not four fuch fwinge-bucklers in all the Inns of Court again: and I may fay to you, we knew where the Bona-Roba's were, and had the best of them all at commandment. Then was Jack Falstaff, (now Sir John) a boy, and 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 faw 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 Sampfon Stockfish, a fruiterer, behind Grays-Inn. O the mad days that I have fpent! and to see how many of mine old acquaintance are dead? Sil. We fhall all follow, coufin. Shal. Certain, 'tis certain, very fure, very fure. Death (as the Pfalmist faith) is certain to all, all shall die. How a good yoke of Bullocks at Stamford Fair? Sil. Truly, coufin, I was not there. Shal. Death is certain. Is old Double of your town living yet? Sil. Dead, Sir. Shal. Dead! fee, fee, he drew a good bow: and dead? he shot a fine fhoot. John of Gaunt loved him well, and betted much money on his head. Dead! he H 3 would would have clapt in the clowt at twelve fcore, and carried fore-hand fhaft a fourteen and fourteen you a and a half, that it would have done a man's heart good to fee.- How a fcore of ewes now? Sil. Thereafter as they be: a score of good ewes may be worth ten pounds. Sil. Shal. And is old Double dead? H' Enter Bardolph, and Page. ERE come two of Sir John Falstaff's men, as Shal. Good-morrow, honeft gentlemen. Bard. I beseech you, which is Juftice Shallow? Shal. I am Robert Shallow, Sir, a poor Efquire of this Country, 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, by heav'n! and a moft gallant leader. Shal. He greets me well: Sir, I knew him a good back-fword man. How doth the good Knight? may I afk, how my lady his wife doth? Bard. Sir, pardon, a foldier is better accommodated than with a wife. Shal. It is well faid, Sir; and it is well faid, indeed, too better accommodated-it is good, yea, indeed, is it; good phrafes, furely, are, and ever were, very commendable. Accommodated-it comes of accommodo; very good, a good phrafe. Bard. Pardon me, Sir, I have heard the word. Phrafe, call you it? by this day, I know not the phrafe: but I will maintain the word with my fword, to be a foldier-like word, and a word of exceeding good command. Accommodated, that is, when a man is, as they fay, accommodated; or, when a man man is, being whereby he may be thought to be accommodated, which is an excellent thing. Shal. Tis very juft: look, here comes good Sir John. I Give your good hand: give me your Worlhip'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 mafter Robert Shallow Mafter Sure-card, as I think, : Shal. No, Sir John, it is my coufin Silence; in Commiffion with me. Fal. Good mafter Silence, it well befits, you should be of the peace. Sil. Your good Worship is welcome. Fal. Fie, this is hot weather, gentlemen; have you provided 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 so. : me fee, where is Mouldy? Moul. Here, if it please you. Let Shal. What think you, Sir John? a good limb'd fellow young, ftrong, 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, i'faith. Things, that are mouldy, lack ufe: very fingular good. Well faid, Sir John, very well faid. Fal. Prick him. Moul. I was prickt well enough before, if you could H 4 have |