Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub
[blocks in formation]

Enter Falstaff, Gads-hill, Bardolph, and Peto.

Poins.

W ELCOME, Jack; where haft thou been?

Fal. A plague of all cowards, I say, and a vengeance too, marry and Amen! Give me a cup of fack, boy-Ere I lead this life long, I'll few nether focks, and mend them, and foot them too. A plague of all cowards! Give me a cup of fack, rogue. Is there no virtue extant?

[He drinks. P. Henry. Didft thou ever see Titan kiss a dish of butter? (pitiful-hearted Titan!) that melted at the fweet tale of the Sun? if thou didft, then behold that compound.

Fal. You rogue, here's lime in this fack too; there is nothing but roguery to be found in villainous man; yet a coward is worse than a cup of fack with lime in it. A villainous coward-Go thy ways, old Jack, die when thou wilt, if manhood, good manhood, be not forgot upon the face of the earth, then am I a fhotten herring; there live not three good men unhang'd in England, and one of them is fat, and grows old, God help, the while! a bad world; I fay. I would, I were a weaver; I could fing pfalms, and all manner of fongs. A plague of all cowards, I fay

ftill!

P. Henry. How now, Woolfack, what mutter you?

Fal. A King's fon? if I do not beat thee out of thy Kingdom with a dagger of lath, and drive all thy Subjects afore thee like a flock of wild geefe, I'll never wear hair on my face more. You Prince of Wales?

P. Henry. Why, you whorefon round man! what's the matter?

Fal. Are you not a coward? answer me to that, and Poins there?

P. Henry

[ocr errors]

P. Henry. Ye fat paunch, an ye call me coward, I'll ftab'thee.

Fal. I call thee coward; I'll fee thee damn'd ere I call thee coward; but I would give a thousand pound I could run as faft as thou canft. You are ftrait enough in the fhoulders, you care not who fees your back: call you that backing of your friends? a plague upon fuch backing! give me them that will face me -Give me a cup of fack; I am a rogue, if I drunk to day.

P. Henry, O villain, thy lips are scarce wip'd fince thou drunk'ft laft.

Fal. All's one for that.

A plague of all cowards, ftill, fay I!

P. Henry. What's the matter?

[He drinks.

Fal. What's the matter! here be four of us, have ta'en a thousand pound this morning.

P. Henry. Where is it, Jack? where is it?

Fal. Where is it? taken from us, it is; a hundred upon poor four of us.

P. Henry. What a hundred, man?

Fal. I am a rogue, if I were not at half-fword with a dozen of them two hours together. I have escap'd by miracle. I am eight times thruft through the doublet, four through the hofe, my buckler cut through and through, my fword hack'd like a handfaw, ecce fignum. I never delt better fince I was a man; all would not do. A plague of all cowards!let them speak; if they fpeak more or lefs than truth, they are villains and the fons of darkness.

P. Henry. Speak, Sirs, how was it?

Gads. We four fet upon fome dozen.
Fal. Sixteen, at leaft, my lord.
Gads. And bound them.

Peto. No, no, they were not bound.

Fal. You rogue, they were bound, every man of them, or I am a Jew elfe, an Ebrew Jew.

Gads

Gads. As we were fharing, fome fix or seven fresh men fet upon us.

Fal. And unbound the reft, and then came in the other.

P. Henry. What, fought you with them all?

Fal. All? I know not, what ye call all; but if I fought not with fifty of them, I am a bunch of radifh: if there were not two or three and fifty upon poor old Jack, then I am no two-legg'd creature.

Poins. Pray heav'n, you have not murdered fome of them.

Fal. Nay, that's past 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, call me horse; thou know'st 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 faid'st but two, even

now.

Fal. Four, Hal, I told thee four.

Poins. Ay, ay, he said four.

Fal. These four came all a-front, and mainly thrust I made no more ado, but took all their feven points in my target, thus.

at me;

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 else.
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 liftning to: these nine in buckram, that I told thee of

P. Henry. So, two more already.
Fal. Their points being broken-
Poins. Down fell his hofe.

Fal.

Fal. Began to give me ground; but I follow'd me clofe, came in foot and hand; and, with a thought, seven of the eleven I pay'd.

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 could'ft not fee thy hand.)

P. Henry. These 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 whorefon obfcene greafy tallow-catch

Fal. What, art thou mad? art thou mad? is not the truth, the truth?

P. Henry. Why, how could'st thou know these men in Kendal green, when it was fo dark, thou could'st not fee thy hand? come, tell us your reason: 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 reafons 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. This fanguine coward, this bed-preffer, this horse-backbreaker, this huge hill of flesh,

Fal. Away, you flarveling, you eel-fkin, you dry'd neats-tongue, bull's pizzel, you ftock-fifh: O for breath to utter! What is like thee? You taylor's yard, you fheath, you bow-cafe, you vile ftanding 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

bound them, and were mafters 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, outfac'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 say it was in fight-What trick? what device? what starting hole, canft thou now find out, to hide thee from this open and apparent shame?

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 inftinct: I fhall think the better of myfelf, 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 money. Hoftess, clap to the doors; watch to night, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowfhip come to you! What, fhall we be merry? fhall we have a play extempore?

P. Henry. Content:-and the argument fhall be thy running away.

Fal. Ah!-no more of that, Hal, if thou lovest me.

Hoft.

0

SCENE X.

Enter Hoftefs.

Jefu! my lord the Prince!

P. Henry. How now, my lady the hoftess, what fay'ft thou to me?

Hoft.

« EdellinenJatka »