They come like Sacrifices in their trim, And yet not ours. Come, let me take my horfe, 4 Against the bofom of the Prince of Wales. Harry to Harry fhall, hot horfe to horfe Meet, and ne'er part, 'till One drop down a coarfe. Ver. There is more news: I learn'd in Worcester, as I rode along, Hot. Forty let it be; My father and Glendower being both away, Dewg. Talk not of dying, I am out of fear Of death, or death's hand, for this one half year. [Exeunt. 4 Harry to Harry fall, hot borje to horfe, Meet, and ne er part. This reading I have rettored from the first edition. The fecond edition in 1622, reads, mer, who, juftly remarking the Harry to Harry fall, and Harry to Harry fall, not horfe But the unexampled expreffion to horfe, Meet, and ne'er part. which has been followed by all the criticks except Sir Tho. Han of meeting to, for meeting with or fimply meeting, is yet left. The ancient reading is furely right. SCENE SCENE III. Changes to a publick Road, near Coventry. Fal.B Enter Falstaff and Bardolph. Ardolph, thee before to Coventry; fill me get a bottle of fack. Our foldiers fhall march through; we'll to Sutton-cold-field to-night. Bard. Will you give me mony, captain? Fal. Lay out, lay out. Bard. This bottle makes an angel, Fal. And if it do, take it for thy labour; and if it make twenty, take them all, I'll anfwer the coynage. Bid my lieutenant * Peto meet me at the town's end. Bard. I will, captain; farewel. [Exit. Fal. If I be not afham'd of my foldiers, I am a fouc'd gurnet. I have mif-us'd the King's Prefs damnably; I have got, in exchange of an hundred and fifty foldiers, three hundred and odd pounds. I prefs me none but good houfholders, yeomens fons; enquire me out contracted batchelors, fuch as had been alk'd twice on the banes; fuch a commodity of warm flaves, as had as lieve hear the devil, as a drum; fuch as fear the report of a culverin, worfe than a ftruck fowl, or a hurt wild duck. I prefs me none but fuch 6 pofition to all the copies, a struck Deer, which is indeed a proper expreffion, but not likely to have been corrupted. Shakespeare, perhaps, wrote a ftruck forel, which, being negligently read by a man not killed in hunter's language, was eafily changed to truck fowl. Sorel is uted in Love's lar bour loft for a young deer, and the terms of the chafe were, in our authour's time, familiar to the ears of every gentleman. toafts toafts and butter, with hearts in their bellies no bigger than pins' heads, and they have bought out their fervices. And now my whole Charge confifts of ancients, corporals, lieutenants, gentlemen of companies, flaves as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the Glutton's dogs licked his fores; and fuch as indeed were never foldiers, but difcarded unjust fervingmen, younger fons to younger brothers; revolted tapfters, and ottlers-trade-fall'n, the cankers of a calm world and a long peace; ten times more difhonourably 2 8 • Younger fons to younger brothers;] Raleigh, in his difcourfe on war, ufes this very expreflion for men of defperate fortune and wild adventure. Which borrowed it from the other I know not, but I think the play was printed before the difcourfe. 8 ten times more difhonou rably ragged than an old-fac'd Antient.] Shakespeare uses this Word fo promifcuoufly, to fignify an Enfign or Standard bearer, and alfo the Colours or Standard borne, that I cannot be at a Certainty for his Allufion here. If the Text be genuine, I think, the Meaning muft be; as difhonourably ragged as one that has been an Enfign all his days; that has let Age creep upon him, and never had Merit enough to gain Preferment. Mr. Warburton, who understands it in the Second Con#ruction, has fufpected the Text, and given the following ingenious Emendation. "How is an old-fac'd Ancient, or Enfign, difhonourably ragged? "On the contrary, Nothing is "esteemed more honourable "than a ragged Pair of Colours, A very hule Alteration will "reftore it to its original Senfe, "which contains a Touch of "the ftrongest and most fine"turned Satire in the World; Ten times more dishonourably ragged, than an old Feast Ancient : "i. e. the Colours ufed by the "City-Companies in their Feafs "and Proceffions. For each "Company had one with its pe"culiar Device, which was u"fually difplay'd and borne a"bout on fuch Occafions. Now 66 Nothing could be more witty or fatirical than this Compa"rifon. For as Falftaff's Rag“ gamuffians were reduced to "their tatter'd Condition thro "their riotous Exceffes; fo this "old Feat Ancient became torn "and fhatter'd, not in any man"ly Exercife of Arms, but a"midft the Revels of drunken "Bacchanals." THEOBALD. Dr. Warburton's emendation is very acute and judicious; but I know not whether the licentiousnefs of our authour's diction may not allow us to fuppofe that he meant to reprefent his foldiers, as more ragged, though lefs honourably ragged, than an old ancient. ragged, ragged, than an old-feaft ancient; and fuch have I to fill up the rooms of them that have bought out their fervices; that you would think, I had a hundred and fifty tatter'd Prodigals, lately come from fwine-keeping, from eating draff and hufks. A mad fellow met me on the way, and told me, I had unloaded all the gibbets, and preft the dead bodies. No eye hath feen fuch fkare-crows: I'll not march through Coventry with them, that's flat. Nay, and the villains march wide betwixt the legs, as if they had' gyves on; for, indeed, I had the most of them out of prison. There's but a fhirt and half in all my company; and the half-fhirt is two napkins tack'd together, and thrown over the fhoulders like a herald's coat without fleeves; and the fhirt, to fay the truth, ftoll'n from my Hoft of St. Albans; or the red-nos'd Inn keeper of Daintry. But that's all one, they'll find linen enough on every hedge. Enter Prince Henry, and Weftmorland. P. Henry. How now, blown Jack? how now, quilt? Fal. What, Hal? How now, mad wag, what a devil doft thou in Warwickshire? My good lord of Westmorland, I cry you mercy; I thought, your Hopour had already been at Shrewsbury. Weft. 'Faith, Sir John, 'tis more than time that I were there, and you too; but my Powers are there already. The King, I can tell you, looks for us all; muft away all to night. we Fal. Tut, never fear me, I am as vigilant, as a Cat to steal cream, R. Henry. I think, to fteal cream, indeed; for thy theft hath already made thee butter. But tell me, Jack, whofe fellows are thefe that come after? Fal. Mine, Hal, mine. R. Henry. I did never fee fuch pitiful rascals. gyves on; i. e. fhackles. POPE. Fal. Fal. Tut, tut,' good enough to tofs: food for pow der, food for powder; they'll fill a pit, as well as better; tush, man, mortal men, mortal men. Weft. Ay, but, Sir John, methinks, they are exceeding poor and bare, too beggarly. Fal. Faith, for their poverty, I know not where they had that; and for their bareness, I am fure, they never learn'd that of me. P. Henry. No, I'll be fworn, unless you call three fingers on the ribs, bare. But, firrah, make hafte. Percy is already in the field. Fal. What, is the King encamp'd? Weft. He is, Sir John; I fear, we fhall ftay too long. Fal. Well, The latter end of a fray, and beginning of a feaft, SCENE IV. Changes to SHREWSBURY. [Exeunt. Enter Hot-fpur, Worcester, Dowglas, and Vernon. Hat. 7E'll fight him to-night. WE Wor. It may not be. Dowg. You give him then advantage. Ver. Not a whit. Hot. Why fay you fo? looks he not for fupply? Ver. So do we. Hot. He is certain; ours is doubtful. Wor. Good coufin, be advis'd; ftir not to night. Dowg. You do not counsel well; You speak it out of fear, and from cold heart. Good enough to tofs.] That is, to tofs upon a pike. And |