Poins. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turn'd back; and for the third, if he fights longer than he fees reason, I'll forswear arms. The virtue of this jeft will be, the incomprehenfible lyes that this fame fat rogue will tell us when we meet at fupper; how thirty at least he fought with; what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and, in the reproof of this, lies the jeft.

P. Henry. Well, I'll go with thee. Provide us all things neceffary, and meet me to-morrow night in Eaft-cheap there I'll fup. Farewel.

Poins. Farewel, my Lord.

[Exit Poins

P. Henry. I know you all, and will awhile uphold.

The unyok'd humour of your idleness;
Yet herein will I imitate the Sun,

Who doth permit the bafe contagious clouds
To fmother up his beauty from the world;
That when he please again to be himself,.
Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours, that did feem to ftrangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,
To fport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they feldom come, they wish'd-for coms;,
And nothing pleafeth, but rare accidents.
So, when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promifed;
By how much better than my word I am,
By so much shall I falfify men's hopes;
And, like bright metal on a fullen ground,,
My reformation glittering o'er my fault,
Shall fhew more goodly, and attract more eyes,
Than that which hath no foil to fet it off.
I'll fo offend, to make offence a skill;
Redeeming time, when men think leaft I will.

[Exit.

No. X

No. X. THE FIRST PART OF KING
HENRY IV.

ACT II. SCENE IV.

Enter Falftaff, Gads-hill, Bardolph, and Peto

WELCOME, food; where at thou been?

Fal. A plague on all cowards, I fay, 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 on all cowards!-Give me a cup of fack, rogue.-Is there no virtue extant? [He drinks. P. Henry. Didft thou never see Titan kiss a dish of butter? (pitiful-hearted Titan!) that melted at the sweet tale of the fun! If thou didst, 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 all manner: of fongs. A plague on 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 fubjects 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? [Zo Poins. P. Henry. Ye fat paunch, an ye call me coward, I'll stab 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 straight enough in the

fhoulders

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 sack; 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 on 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 pounds 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 efcap'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 hand-faw-Ecce fignum! [Shews bis fword.] I never dealt better fince I was a man.-All would not do. A plague on all cowards!-Let them fpeak; if they speak more or less 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 few elfe, an Ebrew Jew.

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

Fal. And unbound the rest, and then came in the other. P. Henry. What, fought ye 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 am I no two-legg'd creature.

Poins. Pray heaven, you have not murthered fome of

them.

Fai

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 lye, fpit in my face, call me horse. 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 faidft but two, even now. Fal. Four, Hal, I told thee four.

Poins. Ay, ay, he said four.

Fal. Thefe four came all a front, and mainly thruft 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 shall 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 listening to. These nine in buckram, that I told thee of

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

Fal. Began to give me ground; but I follow'd me close, 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 mifbegotten knaves in Kendal green came at my back, and let drive at me; (for it was fo dark, Hal, that thou couldft not fee thy: hand.)

P. Henry. These lyes 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 couldst thou know these men in

Kendal

Kendal green, when it was fo dark thou couldst not fee thy hand? Come, tell us your reafon: what fayft thou to this? ·Poins. Come, your reafon, Jack, your reason.

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 reafon on compulfion! If reafons were as plenty as black-berries, I would not give you a reafon upon compulfion-I!

P. Henry. I'll be no longer guilty of this fin. This fanguine coward, this bed-prefier, this horfe-back-breaker, this huge hill of flesh

Fal. Away, you ftarveling, you elf-skin you dry'd neat'stongue, bull's pizzle, you stock-fifh-O for breath to utter what is like thee-You taylor's yard, you fheath, you bowcafe, you vile ftanding tuck

P. Henry. Well, breathe awhile, and then to 't again; and when thou haft tir'd thy felf in bafe comparisons, hear me fpeak but this.

Poins. Mark, Jack.

P. Henry. We two faw you four set on four; you 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 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 1 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

fbame?

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 masters; 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. Infine is a great matter; I was a coward on inftin&t. I shall 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