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Re-enter the Hoftefs..

Hoft. O, my lord, my lord!

Fal. Heigh, heigh, the devil rides upon a fiddleftick: what's the matter?

Hoft. The Sheriff and all the watch are at the door: they are come to fearch the house. Shall I let them in?

Fal. Doft thou hear, Hal? Never call a true piece of gold a counterfeit; thou art effentially mad, without feeming fo. P. Henry. And thou a natural coward, without instinct. Fal. I deny your major: If you will deny the Sheriff, fo; if not, let him enter. If I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up; I hope I shall as foon be strangled with a halter as another.

P. Henry. Go, hide thee behind the arras, the rest walk up above. Now, my mafters, for a true face and good confcience.

Fal. Both which I have had; but their date is out, and therefore I'll hide me. [Exeunt Falftaff, Bardolph,

P. Henry. Call in the Sheriff..

Enter Sheriff and Carrier.

Now, mafter Sheriff, what is your will with me?
Sher. First, pardon me, my lord.-A hue and cry
Hath follow'd certain men unto this houfe.

P. Henry. What men ?

Sher. One of them is well known, my gracious lord, A grofs fat man.

Car. As fat as butter.

P. Henry. The man, I do affure you, is not here,
For I myfelf at this time have employ'd him;
And, Sheriff, I engage my word to thee,
That I will, by to-morrow dinner-time,

Send him to anfwer thee, or any man,`

For any thing he fhall be charg'd withal;

And fo let me intreat you leave the house.

Sher. I will, my lord. There are two gentlemen

Have in this robbery loft three hundred marks.

P. Henry. It may be fo; if he have robb'd thefe men, He fhall be anfwerable; and fo farewel.

Sher. Good night, my noble lord.

P. Henry. I think it is good morrow, is it not?

Sher

Sher. Indeed, my lord, I think it be two o'clock., [Exit. P. Henry. This oily rascal is known as well as Paul's; go call him forth.

Peto. Falstaff

fnorting like a horfe.

A

faft afleep behind the arras, and

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P. Henry. Hark! how hard he fetches breath! Search his pockets. [He fearches his pockets, and finds certain papers. P. Henry. What haft thou found ?

Peto. Nothing but papers, my lord.

P. Henry. Let's fee, what be they? read them........
Peto. Item, a capon, 25. 2d.

Item, Sauce, 4d.

Item, Sack, two gallons, 5s. 8d.

ג'

Item, Anchovies and fack after fupper, 2s. 6d.,
Item, Bread, a halfpenny.

Iri

P. Henry. O monftrous! but one halfpenny-worth of bread to this intolerable deal of fack! What there is elfe, keep clofe, we'll read it at more advantage; there let him fleep till day. I'll to the Court in the morning; we muit all to the wars, and thy place shall be honourable. I'll procure this fat rogue a charge of foot, and, I know, his death will be a march of twelve fcore. The money fhall be paid back again with advantage. Be with me betimes in the morning; and fo good morrow, Peto.

Peto. Good morrow, good my lord.

Exeunt.

No. XI.-THE SECOND PART OF KING HENRY IV.

ACT III. SCENE I.. The Palace in London.

Enter King Henry in his Night Gown, with a Page.

Go,

K. HENRY.

call the Earls of Surry and of Warwick:

But, ere they come, bid them o'er-read thefe letters,

And well confider of them. Make good fpeed. Exit Page. How many thousands of my poorelt fubjects

Are at this hour afleep! O gentle Sleep,

M

Nature's

Nature's foft nurfe, how have I frighted thee,
That thou no more wilt weigh my eye-lids down,
And fteep my fenfes in forgetfulness?

Why rather, Sleep, ly'ft thou in fmoky cribs,
Upon uneafy pallets ftretching thee,

And hufht with buzzing night-flies to thy flumber,
Than in the perfum'd chambers of the great,
Under the canopies of coftly state,

And lull'd with founds of fweetest melody?
O thou dull God, why ly't thou with the vile
In loathfome beds, and leav'ft the kingly couch
A watch-cafe or a common larum-bell ?

Wilt thou, upon the high and giddy mast,
Seal up the fhip-boy's eyes, and rock his brains,
In cradle of the rude imperious furge;
And in the vifitation of the winds,

Who take the ruffian billows by the top,

Curling their monftrous heads, and hanging them
With deaf'ning clamours in the flipp'ry fhrouds,
That, with the hurly, death itfelf awakes!
Canft thou, partial Sleep, give thy repofe
To the wet fea-boy in an hour fo rude;
And, in the calmeit and the ftillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a King? Then happy lowly clown,
Uneafy lies the head that wears a crown.

Enter Warwick and Surrey.

War. Many good-morrows to your Majefty!
K. Henry. Is it good morrow, lords?

War. 'Tis one o'clock, and paft.

K. Henry. Why, then, good morrow to you. Well my lords,

Have you read o'er the letters that I sent you?

War. We have, my Leige.

K. Henry. Then you perceive the body of our kingdom How foul it is; what rank diseases grow, And with what danger, near the heart of it.

War. It is but as a body yet diftempered, Which to its former ftrength may be reftor'd,

Wi

With good advice and little medicine;

My lord, Northumberland will foon be cool'd.

K. Henry. Oh, heaven, that one might read the book of

fate,

And see the revolution of the times

Make mountains level, and the continent,

Weary of folid firmness, melt itself

Into the fea; and, other times, tó fee

The beachy girdle of the ocean

Too wide for Neptune's hips; how chances mock,
And changes fill the cup of alteration

With divers liquors! O, if this were feen,
The happiest youth, viewing his progress through,
What perils paft, what croffes to enfue,

Wou'd fhut the book, and fit him down, and die.
'Tis not ten years gone,

Since Richard and Northumberland, great friends,
Did feaft together; and in two years after
Were at wars. It is but eight years fince
This Percy was the man nearest my foul;
Who, like a brother, toil'd in my affairs,
And laid his love and life under my foot;
Yea, for my fake, e'en to the eyes of Richard,
Gave him defiance. But which of you was by?
(You, coufin Nevil, as I may remember)
When Richard, with his eye brimful of tears,
Then check'd and rated by Northumberland,
Did fpeak these words, now prov'd a prophecy.
'Northumberland, thou ladder by the which
My coufin Bolingbroke afcends my Throne:
Though then, heav'n knows, I had no such intent;
But that Neceffity fo bow'd the State,

That I and Greatnefs were compell'd to kifs:
'The time will come, thus did he follow it,
"The time will come, that foul fin, gathering head,
· Shall break into corruption: lo went on,
Foretelling this fame time's condition,
And the divifion of our amity.

War. There is a history in all men's lives,
Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd;
The which obferv'd, a man may prophesy,
M 2

[To War.

With

With a near aim of the main chance of things
As yet not come to life, which in their feeds
And weak beginnings lie intreasured.

Such things become the hatch and brood of time;
And by the neceflary form of this,

King Richard might create a perfect guefs,
That great Northumberland, then falfe to him,
Would of that feed grow to a greater falfenefs,
Which should not find a ground to root upon,
Unless on you.

K. Henry. Are these things then neceffities?
Then let us meet them like neceffities;

And that fame word even now cries out on us.
They fay, the Bishop and Northumberland
Are fifty thoufand ftrong.

War. It cannot be :

Rumour doth double, like the voice and echo,
The numbers of the fear'd. Please it your Grace
To go to bed. Upon my life, my Lord,
The pow'rs that you already have fent forth;
Shall bring this prize in very easily.
To comfort you the more, I have receiv'd

A certain inftance that Glendower is dead.
Your Majefty hath been this fortnight ill,
And these unfeafon'd hours perforce must add
Unto your fickness.

K. Henry. I will take your counfel;
And were these inward wars once out of hand,
We would, dear Lords, unto the Holy Land.

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