Fal. What is the old king dead? Pist. As nail in door: the things I speak, are just. Fal. Away, Bardolph; saddle my horse.- Master Robert Shallow, choose what office thou wilt in the land, 'tis thine. - Pistol, I will double-charge thee with dignities. Bard. O joyful day! I would not take a knighthood for my fortune. Pist. What? I do bring good news? Fal. Carry master Silence to bed. Master Shallow, my lord Shallow, be what thou wilt, I am fortune's steward. Get on thy boots; we'll ride all night: O, sweet Pistol : Away Bardolph. [Exit BARD.] Come, Pistol, utter more to me; and withal, devise something, to do thyself good.— Boot, boot, master Shallow; I know, the young king is sick for me. Let us take any man's horses; the laws of England are at my commandment. Happy are they which have been my friends; and woe to my lord chief justice! Pist. Let vultures vile seize on his lungs also! Where is the life that late I led, say they : Why, here it is; Welcome these pleasant days. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. A public Place near Westminster Enter two Grooms, strewing Rushes. 1 Groom. More rushes, more rushes. 2 Groom. The trumpets have sounded twice. 1 Groom. It will be two o'clock ere they come from the coronation: Despatch, despatch. [Exeunt Grooms. Enter FALSTAFF, SHALLOW, PISTOL, BARDOLPH, and the Page. Fal. Stand here by me, master Robert Shallow; I will make the king do you grace: I will leer upon him, as 'a comes by; and do but mark the countenance that he will give me. Pist. Bless thy lungs, good knight. Fal. Come here, Pistol; stand behind me. - - 0, if I had had time to have made new liveries, I would have bestowed the thousand pound I borrowed of you. [To SHALLOW.] But 'tis no matter; this poor show doth better: this doth infer the zeal I had to see him. Pist. The heavens thee guard and keep, most royal imp of fame! Fal. God save thee, my sweet boy! King. My lord chief justice, speak to that vain man. Ch. Just. Have you your wits? know you what 'tis you speak? Fal. My king! my Jove! I speak to thee, my heart! King. I know thee not, old man: Fall to thy prayers; How ill white hairs become a fool, and jester! Give you advancement, Be it your charge, my Do Fal. That can hardly be, master Shallow. not you grieve at this; I shall be sent for in private to him look you, he must seem thus to the world. Fear not your advancement; I will be the man yet, that shall make you great. Shal. I cannot perceive how; unless you give me your doublet, and stuff me out with straw. I beseech you, good sir John, let me have five hundred of my thousand. Fal. Sir, I will be as good as my word: this that you heard, was but a colour. Shal. A colour, I fear, that you will die in, sir John. Fal. Fear no colours; go with me to dinner. Come, lieutenant Pistol; come, Bardolph : - I shall be sent for soon at night. [Exeunt. Re-enter PRINCE JOHN, the Chief Justice, P. John. I like this fair proceeding of the king's; P. John. The king hath call'd his parliament, iny lord. 8 Henceforward. As far as France: I heard a bird so sing, that ere this year | Whose musick, to my thinking, pleas'd the king. Come, will you hence? We bear our civil swords, and native fire, [Exeunt. FIRST, my fear; then, my court'sy; last, my | speech. My fear is, your displeasure; my court'sy, my duty; and my speech, to beg your pardons. If you look for a good speech now, you undo me: for what I have to say, is of mine own making; and what, indeed, I should say, will, I doubt, prove mine own marring. But to the purpose, and so to the venture. Be it known to you, (as is very well,) I was lately here in the end of a displeasing play, to pray your patience for it, and to promise you a better. I did mean, indeed, to pay you with this; which, if, like an ill venture, it come unluckily home, I break, and you, my gentle creditors lose. Here, I promised you, I would be, and here I commit my body to your mercies: bale me some, and I will pay you some, and as most debtors do, promise you infinitely. If my tongue cannot entreat you to acquit me, will you command me to use my legs? and yet that were But but light payment,· -to dance out of your debt. a good conscience will make any possible satisfaction, and so will I. All the gentlewomen here have forgiven me; if the gentlemen will not, then the gentlemen do not agree with the gentlewomen, which was never seen before in such an assembly. One word more, I beseech you. If you be not too much cloyed with fat ment, our humble author will continue the story, with sir John in it, and make you merry with fair Katharine of France: where, for any thing I know, Falstaff shall die of a sweat, unless already he be killed with your hard opinions; for Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man. My tongue is weary; when my legs are too, I will bid you good night and so kneel down before you; -but, indeed, to pray for the queen. 9 9 Most of the ancient interludes conclude with a prayer for the king or queen. Hence, perhaps, the Vivant Rex & Regina, at the bottom of our modern play-bills. EARLS OF SALISBURY, WESTMORELAND, and WAR- DUKES OF BURGUNDY, ORLEANS, and BOURBON. Conspirators against the SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM, GOWER, FLUELLEN, BATES, COURT, WILLIAMS, Soldiers in the same. Boy, Servant to them. The CONSTABLE of France. RAMBURES, and GRANDPREE, French Lords. MONTJOY, a French Herald. ISABEL, Queen of France. KATHARINE, Daughter of Charles and Isabel. Lords, Ladies, Officers, French and English Soldiers. The SCENE, at the beginning of the play, lies in England; but afterwards wholly in France. Enter CHORUS. O, for a muse of fire that would ascend Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all, An illusion to the circular form of the theatre. 2 Helmcts. Attest, in little place, a million; Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray 3 Powers of fancy |