Thy maiden sword. Lan. But, soft! who have we here? Did you not tell me, this fat man was dead? P.Henry. I did; I saw him dead, breathless and bleeding Upon the ground. Art thou alive? or is it fantasy That plays upon our eye-sight? I pr'ythee,speak;| We will not trust our eyes, without our ears: Thou art not what thou seem'st. of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster, Earl of Westmoreland,withWorcester,and Vernon prisoners. K.Henry. Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke.— Ill-spirited Worcester! did we not send grace, 5 Pardon, and terms of love to all of you? And would'st thou turn our offers contrary? Misuse the tenor of thy kinsman's trust? Three knights upon our party slain to-day, A noble earl, and many a creature else, 10 Had been alive this hour, Fal. No, that's certain; I am not a double man: but if I be not Jack Falstaff, then am I a Jack. There is Percy: [throwing the body down] it your father will do me any honour, so; if not, Jet him kill the next Percy himself. I look to be 15 either earl or duke, I can assure you. P.Henry. Why, Percy I kill'd myself, and saw thee dead. Fal. Didst thou?-Lord, lord, how this world] is given to lying!-I grant you, I was down, and 20 out of breath; and so was he: but we rose both at an instant, and fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock. If I may be believ'd, so: if not, let them, that should reward valour, bear the sin upon their own heads. I'll take it upon my death, 25 I gave him this wound in the thigh; if the man were alive, and would deny it, I would make him cat a piece of my sword. Lan. This is the strangest tale that e'er I heard. P.Henry. This is the strangest fellow, brother 30 John. If, like a christian, thou hadst truly borne [Exeunt Worcester and Vernon, guarded. [you K. Henry. With all my heart. P. Henry. Then, brother John of Lancaster, to This honourable bounty shall belong: Go to the Douglas, and deliver him Up to his pleasure, ransomless, and free: His valour, shewn upon our crests to-day, Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds, [A retreat is sounded. 35 Even in the bosom of our adversaries. Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back: The trumpet sounds retreat, the day is ours. Come, brother, let's to the highest of the field, To see what friends are living, who are dead. [Exeunt. Fal. I'll follow, as they say, for reward. He40 that rewards me, heaven reward him! If I do grow great, I'll grow less; for I'll purge, and leave sack, and live cleanly, as a nobleman should do. [Exit, bearing off the body. SCENE V. Another part of the Field. The trumpets sound. Enter King Henry, Prince K. Henry. Then this remains,-that we divide our power. You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, To meet Northumberland, and the prelate Scroop, Myself,--and you, son Harry, will towards Wales, SECOND KING OF HENRY IV. INDUCTION. The vent of hearing, when loud Rumour speaks? That the blunt monster with uncounted heads, 5 My well-known body to anatomize Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury, Even with the rebels' blood. But what mean I To noise abroad,-that Harry Monmouth fell 10 Under the wrath of noble Hotspur's sword; And that the king before the Douglas' rage Stoop'd his anointed head as low as death. This have I rumour'd through the peasant towns Between that royal field of Shrewsbury 15 And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone, Where Hotspur's father, old Northumberland, Lies crafty-sick: the posts come tiring on, And not a man of them brings other news Than they have learn'd of me; From Rumour's tongues 20 They bring smooth comforts false, worse than true The transactions comprized in this History take up about nine years. The action commences with the account of Hotspur's being defeated and killed; and closes with the death of king Henry IV. and the coronation of king Henry V. Enter Enter Northumberland. Bard. Here comes the earl. North. What news, Lord Bardolph? Every minute now Should be the father of some stratagem: Bard. Noble earl, I bring you certain news from Shrewsbury. Bard. As good as heart can wish: North. How is this deriv'd? Saw you the field? came you from Shrewsbury? 5 10 15 I'll give my barony: never talk of it. Give then such instances of loss? Bard. Who, he? He was some hilding fellow, that had stoln North. Yea, this man's brow, like to a title-leaf", So looks the strond, whereon the imperious flood Say, Morton, did'st thou come from Shrewsbury? North. How doth my son and brother? So dull, so dead in look, so woe-begone, Bard. I spake with one, my lord, that came 25 But Priam found the fire, ere he his tongue, from thence; A gentleman well bred, and of good name, On Tuesday last to listen after news. Bard. My lord, I over-rode him on the way; Enter Travers. North, Now, Trayers, what good tidings come with you? Tra. My lord, Sir John Umfrevile turn'd me back North. Ha Again, Said he, young Harry Percy's spur was cold? Bard. My lord, I'll tell you what ;- 1 2 And I my Percy's death, ere thou report'st it. 35 North. Why, he is dead. See, what a ready tongue suspicion hath! And I will take it as a sweet disgrace, Mort. You are too great to be by me gainsaid: 55 Remember'd knolling a departing friend. Bard, I cannot think, my lord, your son is dead. Mort. I am sorry, I should force you to believe That, which I would to heaven I had not seen: But these mine eyes saw him in bloody state, To forspend is to waste, to exhaust. Jade seems anciently to have signified that we now call a hackney; a beast employed in drudgery, opposed to a horse kept for show, or to be rid by its master. Poor jade here means the horse wearied with his journey. A point is a string tagged, or lace. * For hilderling, i. e. base, degenerate. 'Mr. Steevens observes, that in the time of our poet, the title-page to an elegy, as well as every intermediate leaf, was totally blank. i, e. so far gone in woe. Feur for danger. Reud'ting 4 breath'd, Rend'ring faint quittance', wearied and out- Out of his keeper's arms; even so my limbs, To stormy passion, must perforce decay. Of wounds, and scars; and that his forward spirit 10 Would lift him where most trade of danger rang'd; Yet did you say,-Go forth; and none of this, Though strongly apprehended, could restrain The stiff-born action: What hath then befallen, Or what hath this bold enterprize brought forth, 15 More than that being which was like to be? 20 Bard. We all, that are engaged to this loss, 251 hear for certain, and do speak the truth,- 30 With well appointed powers; he is a man, A scaly gauntlet now, with joints of steel, North. I knew of this before; but, to speak This present grief had wip'd it from my mind. A street in London. II. Enter Sir John Falstaff, with his page bearing his sword and buckler. Fal. Sirrah, you giant! what says the doctor Lean on your health; the which, if you give o'er to my water? 1 1 Quittance is return. By faint quittance is meant a faint return of blows. 2 i. e. reduced to a lower temper, or, as it is usually called, let down. i. e. began to fall his courage, to let his spirits sink under his fortune. i. e. bend, yield to pressure. The dole of blows is the distribution of blows; dole originally signifying the portion of alms (consisting either of meat or money) given away at the door of a nobleman. That is, stands over his country to defend her as she lies bleeding on the ground. 1. e. greater and less. Page Page. He said, sir, the water itself was a good healthy water: but, for the party that owed it, he might have more diseases than he knew for. Fal. Men of all sorts take a pride to gird' at me: The brain of this foolish-compounded clay, 5 man, is not able to invent any thing that tends to laughter, more than I invent, or is invented on me: I am not only witty in myself, but the cause that wit is in other men. I do here walk before thee, like a sow, that hath overwhelmed all her litter 10 but one. If the prince put thee into my service for any other reason then to set me off, why then I have no judgment. Thou whoreson' mandrake, thou art fitter to be worn in my cap, than to wait at my heels. I was never mann'd' with an agate 15 'till now; but I will neither set you in gold nor silver, but in vile apparel, and send you back again to your master, for a jewel; the juvenal, the prince your master, whose chin is not yet fledg'd. I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my 20 hand, than he shall get one on his cheek; yet he will not stick to say, his face is a face-royal. Heaven may finish it when he will, it is not a hair amiss yet: he may keep it still as a face-royal, for a barber shall never earn sixpence out of it; and 25| yet he will be crowing, as if he had writ man ever since his father was a batchelor. He may keep his own grace, but he is almost out of mine, I can assure him.- -What said master Dombledon about the sattin for my short cloak, and slops? Page. He said, sir, you should procure him better assurance than Bardolph: he would not take his bond and yours; he lik'd not the security. 30 a horse in Smithfield: If I could get me but a wife Ful. Wait close, I will not see him. Serv. He, my lord: but he hath since done good service at Shrewsbury; and, as I hear, is now going with some charge to the lord John of Lancaster. Ch. Just. What, to York? Call him back again. Sere. Sir John Falstaff! Fal. Boy, tell him I am deaf. Page. You must speak louder, my master is Ideaf. Ch. Just. I am sure he is, to the hearing of any thing good.--Go, pluck him by the elbow; I must speak with him. Serv. Sir John, Fal. What! a young knave, and beg! Is there not wars? is there not employment? Doth not the king lack subjects? do not the rebels want soldiers? Though it be a shame to be on any side but one, it is a worse shame to beg than to be on the worst side, were it worse than the name of rebellion can tell how to make it. Serv. You mistake me, sir. Fal. Why, sir, did I say you were an honest 35 man? Setting my knighthood and my soldiership aside, I had lied in my throat if I had said so. Fal. Let him be damn'd like the glutton: may his tongue be hotter!-A whoreson Achitophel a rascally yea-forsooth knave! to bear a gentleman in hand, and then stand upon security!-The whoreson smooth-pates do now wear nothing but high shoes, and bunches of keys at their girdles; and if a man is thorough with them' in honest 40 taking up, then they must stand upon-security. I had as lief they would put ratsbane in my mouth, as offer to stop it with security. I look'd he should have sent ine two-and-twenty yards of sattin, as I ain a true knight, and he sends me security. Well, 45 he may sleep in security; for he hath the horn of abundance, and the lightness of his wife shines through it: and yet cannot he see, though he have his own lanthorn to light him.- -Where's Bardolph Page. He's gone into Smithfield to buy your worship a horse. Fal. I bought him in Paul's", and he'll buy me Serv. I pray you, sir, then set your knighthood and your soldiership aside; and give me leave to tell you, you lie in your throat, if you say I am any other than an honest man. Fal. I give thee leave to tell me so! I lay aside that which grows to me! If thou get'st any leave of me, hang me; if thou tak'st leave, thou wert better be hang'd: You hunt-counter', hence! avaunt! Serv. Sir, my lord would speak with you. Ch. Just. Sir John Falstaff, a word with you. Fal. My good lord!-God give your lordship good time of day. I am glad to see your lordship 50 abroad: I heard say your lordship was sick: I hope, your lordship goes abroad by advice. Your lordship, though not clean past your youth, hath yet some smack of age in you, some relish of the 1i. e. to gibe. 2 Mandrake is a root supposed to have the shape of a man. 'That is, I never before had an agate for my man. Our author alludes to the little figures cut in agates and other hard stones, for seals; and therefore Falstaff says, I will set you neither in gold nor silver. i. e. the young man. ⚫ Mr. Steevens thinks, "this quibbling allusion is to the English real, rial, or royal; and that the poet seems to mean, that a barber can no more earn sixpence by his face-royal, than by the face stamped on the coin called a royal; the one requiring as little shaving as the other." That is, to keep a gentleman in expectation. 'To be thorough seems to be the same with the present phrase to be in with (in debt) a tradesman. At that time the resort of idle people, cheats, and knights of the post. "This judge was Sir William Gascoigne, chief justice of the king's-bench. He died December, 17, 1413, and was buried in Harwood church, in Yorkshire. 10 That is, blunderer. 8 saltness |