Is Gilliams with the packet gone?
Serv. He is, my lord, an hour ago.[2357]
Hot. Hath Butler brought those horses from the sheriff?[2358]
Serv. One horse, my lord, he brought even now.[2359]65
Hot. What horse? a roan, a crop-ear, is it not?[2360][2361]
Serv. It is, my lord.[2361]
Hot. That roan shall be my throne.[2362]
 Well, I will back him straight: O esperance![2362][2363]
 Bid Butler lead him forth into the park.[2362][2364] [Exit Servant.
Lady. But hear you, my lord.70
Hot. What say'st thou, my lady?
Lady. What is it carries you away?
Hot. Why, my horse, my love, my horse.[2365]
Lady. Out, you mad-headed ape![2366]
 A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen[2366]75
 As you are toss'd with. In faith,[2366][2367]
 I'll know your business, Harry, that I will.[2366]
 I fear my brother Mortimer doth stir[2366]
 About his title, and hath sent for you[2366]
 To line his enterprize: but if you go,—[2366]80
Hot. So far afoot, I shall be weary, love.
Lady. Come, come, you paraquito, answer me[2368]
 Directly unto this question that I ask:[2368][2369]
 In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry,[2368][2370]
 An if thou wilt not tell me all things true.[2368][2371]85
Hot. Away,[2372]
 Away, you trifler! Love! I love thee not,[2372][2373]
 I care not for thee, Kate: this is no world
 To play with mammets and to tilt with lips:[2374]
 We must have bloody noses and crack'd crowns,90
 And pass them current too. God's me, my horse!
 What say'st thou, Kate? what would'st thou have with me?[2375]
Lady. Do you not love me? do you not, indeed?[2376]
 Well, do not then; for since you love me not,
 I will not love myself. Do you not love me?95
 Nay, tell me if you speak in jest or no.[2377]
Hot. Come, wilt thou see me ride?[2378]
 And when I am o' horseback, I will swear[2379]
 I love thee infinitely. But hark you, Kate;
 I must not have you henceforth question me100
 Whither I go, nor reason whereabout:[2380]
 Whither I must, I must; and, to conclude,[2380]
 This evening must I leave you, gentle Kate.[2381]
 I know you wise, but yet no farther wise[2382]
 Than Harry Percy's wife: constant you are,105
 But yet a woman: and for secrecy,
 No lady closer; for I well believe[2383]
 Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not know;
 And so far will I trust thee, gentle Kate.[2384]
Lady. How! so far?[2385]110
Hot. Not an inch further. But hark you, Kate:[2386]
 Whither I go, thither shall you go too;
 To-day will I set forth, to-morrow you.[2387]
 Will this content you, Kate?
Lady. It must of force. [Exeunt.

Scene IV. The Boar's-Head Tavern, Eastcheap.[2388]

Enter the Prince, and Poins.

Prince. Ned, prithee, come out of that fat room, and[2389]
 lend me thy hand to laugh a little.
Poins. Where hast been, Hal?
Prince. With three or four loggerheads amongst three[2390]
 or fourscore hogsheads. I have sounded the very base-string[2391]5
 of humility. Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash
 of drawers; and can call them all by their christen[2392]
 names, as Tom, Dick, and Francis. They take it already
 upon their salvation, that though I be but Prince of Wales,[2393]
 yet I am the king of courtesy; and tell me flatly I am no[2394]10
 proud Jack, like Falstaff, but a Corinthian, a lad of mettle,[2395]
 a good boy, by the Lord, so they call me, and when I am[2396]
 king of England, I shall command all the good lads in
 Eastcheap. They call drinking deep, dyeing scarlet; and
 when you breathe in your watering, they cry 'hem!' and[2397]15
 bid you play it off. To conclude, I am so good a proficient
 in one quarter of an hour, that I can drink with any
 tinker in his own language during my life. I tell thee,[2398]
 Ned, thou hast lost much honour, that thou wert not with
 me in this action. But, sweet Ned,—to sweeten which20
 name of Ned, I give thee this pennyworth of sugar,
 clapped even now into my hand by an under-skinker, one
 that never spake other English in his life than 'Eight
 shillings and sixpence,' and 'You are welcome,' with this[2399]
 shrill addition, 'Anon, anon, sir! Score a pint of bastard[2400]25
 in the Half-moon,' or so. But, Ned, to drive away the[2401]
 time till Falstaff come, I prithee, do thou stand in some[2401]
 by-room, while I question my puny drawer to what end he
 gave me the sugar; and do thou never leave calling[2402]
 'Francis,' that his tale to me may be nothing but 'Anon.'30
 Step aside, and I'll show thee a precedent.[2403]
Poins. Francis!
Prince. Thou art perfect.
Poins. Francis! [Exit Poins.[2404]

Enter Francis.

Fran. Anon, anon, sir. Look down into the Pomgarnet,[2405]35
 Ralph.
Prince. Come hither, Francis.
Fran. My lord?
Prince. How long hast thou to serve, Francis?
Fran. Forsooth, five years, and as much as to—40
Poins. [Within] Francis![2406]
Fran. Anon, anon, sir.
Prince. Five year! by'r lady, a long lease for the[2407]
 clinking of pewter. But, Francis, darest thou be so valiant[2408]
 as to play the coward with thy indenture and show it a45
 fair pair of heels and run from it?[2409]
Fran. O Lord, sir, I'll be sworn upon all the books in[2410]
 England, I could find in my heart.[2411]
Poins. [Within] Francis![2406]
Fran. Anon, sir.[2412]50
Prince. How old art thou, Francis?
Fran. Let me see—about Michaelmas next I shall be—
Poins. [Within] Francis![2406]
Fran. Anon, sir. Pray stay a little, my lord.[2413]
Prince. Nay, but hark you, Francis: for the sugar55
 thou gavest me, 'twas a pennyworth, was't not?[2414]
Fran. O Lord, I would it had been two![2415]
Prince. I will give thee for it a thousand pound: ask
 me when thou wilt, and thou shalt have it.
Poins. [Within] Francis![2406]60
Fran. Anon, anon.
Prince. Anon, Francis? No, Francis; but to-morrow,
 Francis; or Francis, o' Thursday; or indeed, Francis,[2416]
 when thou wilt. But, Francis!
Fran. My lord?65
Prince. Wilt thou rob this leathern jerkin, crystal-button,
 not-pated, agate-ring, puke-stocking, caddis-garter,[2417]
 smooth-tongue, Spanish-pouch,—
Fran. O lord, sir, who do you mean?
Prince. Why, then, your brown bastard is your only70
 drink; for look you, Francis, your white canvas doublet
 will sully: in Barbary, sir, it cannot come to so much.[2418]
Fran. What, sir?
Poins. [Within] Francis![2406]
Prince. Away, you rogue! dost thou not hear them[2419]75
 call?

[Here they both call him; the drawer stands amazed, not knowing which way to go.[2420]

Enter Vintner.

Vint. What, standest thou still, and hearest such a
 calling? Look to the guests within. [Exit Francis.] My[2421]
 lord, old Sir John, with half-a-dozen more, are at the door:
 shall I let them in?80
Prince. Let them alone awhile, and then open the[2422]
 door. [Exit Vintner.] Poins![2423]
Re-enter Poins.
Poins. Anon, anon, sir.
Prince. Sirrah, Falstaff and the rest of the thieves are
 at the door: shall we be merry?85
Poins. As merry as crickets, my lad. But hark ye;
 what cunning match have you made with this jest of the
 drawer? come, what's the issue?
Prince. I am now of all humours that have showed
 themselves humours since the old days of goodman Adam90
 to the pupil age of this present twelve o'clock at midnight.[2424]

Re-enter Francis.

What's o'clock, Francis?
Fran. Anon, anon, sir. [Exit.[2425]
Prince. That ever this fellow should have fewer
 words than a parrot, and yet the son of a woman! His industry95
 is up-stairs and down-stairs; his eloquence the
 parcel of a reckoning. I am not yet of Percy's mind, the
 Hotspur of the north; he that kills me some six or seven
 dozen of Scots at a breakfast, washes his hands, and says[2426]
 to his wife 'Fie upon this quiet life! I want work.' 'O100
 my sweet Harry,' says she, 'how many hast thou killed to-day?'
 'Give my roan horse a drench,' says he; and answers
 'Some fourteen,' an hour after; 'a trifle, a trifle.' I
 prithee, call in Falstaff: I'll play Percy, and that damned
 brawn shall play Dame Mortimer his wife. 'Rivo!' says[2427]105
 the drunkard. Call in ribs, call in tallow.

Enter Falstaff, Gadshill, Bardolph, and Peto; Francis following with wine.[2428]

Poins. Welcome, Jack: where hast thou been?
Fal. A plague of all cowards, I say, and a vengeance
 too! marry, and amen! Give me a cup of sack, boy.
 Ere I lead this life long, I'll sew nether stocks and mend[2429]110
 them and foot them too. A plague of all cowards! Give[2430]
 me a cup of sack, rogue. Is there no virtue extant? [He drinks.[2431]
Prince. Didst thou never see Titan kiss a dish of[2432]
 butter? pitiful-hearted Titan, that melted at the sweet tale[2432][2433][2434]
 of the sun's! if thou didst, then behold that compound.[2434][2435]115
Fal. You rogue, here's lime in this sack too: there is
 nothing but roguery to be found in villanous man: yet[2436]
 a coward is worse than a cup of sack with lime in it. A[2437]
 villanous coward! Go thy ways, old Jack; die when thou
 wilt, if manhood, good manhood, be not forgot upon the120
 face of the earth, then am I a shotten herring. There live
 not three good men unhanged in England; and one of
 them is fat, and grows old: God help the while! a bad
 world, I say. I would I were a weaver; I could sing
 psalms or any thing. A plague of all cowards, I say still.[2438]125
Prince. How now, wool-sack! what mutter you?
Fal. A king's son! If I do not beat thee out of thy
 kingdom with a dagger of lath, and drive all thy subjects
 afore thee like a flock of wild-geese, I'll never wear hair on
 my face more. You Prince of Wales!130
Prince. Why, you whoreson round man, what's the[2439]
 matter?
Fal. Are not you a coward? answer me to that: and[2440]
 Poins there?
Poins. 'Zounds, ye fat paunch, an ye call me coward,[2441]135
 by the Lord, I'll stab thee.[2442]
Fal. I call thee coward! I'll see thee damned ere I
 call thee coward: but I would give a thousand pound I
 could run as fast as thou canst. You are straight enough
 in the shoulders, you care not who sees your back: call you140
 that backing of your friends? A plague upon such backing!
 give me them that will face me. Give me a cup of
 sack: I am a rogue, if I drunk to-day.
Prince. O villain! thy lips are scarce wiped since thou
 drunkest last.145
Fal. All's one for that. [He drinks.] A plague of all[2443]
 cowards, still say I.
Prince. What's the matter?
Fal. What's the matter! there be four of us here have[2444]
 ta'en a thousand pound this day morning.[2445]150
Prince. Where is it, Jack? where is it?
Fal. Where is it! taken from us it is: a hundred upon
 poor four of us.[2446]
Prince. What, a hundred, man?
Fal. I am a rogue, if I were not at half-sword with a[2447]155
 dozen of them two hours together. I have 'scaped by miracle.[2448]
 I am eight times thrust through the doublet, four
 through the hose; my buckler cut through and through;
 my sword hacked like a hand-saw—ecce signum! I never
 dealt better since I was a man: all would not do. A160
 plague of all cowards! Let them speak: if they speak
 more or less than truth, they are villains and the sons of
 darkness.
Prince. Speak, sirs; how was it?[2449]
Gads. We four set upon some dozen—[2450][2451]165
Fal. Sixteen at least, my lord.
Gads. And bound them.[2450]
Peto. No, no, they were not bound.
Fal. You rogue, they were bound, every man of them;
 or I am a Jew else, an Ebrew Jew.[2452]170
Gads. As we were sharing, some six or seven fresh[2450][2453]
 men set upon us—
Fal. And unbound the rest, and then come in the[2454]
 other.[2455]
Prince. What, fought you with them all?[2456]175
Fal. All! I know not what you call all; but if I fought[2457]
 not with fifty of them, I am a bunch of radish: if there were[2458]
 not two or three and fifty upon poor old Jack, then am I
 no two-legged creature.
Prince. Pray God you have not murdered some of[2459]180
 them.
Fal. Nay, that's past praying for: I have peppered
 two of them; two I am sure I have paid, two rogues in
 buckram suits. I tell thee what, Hal, if I tell thee a lie,
 spit in my face, call me horse. Thou knowest my old185
 ward; here I lay, and thus I bore my point. Four rogues[2460]
 in buckram let drive at me—
Prince. What, four? thou saidst but two even now.
Fal. Four, Hal; I told thee four.
Poins. Ay, ay, he said four.190
Fal. These four came all a-front, and mainly thrust
 at me. I made me no more ado but took all their seven[2461]
 points in my target, thus.[2462]
Prince. Seven? why, there were but four even now.
Fal. In buckram?[2463]195
Poins. Ay, four, in buckram suits.
Fal. Seven, by these hilts, or I am a villain else.
Prince. Prithee, let him alone; we shall have more
 anon.
Fal. Dost thou hear me, Hal?200
Prince. Ay, and mark thee too, Jack.
Fal. Do so, for it is worth the listening to. These
 nine in buckram that I told thee of—
Prince. So, two more already.
Fal. Their points being broken,—205
Poins. Down fell their hose.[2464]
Fal. Began to give me ground: but I followed me[2465]
 close, came in foot and hand; and with a thought seven of
 the eleven I paid.
Prince. O monstrous! eleven buckram men grown out210
 of two!
Fal. But, as the devil would have it, three misbegotten
 knaves in Kendal green came at my back and let drive at
 me; for it was so dark, Hal, that thou couldst not see thy
 hand.215
Prince. These lies are like their father that begets[2466]
 them; gross as a mountain, open, palpable. Why, thou
 clay-brained guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whoreson,[2467]
 obscene, greasy tallow-catch,—[2468]
Fal. What, art thou mad? art thou mad? is not the220
 truth the truth?
Prince. Why, how couldst thou know these men in
 Kendal green, when it was so dark thou couldst not see
 thy hand? come, tell us your reason: what sayest thou to
 this?225
Poins. Come, your reason, Jack, your reason.
Fal. What, upon compulsion? 'Zounds, an I were at[2469]
 the strappado, or all the racks in the world, I would not
 tell you on compulsion. Give you a reason on compulsion!
 if reasons were as plentiful as blackberries, I would give no[2470]230
 man a reason upon compulsion, I.
Prince. I'll be no longer guilty of this sin; this sanguine
 coward, this bed-presser, this horse-back-breaker,[2471]
 this huge hill of flesh,—
Fal. 'Sblood, you starveling, you elf-skin, you dried[2472]235
 neat's tongue, you bull's pizzle, you stock-fish! O for[2473]
 breath to utter what is like thee! you tailor's-yard, you[2474]
 sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing-tuck,—
Prince. Well, breathe awhile, and then to it again:[2475]
 and when thou hast tired thyself in base comparisons, hear[2476]240
 me speak but this.[2477]
Poins. Mark, Jack.
Prince. We two saw you four set on four and bound[2478]
 them, and were masters of their wealth. Mark now, how
 a plain tale shall put you down. Then did we two set on[2479]245
 you four; and, with a word, out-faced you from your prize,[2480]
 and have it; yea, and can show it you here in the house:[2481]
 and, Falstaff, you carried your guts away as nimbly, with
 as quick dexterity, and roared for mercy and still run and[2482]
 roared, as ever I heard bull-calf. What a slave art thou, to[2483]250
 hack thy sword as thou hast done, and then say it was in
 fight! What trick, what device, what starting-hole, canst
 thou now find out to hide thee from this open and apparent
 shame?
Poins. Come, let's hear, Jack; what trick hast thou255
 now?
Fal. By the Lord, I knew ye as well as he that made[2484]
 ye. Why, hear you, my masters: was it for me to kill the[2485]
 heir-apparent? should I turn upon the true prince? why,
 thou knowest I am as valiant as Hercules: but beware instinct;[2486]260
 the lion will not touch the true prince. Instinct is
 a great matter; I was now a coward on instinct. I shall[2487]
 think the better of myself 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 have the money. Hostess, clap[2485]265
 to the doors: watch to-night, pray to-morrow. Gallants,[2488]
 lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship[2489]
 come to you! What, shall we be merry? shall we have a
 play extempore?[2490]
Prince. Content; and the argument shall be thy270
 running away.
Fal. Ah, no more of that, Hal, an thou lovest me!

Enter Hostess.[2491]