Fal. 'Tis so.
Sil. Is't so? Why then, say an old man can do somewhat.[4399]
Re-enter Davy.[4400]
Davy. An't please your worship, there's one Pistol[4401]
come from the court with news.80
Fal. From the court! let him come in.
Enter Pistol.[4402]
Pist. Sir John, God save you![4404]
Fal. What wind blew you hither, Pistol?
Pist. Not the ill wind which blows no man to good.[4405]85
Sweet knight, thou art now one of the greatest men in
this realm.[4406]
Sil. By'r lady, I think a' be, but goodman Puff of[4407]
Barson.[4408]
Pist. Puff!90
Puff in thy teeth, most recreant coward base![4409]
Sir John, I am thy Pistol and thy friend,[4409]
And helter-skelter have I rode to thee,[4409][4410]
And tidings do I bring and lucky joys[4409]
And golden times and happy news of price.[4409]95
Fal. I pray thee now, deliver them like a man of this[4411]
world.
Pist. A foutre for the world and worldlings base![4412][4413]
I speak of Africa and golden joys.[4413]
Fal. O base Assyrian knight, what is thy news?[4413]100
Let King Cophetua know the truth thereof.[4413][4414]
Sil. And Robin Hood, Scarlet, and John.[4413][4415] [Singing.
Pist. Shall dunghill curs confront the Helicons?[4413]
And shall good news be baffled?[4413]
Then, Pistol, lay thy head in Furies' lap.[4413][4416]105
Shal. Honest gentleman, I know not your breeding.[4417]
Pist. Why then, lament therefore.
Shal. Give me pardon, sir: if, sir, you come with news[4418]
from the court, I take it there's but two ways, either to[4419]
utter them, or to conceal them. I am, sir, under the king,[4420]110
in some authority.
Pist. Under which king, Besonian? speak, or die.[4421]
Shal. Under King Harry.
Pist. Harry the fourth? or fifth?
Pist. A foutre for thine office![4422]
Sir John, thy tender lambkin now is king;[4423]115
Harry the fifth's the man. I speak the truth:[4423]
When Pistol lies, do this; and fig me, like[4423]
The bragging Spaniard.[4423]
Fal. What, is the old king dead?
Pist. As nail in door: the things I speak are just.[4424]120
Fal. Away, Bardolph! saddle my horse. Master[4425]
Robert Shallow, choose what office thou wilt in the land,[4425]
'tis thine. Pistol, I will double-charge thee with dignities.[4425]
Bard. O joyful day!
I would not take a knighthood for my fortune.[4426]125
Pist. What! I do bring good news.[4427]
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[4428]
Pistol! Away, Bardolph! [Exit Bard.] Come, Pistol, utter[4429]130
more to me; and withal devise something to do thyself
good. Boot, boot, Master Shallow: I know the young[4430]
king is sick for me. Let us take any man's horses; the
laws of England are at my commandment. Blessed are[4431]
they that have been my friends; and woe to my lord chief-justice![4431][4432]135
Pist. Let vultures vile seize on his lungs also!
'Where is the life that late I led?' say they:[4433]
Why, here it is; welcome these pleasant days! [Exeunt.[4434]
Scene IV. London. A street.
Enter Beadles, dragging in Hostess Quickly and Doll Tearsheet.[4435]
Host. No, thou arrant knave; I would to God that I[4436]
might die, that I might have thee hanged: thou hast drawn
my shoulder out of joint.
First Bead. The constables have delivered her over to[4437]
me; and she shall have whipping-cheer enough, I warrant[4438]5
her: there hath been a man or two lately killed about her.[4439]
Dol. Nut-hook, nut-hook, you lie. Come on; I'll tell[4440]
thee what, thou damned tripe-visaged rascal, an the child[4441]
I now go with do miscarry, thou wert better thou hadst[4442]
struck thy mother, thou paper-faced villain.10
Host. O the Lord, that Sir John were come! he would[4443]
make this a bloody day to somebody. But I pray God the[4444]
fruit of her womb miscarry![4445]
First Bead. If it do, you shall have a dozen of cushions
again; you have but eleven now. Come, I charge you both15
go with me; for the man is dead that you and Pistol beat
amongst you.[4446]
Dol. I'll tell you what, you thin man in a censer, I[4447]
will have you as soundly swinged for this,—you blue-bottle[4448]
rogue, you filthy famished correctioner, if you be not20
swinged, I'll forswear half-kirtles.
First Bead. Come, come, you she knight-errant, come.[4449]
Host. O God, that right should thus overcome might![4450]
Well, of sufferance comes ease.
Dol. Come, you rogue, come; bring me to a justice.25
Host. Ay, come, you starved blood-hound.[4451]
Dol. Goodman death, goodman bones!
Dol. Come, you thin thing; come, you rascal.
First Bead. Very well. [Exeunt.30
Scene V. A public place near Westminster Abbey.
Enter two Grooms, strewing rushes.[4453]
First Groom. More rushes, more rushes.[4454]
Sec. Groom. The trumpets have sounded twice.
First Groom. 'Twill be two o'clock ere they come from[4455]
the coronation: dispatch, dispatch. [Exeunt.
Enter Falstaff, Shallow, Pistol, Bardolph and Page.[4456]
Fal. Stand here by me, Master Robert Shallow; I will[4457]5
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. God bless thy lungs, good knight.[4458]
Fal. Come here, Pistol; stand behind me. O, if I had10
had time to have made new liveries, I would have bestowed
the thousand pound I borrowed of you. But 'tis no matter;[4459]
this poor show doth better: this doth infer the zeal I had
to see him.
Fal. It shows my earnestness of affection,—[4461]
Fal. My devotion,—
Shal. It doth, it doth, it doth.[4462]
Fal. As it were, to ride day and night; and not to20
deliberate, not to remember, not to have patience to shift
me,—
Shal. It is best, certain.[4463]
Fal. But to stand stained with travel, and sweating[4464]
with desire to see him; thinking of nothing else, putting[4464]25
all affairs else in oblivion, as if there were nothing else to[4464][4465]
be done but to see him.[4464]
Pist. 'Tis 'semper idem,' for 'obsque hoc nihil est:'[4466]
'tis all in every part.[4467]
Shal. 'Tis so, indeed.30
Fal. I will deliver her.
[Shouts within, and the trumpets sound.[4472]
Pist. There roar'd the sea, and trumpet-clangor sounds.40
Enter the King and his train, the Lord Chief-Justice among them.[4473]
Fal. God save thy grace, King Hal! my royal Hal![4474][4475]
Pist. The heavens thee guard and keep, most royal
imp of fame!
Fal. God save thee, my sweet boy![4475]
King. My lord chief-justice, speak to that vain man.45
Ch. Just. Have you your wits? know you what 'tis you speak?[4476]
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![4477]
I have long dream'd of such a kind of man,[4478]50
So surfeit-swell'd, so old, and so profane;
But, being awaked, I do despise my dream.[4479]
Make less thy body hence, and more thy grace;
Leave gormandizing; know the grave doth gape
For thee thrice wider than for other men.55
Reply not to me with a fool-born jest:
Presume not that I am the thing I was;
For God doth know, so shall the world perceive,[4480]
That I have turn'd away my former self;
So will I those that kept me company.60
When thou dost hear I am as I have been,
Approach me, and thou shalt be as thou wast,
The tutor and the feeder of my riots:
Till then, I banish thee, on pain of death,
As I have done the rest of my misleaders,65
Not to come near our person by ten mile.[4481]
For competence of life I will allow you,
That lack of means enforce you not to evil:[4482]
And, as we hear you do reform yourselves,[4483]
We will, according to your strengths and qualities,[4484]70
Give you advancement. Be it your charge, my lord,[4485]
To see perform'd the tenour of our word.[4486][4487]
Set on.[4486] [Exeunt King, &c.[4488]
Fal. Master Shallow, I owe you a thousand pound.[4489]
Shal. Yea, marry, Sir John; which I beseech you to[4490]75
let me have home with me.
Fal. That can hardly be, Master Shallow. Do 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
advancements; I will be the man yet that shall make you[4491]80
great.
Shal. I cannot well perceive how, unless you should[4492]
give me your doublet, and stuff me out with straw. I beseech
you, good Sir John, let me have five hundred of my
thousand.85
Fal. Sir, I will be as good as my word: this that you
heard was but a colour.
Shal. A colour that I fear you will die in, Sir John.[4493]
Fal. Fear no colours: go with me to dinner: come,[4494]
Lieutenant Pistol; come, Bardolph: I shall be sent for soon[4494]90
at night.[4494]
Re-enter Prince John, the Lord Chief-Justice; Officers with them.[4495]
Ch. Just. Go, carry Sir John Falstaff to the Fleet:
Take all his company along with him.
Fal. My lord, my lord,—
Ch. Just. I cannot now speak: I will hear you soon.95
Take them away.
Pist. Si fortuna me tormenta, spero contenta.
[Exeunt all but Prince John and the Chief-Justice.[4496]
Lan. I like this fair proceeding of the king's:
He hath intent his wonted followers
Shall all be very well provided for;[4497]100
But all are banish'd till their conversations[4497]
Appear more wise and modest to the world.[4498]
Ch. Just. And so they are.
Lan. The king hath call'd his parliament, my lord.
Ch. Just. He hath.105
Lan. I will lay odds that, ere this year expire,
We bear our civil swords and native fire
As far as France: I heard a bird so sing,[4499]
Whose music, to my thinking, pleased the king.
Come, will you hence? [Exeunt.110