SCENE III. Glostershire. The Garden of Shallow's House. Enter FALSTAFF, SHALLOW, SILENCE, BARDOLPH, the Page, and DAVY. Shal. Nay, you shall see mine orchard; where, in an arbor, we will eat a last year's pippin of my own graffing, with a dish of carraways, and so forth;-come, cousin Silence; and then to bed. Fal. 'Fore God, you have here a goodly dwelling, and a rich. Shal. Barren, barren, barren; beggars all, beggars all, sir John:-marry, good air.-Spread, Davy; spread, Davy; well said, Davy. Fal. This Davy serves you for good uses; he is your serving-man, and your husbandman. Shal. A good varlet, a good varlet, a very good varlet, sir John. By the mass, I have drunk too much sack at supper; a good varlet. Now sit down, now sit down;come, cousin. Sil. Ah, sirrah! quoth-a,-we shall Do nothing but eat, and make good cheer, [Singing. When flesh is cheap, and females dear, And ever among so merrily. Fal. There's a merry heart!-Good master Silence, I'll give you a health for that anon. Shal. Give master Bardolph some wine, Davy. Davy. Sweet sir, sit; [Seating BARDOLPH and the Page at another table.] I'll be with you anon:- most sweet sir, sit.Master page, good master page, sit; proface. What you want in meat, we'll have in drink. But you must bear; the heart's all. [Exit. Shal. Be merry, master Bardolph ;-and my little soldier there, be merry. Sil. Be merry, be merry, my wife has all; [Singing. For women are shrews, both short and tall: 'Tis merry in hall, when beards wag all, And welcome merry Shrove-tide. Be merry, be merry, &c. Fal. I did not think master Silence had been a man of this mettle. Sil. Who, I? I have been merry twice and once, ere now. Re-enter DAVY. Davy. There is a dish of leather-coats for you. Shal. Davy, [Setting them before BARDOLPH. Davy. Your worship?-I'll be with you straight. [To BARD.]-A cup of wine, sir? Sil. A cup of wine, that's brisk and fine, And a merry heart lives long-a. [Singing. -now comes in the sweet Fal. Well said, master Silence. Sil. And we shall be merry ;of the night. Fal. Health and long life to you, master Silence. I'll pledge you a mile to the bottom Shal. Honest Bardolph, welcome; if thou wantest any thing, and wilt not call, beshrew thy heart.-Welcome, my little tiny thief; [To the Page.] and welcome, indeed, too. -I'll drink to master Bardolph, and to all the cavaleroes about London. Davy. I hope to see London once ere I die. Shal. By the mass, you'll crack a quart together. Ha! will you not, master Bardolph ? Bard. Yes, sir, in a pottle pot. Shal. I thank thee.The knave will stick by thee, I can assure thee that: he will not out; he is true bred. Bard. And I'll stick by him, sir. Shal. Why, there spoke a king. Lack nothing; be merry. [Knocking hard.] Look who's at door there. Ho! who knocks? [Exit DAVY. Fal. Why, now you have done me right. Sil. Do me right, [To SILENCE, who drinks a bumper. And dub me knight: Samingo. Is't not so? Fal. 'Tis so. Sil. Is't so? Why, then say, an old man can do somewhat. Re-enter DAVY. Davy. An it please your worship, there's one Pistol come from the court with news. Fal. From the court, let him come in.— Enter PISTOL. Fal. How now, Pistol? Pist. God save you, sir John! Fal. What wind blew you hither, Pistol? Pist. Not the ill wind which blows no man to good.Sweet knight, thou art now one of the greatest men in the realm. Sil. By'r lady, I think 'a be; but goodman Puff of Barson. Puff in thy teeth, most recreant coward base! - And golden times, and happy news of price. Fal. I pr'ythee now, deliver them like a man of this world. Pist. A foutra for the world, and worldlings base! I speak of Africa, and golden joys. Fal. O, base Assyrian knight, what is thy news? Let king Cophetua know the truth thereof. [Sings. Sil. And Robin Hood, Scarlet, and John. Then, Pistol, lay thy head in Furies' lap. Shal. Honest gentleman, I know not your breeding. Pist. Why, then, lament therefore. Shal. Give me pardon, sir.-If, sir, you come with news from the court, I take it, there is but two ways: either to utter them, or to conceal them. I am, sir, under the king, in some authority. Pist. Under which king, Bezonian? speak, or die. Shal. Under king Harry. Pist. Shal. Harry the Fourth. Harry the Fourth, or Fifth? A foutra for thine office! Sir John, thy tender lambkin now is king; Harry the Fifth's the man. I speak the truth. 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. SCENE IV. London. A Street. [Exeunt. Enter Beadles, dragging in HOSTESS QUICKLY and DOLL TEAR-SHEET. Host. No, thou arrant knave; I would I might die, that I might have thee hanged: thou hast drawn my shoulder out of joint. 1 Bead. The constables have delivered her over to me; and she shall have whipping-cheer enough, I warrant her. There hath been a man or two lately killed about her. Dol. Nut-hook, nut-hook, you lie. Come on; I'll tell thee what, thou damned tripe-visaged rascal; an the child I now go with do miscarry, thou hadst better thou hadst struck thy mother, thou paper-faced villain. Host. O the Lord, that sir John were come! he would make this a bloody day to somebody. But I pray God, the fruit of her womb miscarry! 1 Bead. If it do, you shall have a dozen of cushions. again; you have but eleven now. Come, I charge you both go with me; for the man is dead, that you and Pistol beat among you. Dol. I'll tell thee what, thou thin man in a censer! I will have you as soundly swinged for this, you blue-bottle rogue! you filthy, famished correctioner! if you be not swinged, I'll forswear half-kirtles. 1 Bead. Come, come, you she knight-errant, come. Host. O, that right should thus overcome might! Well; of sufferance comes ease. Dol. Come, you rogue, come; bring me to a justice. Dol. Goodman death! goodman bones! Host. Thou atomy, thou! 1 Bead. Very well. [Exeunt. Dol. Come, you thin thing; come, you rascal. SCENE V. A public Place near Westminster Abbey. 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. God bless thy lungs, good knight. Fal. Come here, Pistol; stand behind me.- O, if I had had time to have made new liveries, I would have bestowed the thousand pound I borrowed of you. [To SH ALLOW.] But 'tis no matter; this poor show doth better: this doth infer the zeal I had to see him. Shal. It, doth so. Fal. It shows my earnestness of affection. Shal. It doth so. Fal. My devotion. Shal. It doth, it doth, it doth. Fal. As it were, to ride day and night; and not to deliberate, not to remember, not to have patience to shift me. Shal. It is most certain. Fal. But to stand stained with travel, and sweating with desire to see him; thinking of nothing else; putting all affairs else in oblivion; as if there were nothing else to be done, but to see him. Pist. 'Tis semper idem, for absque hoc nihil est: "Tis all in every part. Shal. 'Tis so, indeed. Pist. My knight, I will inflame thy noble liver, Thy Doll, and Helen of thy noble thoughts, |