Fal. Ha! a bastard son of the king's? And art not thou Poins his brother? Prince. Why, thou globe of sinful continents, what a life dost thou lead! Fal. A better than thou: I am a gentleman; thou art a drawer. Prince. Very true, sir; and I come to draw you out by the ears. Host. O, the Lord preserve thy good grace! by my troth, welcome to London. Now, the Lord bless that sweet face of thine! O Jesu, are you come from Wales? 310 Fal. Thou whoreson mad compound of majesty, by this light flesh and corrupt blood, thou 320 art welcome. Dol. How, you fat fool! I scorn you. Poins. My lord, he will drive you out of your revenge and turn all to a merriment, if you take not the heat. Prince. You whoreson candle-mine, you, how vilely did you speak of me even now before this honest, virtuous, civil gentlewoman! Host. God's blessing of your good heart! and so she is, by my troth. Fal. Didst thou hear me? Prince. Yea, and you knew me, as you did when you ran away by Gad's-hill: you knew I was at your back, and spoke it on purpose to try my patience. Fal. No, no, no; not so; I did not think thou wast within hearing. Prince. I shall drive you then to confess the wilful abuse; and then I know how to handle you. 308. Poins his, Poins's. 320. by this light flesh, etc.; Falstaff amplifies the common oath, by this light.' 330 326. candle-mine, tallow pit.' Fal. No abuse, Hal, o' mine honour; no abuse. 340 Prince. Not to dispraise me, and call me pantler and bread-chipper and I know not what? Fal. No abuse, Hal. Poins. No abuse? Fal. No abuse, Ned, i' the world; honest Ned, none. I dispraised him before the wicked, that the wicked might not fall in love with him; in which doing, I have done the part of a careful friend and a true subject, and thy father is to give me thanks for it. No abuse, Hal: none, 350 Ned, none: no, faith, boys, none. Prince. See now, whether pure fear and entire cowardice doth not make thee wrong this virtuous gentlewoman to close with us? is she of the wicked? is thine hostess here of the wicked? or is thy boy of the wicked? or honest Bardolph, whose zeal burns in his nose, of the wicked? Poins. Answer, thou dead elm, answer. Fal. The fiend hath pricked down Bardolph irrecoverable; and his face is Lucifer's privy- 360 kitchen, where he doth nothing but roast maltworms. For the boy, there is a good angel about him; but the devil outbids him too. Prince. For the women? Fal. For one of them, she is in hell already, and burns poor souls. For the other, I owe her money; and whether she be damned for that, I know not. Host. No, I warrant you. Fal. No, I think thou art not; I think thou 370 art quit for that. Marry, there is another indictment upon thee, for suffering flesh to be eaten in 358. thou dead elm; Falstaff is apparently so called on account of the weak support he had given to Doll Tearsheet' (his 'vine' or 'female ivy ') (Schmidt). 361. malt-worms, topers. thy house, contrary to the law; for the which I think thou wilt howl. Host. All victuallers do so: what's a joint of mutton or two in a whole Lent? Prince. You, gentlewoman,Dol. What says your grace ? Fal. His grace says that which his flesh rebels against. [Knocking within. 380 Look to Host. Who knocks so loud at door? the door there, Francis. Enter PETO. Prince. Peto, how now! what news? Peto. The king your father is at Westminster; Prince. By heaven, Poins, I feel me much to So idly to profane the precious time, Fal. Now comes in the sweetest morsel of the night, and we must hence and leave it unpicked. [Knocking within.] More knocking at the door! 373. contrary to the law. Repeated enactments were made during the reigns of Elizabeth and James to repress the sale of 390 meat during Lent, with imperfect success as the dramatists attest. 393. Borne with, laden with. Re-enter BARDOLPH. How now! what 's the matter? Bard. You must away to court, sir, presently; A dozen captains stay at door for you. Fal. [To the Page] Pay the musicians, sirrah. Farewell, hostess; farewell, Doll. You see, my good wenches, how men of merit are sought after : the undeserver may sleep, when the man of action is called on. Farewell, good wenches: if I be not sent away post, I will see you again ere I go. 400 Dol. I cannot speak; if my heart be not ready to burst,—well, sweet Jack, have a care of thyself. 410 Fal. Farewell, farewell. [Exeunt Falstaff and Bardolph. Host. Well, fare thee well: I have known thee these twenty nine years, come peascod-time; but an honester and truer-hearted man,-well, fare thee well. Bard. [Within] Mistress Tearsheet! Host. What's the matter? Bard. [Within] Bid Mistress Tearsheet come to my master. Host. O, run, Doll, run; run, good Doll: come. 420 [She comes blubbered.] Yea, will you come, Doll? 420, 421. In Ff this speech ends at 'run, good Doll.' In Q the direction she comes [Exeunt. blubbered' is printed as if spoken. 421. blubbered, sobbing. ACT III. SCENE I. Westminster. The palace. Enter the KING in his nightgown, with a Page. King. Go call the Earls of Surrey and of But, ere they come, bid them o'er-read these letters, Why rather, sleep, liest thou in smoky cribs, And hush'd with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber, And lull'd with sound of sweetest melody? O thou dull god, why liest thou with the vile Wilt thou upon the high and giddy mast 1. This scene was omitted in some copies of the Q, and supplied afterwards by the in 10 20 |