Prince. Away, you rogue! Dost thou not hear them call?
Here they both call him. The Drawer stands amazed, not knowing which way to go.
Enter Vintner.
Vint. What, stand"st thou still, and hear"st such a calling? Look to the guests within. [Exit Francis.] My lord, old Sir John, with half-a-dozen more, are at the door. Shall I let them in?
Prince. Let them alone awhile, and then open the door.
[Exit Vintner.]
Poins!
Poins. [within] Anon, anon, sir.
Enter Poins.
Prince. Sirrah, Falstaff and the rest of the thieves are at the door. Shall we be merry?
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 Adam to the pupil age of this present this twelve o"clock at midnight.
[Enter Francis.]
What"s o"clock, Francis?
Fran. Anon, anon, sir. [Exit.]
Prince. That ever this fellow should have fewer words than a parrot, and yet the son of a woman! His industry is upstairs and downstairs, 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 to his wife, "Fie upon this quiet life! I want work." "O my sweet Harry," says she, "how many hast thou kill"d 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 d.a.m.n"d brawn shall play Dame Mortimer his wife. "Rivo!" says the drunkard. Call in ribs, call in tallow.
Enter Falstaff, [Gadshill, Bardolph, and Peto; Francis follows with wine].
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 them and foot them too. A plague of all cowards! Give me a cup of sack, rogue. Is there no virtue extant?
He drinketh.
Prince. Didst thou never see t.i.tan kiss a dish of b.u.t.ter?
Pitiful-hearted b.u.t.ter, that melted at the sweet tale of the sun!
If thou didst, then behold that compound.
Fal. You rogue, here"s lime in this sack too! There is nothing but roguery to be found in villanous man. Yet a coward is worse than a cup of sack with lime in it- a villanous coward! Go thy ways, old Jack, die when thou wilt; if manhood, good manhood, be not forgot upon the face of the earth, then am I a shotten herring.
There lives not three good men unhang"d in England; and one of them is fat, and grows old. G.o.d help the while! A bad world, I say. I would I were a weaver; I could sing psalms or anything. A plague of all cowards I say still!
Prince. How now, woolsack? 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?
Prince. Why, you wh.o.r.eson round man, what"s the matter?
Fal. Are not you a coward? Answer me to that- and Poins there?
Poins. Zounds, ye fat paunch, an ye call me coward, by the Lord, I"ll stab thee.
Fal. I call thee coward? I"ll see thee d.a.m.n"d 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 you 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 wip"d since thou drunk"st last.
Fal. All is one for that. (He drinketh.) A plague of all cowards still say I.
Prince. What"s the matter?
Fal. What"s the matter? There be four of us here have ta"en a thousand pound this day morning.
Prince. Where is it, Jack? Where is it?
Fal. Where is it, Taken from us it is. A hundred upon poor four of us!
Prince. What, a hundred, man?
Fal. I am a rogue if I were not at half-sword with a dozen of them two hours together. I have scap"d by miracle. I am eight times thrust through the doublet, four through the hose; my buckler cut through and through; my sword hack"d like a handsaw- ecce signum!
I never dealt better since I was a man. All would not do. A 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?
Gads. We four set upon some dozen- Fal. Sixteen at least, my lord.
Gads. And bound them.
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.
Gads. As we were sharing, some six or seven fresh men sea upon us- Fal. And unbound the rest, and then come in the other.
Prince. What, fought you with them all?
Fal. All? I know not what you call all, but if I fought not with fifty of them, I am a bunch of radish! If there were not two or three and fifty upon poor old Jack, then am I no two-legg"d creature.
Prince. Pray G.o.d you have not murd"red some of them.
Fal. Nay, that"s past praying for. I have pepper"d 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 old ward. Here I lay, and thus I bore my point.
Four rogues 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.
Fal. These four came all afront and mainly thrust at me. I made me no more ado but took all their seven points in my target, thus.
Prince. Seven? Why, there were but four even now.
Fal. In buckram?
Poins. Ay, four, in buckram suits.
Fal. Seven, by these hilts, or I am a villain else.
Prince. [aside to Poins] Prithee let him alone. We shall have more anon.
Fal. Dost thou hear me, Hal?
Prince. Ay, and mark thee too, Jack.
Fal. Do so, for it is worth the list"ning to. These nine in buckram that I told thee of- Prince. So, two more already.
Fal. Their points being broken- Poins. Down fell their hose.
Fal. Began to give me ground; but I followed me close, came in, foot and hand, and with a thought seven of the eleven I paid.
Prince. O monstrous! Eleven buckram men grown out 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.
Prince. These lies are like their father that begets them- gross as a mountain, open, palpable. Why, thou clay-brain"d guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou wh.o.r.eson obscene greasy tallow-catch- Fal. What, art thou mad? art thou mad? Is not the 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?
Poins. Come, your reason, Jack, your reason.
Fal. What, upon compulsion? Zounds, an I were at 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 man a reason upon compulsion, I.
Prince. I"ll be no longer guilty, of this sin; this sanguine coward, this bed-presser, this horseback-breaker, this huge hill of flesh- Fal. "Sblood, you starveling, you elf-skin, you dried neat"s-tongue, you bull"s sizzle, you stockfish- O for breath to utter what is like thee!- you tailor"s yard, you sheath, you bowcase, you vile standing tuck!
Prince. Well, breathe awhile, and then to it again; and when thou hast tired thyself in base comparisons, hear me speak but this.
Poins. Mark, Jack.
Prince. We two saw you four set on four, and bound them and were masters of their wealth. Mark now how a plain tale shall put you down. Then did we two set on you four and, with a word, outfac"d you from your prize, and have it; yea, and can show it you here in the house. And, Falstaff, you carried your guts away as nimbly, with as quick dexterity, and roar"d for mercy, and still run and roar"d, as ever I heard bullcalf. What a slave art thou to 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 thou now?
Fal. By the Lord, I knew ye as well as he that made ye. Why, hear you, my masters. Was it for me to kill the heir apparent? Should I turn upon the true prince? Why, thou knowest I am as valiant as Hercules; but beware instinct. The lion will not touch the true prince. Instinct is a great matter. I was now a coward on instinct. I shall 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 to the doors. Watch to-night, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the t.i.tles of good fellowship come to you!
What, shall we be merry? Shall we have a play extempore?
Prince. Content- and the argument shall be thy running away.
Fal. Ah, no more of that, Hal, an thou lovest me!
Enter Hostess.
Host. O Jesu, my lord the Prince!
Prince. How now, my lady the hostess? What say"st thou to me?
Host. Marry, my lord, there is a n.o.bleman of the court at door would speak with you. He says he comes from your father.
Prince. Give him as much as will make him a royal man, and send him back again to my mother.
Fal. What manner of man is he?
Host. An old man.