back, and let drive at me;-for it was fo dark, Hal, that thou could'st not fee thy hand.

P. HEN. These lies are like the father that begets them; grofs as a mountain, open, palpable. Why, thou clay-brain'd guts; thou knotty-pated fool; thou whorefon, obfcene, greafy tallowkeech,7

FAL. What, art thou mad? art thou mad? is not the truth, the truth?

P. HEN. Why, how could'st thou know these men in Kendal green, when it was fo dark thou could'ft not fee thy hand? come, tell us your reafon; What fay'ft thou to this?

POINS. Come, your reafon, Jack, your reason.
FAL. What, upon compulfion? No; were I at

Again: "Kendal, a towne fo highly renowned for her commodious cloathing and industrious trading, as her name is become famous in that kind." Camd. in Brit. Barnabees Journal.

BOWLE.

of

See alfo Hall's Chronicle, Henry VIII. p. 6. MALONE. 1tallow-keech,] The word tallow-catch is in all editions, but having no meaning, cannot be understood. In fome parts the kingdom, a cake or mass of wax or tallow, is called a keech, which is doubtlefs the word intended here, unlefs we read tallowketch, that is tub of tallow. JOHNSON.

The conjectural emendation ketch, i. e. tub, is very ingenious. But the Prince's allufion is fufficiently ftriking, if we alter not a letter; and only fuppofe that by tallow-catch, he means a receptacle for tallow. T. WARTON.

Tallow-keech is undoubtedly right, but ill explained. A keech of tallow is the fat of an ox or cow rolled up by the butcher in a round lump, in order to be carried to the chandler. It is the word in ufe now. PERCY. proper

A keech is what is called a tallow-loaf in Suffex, and in its form resembles the rotundity of a fat man's belly. COLLINS.

Shakspeare calls the butcher's wife goody Keech, in the Second Part of this play. STEEVENS.

again and when thou haft tired thyfelf in base comparisons, hear me fpeak but this.

POINS. Mark, Jack.

P. HEN. We two faw you four set on four; you

7you farveling, you elf-fkin,] For elf-fkin Sir Thomas Hanmer and Dr. Warburton read eel-skin. The true reading, I believe, is elf-kin, or little-fairy: for though the Bastard in King John, compares his brother's two legs to two eel-fkins ftuff'd, yet an eel-fkin fimply bears no great refemblance to a man.

JOHNSON,

In these comparisons Shakspeare was not drawing the picture of a little fairy, but of a man remarkably tall and thin, to whofe thapelefs uniformity of length, an "eel-fkin ftuff'd" (for that circumftance is implied) certainly bears a humorous resemblance, as do the taylor's yard, the tuck, or small fword fet upright, &c. The comparifons of the flock-ff and dry'd neat's tongue allude to the leannefs of the prince. The reading-eel-fkin, is fupported likewife by the paffage already quoted from King John, and by Falftaff's defcription of the lean Shallow in the Second Part of King Henry IV.

Shakspeare had hiftorical authority for the leannefs of the Prince of Wales. Stowe fpeaking of him, fays, "he exceeded the mean ftature of men, his neck long, body flender and lean, and his bones fmall," &c. STEEVENS,

bound them, and were mafters of their wealth.Mark now, how plain tale fhall put you down.Then did we two fet on you four: and, with a word, out-faced 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 ftill ran and roar'd, as ever I heard bull-calf. What a flave art thou, to hack thy sword as thou haft done; and then say, it was in fight? What trick, what device, what starting-hole, canft thou now find out, to hide thee from this open and apparent fhame?

POINS. Come, let's hear, Jack; What trick haft thou now?

FAL. By the Lord, I knew ye as well as he that made ye. Why, hear ye, my masters: Was it for me, to kill the heir apparent? Should I turn upon the true prince? Why, thou know'ft, I am as valiant as Hercules: but beware inftinct; the lion will not touch the true prince. Inftinct is a great matter;

8

you bound them,] The old copies read-and bound them. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

9

the lion will not touch the true prince.] So, in The Mad Lover, by Beaumont and Fletcher:

2

"Fetch the Numidian lion I brought over;

"If the be fprung from royal blood, the lion
"Will do her reverence, else he'll tear her," &c.

STEEVENS.

-Inftinct is a great matter;] Diego, the Hoft, in Love's Pilgrimage, by Beaumont and Fletcher, excufes a rudenefs he had been guilty of to one of his guests, in almoft the fame words.

brothers?

fhould I have been fo barbarous as to have parted

Philippo.- You knew it then?

"Diego.

-I knew 'twas necessary

You should be both together. Inftinct, fignior, "Is a great matter in an hoft." STEEVENS.

I was a coward on inftinct. I fhall think the bet ter 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. Hoftefs, clap to the doors; watch to-night, pray to-morrow.-Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, All the titles of good fellowship come to you! What, shall we be merry? fhall we have a play extempore?

P. HEN. Content; and the argument fhall be, thy running away.

FAL. Ah! no more of that, Hal, an thou lovest

me.

Enter Hoftefs.

HOST. My lord the prince,

P. HEN. How now, my lady the hostess? what fay'st thou to me?

Hosr. Marry, my lord, there is a nobleman of the court at door, would fpeak with you: he fays, he comes from your father.

P. HEN. Give him as much as will make him a royal man,3 and send him back again to my mother.

3

- there is a nobleman-Give him as much as will make him a royal man,] I believe here is a kind of jest intended. He that received a noble was in cant language, called a nobleman: in this fenfe the Prince catches the word, and bids the landlady give him as much as will make him a royal man, that is, a real or royal man, and fend him away. JOHNSON.

The fame play on the word-royal, occurs in The Two Angry Women of Abington, 1599:

"This is not noble fport, but royal play.

"It must be so where royals walk fo fast." STEEVENS. Give him as much as will make him a royal man,] The royal went for 10s.-the noble only for 6s. and 8d. TYRWHITT.

FAL. What manner of man is he?

HOST. An old man.

FAL. What doth gravity out of his bed at midnight?-Shall I give him his answer?

P. HEN. Pr'ythee, do, Jack.

FAL. 'Faith, and I'll fend him packing. [Exit. P. HEN. Now, firs; by'r-lady, you fought fair;fo did you, Peto;-fo did you, Bardolph: you are lions too, you ran away upon instinct, you will not touch the true prince; no,-fle!

BARD. 'Faith, I ran when I faw others run.

P. HEN. Tell me now in earneft, How came Falftaff's fword fo hack'd?

PETO. Why, he hack'd it with his dagger; and faid, he would fwear truth out of England, but he would make you believe it was done in fight; and perfuaded us to do the like.

BARD. Yea, and to tickle our noses with speargrafs, to make them bleed; and then to beflubber our garments with it, and fwear it was the blood of true men.' I did that I did not this feven

This feems to allude to a jeft of Queen Elizabeth. Mr. John Blower in a fermon before her majefty, firft faid: "My royal Queen," and a little after: "My noble Queen." Upon which fays the Queen: "What am I ten groats worse than I was?" This is to be found in Hearne's Difcourfe of fome Antiquities between Windfor and Oxford; and it confirms the remark of the very learned and ingenious Mr. Tyrwhitt. TOLLET.

to tickle our nofes with Spear-grafs, &c.] So, in the old anonymous play of The Victories of Henry the Fifth: " Every day when I went into the field, I would take a ftraw, and thrust it into my nofe, and make my nose bleed," &c. STEEVENS.

s the blood of true men.] That is, of the men with whom they fought, of boneft men, oppofed to thieves. JOHNSON.