Car. I thinke it be two a clocke.

Gad. I prethee lend me thy lantherne, to fee my gelding in the ftable.

1 Car. Nay by God foft; I know a tricke worth two of that I fayth.

Gad. I prethee lend me thine.

2 Car. I, when, canft tell? lend me thy lanterne (quoth he) marry Ile fee thee hanged first.

Gad. Sirra carrier, what time doe you meane to come to London ?

2 Car. Time enough to go to bed with a candle, I warrant thee. Come neighbour Muges, weele call vp the gentlemen, they will along with company, for they haue great charge.

Enter chamberlaine.

Gad. What ho, chamberlaine.

Cham. At hand quoth pick-purse.

Exeunt.

Gad. Thats euen as faire, as at hand quoth the chamberlaine, for thou variest no more from picking of purfes, then giuing direction doth from laboring: thou layeft the plot how.

Cham. Good morrow master Gads-hill, it holds currant that I told you yester night, theres a franklin in the wild of Kent, hath brought three hundred marks with him in gold, I heard him tell it to one of his company last night at supper, a kind of auditor, one that hath abundance of charge too, God knowes what; they are vp already, and call for egges and butter: they will away prefently.

Gad. Sirra, if they meet not with Saint Nicholas Clarkes, Ile giue thee this necke.

Cham. No, Ile none of it; I pray thee keepe that for the hangman, for I know thou worshipeft faint Nicholas, as truly as a man of falsehood may.

Gad. What talkeft thou to me of the hangman? if I hang, Ile make a fat paire of gallowes for if I hang, old fir Iohn hangs with me, and thou knowes he is no ftarueling: tut, there are other Troians that thou dream'ft not of, the which for fport fake are content to do the profeffion fome grace, that would (if matters fhould be lookt into) for their owne credit fake, make al whole: I am ioyned with no foot-land rakers, no long-staffe fixpenny ftrikers, none of thefe madde muftachio purple hewd malt-worms, but with nobility, and tranquility, burgomafters and great oneyers, fuch as can hold in fuch as wil ftrike fooner the fpeake, and fpeak fooner then drinke, and drinke fooner the pray; and yet (zounds) I lie, for they pray continually to their faint the comon wealth, or rather not pray to her, but prey on her, for they ride vp and downe on her, and make her their bootes.

Cham. What, the common-wealth their bootes? will shee hold out water in foule way?

Gad. She will, fhe will, iuftice hath liquord her: we steale as in a caftle, cockfure; we haue the receit of fernefeed, we walke inuifible.

Cham. Nay, by my fayth, I thinke you are more beholding to the night then to fernefeed, for your walking inuifible. Gad. Giue me thy hand, thou shalt haue a fhare in our pur chase, as I am a true man.

Cham. Nay, rather let me haue it, as you are a falfe theefe. Gad. Go to, homo is a comon name to all men: bid the oftler bring my gelding out of the ftable; farewell ye muddy knaue.

Enter Prince, Poines, and Peto, &c.

Poines. Come fhelter, fhelter, I haue remooued Falftalfes horfe, and he frets like a gum'd veluet.

Prince. Stand clofe.

Enter Falstaffe.

Falf. Poines, Poines, and be hangd Poines.

Prince. Peace ye fat-kidneyd rafcall, what a brawling doft thou keepe?

Falf. What Poines, Hal?

Prin. He is walkt vp to the top of the hill, Ile go feeke him. Fal. I am accurft to rob in that theeues company, the rafcall hath remoued my horfe, and tyed him I know not where, if I trauel but foure foote by the fquire* further a foote, I fhal break my winde: well, I doubt not but to die a faire death for all this, if I fcape hanging for killing that rogue, I haue forfworne his company hourely any time this 22. yeare, and yet I am bewitcht with the rogues company. If the rafcall haue not giuen me medicines to make me loue him, Ile be hangd: it could not be elfe, I haue drunke medicines, Poines, Hal, a plague vpon you both. Bardoll, Peto, Ile ftarue ere Ile rob a foote further: and t'were not as good a deed as drinke, to turne true man, and to leaue thefe rogues, I am the verieft varlet that euer chewed with a tooth; eight yeardes of vneuen ground, is threefcore and ten miles afoot with me: and the ftony hearted villaines know it well enough, a plague vpon it when theeues cannot be true one to another.

They whistle. Whew, a plague vpon you all, giue me my horse, you rogues, Giue me my horfe, and be hangd.

Prince. Peace ye fat guts, lie downe, lay thine eare close to the ground, and lift if thou can heare the tread of trauellers.

Fal. Haue you any leauers to lift me vp againe being downe? zbloud, Ile not beare mine own flesh fo far afoot againe for all the coyne in thy fathers exchequer : what a plague meane ye to colt me thus ?

Prince. Thou lyeft, thou art not colted, thou art vncolted. Fal. I prethee good prince Hal, helpe mee to my horse, Good kings fonne.

Prince. Out you rogue, fhall I be your oftler?

Falf. Go hang thy felfe in thine owne haire apparant garters: if I be tane, Ile peach for this: and I haue not ballades made on all, and fung to filthy tunes, let a cup of facke be my poyfon: when ieaft is fo forward, and a foot too, I hate

it.

Enter Gads-hill.

Gad. Stand.

Fal. So I doe against my will.

Poin. O tis our fetter, I know his voyce: Bardol what newes?

· Bar. Cafe yee, cafe yee; on with your vizards, ther's mony of the kings comming downe the hill, tis going to the kings exchequer.

Falf. You lie you rogue, tis going to the kings tauerne.

Gad. There's enough to make vs all.

Fall. To be hanged.

Prince. You foure fhall front them in the narrow lane:

Ned Poines and I, will walke lower; if they fcape from your

encounter, then they light on vs.

Peto. But how many be they of them?

Gad. Some eight or ten.

Falf. Zounds, will they not rob vs?

Prin. What! a coward fir Iohn Pawnch ?

Fall. Indeed I am not John of Gant our † grandfather, but

yet no coward, Hal.

Prince. Well, weele leaue that to the proofe.

Poynes. Sirra Iacke, thy horfe ftands behind the hedge, when thou needeft him, there thou shalt finde him : farewell, and stand faft.

Fal. Now cannot I strike him if I should be hangd.
Prince. Ned, where are our disguises?

Poynes. Here hard by, stand close.

Falf. Now my maifters, happy man be his dole, fay, euery man to his businesse.

Enter the trauellers.

Tra. Come neighbour, the boy fhall lead our horfes downe the hil, weele walke a foote a while, and ease our leggs. Theeues. Stay *.

Tra. Iefus bleffe vs.

Falf. Strike, downe with them, cut the villaines throates: a horefon caterpillars bacon-fed knaues, they hate vs youth, downe with them, fleece them.

Tra. O, we are vndone, both we and ours for euer.

Falf. Hang ye gorbellied knaues, are ye vndone? no yee fat chuffes, I would your store were here: on bacons, on, what yee knaues? young men must liue, you are grand iurers, are yee? weele iure yee yfaith.

Here they rob them and binde them: Enter the Prince and Poines.

Prince. The theeues haue bound the true men: now coulde thou and I rob the theeues, and go merrily to London, it would be argument for a weeke, laughter for a month, and a good ieft for euer.

Paynes. Stand chofe, I heare them comming.

Stand

Enter