Falf. These foure came all a front, and mainely thruft at me; I made no more adoe, but tooke all their feuen points in my target, thus.

Princ. Seuen? why there were but foure, euen now.
Falf. In buckrom.

Poin. I, foure, in buckrome fuites.

Falf. Seuen, by thefe hiltes, or I am a villaine else.
Prin. Prethee let him alone, we shall haue more anon.
Falf. Doeft thou heare me Hal?

Prin. I and marke thee too, Iacke.

Fal. Do fo, for it is worth the liftning to, these nine in buckrom, that I told thee of.

Prin. So, two more already.
Fal. Their points being broken.
Poynes. Downe fell his hofe.

Fal. Began to giue me ground, but I followed me clofe, came in foote and hand, and with a thought, feuen of the eleuen I paid.

Prin. O monftrous! eleuen buckrom men growne out of two?

Fal. But as the diuel would haue it, three mif-begotte knaues, in Kendall greene, came at my backe and let driue at me, for it was fo darke, Hal, that thou couldst not fee thy hand.

Prin. These lyes are like the father that begets them, grosse as a moūtaine, ope palpable. Why thou clay-braind guts, thou knotty-pated foole, thou horfon obfcene greafie tallow catch.

Fal. What? art thou mad? art thou mad; is not the truth the truth?

Prin. Why, how couldst thou know these men in Kendall greene, when it was fo darke thou couldst not fee thy hand? come tell vs your reafon, what faift thou to this ?

Poy. Come, your reafon Jacke, your reafon.

Fal.

Fal. What, vpon compulfion? zoundes, and I were at the ftrappado, or al the racks in the world, I would not tel you on compulfion. Giue you a reafon on compulfio? if reafons were as plenty as blackeberries, I would giue no man a reafon vpon compulfion, I.

Prin. Ile be no longer guiltie of this finne. This fanguine coward, this bed -preffer, this horse-back-breaker, this huge hil of flesh.

Fal. Zbloud you starueling, you elfskin, you dried neats tong, buls-pizzel, you ftockefifh: O for breath to vtter! what is like thee? you taylers yard, you fheath, you bowcase, you vile ftanding tucke.

Prin. Wel, breath a while, and then to it againe, and when thou haft tried † thy felfe in bafe comparifös, heare me fpeak but thus t.

Poy. Marke, Iacke.

Prin. We two, faw you foure, fet on foure and bound them, and were maifters of their welth: marke now how a plaine tale fhall put you downe: then did wee two fet on you foure, and with a word, outfac'd you from your prize, and haue it, yea, and can fhew it you here in the house and Falstaffe, you carried your guts away as nimbly, with as quick dexterity, and roared for mercy, and still run and roare, as euer I heard bul-calfe. What a flaue art thou to hack thy fword as thou haft done, and then fay it was in fight? what tricke? what deuice? what starting hole canft thou now find out, to hide thee from this open and apparant shame?

Poin. Come lets heare Iacke, what tricke haft thou now? Falf. By the Lord, I knew yee as well as hee that made yee. What heare you my maifters, was it for mee, to kill the heire apparant? fhould I turne vpon the true prince? why, thou knowest I am as valiant as Hercules: but beware

* song, you t tired.

Ee 3

this.

inflinct,

instinct, the lion will not touch the true prince, instinct is a great matter. I was a coward on instinct, I shall thinke the better of my felfe, 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 haue the money. Hofteffe, clap to the doores, watch to night, pray to morrow: gallants, lads, boyes, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship come to you. What, fhall we be merry? fhall we haue a play extempore? Prin. Content, and the argument fhall be, thy running

away.

Falf. A, no more of that Hal, and thou loueft me.

Enter hofteffe.

Hoft. O Iefu, my lord the prince!

Prin. How now my lady the hofteffe, what faift thou to me?

Hof. Marry, my L. there is a noble man of the court, at doore would speake with you: he fayes, he comes from your

father.

Prin. Giue him as much as will make him a royall man, and fend him backe againe to my mother.

Fal. What manner of man is he?

Hof. An old man.

Fal. What doth grauitie out of his bed at midnight? fhall

I giue him his anfwere?

Prin. Prethce doe Jacke.

Falf. Fayth, and Ile fend him packing.

Exit.

Prin.Now firs: birlady you fought faire, fo did you Peto, fo did you Bardol; you are lions too, you ran away upon inftinct, you will not touch the true prince, no fie.

Bar. Fayth, I ran when I faw others runne.

Prince. Fayth, tell me now in earneft, how came Falstaffes fword fo hackt?

Peto.

Peto. Why, he hackt it with his dagger, and faid he would fweare truth out of England but he would make you beleeue it was done in fight, and perfwaded vs to do the like.

Car. Yea, and to tickle our nofes with fpeare-graffe, to make them bleede, and then to beflubber our garments with it, and fweare it was the blood of true men. I did that I did not this feauen yeares before, I blusht to heare his monftrous deuifes.

Prin. O villaine, thou ftoleft a cup of facke eighteene yeeres ago, and wert taken with the manner, and euer fince thou haft blusht extempore, thou hadft fire and fword on thy fide, and yet thou ranft away: 'what instinct hadst thou for it? Bar. My lord, doe you see these meteors? doe you behold thefe exhalations?

Princ. I doe.

Bar. What thinke you they portend?
Prin. Hot liuers, and cold purses.
Bar.. Choler, my lord, if rightly taken.

Enter Falftaffe.

Prin. No, if rightly taken, Jacke, here comes bare-bone. of bombaft, how long is't ago, owne knee?

halter. How now my fweete creature lacke, fince thou fawest thine

Here comes leane

Fal. My owne knee? when I was about thy yeares (Hal) I was not an eagles talent in the waft: I could haue crept into any aldermans thumbe-ring: a plague of fighing and griefe, it blows a man vp like a bladder. Ther's villanous newes abroad, here was fir Iohn Braby from your father: you must goe to the court in the morning. The fame mad fellow of the north, Percy; and hee of Wales, that gaue Amamon the bastinado, and made Lucifer cuckold, and fwore the diuell his true liegeman vpon the croffe of a Welch hooke; what a plague call you him?

Poin. O, Glendower.

Falf. Owen, Owen, the fame, and his fonne in law Mortimer, and old Northumberland, and the fprightly Scot of Scottes Dowglas, that runnes a horse-back vp a hill perpendicular.

Prin. Hee that rides at high speed, and with a pistoll killes a fparrow flying.

Falf. You haue hit it.

Prin. So did he neuer the fparrow.

Falf. Well, that rafcall hath good mettall in him, he will

not runne.

Prince. Why what a rafcall art thou then, to prayfe him fo for running?

Falf. A horfe-backe (ye cuckoe) but a foote hee will not budge a foote.

Prin. Yes Iacke, vpon instinct.

Falf. I grant ye, vpon inftinet: well, he is there too, and one Mordake, and a thousand blew caps more. Worcester is ftolne away by night, thy fathers beard is turn'd white with the newes, you may buy land now as cheape as stinking mackrell.

Prin. Then tis like, if there come a hot funnet, and this ciuill buffeting hold, we fhall buy mayden-heads as they buy hob-nailes, by the hundreds.

Fal. By the maffe lad, thou faift true, it is like we shall haue good trading that way. But tell me Hal, art not thou horrible afeard? thou being heire apparant, could the world picke thee out three fuch enemies againe, as that fiend Dowglas, that fpirit Percy, and that diuell Glendower? art not thou horrible afraide? doth not thy blood thrill at it?

Prin. Not a whit yfaith: I lacke fome of thy instinct.

Owen Glendower.

+June.

borribly.

Falf.