Mour. The liues of all your louing complices,
Leaue on you health, the which if you giue ore,
To ftormy paffion muft perforce decay.

Bard. We all that are ingaged to this loffe,
Knew that we ventured on fuch dangerous feas,
That if we wrought out life, twas ten to one,
And yet we venturd for the gaine proposde,
Choakt the refpect of likely perill fear'd,
And fince we are orefet, venture againe :
Come, we will al put forth body and goods.

Mour. Tis more then time, and my moft noble lord,
I heare for certaine, and dare fpeake the truth.

North. I knew of this before, but to speake truth,
This prefent griefe had wipte it from my mind,
Go in with me and counsell euery man,

The apteft way for fafety and reuenge,

Get poftes and letters, and make friends with speed,
Neuer fo few, and neuer yet more need.

Exeunt.

Enter fir Iohn alone, with his page bearing his fword and

buckler.

John. Sirra, you giant, what faies the doctor to my water? Page. He faid fir, the water it felf was a good healthy water, but for the party that owed it, he might haue moe difeafes then he knew for.

John. Men of al forts take a pride to gird at me: the braine of this foolish compouded clay-man is not able to inuent any thing that intends to laughter, more then I inuent, or is inuēted on me, I am not only witty in my felfe, but the cause that wit is in other men. I do here walk before thee, like a fow that hath overwhelmd al her litter but one, if the prince put thee into my feruice for any other reason then to sett me off, why then I haue no iudgement, thou horefon mandrake, thou art fitter to be worne in my cap, then to wait at my

heels

heels I was neucr manned with an agot till now, but I wil in-
fet you, neither in golde nor filuer, but in vile apparell, and
fend you backe againe to your master for a iewell, the iuuenall
the prince your mater, whofe chin is not yet fledge, I will
fooner haue a beard grow in the palme of my hand, then he
fhal get one off his check, and yet he will not sticke to fay his
face is a face royal, God may finish it when he will, tis not a
haire amiffe yet, he may keepe it fill at a face royall, for a
barber fhall neuer earne fixpence out of it, and
crowing as if he had writte man euer fince his father was a
batcheler, he may keepe his owne grace, but hees almost out
of mine I can affure him: what faid mafter Dommelton about
the fattin for my fhort cloake and my floppes?

yet

heele be

Boy. He faide fir, you fhould procure him better affurance then Bardolfe, he would not take his band and yours, he liked not the fecuritie.

Sir John. Let him be damn'd like the glutton, pray God his tongue be hotter, a horefon Achitophel! a rafcall: yea forfooth knaue, to beare a gentle man in hand, and then stand vpon fecurity, the horfon fmoothy-pates doe now weare nothing but hie fhooes and bunches of keyes at their girdles, and if a man is through with them in honeft taking vp, then they must ftand vppon fecurity, I had as liue they would put ratfbane in my mouth as offer to ftop it with fecurity, I lookt a should haue fent me two and twenty yards of fattin (as I am a true knight) and he fends me fecurity: well he may fleepe in fecurity, for he hath the horne of aboundance, and the lightneffe of his wife fhines through it: wheres Bardolf, and yet can not he fee though he haue his owne lantherne to light him.

Boy. Hees gone in Smithfield to buy your worship a horse. Sir Iohn. I bought him in Paules, and heele buy me a horse in Smithfield, and I could get me but a wife in the stewes, I were man'd, horfde, and wiu'd.

Enter

Enter lord chiefe iuftice.

Boy. Sir, here comes the noble man that committed the prince for ftriking him about Bardolfe.

Sir John. Wait clofe, I will not see him.
Iuftice. Whats hee that goes there?
Seru. Falstaffe, and'tplease your lordship.
Iuft. He that was in queftion for the rob'ry.

Seru. He my lord, but he hath fince done good feruice at Shrewsbury, and (as I heare) is now going with fome charge to the lord John of Lancaster.

Iuft. What to Yorke? call him backe againe.

Seru. Sir John Falstaffe.

Ion. Boy, tell him I am deafe.

Boy. You must speake lowder, my mafter is deafe.

Iuft. I am fure he is to the hearing of any thing good, goe plucke him by the elbow, I muft fpeake with him.

Seru. Sir John.

Falt. What a yong knaue and begging? is there not wars? is there not employment? doth not the king lacke subiects? do not the rebels nced fouldiers, though it be a fhame to be on any fide but one, it is worse fhame to beg then to be on the worst fide, were it worfe then the name of rebellion can tell how to make it.

Seru. You mistake me fir.

John. Why fir, did I fay you were an honeft man, fetting my knighthood and my fouldierfhip afide, I had lied in my throat if I had faid fo.

Seru. I pray you fir then fet your knighthood, and your foldiership afide, and giue me leaue to tell you, you lie in your throate, if you fay I am any other then an honest man.

Iohn. I giue thee leaue to tell me, so I lay afide that which growes to me, if thou getft any leaue of me, hang me, if thou takft leaue, thou wert better be hangd, you hunt couter, hence, auaunt,

Seru.

Seru. Sir, my lord would fpeake with you.
Iuft. Sir Iohn Falstaffe, a word with you.

Falft. My good lord, God giue your lordship good time of day, I am glad to fee your lordship abroade, I heard fay your lordship was ficke, I hope your lordship goes abroade by aduife, your lordship, though not clean past your youth, haue yet fome fmack of an ague in you, fome relish of the faltnes of time in you, and I most humbly befeech your lordship to haue a reuerend care of your health.

Iuftice. Sir John, I fent for you before your expedition to Shrewsbury.

Sir John. Andt please your lordship, I heare his maiefty is returnd with fome difcomfort from Wales.

Iuft. I talke not of his maiefty, you would not come when I fent for you.

Falst. And I heare moreouer, his highnes is falne into this famc horfon apoplexi.

Iuft. Well, God mend him, I pray you let me fpeake with you.

Falft. This apoplexi as I take it? is a kind of lethergie, and't please your lordship, a kind of fleeping in the bloud, horfon tingling.

Iuft. What tell you me of it, be it as it is.

Falt. It hath it originall from much griefe, from study, and perturbation of the braine, I haue read the cause of his effects in Galen, it is a kind of deafenes.

Iuft. I thinke you are falne into the disease, for you heare not what I fay to you.

Old. Very wel my lord, very wel, rather and't please you it is the disease of not liftning the maladie of not marking that I am troubled withall.

luft. To punish you by the heeles, would amend the attention of your eares, and I care not if I doe become your phifitian.

Falft,

1

Falt. I am as poore as Ib my lord, but not fo pacient, your lordship may minifter the potion of imprisonment to me, in refpect of pouerty, but how I fhould be your pacient to follow your prescriptions, the wife may make fom dramme of a fcruple, or indeede a fcruple it felfe.

Iuft. I fent for you when there were matters against you for your life to come fpeake with me.

Falst. As I was then aduifde by my learned counfail in the lawes of this land feruice, I did not come.

Iuft. Wel, the truth is fir Ihn, you liue in great infamy. Falst. He that buckles himfelfe in my belt cannot liue in leffe.

Iuft. Your meanes are very flender, and your wafte is great.

Falft. I would it were otherwife, I would my meanes were greater and my wafte fiender.

Iuft. You haue mifled the youthfull prince.

Falt. The yong prince hath milled me, I am the felow with the great belly, and he my dogge.

Iuft, Wel, I am loth to gall a new heald wound, your daies feruice at Shrewsbury, hath a little guilded ouer your nights exploit on Gadshill, you may thanke th'vnquiet time, for your quiet orepofting that action.

Falft. My lord.

Iuft. But fince all is well, keepe it fo, wake not a fleeping wolfe.

Falt. To wake a wolfe, is as bad as fell a fox.

Iuft. What you are as a candle, the better part, burnt out. Falft. A waffel candle my lord, al tallow, if I did fay of wax, my growth would approue the truth.

Iuft. There is not a white haire in your face, but should haue his effect of grauity.

Falft. His effect of grauy, grauie, grauie.