Falt. No abufe Hall a mine honour, no abuse.

Prince. Not to difpraise me, and cal me pantler and breadchipper, and I know not what?

Fal. No abuse Hall.

Poynes. No abufe?

Falft. No abufe Ned 1'th worlde, honeft Ned, none, I difpraifde him before the wicked, that the wicked might not fall in loue with thee: in which doing, I have done the part of a carefull friend and a true fubiect, and thy father is to giue me thankes for it, no abufe Hall, none Ned, none, no faith boyes

none.

Prince. See now whether pure feare and intire cowardize, doth not make thee wrong this virtuous gentlewoman to close with vs is fhe of the wicked, is thine hofteffe here of the wicked, or is thy boy of the wicked, or honeft Bardolfe whole zeal burnes in his nofe of the wicked?

:

Poines. Anfwer thou dead elme, answer.

Falft. The fiend hath prickt down Bardolfe irrecouerable, and his face is Lucifers priuy kitchin, where he doth nothing but roft mault-worms, for the boy there is a good angel about him, but the diuell blinds him too.

Prince. For the weomen.

Falt. For one of them fhees in hell already, and burnes poore foules for th'other I owe her mony, and whether she be damnd for that I know not.

Hoft. No I warrant you.

Falft. No I thinke thou art not, I thinke thou art quit for that, mary there is another inditement vpon thee, for fuffering flesh to be eaten in thy houfe contrary to the law, for the which I thinke thou wilt howle.

Hoft. Al vitlars do fo, whats a ioynt of mutton or twoo in a whole Lent?

Prince. You gentlewoman.

Dol. What faies your grace?

Fal

Fal. His grace faies that which his flesh rebels againft.
Peyto knockes at the doore.

Hoft. Who knockes fo lowd at doore? looke too'th doore there Francis.

Prince. Peyto, how now, what newes?

Peyto. The king your father is at Westminster,
And there are twenty weak and wearied postes,
Come from the North, and as I came along,
I met and ouertooke a dozen captaines,
Bareheaded, fweating, knocking at the tauernes,
And a king euery one for fir John Falstaffe.

Prince. By heauen Poines, I feele me much too blame,

So idely to prophane the precious time,

When tempeft of commotion like the fouth.

Borne with blacke vapour doth begin to melt,
And drop vpon our bare vnarmed heads,

Giue me my fword and cloke: Falstaffe good night.

Exeunt prince and Poynes. Fal. Now coms in the fweeteft morfell of the night, and we muft hence, and leaue it vnpickt: more knocking at the doore, how now, whats the matter?

Bar. You must away to court fir presently,

A dozen captaines ftay at doore for you.

Fal. Pay the mufitions, firra, farewel hofteffe, farewel Dol, you fee my good wenches how men of merrite are fought after, the vndeferuer may fleepe, when the man of action is cald on, farewell good wenches, if I be not fent away poste, I will fee you againe ere I goe.

Doll. I cannot fpeake, if my hart be not ready to burst: wel fweete lacke, haue a care of thy felfe.

Fal. Farewell, farewell.

Hoft. Wel, fare thee wel, I haue knowne thee these twentie nine yeeres, come peafe-cod time, but an honefter, and truer hearted man: wel, fare thee wel.

Bard.

Bard. Miftris Tere-fbeete.

Hoft. Whats the matter?

Bard. Bid miftris Tere-fbeete come to my maifter.

Hoft. O runne Doll, runne, runne good Doll, come, shee comes blubberd, yea? wil you come Doll?

Enter iuftice Shallow, and iuftice Silens.

Excunt.

Sha. Come on, come on, come on, giue me your hand fir, giue me your hand fir, an early ftirrer, by the roode: and how doth my good coofin Silence?

Si. Good morrow good coofine Shallow.

Sha. And how doth my coofin your bedfellow? and your faireft daughter and mine, my god-daughter Ellen?

Si. Alas, a blacke woofel, coofin Shallow.

Sha. By yea, and no, fir, I dare fay my coofin William is become a good fcholler, he is at Oxford ftil, is he not? Si. Indeede fir to my coft.

Sha. A muft then to the innes a court fhortly: I was once of Clements inne, where I thinke they wil talke of mad Shallow yet.

Si. You were calld lufty Shallow then, coofin.

Sha. By the maffe I was calld any thing, and I would haue done any thing indeede too, and roundly too: there was I and little Iohn Doyt of Staffordshire, and blacke George Barnes and Francis Pickebone, and Will Squeele a Cotfole man, you had not foure fuch swinge-bucklers in all the innes a court againe, and I may fay to you, wee knewe where the bona robes were, and had the best of them all at commaundement: then was Iacke Falstaffe, now fir Iohn, a boy, and page to Thomas Mowbray duke of Norfolke.

Si. This fir Iohn, coofin, that comes hither anone about fouldiers?

Sha. The fame fir John, the very fame, I fee him breake Skoggins head at the court gate, when a was a cracke, not

thus

:

thus high and the very fame day did I fight with one Samfon Stockeffb a fruiterer behinde Greyes Inne: Iefu, Iefu, the mad dayes that I haue fpent! and to fee how many of my olde acquaintance are dead.

Si. We fhal all follow, coofin.

Sha. Certaine, tis certaine, very fure, very fure, death (as the pfalmift faith) is certaine to all, all shall die. How a good yoke of bullockes at Samferth faire?

Si. By my troth I was not there.

Sha. Death is certaine is old Dooble of your towne liuing yet?

Si. Dead fir.

Sha. Iefu, Iefu, dead! a drew a good bow, and dead? a fhot a fine shoote: Ihn a Gaunt loued him well, and betted much money on his head. Dead? a woulde haue clapt ith clowt at twelue score, and carried you a forehand shaft a fourteene and foureteene and a halfe, that it would haue doone a mans heart good to fee. How a score of ewes now?

Si. Thereafter as they bee, a fcore of good ewes may bee worth ten pounds.

Sha. And is old Dooble dead?

Si. Here come two of fir Iohn Falstaffes men, as I thinke.

Enter Bardolfe. and one with him.

Bardolfe. Good morrow honeft gentlemen.

Bardolfe. I befeech you, which is iustice Shallow ?

Sha. I am Robart Shallowe, fir, a poore efquier of this countie, and one of the kings iuftices of the peace: what is your good pleasure with me?

Bard. My captaine, fir, commends him to you, my captain fir Iohn Falstaffe, a tall gentleman, by heauen, and a most gallant leader.

Sha.

Sha. He greetes me wel, fir, I knew him a good backfword man: how doth the good knight? may I aske how my ladie his wife doth.

Bar. Sir, pardon, a fouldiour is better accommodate then with a wife.

Shal. It is well faid infaith fir, and it is well faid indeed too, better accomodated, it is good, yea indeede is it, good phrases are furely, and euer were, very commendable, accommodated, it comes of accommodo, very good, a good phrafe.

Bar. Pardon fir, I haue heard the word, phrase call you it? by this daye I knowe not the phrafe, but I will maintaine the word with my fword to be a fouldier like word, and a word of exceeding good command by heauen, accommodated, that is when a man is as they say, accommodated, or when a man is being whereby, a may be thought to be accommodated, which is an excellent thing.

Enter Falftaffe.

Iuft. It is very iuft, look, here comes good fir Iohn, giue me your good hand, giue me your worshippes good hand, by my troth you like well, and beare your yeeres very well, welcome good fir Iohn.

Falt. I am glad to fee you well, good master Robert Shallow, mafter Soccard (as I thinke)

me.

the

Shal. No fir Iohn, it is my cofen Scilens in commiffion with

Falst. Good master Scilens, it well befits you should be of peace.

Scil. Your good worship is welcome.

Fal. Fie this is hot weather gentlemen, haue you prouided me here halfe a dozen fufficient men?

Shal. Mary haue we fir, wil you fit?
Fal. Let me fee them I beseech you.

Shal.