Re-enter HASTINGS. Hast. My lord, our army is dispers'd already: Like youthful steers unyok'd, they take their courses East, west, north, south; or, like a school broke up, Each hurries toward his home, and sporting-place. West. Good tidings, my Lord Hastings; for the which I do arrest thee, traitor, of high treason:— And you, lord archbishop,—and you, Lord Mowbray, Of capital treason I attach you both. Mowb. Is this proceeding just and honourable? West. Is your assembly so? Arch. Will you thus break your faith? P. John. I pawn'd thee none: I promis'd you redress of these same grievances, Whereof you did complain; which, by mine honour, I will perform with a most christian care. But, for you, rebels,-look to taste the due Meet for rebellion, and such acts as yours. Most shallowly did you these arms commence, Fondly 10 brought here, and foolishly sent hence.Strike up our drums, pursue the scatter'd stray; Heaven, and not we, have safely fought to-day.Some guard these traitors to the block of death; Treason's true bed, and yielder up of breath. 10 i. e. foolishly. [Exeunt 11 11 It cannot but raise some indignation to find this horrid violation of faith passed over thus slightly by the poet without any note of censure or detestation.' JOHNSON. That Shakspeare followed the historians is no excuse; for it is the duty of a poet always to take the side of virtue.-I had some doubt whether I should retain this reflection upon the poetical justice of Shakspeare; but I have been determined to do so by the hope that it may lead to the discussion of the passage. I would not willingly believethat the poet approved this abominable piece of treachery. SCENE III. Another Part of the Forest. Alarums: Excursions. Enter FALSTAFF and COLEVILE, meeting. Fal. What's your name, sir? of what condition are you and of what place, I pray ? Cole. I am a knight, sir; and my name is Colevile of the dale. Fal. Well then, Colevile is your name; a knight is your degree; and your place, the dale: Colevile shall still be your name; a traitor your degree; and the dungeon your place,-a place deep enough: so shall you still be Colevile of the dale. Cole. Are not you Sir John Falstaff? Fal. As good a man as he, sir, whoe'er I am. Do ye yield, sir? or shall I sweat for you? If I do sweat, they are drops of thy lovers, and they weep for thy death: therefore rouse up fear and trembling, and do observance to my mercy. Cole. I think, you are Sir John Falstaff; and in that thought, yield me. Fal. I have a whole school of tongues in this belly of mine; and not a tongue of them all speaks any other word but my name. An I had but a belly of any indifferency, I were simply the most active fellow in Europe: My womb, my womb, my womb undoes me. Here comes our general. Enter PRINCE JOHN of Lancaster, WESTMORELAND, and Others. P.John. The heat is past, follow no further now;Call in the powers, good cousin Westmoreland.[Exit WEST. Now, Falstaff, where have you been all this while? When every thing is ended, then you come : These tardy tricks of yours will, on my life, Fal. I would be sorry, my lord, but it should be thus; I never knew yet, but rebuke and check was the reward of valour. Do you think me a swallow, an arrow, or a bullet? have I, in my poor and old motion, the expedition of thought? I have speeded hither with the very extremest inch of possibility; I have foundered nine score and odd posts: and here, travel-tainted as I am, have, in my pure and immaculate valour, taken Sir John Colevile of the dale, a most furious knight, and valorous enemy: But what of that? he saw me, and yielded; that I may justly say with the hook-nosed fellow of Rome1, -I came, saw, and overcame. P. John. It was more of his courtesy than your deserving. Fal. I know not; here he is, and here I yield him: and I beseech your grace, let it be booked with the rest of this day's deeds; or, by the Lord, I will have it in a particular ballad else, with mine own picture on the top of it, Colevile kissing my foot: To the which course, if I be enforced, if you do not all show like gilt two-pences to me; and I, in the clear sky of fame, o'ershine you as much as the full moon doth the cinders of the element, which show like pins' heads to her; believe not the word of the noble : Therefore let me have right, and let desert mount. P. John. Thine's too heavy to mount. P. John. Thine's too thick to shine. Fal. Let it do something, my good lord, that may do me good, and call it what you will. 1 Cæsar. 2 A ludicrous term for the stars. P. John. Is thy name Colevile3 ? Cole. It is, my lord. P. John. A famous rebel art thou, Colevile. Fal. And a famous true subject took him. Cole. I am, my lord, but as my betters are, That led me hither: had they been rul'd by me, You should have won them dearer than you have. Fal. I know not how they sold themselves: but thou, like a kind fellow, gavest thyself away; and I thank thee for thee. Re-enter WESTMORELAND. P. John. Now, have you left pursuit? West. Retreat is made, and execution stay'd. P. John. Send Colevile, with his confederates, To York, to present execution *: Blunt, lead him hence; and see you guard him sure. [Exeunt some with COLEVILE. And now despatch we toward the court, my lords; I hear, the king my father is sore sick: Our news shall go before us to his majesty,Which, cousin, you shall bear,—to comfort him; And we with sober speed will follow you. It appears that Colevile was designed to be pronounced as a trisyllable: it is often spelt Colleville in the old copies. 4At the king's coming to Durham the Lord Hastings, Sir John Colevile of the dale, &c. being convicted of the conspiracy, were there beheaded.'-Holinshed, p. 530. It is to be observed that there are two accounts of the termination of the archbishop of York's conspiracy, both of which are given by Holinshed. He states that on the archbishop and earl marshal submitting to the king and to his son Prince John, there present, their troopes skaled and fledde their wayes; but being pursued, many were taken, many slain, &c.; the archbishop and earl marshall were brought to Pomfret to the king, who from thence went to Yorke, whyther the prisoners were also brought, and there beheaded.' It is this last account that Shakspeare has followed, but with some variation; for the names of Colevile and Hastings are not mentioned among those who were beheaded at York. Fal. My lord, I beseech you, give me leave to go through Glostershire: and, when you come to court, stand my good lord 5, 'pray, in your good report. P. John. Fare you well, Falstaff: I, in my condition 6, Shall better speak of you than you deserve. [Exit. Fal. I would you had but the wit; 'twere better than your dukedom. Good faith, this same young sober-blooded boy doth not love me; nor a man cannot make him laugh;—but that's no marvel, he drinks no wine. There's never any of these demure boys come to any proof: for thin drink doth so over-cool their blood, and making many fish-meals, that they fall into a kind of male green-sickness; and then, when they marry, they get wenches: they are generally fools and cowards;-which some of us should be too, but for inflammation. A good sherris sack hath a two-fold operation in it. It ascends me into the brain; dries me there all the foolish, and dull, and crudy vapours which environ it makes it apprehensive, quick, forgetive, full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes; which delivered o'er to the voice (the tongue), which is the birth, becomes excellent wit. The second property of your excellent sherris is, the warming of the blood; which, before cold and settled, left the liver white and pale, which is the badge of pusillanimity 5 Johnson was so much unacquainted with ancient phraseology as to make difficulties about this phrase, which is one of the most common petitionary forms of our ancestors. Stand my good lord, or be my good lord, means stand my friend, be my patron or benefactor, report well of me. 6 Condition is most frequently used by Shakspeare for nature, disposition. The prince may therefore mean, I shall in my good nature speak better of you than you deserve.' 7 Vide note on King Henry IV. Part 1. Act i. Sc. ii. p. 131. s Inventive, imaginative. |