GADS. There's enough to make us all. P. HEN. Sirs, you four fhall front them in the narrow lane; Ned Poins, and I will walk lower: if they 'scape from your encounter, then they light on us. PETO. How many be there of them? FAL. Zounds! will they not rob us? P. HEN. What, a coward, fir John Paunch? FAL. Indeed, I am not John of Gaunt, your grandfather; but yet no coward, Hal. P. HEN. Well, we leave that to the proof. POINS. Sirrah Jack, thy horse stands behind the hedge; when thou need'ft him, there thou shalt find him. Farewell, and stand fast. FAL. Now cannot I ftrike him, if I fhould be hang'd. P. HEN. Ned, where are our disguises? POINS. Here, hard by; ftand clofe. [Exeunt P. HENRY and POINS. FAL. Now, my masters, happy man be his dole, fay I; every man to his bufinefs. dole,] The portion of alms diftributed at Lambeth palace gate is at this day called the dole. In Jonfon's Alchemist, Subtle charges Face with perverting his mafter's charitable intentions, by felling the dole beer to aqua-vita men. SIR J. HAWKINS. So, in The Coftly Whore, 1633: Again: 66 —— we came thinking "We should have fome dole at the bishop's funeral." "Go to the back gate, and you shall have dole." See Vol. III. p. 431, n. 4. MALONE. STEEVENS, Enter Travellers. t TRAV. Come, neighbour; the boy fhall lead our horses down the hill: we'll walk afoot a while, and ease our legs. THIEVES. Stand. TRAV. Jefu blefs us! FAL. Strike; down with them; cut the villains' throats: Ah! whorfon caterpillars! bacon-fed knaves! they hate us youth: down with them; fleece them. I TRAV. O, we are undone, both we and ours, for ever. FAL. Hang ye, gorbellied' knaves; Are ye undone? No, ye fat chuffs; I would, your ftore were 6 -gorbellied—] i. e. fat and corpulent. See the Gloffary to Kennet's Parochial Antiquities. This word is likewise used by Sir Thomas North in his Translation of Plutarch. Nafhe, in his Have with you to Saffron-Walden, 1596, fays:"O'tis an unconfcionable gorbellied volume, bigger bulk'd than a Dutch hoy, and far more boisterous and cumbersome than a payre of Swiffers omnipotent galeaze breeches." Again, in The Weakest goes to the Wall, 1600: "What are these thick-skinn'd, heavypurs'd, gorbellied churles mad?" STEEVENS. 7-ye fat chuffs;] This term of contempt is always applied to rich and avaricious people. So, in The Mufes' Looking Glass, 1638: the chuff's crowns, Imprifon'd in his rufty cheft," &c. The derivation of the word is faid to be uncertain. Perhaps it is a corruption of chough, a thievish bird that collects his prey on the fea-fhore. So, in Chaucer's Affemble of Foules: "The thief the chough, and eke the chatt'ring pie." Sir W. D'Avenant, in his Juft Italian, 1630, has the fame term: "They're rich choughs, they've ftore "Of villages and plough'd earth." I here! On, bacons, on! What, ye knaves? young men must live: You are grand-jurors are ye? We'll jure ye, i'faith. [Exeunt FALSTAFF, &c. driving the Travellers out. Re-enter Prince HENRY and POINS. P. HEN. The thieves have bound the true men: * Now could thou and I rob the thieves, and go merrily to London, it would be argument for a week, laughter for a month, and a good jeft for ever. POINS. Stand close, I hear them coming. And Sir Epicure Mammon, in The Alchemift, being asked who had robb'd him, answers, "a kind of choughs, fir." STEEVENS. The name of the Cornish bird is pronounced by the natives chow. Chuff is the fame word with cuff, both fignifying a clown, and being in all probability derived from a Saxon word of the latter found. RITSON. 8 the true men:] In the old plays a true man is always fet in oppofition to a thief. So, in the ancient Morality called Hycke Scorner, bl. 1. no date: "And when me lift to hang a true man- Again, in The Four Prentices of London, 1615: Again: "Now, true man, try if thou can't rob a thief." "Sweet wench, embrace a true man, fcorn a thief.” See Vol. IV. p. 325, n. 5. STEEVENS. 9 argument for a week,] Argument is fubject matter for converfation or a drama. So, in the Second Part of this play: "For all my part has been but as a scene "Acting that argument." Mr. M. Mafon adopts the former of thefe meanings, and adds, in fupport of his opinion, a paffage from Much ado about Nothing, where Don Pedro fays to Benedick, [Vol. IV. p. 412.] - if ever thou doft fall from this faith, thou wilt prove a notable argument." STEEVENS. Re-enter Thieves. FAL. Come, my masters, let us share, and then to horse before day. An the prince and Poins be not two arrant cowards, there's no equity stirring: there's no more valour in that Poins, than in a wild duck. P. HEN. Your money. [Rufbing out upon them. [As they are fharing, the Prince and POINs fet upon them. FALSTAFF, after a blow or two, and the rest, run away, leaving their booty behind them.] P. HEN. Got with much eafe. Now merrily to horfe: The thieves are scatter'd, and poffefs'd with fear Away, good Ned. Falstaff fweats to death, [Exeunt. Each takes his fellow for an officer.] The fame thought, a little varied, occurs again in K. Henry VI. Part III: "The thief doth fear each bush an officer." STEEVENS. 9 And lards the lean earth-] So, in K. Henry V: "In which array, brave foldier, doth he lie SCENE III. Warkworth. A Room in the Castle. Enter HOTSPUR, reading a letter." ·But, for mine own part, my lord, I could be well contented to be there, in refpect of the love I bear your boufe.-He could be contented,-Why is he not then? In refpect of the love he bears our house:-he fhows in this, he loves his own barn better than he loves our houfe. Let me fee some more. The purpose you undertake, is dangerous ;Why, that's certain; 'tis dangerous to take a cold, to fleep, to drink: but I tell you, my lord fool, out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, fafety. The purpose you undertake, is dangerous; the friends you have named, uncertain; the time itself unforted; and your whole plot too light, for the counterpoife of fo great an oppofition.-Say you fo, fay you fo? I fay unto you again, you are a fhallow cowardly hind, and you lie. What a lack-brain is this? By the Lord, our plot is a good plot as ever was laid; our friends true and conftant: a good plot, good friends, and full of expectation: an excellent plot, very good friends. friends. What a frofty-spirited rogue is this? Why, my lord of York' commends the plot, and the general courfe of the action. 2 Enter Hotspur, reading a letter.] This letter was from George Dunbar, Earl of March, in Scotland. Mr. EDWARDS'S MS. Notes. my lord of York-] Richard Scroop, Archbishop of York. STEEVENS. 3 |
