P. Hen. Where shall we take a purse to-morrow, Jack? Fal. Where thou wilt, lad, I'll make one; an I do not, call me villain, and baffle me. P. Hen. I see a good amendment of life in thee; from praying, to purse-taking. Fal. Why, Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal; 'tis no sin for a man to labour in his vocation, Enter POINS. P. Hen. Good morrow, Ned. What says Poins. Good morrow, sweet Hal.Monsieur Remorse? What says Sir John Sack-and Sugar? But, my lads, my lads, to-morrow morning, by four o'clock, early at Gads Hill,--There are pilgrims going to Canterbury, with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with fat purses: I have visors for you all, you have horses for yourselves: Gadshill lies to-night in Rochester; I have bespoke supper in Eastcheap: we may do it as secure as sleep; if you will go, I will stuff your purses full of crowns: if you will not, tarry at home, and be hanged. Fal. Hear ye, Yedward; if I tarry at home, and go not, I'll hang you for going. Poins. You will, chops? Fal. Hal, wilt thou make one? P. Hen. Who, I rob? I a thief? not I, by my faith. Fal. There's neither honesty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee; nor thou cam'st not of the blood royal, if thou dar'st not stand for ten shillings. P. Hen. Well then, once in my days, I'll be a mad cap. Fal. Why, that's well said. P. Hen. Well, come what will, I'll tarry at home. Fal. By the lord, I'll be a traitor then, when thou art king. [Retires. P. Hen. I care not. Poins. Sir John, I pr'ythee, leave the prince and me alone; I will lay him down such reasons for this adventure, that he shall go. Fal. Well, may'st thou have the spirit of persuasion, and he the ears of profiting, that what thou speakest may move, and what he hears may be believed, that the true prince may (for recreation sake) prove a false thief; for the poor abuses of the time shall find me in want countenance. Eastcheap. Farewell: you [Exit. P. Hen. Farewell, thou latter spring! farewell, All-hallown summer! [Advances. Poins. Now my good sweet honey lord, ride with us to-morrow; I have a jest to execute, that I cannot manage alone. Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gadshill, shall rob those men that we have already waylaid; yourself, and I, will not be there: and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head from my shoulders. P. Hen. But how shall we part with them in setting forth? Poins. Why, we will set forth before, or after them, and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail; and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves: which they shall have no sooner atchieved, but we'll set upon them. P. Hen. Ay, but 'tis like, that they will know us, by our horses, by our habits, and by every other appointment, to be ourselves. Poins. Tut! our horses they shall not see, I'll tie them in the wood; our visors we will change, after we leave them; and I have cases of buckram for the nonce, to inmask our noted outward garments. P. Hen. But I doubt they will be too hard for us. Poins. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turned back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he sees reason, l'il for swear arms. The virtue of this jest will be, the incomprehensible lies that this same fat rogue will tell us, when we meet at supper: how thirty, at least, he fought with; what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and, in the reproof of this, lies the jest. P. Hen. Well, I'll go with thee; provide us all things necessary, and meet me in Eastcheap. Fare well. Poins. Farewell, my lord. [Exit. Who doth permit the base contagious clouds I'll so offend, to make offence a skill; Redeeming time, when men think least I will. [Exit. SCENE III. The Council Chamber. Flourish of Trumpets and Drums. KING HENRY, PRINCE JOHN, EARL OF WESTMORELAND, EARL OF WORCESTER, EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND, HOTSPUR, SIR W. BLUNT, SIR R. VERNON, and other GENTLEMEN, discovered. K. Hen. My blood hath been too cold and tempe rate, Unapt to stir at these indignities, And you have found me; for, accordingly, Which the proud soul ne'er pays, but to the proud. The scourge of greatness to be us'd on it; And that same greatness too, which our own hands Have holp to make so portly. North. My lord, K. Hen. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do see Danger and disobedience in thine eye: O, sir, Your presence is too bold and peremptory; You have good leave to leave us : when we need Your use and counsel, we shall send for you. You were about to speak. North. Yea, my good lord. [Exit WORCESTER. Those prisoners, in your highness' name demanded, Hot. My liege, I did deny no prisoners. And 'twixt his finger and his thumb he held And, as the soldiers bore dead bodies by, He question'd me; among the rest demanded I then, all smarting, with my wounds being cold, Out of my grief and my impatience, He should, or he should not; for he made me mad, And talk so like a waiting gentlewoman, Of guns, and drums, and wounds,-(Heaven save the mark!)→→ And telling me, the sovereign'st thing on earth |