so farewell-Thine, by yea and no, (which is as much as to say, as thou usest him,) Jack Falstaff, with my familiars; John, with my brothers and sisters; and Sir John, with all Europe.

My lord, I'll steep this letter in sack, and make him eat it.

P. Hen. That's to make him eat twenty of his words. But do you use me thus Ned? must I marry your sister?

Poins. May the wench have no worse fortune! but I never said so.

P. Hen. Well, thus we play the fools with the time; and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds, and mock us. Is your master here in London?

Bard. Yea, my lord.

P. Hen. Where sups he?

Bard. At the old place, my lord; in Eastcheap. P. Hen. What company? Sup any women with him?

Page. None, my lord, but old mistress Quickly, and mistress Doll Tearsheet.

P. Hen. Shall we steal upon them, Ned, at supper?

Poins. I am your shadow, my lord; I'll follow you. P. Hen. Sirrah, you boy,-and Bardolph,—no word to your master, that I am yet come to town; There's for your silence. [Gives his Purse.

Bard. I have no tongue, sir.

Page. And for mine, sir,-I will govern it.

P. Hen. Fare ye well; go.

[Exeunt BARDOLPH and PAGE. How might we see Falstaff bestow himself to-night in his true colours, and not ourselves be seen?

Poins. Put on two leather jerkins, and aprons, and wait upon him at his table, as drawers.

P. Hen. From a prince to a prentice? a low transformation! that shall be mine; for, in every thing,

the purpose must weigh with the folly. Follow me, [Exeunt the PRINCE and POINS.

Ned.

SCENE II.

The Boar's Head Tavern, in Eastcheap.

HOSTESS and DOLL TEARSHEET discovered, seated. Host. I' faith, sweet heart, methinks, now you are in an excellent good temperality; your pulsidge beats as extraordinarily as heart would desire: and your colour, I warrant you, is as red as any rose: But, i' faith, you have drunk too much canaries. How do you now?

Dol. Better than I was. Hem.

Host. Why, that was well said; A good heart's worth gold. Lo, here comes Sir John!

Enter FALSTAFF, with a jug of sack.

Fal. When Arthur first in court-Why, Hostess,and was a worthy king,-How now, mistress Doll? Host. Sick of a calm: yea, good sooth.

Fal. So is all her sect; if they be once in a calm, they are sick.

Dol. You muddy rascal, is that all the comfort you give me?

Host. By my troth, this is the old fashion; you two never meet but you fall to some discord: you are both, in good troth, as rheumatic as two dry toasts; you cannot one bear with another's confirmities. What the good-year! one must bear, and that must be you: you are the weaker vessel, as they say, the emptier vessel. [To DOLL. Dol. Come, I'll be friends with thee, Jack: thou

art going to the wars; and whether I shall ever see thee again, or no, there is nobody cares.

Enter PAGE.

Page. Sir, Ancient Pistol's below, and would speak with you.

Dol. Hang him, swaggering rascal! let him not come hither: it is the foul-mouth'dst rogue in Eng

land.

Host. If he swagger, let him not come here: no, by my faith; I must live amongst my neighbours; I'll no swaggerers: I am in good naine and fame with the very best:-Shut the door ;-there comes no swaggerers here: I have not liv'd all this while to have swaggering now ;--shut the door, I pray you. Fal. Dost thou hear, Hostess?

Host. Pray you, pacify yourself, Sir John; there comes no swaggerers here.

Fal. Dost thou hear? it is mine ancient.

Host. Tilly fally, Sir John, ne'er tell me; your ancient swaggerer comes not in my doors. I was before Master Tisick, the deputy, t'other day: and, as he said to me, it was no longer ago than Wednesday last,-"Neighbour Quickly, says he,"-Master Dumb, our minister, was by then;-" Neighbour Quickly," says he, "receive those that are civil;" for, said he, you are in an ill name;"-now he said so, I can tell whereupon; for, says he, "you are an honest woman, and well thought on; therefore take heed what guests you receive: receive, says he, no swaggering companions."-There comes none here;- you would bless you to hear what he said :-no, I'll no swaggerers.

Fal. He's no swaggerer, Hostess; a tame cheater, he; you may stroke him as gently as a puppy-greyhound; he'll not swagger with a Barbary hen, if her feathers turn back in any show of resistance.-Call him up, boy. [Exit PAGE. Host. Cheater, call you him? I will bar no honest

D

man my house, nor no cheater: But I do not love swaggering; by my troth, I am the worse, when one says-swagger: feel, how I shake; look

rant you.

Dol. So you do, Hostess.

you,

I war

Host. Do I? yea, in very truth, do I, an't were an aspen leaf: I cannot abide swaggerers.

Enter PISTOL, BARDOLPH, and PAGE.

Pist. 'Save you, Sir John!

Fal. Welcome, Ancient Pistol. Here, Pistol, I charge you with a cup of sack: do you discharge upon mine Hostess.

Host. I'll drink no more than will do me good, for no man's pleasure, I.

Pist. Then to you, Mistress Dorothy; I will charge you.

Dol. Charge me? I scorn you, scurvy companion. What! you poor, base, rascally, cheating, lack-linen mate! Away, you mouldy rogue, away! I am meat for your master.

Pist. I know you, Mistress Dorothy.

Dol. Away, you cut-purse rascal! Away, you bottle-ale rascal! you basket-hilt stale juggler, you !— Since when, I pray you, sir?—

Pist. I will murder your ruff for this.

Fal. No more, Pistol; I would not have you go off here: discharge yourself of our company, Pistol.

Host. No, good Captain Pistol; not here, sweet Captain.

Dol. Captain! thou abominable cheater, art thou not asham'd to be call'd-Captain? If Captains were of my mind, they would truncheon you out, for taking their names upon you before you have earn'd them. You a Captain! for what?

Bard. Pray thee, go down, good ancient.

Pist. I'll see her damn'd first; to Pluto's damned lake, to the infernal deep, with Erebus and tortures

vile also. Hold hook and line, say I. Down! Down, dogs! down faitors! Have we not Hiren here? Host. Good Captain, be quiet; it is very late: I beseek you now, aggravate your choler.

Pist. These be good humours, indeed! Shall pack-horses,

And hollow-pamper'd jades of Asia,

Which cannot go but thirty mile a day,
Compare with Cæsars, and with Cannibals,
And Trojan Greeks? nay, rather damn them with
King Cerberus; and let the welkin roar.-
Shall we fall foul for toys?

Host. By my troth, Captain, these are very bitter words. I pray be quiet.

Pist. Feed, and be fat, my fair Calipolis: Come, give's some sack.

-Si fortuna me tormenta, sperato me contenta.Fear we broad-sides? no, let the fiend give fire: Give me some sack.

Fal. Pistol, I would be quiet.

Pist. Sweet Knight, I kiss thy neif: What! we have seen the seven stars.

Dol. Thrust him down stairs; I cannot endure such a fustian rascal.

Pist. Thrust him down stairs! know we not Galloway nags ?

Fal. Quoit him down, Bardolph, like a shove-groat shilling: nay, if he do nothing but speak nothing, he shall be nothing here.

Bard. Come, get you down stairs.

Pist. What! shall we have incision? shall we imbrew? Then death

Rock me asleep, abridge my doleful days!

Why then, let grievous, ghastly, gaping wounds Untwine the sisters three! Come, Atropos, I say! [Drawing his Sword.

Fal. Give me my rapier, boy.

Dol. I pray thee, Jack, I pray thee, do not draw,