And being now trimm'd in thine own desires,
Thou, beastly feeder, art so full of him,

That thou provok'st thyself to cast him up!
What trust is in these times ?

They that, when Richard liv'd, would have him die,
Are now become enamour'd on his grave:
Thou, that threw'st dust upon his goodly head,
When through proud London he came sighing on
After the admired heels of Bolingbroke,
Cry'st now, O earth, give us that king again,
And take thou this! O thoughts of men accurst!
Past, and to come, seem best; things present, worst.
[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

A Street in London.

Enter Hostess, FANG, and SNARE.

Host. Master Fang, have you enter'd the action? Fang. It is enter'd.—Snare, we must arrest sir John Falstaff.

Snare. It may chance cost some of us our lives, for he will stab.

Fang. An I but fist him once; an a' come but within my vice ;

Host, I am undone by his going; I warrant you, he's an infinitive thing upon my score :-Good master Fang, hold him sure:-good master Snare, let him not 'scape. He comes continuantly to Pye-corner, (saving your manhoods,) to buy a saddle; and he's indited to dinner to the Lubbar's-head in Lumbartstreet, to master Smooth's the silkman: I pray ye, since my exion is enter'd, and my case so openly known to the world, let him be brought in to his answer. A hundred mark is a long loan for a poor lone woman to bear; and I have borne, and borne, and borne; and have been fubb'd off, and fubb'd off, from this day to that day, that it is a shame to be

thought on. There is no honesty in such dealing; unless a woman should be made an ass, and a beast, to bear every knave's wrong.-Yonder he comes; and that arrant malmsey-nose knave, Bardolph, with him. Do your offices, do your offices, master Fang, and master Snare; do me, do me, do me your offices.

Enter Sir JOHN FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, and the Page. Fal. How now! whose mare's dead? what's the matter?

Fang. Sir John, I arrest you at the suit of mistress Quickly.

Fal. Away, varlets !-Draw, Bardolph; cut me off the villain's head; throw the quean in the channel.

Host. Throw me in the channel?-Murder, murder! O thou honey-suckle villain! wilt thou kill heaven's officers, and the king's?

Fal. Keep them off, Bardolph.
Fang. A rescue! a rescue!

Host. Good people, bring a rescue or two.-Thou wo't, wo't thou? thou wo't, wo't thou? do, do, thou rogue! do, thou hemp-seed!

Fal. Away, you scullion! you rampallian! you fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe.

Enter the Lord Chief Justice, and two Apparitors. Ch. Just. What's the matter? keep the peace here, ho!

Host. Good my lord, be good to me, I beseech

you.

Ch. Just. How now, sir John? what are you

brawl

ing here? Doth this become your place, your time, and busi

ness?

You should have been well on your way to York.Stand from him, fellow; Wherefore hang'st thou on him?

Host. O my most worshipful lord, an't please your

grace, I am a poor widow of Eastcheap, and he is arrested at my suit.

Ch. Just. For what sum?

Host. It is more than for some, my lord; it is for all, all I have; he hath eaten me out of house and home; he hath put all my substance into that fat belly of his.

Ch. Just. How comes this, sir John? Fie! what man of good temper would endure this tempest of exclamation? Are you not asham'd, to enforce a poor widow to so rough a course to come by her own?

Fal. What is the gross sum that I owe thee?

Host. Marry, if thou wert an honest man, thyself, and the money too. Thou didst swear to me upon a parcel-gilt goblet, sitting in my Dolphin-chamber, at the round table, by a sea-coal fire, on Wednesday, in Whitsun-week, when the prince broke thy head for liking his father to a singing-man of Windsor; thou didst swear to me then, as I was washing thy wound, to marry me, and make me my lady thy wife. Canst thou deny it? Did not goodwife Keech, the butcher's wife, come in then, and call me gossip Quickly? coming in to borrow a mess of vinegar; telling us, she had a good dish of prawns; whereby thou didst desire to eat some; whereby I told thee, they were ill for a green wound: And didst thou not, when she was gone down stairs, desire me to be no more so familiarity with such poor people; saying, that ere long they should call me madam? And didst thou not kiss me, and bid me fetch thee thirty shillings? I put thee now to thy book oath; deny it, if thou canst.

Fal. My lord, this is a poor mad soul; and she says, up and down the town, that her eldest son is like you; she hath been in good case, and, the truth is, poverty hath distracted her. But for these foolish officers, I beseech you, I may have redress against them.

Ch. Just. Sir John, sir John, I am well acquainted with your manner of wrenching the true cause the

false way. It is not a confident brow, nor the throng of words that come with such more than impudent sauciness from you, can thrust me from a level consideration: You have, as it appears to me, practis'd upon the easy-yielding spirit of this woman, and made her serve your uses both in purse and person.

Host. Yea, in truth, my lord.

Ch. Just. 'Pr'ythee, peace :-Pay her the debt you owe her, and unpay the villainy you have done with her; the one you may do with sterling money, and the other with current repentance.

:

Fal. My lord, I will not undergo this sneap without reply. You call honourable boldness, impudent sauciness if a man will make curt'sy, and say nothing, he is virtuous: No, my lord, my humble duty remember'd, I will not be your suitor; I say to you, I do desire deliverance from these officers, being upon hasty employment in the king's affairs.

Ch. Just. You speak as having power to do wrong; but answer in the effect of your reputation, and satisfy poor woman.

the

Fal. Come hither, hostess.

[Taking her aside.

Enter GowER, with letters.

Ch. Just. Now, master Gower; What news?
Gow. The king, my lord, and Harry prince of
Wales,

Are near at hand: the rest, the paper tells.

Fal. As I am a gentleman,

Host, Nay, you said so before.

Fal. As I am a gentleman;-Come, no more words of it.

Host. By this heavenly ground I tread on, I must be fain to pawn both my plate, and the tapestry of my dining-chambers.

Fal. Glasses, glasses, is the only drinking and for thy walls, a pretty slight drollery, or the story of the prodigal in water-work, is worth a thousand of these

bed-hangings, and these fly-bitten tapestries. Let it be ten pound, if thou canst. Come, if it were not for thy humours, there is not a better wench in England. Go, wash thy face, and 'draw thy action: Come, thou must not be in this humour with me; dost not know me ? Come, come, I know thou wast set on to this.

Host. 'Pray thee, sir John, let it be but twenty nobles; I am loth to pawn my plate, in good earnest, la.

Fal. Let it alone; I'll make other shift: you'll be a fool still.

Host. Well, you shall have it, though I pawn my gown. I hope, you'll come to supper: You'll me all together?

pay

Fal. Will I live?-Go, with her, with her; hook on, hook on.

Host. Will you have Doll Tear-sheet meet you at supper?

Fal. No more words; let 's have her.

[Exeunt Hostess, Bardolph, Fang, SNARE, and Page.

Ch. Just. I have heard better news.

Fal. What's the news, my lord?

Ch. Just. Where lay the king to-night?

Gow. At Basingstoke, my lord.

Fal. I hope, my lord, all's well: What's the news, my lord?

Ch. Just. Come all his forces back?

Gow: No; fifteen hundred foot, five hundred horse,

Are march'd up to my lord of Lancaster,

Against Northumberland, and the archbishop.

Fal. Comes the king back from Wales, my noble lord?

Ch. Just. You shall have letters of me presently: Come, go along with me, good master Gower.

Fal. My lord,

Ch. Just. What's the matter?

Fal. Master Gower, shall I entreat you dinner?

with me to