P. Hen. Nay, they will be kin to us, but they will fetch it from Japhet. But to the letter :

Poins. "Sir John Falstaff, knight, to the son of the king, nearest his father, Harry prince of Wales, greeting."-Why, this is a certificate.

P. Hen. Peace!

Poins. "I will imitate the honourable Romans in brevity:"-sure he means brevity in breath; shortwinded. "I commend me to thee, I commend thee, and I leave thee. Be not too familiar with Poins; for he misuses thy favours so much, that he swears thou art to marry his sister Nell. Repent at idle times as thou mayst, and 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 will 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. Yes, my lord.

P. Hen. Where sups he? doth the old boar feed in the old frank ?a

Bard. At the old place, my lord; in Eastcheap. P. Hen. What company?

Page. Ephesians, my lord; of the old church.

P. Hen. Sup any women with him?

a Frank. To frank is to cram, to fatten; and thus a frank is

a sty.

Page. None, my lord, but old mistress Quickly, and mistress Doll Tear-sheet.

P. Hen. What pagan may that be?

Page. A proper gentlewoman, sir, and a kinswoman of my master's.

P. Hen. Even such kin as the parish-heifers are to the town-bull. 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 in town: There 's for your silence.

Bard. I have no tongue, sir.

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

P. Hen. Fare ye well; go. [Ex. BARD. and Page.] -This Doll Tear-sheet should be some road.

Poins. I warrant you, as common as the way between Saint Alban's and London.

P. Hen. 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 like drawers.

P. Hen. From a god to a bull? a heavy declension! it was Jove's case. From a prince to a prentice? a low transformation! that shall be mine: for, in everything, the purpose must weigh with the folly. Follow me, Ned. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Warkworth. Before the Castle. Enter NORTHUMBERLAND, LADY NORTHUMBERLAND, and LADY PERCY.

North. I prithee, loving wife, and gentle daughter, Give even way unto my rough affairs:

Put not you on the visage of the times,
And be, like them, to Percy troublesome.

Lady N. I have given over, I will speak no more:

Do what you will; your wisdom be your guide.
North. Alas, sweet wife, my honour is at pawn;
And, but my going, nothing can redeem it.

Lady P. O, yet, for Heaven's sake, go not to these wars!

The time was, father, that you broke your word,
When you were more endear'd to it than now;
When your own Percy, when my heart's dear Harry,
Threw many a northward look, to see his father
Bring up his powers; but he did long in vain.
Who then persuaded you to stay at home?
There were two honours lost; yours, and your son's.
For yours, may heavenly glory brighten it!
For his, it stuck upon him, as the sun

In the grey vault of heaven: and, by his light,
Did all the chivalry of England move

To do brave acts; he was, indeed, the glass
Wherein the noble youth did dress themselves.
He had no legs that practis'd not his gait :

And speaking thick, which Nature made his blemish,
Became the accents of the valiant;

For those that could speak low, and tardily,

Would turn their own perfection to abuse,

To seem like him: So that, in speech, in gait,
In diet, in affections of delight,

In military rules, humours of blood,

He was the mark and glass, copy and book,

That fashion'd others. And him,-O wondrous him!

O miracle of men!-him did you leave,

(Second to none, unseconded by you,)

To look upon the hideous god of war

In disadvantage; to abide a field,

Where nothing but the sound of Hotspur's name
Did seem defensible :-so you left him:
Never, O never, do his ghost the wrong,

To hold your honour more precise and nice
With others, than with him; let them alone;

The marshal and the archbishop are strong:

Had my sweet Harry had but half their numbers,
To-day might I, hanging on Hotspur's neck,
Have talk'd of Monmouth's grave.

North.

Beshrew your heart, Fair daughter! you do draw my spirits from me, With new lamenting ancient oversights.

But I must go, and meet with danger there;
Or it will seek me in another place,

And find me worse provided.

Lady N.

O, fly to Scotland,

Till that the nobles, and the armed commons,

Have of their puissance made a little taste.

Lady P. If they get ground and vantage of the king,

Then join you with them, like a rib of steel,

To make strength stronger; but, for all our loves,
First let them try themselves: So did your son;
He was so suffer'd: so came I a widow;
And never shall have length of life enough,
To rain upon remembrance with mine eyes,
That it may grow and sprout as high as heaven,
For recordation to my noble husband.

North. Come, come, go in with me: 't is with my mind,

As with the tide swell'd up unto his height,
That makes a still-stand, running neither way.
Fain would I go to meet the archbishop,
But many thousand reasons hold me back:
I will resolve for Scotland; there am I,
Till time and vantage crave my company.

SCENE IV.-London.

[Exeunt.

A Room in the Boar's Head

Tavern, in Eastcheap.

Enter two Drawers.

1 Draw. What hast thou brought there? apple

VOL. V.

M

Johns? thou know'st sir John cannot endure an appleJohn.

2 Draw. Thou sayest true: The prince once set a dish of apple-Johns before him, and told him there were five more sir Johns: and, putting off his hat, said, "I will now take my leave of these six dry, round, old, withered knights." It angered him to the heart: but he hath forgot that.

1 Draw. Why, then, cover, and set them down: And see if thou canst find out Sneak's noise; mistress Tearsheet would fain have some music. [Despatch :-The room where they supped is too hot; they'll come in straight.]

2 Draw. Sirrah, here will be the prince and master Poins anon: and they will put on two of our jerkins and aprons; and sir John must not know of it: Bardolph hath brought word.

1 Draw. By the mass, here will be old utis: It will be an excellent stratagem.

2 Draw. I'll see if I can find out Sneak.

Enter Hostess and DOLL TEAR-SHEET.

[Exit.

Host. I' faith, sweetheart, 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 you have drunk too much canaries; and that 's a marvellous searching wine, and it perfumes the blood ere we can say,What's this? How do you now?

Doll. Better than I was.

Hem.

Host. Why, that was well said; a good heart 's worth gold. Look, here comes sir John.

a Sneak's noise. A noise of musicians is a band.

b Old utis. Utis is the octave of a festival; and so the word passed into the meaning of merriment generally. Old does not here mean ancient, but extreme, very good.