Lady. But hear you, my lord.

Hot. What say'st thou, my lady?

Lady. What is it carries you away?
Hot. Why, my horse, my love, my horse.
Lady. Out, you mad-headed ape!

A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen
As you are toss'd with. In faith,

I'll know your business, Harry, that I will.
I fear my brother Mortimer doth stir
About his title, and hath sent for you
To line his enterprize: but if you go—
Hot. So far afoot, I shall be weary, love.
Lady. Come, come, you paraquito, answer me
Directly unto this question that I ask:
In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry,
An if thou wilt not tell me all things true.
'Hot. Away,

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90

Away, you trifler! Love! I love thee not,
I care not for thee, Kate: this is no world
To play with mammets and to tilt with lips:
We must have bloody noses and crack'd crowns,
And pass them current too. God's me, my horse!
What say'st thou, Kate? what wouldst thou have
with me?

Lady. Do you not love me? do you not, indeed?
Well, do not then; for since you love me not,
I will not love myself. Do you not love me?
Nay, tell me if you speak in jest or no.
Hot. Come, wilt thou see me ride?

And when I am o' horseback, I will swear
I love thee infinitely. But hark you, Kate;
I must not have you henceforth question me

ΙΟΟ

Whither I go, nor reason whereabout:
Whither I must, I must; and, to conclude,
This evening must I leave you, gentle Kate.
I know you wise, but yet no farther wise
Than Harry Percy's wife: constant you are,
But yet a woman: and for secrecy,

No lady closer; for I well believe

Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not know;
And so far will I trust thee, gentle Kate.

Lady. How! so far?

Hot. Not an inch further. But hark

you, Kate:
Whither I go, thither shall you go too;
To-day will I set forth, to-morrow you.
Will this content you, Kate?

Lady.

It must of force. [Exeunt. 120

Scene IV.

The Boar's-Head Tavern in Eastcheap.

Enter the Prince, and Poins.

Prince. Ned, prithee, come out of that fat room, and lend me thy hand to laugh a little.

Poins. Where hast been, Hal?

Prince. With three or four loggerheads amongst three or fourscore hogsheads. I have sounded the very base-string of humility. Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers; and can call them all by their christen names, as Tom, Dick, and Francis. They take it already upon their salvation, that though I be but Prince of Wales, yet I am the king of courtesy; and tell me flatly I am no proud Jack, like Falstaff, but a Corin

ΙΟ

thian, a lad of mettle, a good boy, by the Lord,
so they call me, and when I am king of England,
I shall command all the good lads in Eastcheap.
They call drinking deep, dyeing scarlet; and
when you breathe in your watering, they cry,
'hem!' and bid you play it off. To con-
clude, I am so good a proficient in one quarter
of an hour, that I can drink with any tinker 20
in his own language during my life. I tell thee,
Ned, thou hast lost much honour, that thou wert
not with me in this action. But, sweet Ned,-
to sweeten which name of Ned, I give thee this
pennyworth of sugar, clapped even now into my
hand by an under-skinker, one that never spake
other English in his life than Eight shillings
and sixpence,' and 'You are welcome,' with this
shrill addition, Anon, anon, sir! Score a pint
of bastard in the Half-moon,' or so. But, Ned, 30
to drive away the time till Falstaff come, I
prithee, do thou stand in some by-room, while
I question my puny drawer to what end he gave
me the sugar; and do thou never leave calling
Francis,' that his tale to me may be nothing
but Anon.' Step aside, and I'll show thee a
precedent.

Poins. Francis!

6

Prince. Thou art perfect.

Poins. Francis!

[Exit Poins. 40

Enter Francis.

Fran. Anon, anon, sir. Look down into the Pom

garnet, Ralph.

Prince. Come hither, Francis.

Fran. My lord?

Prince. How long hast thou to serve, Francis?

Fran. Forsooth, five years, and as much as to-
Poins. [Within] Francis!

Fran. Anon, anon, sir.

Prince. Five year! by 'r

clinking of pewter.

lady, a long lease for the
But, Francis, darest thou 50

be so valiant as to play the coward with thy in-
denture and show it a fair pair of heels and run
from it?

Fran. O Lord, sir, I'll be sworn upon all the books
in England, I could find in my heart.

Poins. [Within] Francis!

Fran. Anon, sir.

Prince. How old art thou, Francis?

Fran. Let me see-about Michaelmas next I shall be

Poins. [Within] Francis!

Fran. Anon, sir. Pray stay a little, my lord.

Prince. Nay, but hark you, Francis: for the sugar thou gavest me, 'twas a pennyworth, was 't not?

Fran. O Lord, I would it had been two!

Prince. I will give thee for it a thousand pound: ask me when thou wilt, and thou shalt have it.

Poins. Within] Francis!

Fran. Anon, anon.

Prince. Anon, Francis? No, Francis; but to-morrow, Francis; or Francis, o' Thursday; or indeed, Francis, when thou wilt. But, Francis!

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70

Fran. My lord?

Prince. Wilt thou rob this leathern jerkin, crystalbutton, not-pated, agate-ring, puke-stocking,

caddis-garter, smooth-tongue, Spanish-pouch,—

Fran. O lord, sir, who do you mean?

Prince. Why, then, your brown bastard is your only 80 drink; for look you, Francis, your white canvas doublet will sully: in Barbary, sir, it cannot come to so much.

Fran. What, sir?

Poins. [Within] Francis!

Prince. Away, you rogue! dost thou not hear them call? [Here they both call him; the drawer stands amazed, not knowing which way to go.

Enter Vintner.

Vint. What, standest thou still, and hearest such a calling? Look to the guests within. [Exit Francis.] My lord, old Sir John, with half- 90 a-dozen more, are at the door: shall I let them in?

Prince. Let them alone awhile, and then open the door. [Exit Vintner.] Poins!

Re-enter Poins.

Poins. Anon, anon, sir.

Prince. Sirrah, Falstaff and the rest of the thieves are at the door: shall we be merry?

Poins. As merry as crickets, my lad. But hark ye; what cunning match have you made with this jest of the drawer? come, what's the issue? Prince. I am now of all humours that have showed