What thinkest thou? will our friends prove all | Re-enter King Richard, Ratcliff, attendants, and Rat. No doubt, my lord. [true? K. Rich. Ratcliff, I fear, I fear,- [dows. Rat. Nay, good my lord, be not afraid of shaK. Rich. By the apostle Paul, shadows to-night Have struck more terror to the soul of Richard, Than can the substance of ten thousand soldiers, Armed in proof, and led by shallow Richmond. It is not yet near day. Come, go with me; Under our tents I'll play the eaves-dropper, To hear, if any mean to shrink from me. [ereunt King Richard and Ratcliff. Richmond wakes; enter Oxford and others. Lords. Good morrow, Richmond. Richm. 'Cry mercy, lords, and watchful gentleThat you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here. [men, Lords. How have you slept, my lord? Came to my tent, and cried-On! victory! One rais'd in blood, and one in blood establish'd; A base foul stone, made precious by the foil For me, the ransom of my bold attempt forces. K. Rich. What said Northumberland, as touch Rat. My lord K. Rich. The sun will not be seen to-day; The sky doth frown and lour upon our army. I would, these dewy tears were from the ground. Not shine to-day! Why, what is that to me, More than to Richmond? for the self-same heaven, That frowns on me, looks sadly upon him. Enter Norfolk. Nor. Arm, arm, my lord; the foe vaunts in [my horse; the field. K. Rich. Come, bustle, bustle ;- -caparison Call up lord Stanley, bid him bring his power:— I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain, And thus my battle shall be ordered. My foreward shall be drawn out all in length, Consisting equally of horse and foot; Our archers shall be placed in the midst : John duke of Norfolk, Thomas earl of Surrey, Shall have the leading of this foot and horse. They thus directed, we ourself will follow [side In the main battle; whose puissance on either Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse. This, and saint George to boot!-What think'st thou, Norfolk? Nor. A good direction, warlike sovereign.This found I on my tent this morning. [giving a scroll. [reads. K. Rich. Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold, For Dickon thy master is bought and A thing devised by the enemy.[sold.' Go, gentlemen, every man unto his charge: Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls; Conscience is but a word that cowards use, Devis'd at first to keep the strong in awe; Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-mell; If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell. [law. What shall I say more than I have inferr'd? Remember whom you are to cope withal;A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and run-aways, A scum of Bretagnes, and base lackey peasants, Whom their o'er-cloyed country vomits forth To desperate ventures and assur'd destruction. You, sleeping safe, they bring you to unrest; You, having lands, and bless'd with beauteous wives, They would restrain the one, distain the other. And who doth lead them, but a paltry fellow, Long kept in Bretagne at our mother's cost? Enter a Messenger. What says lord Stanley? will he bring his power? Mess. My lord, he doth deny to come. [head. K. Rich. Off instantly with his son George's Nor. My lord, the enemy is pass'd the marsh; After the battle let George Stanley die. K. Rich. A thousand hearts are great within my bosom: Advance our standards, set upon our foes; SCENE IV. ANOTHER PART OF THE FIELD. Alarum: excursions. Enter Norfolk and forces; Alarum. Enter King Richard. K. Rich. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! [horse. Cate. Withdraw, my lord, I'll help you to a K. Rich. Slave, I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die : I think, there be six Richmonds in the field; [exeunt Alarum. Enter King Richard and Richmond; and exeunt, fighting. Retreat and flourish. Then enter Richmond, Stanley, bearing the crown, with divers other lords and forces. Richm. God, and your arms, be prais'd, victorious friends; The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead. Stan. Courageous Richmond, well hast thou Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty, us. [births. Richm. What men of name are slain on either With smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days! SCENE I. WINDSOR. BEFORE PAGE'S HOUSE. ACT I. Enter Justice Shallow, Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans. Shal. SIR Hugh, persuade me not; I will make a star-chamber matter of it: if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire. Slen. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram. Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and cust-alorum. Slen. Ay, and ratolorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson; who writes himself armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero. Shal. Ay, that we do; and have done any time these three hundred years. Slen. All his successors, gone before him, have done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat. Shal. It is an old coat. Eva. The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant: it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies-love. Shal. The luce is the fresh fish; the salt fish is an old coat. Slen. I may quarter, coz? Shal. You may, by marrying. Eva. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it. Eva. Yes, py'r-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures: but this is all one. If Sir John Falstaff have committed disparagements unto you, I am of the church and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromises between you. Shal. The council shall hear it; it is a riot. Eva. It is not meet the council hear a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot: the council, look you, shall desire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that. Shal. Ha! o'my life, if I were young again, the sword should end it. Eva. It is petter that friends is the sword, and end it; and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot discretions with it: there is Anne Page, which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity. Slen. Mistress Anne Page? she has brown hair, and speaks small, like a woman. Eva. It is that fery verson for all the 'orld, as just as you will desire; and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and silver, is her grandsire, upon his death's-bed, (Got deliver to a joyful resurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a good motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and desire a mur. riage between master Abraham, and mistress Anne Page. [dred pound? Shal. Did her grandsire leave her seven hun Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. [has good gifts. Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; shi Eva. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is goot gifts. Shal. Well, let us see honest master Page: is Falstaff there? Eva. Shall I tell you a lie? I do despise a liar, as I do despise one that is false; or, as I despise one that is not true. The knight, sir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your wellwillers. I will peat the door [knocks] for master Page. What, hoa! Got pless your house here! Enter Puge. Page. Who's there? Eva. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and Justice Shallow; and here young master Slender; that, peradventures, shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings. Page. I am glad to see your worships well: I thank you for my venison, master Shallow. much Shal. Master Page, I am glad to see you; good do it your good heart! I wished your venison better; it was ill killed :-how doth good mistress Page? and I love you always with my heart, la; with my heart. Page. Sir, I thank you. Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do. Page. I am glad to see you, good master Slender. Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, sir? I heard say, he was out-run on Cet sale. Page. It could not be judged, sir. Page. A cur, sir. Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; can there be more said? he is good, and fair.-Is Sir John Falstaff here? two Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shillings and two pence a-piece of Yead Miller, by these gloves. Fal. Is this true, Pistol? Eva. No; it is false, if it is a pick-purse. I combat challenge of this latten bilbo : Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could Word of denial in thy labras here; do a good office between you. Eva. It is spoke as a Christians ought to speak. Shal. He hath wronged me, master Page. Page. Sir, he doth in some sort confess it. Shal. If it be confessed, it is not redressed; is not that so, master Page? he hath wronged me; indeed, he hath ;-at a word, he hath ;-believe me;-Robert Shallow, esquire, saith, he is wronged. Page. Here comes sir John. Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym, and Fal. Now, master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king. Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge. Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter. Shal. The council shall know this. Eva. Pauca verba, sir John, good worts. against you; and against your coney-catching Bard. You Banbury cheese! [my humour. Nym. Slice, I say! pauca, pauca; slice! that's Slen. Where's Simple, my man? can you tell, cousin? Eva. Peace: I pray you! now let us understand: there three umpires in this matter, as I understand: that is, master Page, fidelicet, master Page; and there is myself, fidelicet, myself; and the three party, is, lastly and finally, mine host of the Garter. Page. We three, to hear it, and end it between them. Eva. Fery goot: I will make a prief of it in my note-book; and we will afterwards 'ork upon the cause, with as great discreetly as we can. Fal. Pistol, Pist. He hears with ears. Eva. The tevil and his tam! what phrase is this, He hears with ears? why, it is affectations. Fal. Pistol, did you pick master Slender's purse? Slen. Ay, by these gloves, did he (or I would I might never come in mine own great chamber again else,) of seven groats in mili-sixpences, and Word of denial: froth and scum, thou liest. Slen. By this hat, then he in the red face had it: for though I cannot remember what I did when you made me drunk, yet I am not altogether an ass. Fal. What say you, Scarlet and John Bard. Why, sir, for my part, I say, the gentleman had drunk himself out of his five sentences, Eva. It is his five senses: fie, what the ignorance is! Bard. And, being fap, sir, was, as they say cashier'd; and so conclusions passed the careires. Slen. Ay, you spake in Latin then too; but tis no matter: I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again, but in honest, civil, godly company, for this trick: if I be drunk, I'll be drunk with those that have the fear of God, and not with drunken knaves. Eva. So Got 'udge me, that is a virtuous mind. Fäl. You hear all these matters denied gentlemen; you hear it. Enter Mistress Anne Page, with wine; Mistresɛ Fal. Mistress Ford, by my troth, you are very well met: by your leave, good mistress. [kissing her. Page. Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome :come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner: come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down al unkindness. [exeunt all but Shal. Slen. and Eva. Slen. I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book of songs and sonnets here:Enter Simple. How now, Simple! where have you been? I must wait on myself, must I? you have not the book of riddles about you, have you? Sim. Book of riddles / why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake, upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas? Shal. Come, coz; come, coz; we stay for you. A word with you, coz; marry, this, coz; there is, as 'twere, a tender, a kind of tender, made afar off by sir Hugh here;-do you understand me? Slen. Ay, sir, you shall find me reasonable; if it be so, I shall do that that is reason. Shal. Nay, but understand me. Slen. So I do, sir. Eva. Give ear to his motions, master Slender: I will description the matter to you, if you be ca pacity of it. Slen. Nay, I will do as my cousin Shallow says: I pray you, pardon me; he's a justice of peace in his country, simple though I stand here. Eva. But this is not the question; the question is concerning your marriage. Shal. Ay, there's the point, sir. Eva. Marry, is it; the very point of it; to mistress Anne Page. Slen. Why, if it be so, I will marry her, upon uny reasonable demands. Eva. But can you affection the 'oman? let us command to know that of your mouth, or of your lips; for divers philosophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mouth;-therefore, precisely, can you carry your good will to the maid? [her? Shal. Cousin Abraham Slender, can you love Slen. I hope, sir,—I will do, as it shall become one that would do reason. Eva. Nay, Got's lords and his ladies, you must speak possitable, if you can carry her your desires towards her. [dowry, marry her? Shal. That you must: will you, upon good Slen. I will do a greater thing than that, upon your request, cousin, in any reason. Shal. Nay, conceive me, conceive me, sweet coz; what I do, is to pleasure you, coz: can you love the maid? Slen. I will marry her, sir, at your request; but if there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married, and have more occasion to know one another: I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt: but if you say, marry her, I will marry her, that I am dissolved, and dissolutely. Era. It is a fery discretion answer, save the faul' is in the 'ort dissolutely; the 'ort is, according to our meaning, resolutely;-his meaning is good. Shal. Ay, I think my cousin meant well. Shal. Here comes fair mistress Anne:-would Shal. I will wait on him, fair mistress Anne. Eva. Od's plessed will! I will not be absence at the grace. [exeunt Shallow and Sir H. Evans. Anne. Will't please your worship to come in, sir? [very well. Slen. No, I thank you, forsooth, heartily; I am Anne. The dinner attends you, sir. Slen. I am not a-hungry, I thank you, forsooth Go, sirrah, for all you are my man, go, wait upon my cousin Shallow: [exit Simple.] A justice of peace sometime may be beholden to his friend for a man:-I keep but three men and a boy yet, till my mother be dead: but what though? yet I live like a poor gentleman born. Anne. I may not go in without your worship: they will not sit till you come. Slen. I'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did. Anne. I pray you, sir, walk in. bruised my shin the other day with playing at Slen. That's meat and drink to me now: I have seen Sackerson loose, twenty times; and have taken him by the chain: but, I warrant you, the women have so cried and shriek'd at it, that it passed:-but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em: they are very ill-favoured rough things. Re-enter Page. [stay for you. Page. Come, gentle master Slender, come; we Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way. Slen. Mistress Anne, yourself shall go first. Slen. Truly, I will not go first; truly, la; I will not do you that wrong. Anne. I pray you, sir. Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly than trouble some: you do yourself wrong, indeed, la. [exeunt. SCENE II. THE SAME. Enter Sir Hugh Evans and Simple. Eva. Go your ways, and ask of Doctor Caius' house, which is the way: and there dwells one mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurse, or his dry nurse, or his cook, or his laundry, his washer, and his wringer. Sim. Well, sir. Eva. Nay, it is petter yet:-give her this letter: for it is a 'oman that altogether's acquaintance with mistress Anne Page; and the letter is, to desire and require her to solicit your master's desires to mistress Anne Page; I pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my dinner: there's pippins and cheese to come. [exeunt. SCENE III. A ROOM IN THE GARTER INN. Enter Falstaff, Host, Bardolph, Nym, Pistol, and Fal. Mine host of the Garter,- Fal. I sit at ten pounds a week. Host. Thou'rt an emperor, Cæsar, Keisar, and Pheezar. I will entertain Bardolph; he shall draw, he shall tap: said I well, bully Hector? Fal. Do so, good mine host. Host. I have spoke; let him follow: let me see thee froth and lime: I am at a word; follow. [exit Host. Fal. Bardolph, follow him; a tapster is a good trade: an old cloak makes a new jerkin; a with Slen. 7 had rather walk here, I thank you: 1 ered serving-man, a fresh tapster: go; adieu. |