Like youthful steers unyok'd, they take their courses I do arrest thee, traitor, of high treason: — bray, Of capital treason I attach you both. Mowb. Is this proceeding just and honourable? West. Is your assembly so? Arch. Will you thus break your faith? John. I pawn'd thee none : I promis'd you redress of these same grievances, Whereof you did complain; which, by mine ħonour, I will perform with a most Christian care. But, for you, rebels, look to taste the due Meet for rebellion, and such acts as yours. Most shallowly did you these arms commence, Fondly brought here, and foolishly sent hence.Strike up our drums! pursue the scatter'd stray; Heaven, and not we, hath safely fought to-day. Some guard these traitors to the block of death; Treason's true bed, and yielder up of breath.* [Exeunt. 4 Johnson and other critics have been mighty indignant that the Poet did not put into the mouth of some character a strain of hot indignation against this instance of treachery. In answe: to which Mr. Verplanck very aptly quotes a remark said to have been made by Chief Justice Marshall. The counsel, it seems, had been boring the court a long time with trying to prove points that nobody doubted; and the judge, after bearing it as long as he well could, very quietly informed him that "there were some things which the court might safely be presumed to know." Perhaps the critics in question did not duly consider, that the surest way in such cases to keep down right feeling, is to take for granted that men don't know how to feel, and so go about to school SCENE III. Another Part of the Forest. Alarums: Excursions. Enter FALSTAFF and COLEVILLE, meeting. Fal. What's your name, sir? of what condition are you, and of what place, I pray ? Cole. I am a knight, sir; and my name is ColeIville of the dale. Fal. Well, then, Coleville is your name, a knight is your degree, and your place, the dale: Coleville shall still be your name, a traitor your degree, and the dungeon your place, a place deep enough; so shall you be still Coleville of the dale. Cole. Are not you Sir John Falstaff? Fal. As good a man as he, sir, whoe'er I am Do ye yield, sir, or shall I sweat for you? If I do sweat, they are the drops of thy lovers, and they weep for thy death: therefore rouse up fear and trembling, and do observance to my mercy. Cole. I think you are Sir John Falstaff, and in that thought yield me. Fal. I have a whole school of tongues in this belly of mine, and not a tongue of them all speaks any other word but my name. An I had but a belly of any indifferency, I were simply the most active fellow in Europe: My womb, my womb, my womb undoes me. Here comes our general. and cudgel them up to it. Mr. Verplanck justly observes, that, when Mowbray asks, -"Is this proceeding just and honourable?" the Poet took for granted that his audience would find an unhesitating and unanimous negative and indignant reply in their own hearts, without nearing a sermon upon it from the deceived Archbishop, or a lecture from some bystander." H. Enter Prince JOHN, WESTMORELAND, and Others. Now, Falstaff, where have you been all this while? Fal. I would be sorry, my lord, but it should be thus: I never knew yet, but rebuke and check was the reward of valour. Do you think me a swallow, an arrow, or a bullet? have I, in my poor and old motion, the expedition of thought? I have speeded hither with the very extremest inch of possibility: I have founder'd nine score and odd posts; and here, travel-tainted as I am, have, in my pure and immaculate valour, taken Sir John Coleville of the dale, a most furious knight, and valorous enemy But what of that? he saw me, and yielded; that I may justly say with the hook-nos'd fellow of Rome,1 -I came, saw, and overcame. John. It was more of his courtesy than your deserving. Fal. I know not: here he is, and here I yield him; and I beseech your grace, let it be book'd with the rest of this day's deeds; or, by the Lord, I will have it in a particular ballad else, with mine own picture on the top of it, Coleville kissing my foot. To the which course if I be enforc'd, if you do not all show like gilt twopences to me, and I, in the clear sky of fame, o'ershine you as much as the full moon doth the cinders of the element, which 1 Cæsar. 2 A ludicrous term for the stars. show like pins' heads to her, believe not the word of the noble: Therefore let me have right, and let desert mount. John. Thine's too heavy to mount Fal. Let it shine then. John. Thine's too thick to shine. Fal. Let it do something, my good lord, that may do me good, and call it what you will. John. Is thy name Coleville? Cole. It is, my lord. John. A famous rebel art thou, Coleville. Fal. And a famous true subject took him. Cole. I am, my lord, but as my betters are, That led me hither: had they been rul'd by me, You should have won them dearer than you have. Fal. I know not how they sold themselves, but thou; like a kind fellow, gavest thyself away gratis; and I thank thee for thee. Re-enter WESTMORELAND. John. Now, have you left pursuit ? West. Retreat is made, and execution stay'd. To York, to present execution. · Blunt, lead him hence, and see you guard him sure. Our news shall go before us to his majesty, Fal. My lord, I beseech you, give me leave to go through Glostershire; and, when you come to So in the quarto; the folio omits gratis. H. court, stand my good lord, pray, in your good report. 6 John. Fare you well, Falstaff: I, in my condition, Shall better speak of you than you deserve. [Exit. Fal. I would you had but the wit: 'twere better than your dukedom. Good faith, this same young sober-blooded boy doth not love me, nor a man cannot make him laugh; but that's no marvel, he drinks no wine. There's never any of these demure boys come to any proof; for thin drink doth so over-cool their blood, and making many fishmeals, that they fall into a kind of male green-sickness; and then, when they marry, they get wenches. They are generally fools and cowards, which some of us should be too, but for inflammation. A good sherris sack hath a two-fold operation in it: it ascends me into the brain; dries me there all the 4 Stand my good lord, or be my good lord, means stand my friend, be my patron or benefactor, report well of me. 5 Condition is often used by Shakespeare for nature, disposi tion. The prince may therefore mean, "I shall in my good nature speak better of you than you deserve." • Falstaff's pride of wit—a pride which is most especially gratified in the fascination he has upon Prince Henry-is shrewdly manifested here, while at the same time a very important and operative principle of human character in general, and of Prince John's character in particular, is most hintingly touched. Falstaff sees that the brain of this sober-blooded boy has nothing for him to get hold of or work upon; that be he never so witty in himself he cannot be the cause of any wit in him; and he is vexed and mortified that his wit fails upon him. And the Poet meant no doubt to have it understood that Prince Henry was drawn and held to Falstaff by virtue of something that raised him immeasurably above his brother; and that the frozen regularity, which was proof against all the batteries of wit and humour, was all of a piece, vitally, with the moral hardness which would not flinch from such an abominable act of perfidy as that towards the Archbishop and ms party. Well, therefore, does Johnson remark upon the passage: "He who cannot be softened into gayety, cannot easily be melted into kindness." And we may add, that none are so hopeless as they that have no bowels. H. |