know us, by our horses, by our habits, and by every other appointment, to be ourselves.

Poins. Tut! our horses they shall not see, I'll tie them in the wood; our visards we will change, after we leave them; and I have cases of buckram, for the nonce, to immask our noted outward garments.

Prince. But I doubt, they will be too hard for us.

Poins. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turned back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he sees reason, I'll forswear arms. The virtue of this jest will be, the incomprehensible lies that this same fat rogue will tell us, when we meet at supper; how thirty, at least, he fought with; what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and in the reproof of this lies the jest.

Prince. Well, I'll go with thee: provide us

all things necessary, and meet me to-morrow

night in Eastcheap, there I'll sup: farewell.

Poins. Farewell, my lord.

[Exit.

Prince. I know you all, and will awhile uphold

The unyok'd humour of your idleness:
Yet herein will I imitate the sun;

Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That, when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
So, when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debts I never promised,
By how much better than my word I am,
By so much shall I falsify men's hopes;
And, like bright metal on a sullen ground,
My reformation, glittering o'er my fault,

Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes
Than that which hath no foil to set it off.

I'll so offend to make offence a skill;

Redeeming time when men think least I will.

[Exit.

SCENE II.-THE ROAD BY GADSHILL.

Enter PRINCE OF WALES, and POINS, disguised.

Poins. Come, shelter, shelter; I have removed Falstaff's horse, and he frets like a gummed velvet.

Prince. Stand close.

[Both retire into back scene.

Enter FALSTAFF, disguised.

Fal. Poins! Poins, and be hanged! Poins!

Prince [coming forward].

Peace, ye fat

kidneyed rascal: what a brawling dost thou

keep!

Fal. Where's Poins, Hal?

Prince. He is walked up to the top of the

hill: I'll go seek him.

[Retires again into background.

Fal. I am accursed, to rob in that thief's company: the rascal hath removed my horse, and tied him I know not where. If I travel but four foot by the square further a-foot, I shall break my wind. Well, I doubt not but to die a fair death, for all this, if I 'scape hanging for killing that rogue. I have forsworn his company hourly any time this two-and-twenty years, and yet I am bewitched with the rogue's company. If the rascal have not given me medicines to make me love him, I'll be hanged; it could not be else; I have drunk medicines.Poins!-Hal!-a plague upon you both! Bardolph!-Peto !—I'll starve, ere I'll rob a foot further. An 'twere not as good a deed as drink, to turn true man, and leave these rogues, I am the veriest varlet that ever chewed with a tooth. Eight yards of uneven ground, is three score and ten miles a-foot with me: and the stony-hearted villains know it well enough: a plague upon't, when thieves cannot be true to

one another!

[they

whistle] - Whew! A

plague upon you all!

Give me my horse, you

rogues; give me my horse, and be hanged!

Prince [advances]. Peace! lie down; lay thine ear close to the ground, and list if thou canst hear the tread of travellers.

Fal. Have you any levers to lift me up again, being down? 'Sblood, I'll not bear mine own flesh so far a-foot again, for all the coin in thy father's exchequer.-What a plague mean ye, to colt me thus?

Prince. Thou liest, thou art not colted, thou art uncolted.

Fal. I pr'ythee, good Prince Hal, help me to my horse-good king's son.

Prince. Out, you rogue! shall I be your ostler?

Fal. Go, hang thyself in thy own heirapparent garters! If I be ta'en, I'll 'peach for this. An' I have not ballads made on you all, and sung to filthy tunes, let a cup of sack be