K. Hen. We are glad the dauphin is so pleasant with us;
His present, and your pains, we thank you for:

When we have match'd our rackets to these balls,
We will in France, by Heaven's grace, play a set
Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard :
Tell him, he hath made a match with such a wrangler,
That all the courts of France will be disturb'd
With chaces.

But this lies all within the will of God,

To whom I do appeal; and in whose name,
Tell you the dauphin, I am coming on
To venge me as I may, and to put forth
My rightful hand in a well-hallow'd cause.
So, get you hence in peace; and tell the dauphin,
His jest will savour but of shallow wit,
When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.
Convey them with safe conduct.-Fare you well.

[Exeunt Ambassadors and Attendants.

Exe. This was a merry message.
K. Hen. We hope to make the sender blush at it.

[Descends from his throne.

Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour,
That may give furtherance to our expedition.
For we have now no thought in us but France;
Therefore, let our proportions for these wars
Be soon collected; and all things thought upon,
That may, with reasonable swiftness, add
More feathers to our wings; for, Heaven before,
We'll chide this dauphin at his father's door.

SCENE 2.

EASTCHEAP, LONDON.

EXTERIOR OF THE BOAR'S HEAD.

Enter NYM and BARDOLPH.

Bard. Well met, Corporal Nym.

Nym. Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.

Bard. What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?

Nym. For my part, I care not: I say little; but when time shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that shall be as it may. I dare not fight, but I will wink, and hold out mine iron: It is a simple one; but what though? It will toast cheese; and it will endure cold as another man's sword will: and there's an end.

Bard. I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends; and we'll be all three sworn brothers to France; let it be so, good Corporal Nym.

Nym. 'Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may : that is my rest, that is the rendezvous of it.

Bard. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly and, certainly, she did you wrong; for you were troth-plight to her.

Nym. I cannot tell; things must be as they may; men may sleep, and they may have their throats about them at that time; and, some say, knives have edges. It must be as it may : though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell.

Enter PISTOL, Mrs. QUICKLY, and the Boy.

Bard. Here comes Ancient Pistol, and his wife :--good corporal, be patient here.-How now, mine host Pistol? Pist. Base tike, call'st thou me host?

Now, by this hand I swear, I scorn the term;

Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers.

Quick. (Perceiving Nym). O well-a-day, Lady, if he be not here. Now we shall see wilful burglary and murther committed. Good Lieutenant Bardolph

Bard. Good corporal, offer nothing here.

Nym. Pish!

Pist. Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick eared cur of Iceland.

Quick. Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour and put up

thy sword.

Nym. Will you shog off? I would have you solus.

[Sheathing his sword.

Pist. Solus, egregious dog? O viper vile !

The solus in thy most marvellous face;
The solus in thy teeth, and in thy throat,

And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy;
And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth!
I do retort the solus in thy bowels;

Nym. I am not Barbason, you cannot conjure me. I have an humour to knock you indifferently well. If you grow foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with my rapier, as I may, in fair terms; if you would walk off, I would prick your hide a little, in good terms, as I may; and that's the humour of it.

Pist. O braggard vile, and damned furious wight! The grave doth gape, and doting death is near;

Therefore exhale.

[PISTOL and NYм draw. Bard. Hear me, hear me, what I say -he that strikes the first stroke, I'll run him up to the hilts, as I am a soldier.

[Draws.

Pist. An oath of mickle might; and fury shall abate. Give me thy fist, thy fore-foot to me give;

Thy spirits are most tall.

Nym. I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in fair terms; that is the humour of it.

Pist. Coupe le gorge, that's the word ?--I defy thee again. O hound of Crete, think'st thou my spouse to get?

Bard. Come, shall I make you two friends. We must to France together. Why the devil should we keep knives to cut one another's throats?

Pist. Let floods o'erswell, and fiends for food howl on! Nym. You'll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at betting?

Pist. Base is the slave that pays.

Nym. That now I will have; that's the humour of it.
Pist. As manhood shall compound: push home.

Bard. By this sword, he that makes the first thrust I'll kill him; by this sword, I will.

Pist. Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course. Bard. Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be friends: an thou wilt not, why, then be enemies with me too. Prithee, put up.

Nym. I shall have my eight shillings I won of you at betting.

Pist. A noble shalt thou have, and present pay;

And liquor likewise will I give to thee,

And friendship shall combine, and brotherhood:

I'll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me ;-
Is not this just ?-for I shall sutler be

Unto the camp, and profits will accrue.

Give me thy hand.

Nym. I shall have my noble?

Pist. In cash most justly paid.

Nym. Well, then, that's the humour of it.

Pist. Bardolph, be blithe;-Nym, rouse thy vaunting

veins;

Boy, bristle thy courage up; for Falstaff he is dead.

And we must yearn therefore.

Bard. Would I were with him, wheresome'er he is.

Quick. Nay, sure, he's in Arthur's bosom, if ever man went to Arthur's bosom. 'A made a finer end, and went away, an it had been any christom child; 'a parted even just between twelve and one, e'en at the turning o' the tide for after I saw him fumble with the sheets, and play with flowers, and smile upon his fingers' ends, I knew there was but one way; for his nose was as sharp as a pen, and 'a babbled of green fields. How now, Sir John, quoth I: what, man! be of good cheer. So 'a cried out-Heaven, Heaven, Heaven! three or four times now I, to comfort him, bid him 'a should not think of Heaven; I hoped there was no need to trouble himself with any such thoughts yet: So, 'a bade me lay more clothes on his feet: I put my hand into the bed, and felt them, and they were as cold as any stone.

Nym. They say, he cried out of sack.

Quick. Ay, that 'a did.

Bard. And of women.

Quick. Nay, that 'a did not.

Boy. Yes, that 'a did; and said they were devils incarnate. Quick. 'A could never abide carnation; 'twas a colour he never liked.

Boy. Do you not remember, 'a saw a flea stick upon Bardolph's nose; and 'a said it was a black soul burning in flames?

Bard. Well, the fuel is gone that maintained that fire: that's all the riches I got in his service.

Nym. Shall we shog? the king will be gone from Southampton.

Pist. Come, let's away.-My love, give me thy lips.

Look to my chattels, and my moveables :

Let senses rule; the word is, "Pitch and pay ;"

B

Trust none:

For oaths are straws, men's faiths are wafer-cakes,
And hold-fast is the only dog, my duck;

Therefore, caveto be thy counsellor.

Go, clear thy crystals. -Yoke-fellows in arms,

Let us to France! like horse-leeches, my boys;

To suck, to suck, the very blood to suck!

Boy. And that is but unwholesome food, they say.
Pist. Touch her soft mouth, and march.

Bard. Farewell, hostess.

[Kissing her. Nym. I cannot kiss, that is the humour of it; but, adieu. Pist. Let housewifery appear; keep close, I thee command. Quick. Farewell; adieu. [Exeunt.

Boy. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to them all three but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three such antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered, and red-faced; by the means whereof a' faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue and a quiet sword; by the means whereof a' breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym,-he hath heard that men of few words are the best men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest a' should be thought a coward but his few bad words are match'd with as few good deeds; for a' never broke any man's head but his own, and that was against a post, when he was drunk. They will steal anything, and call it-purchase. Bardolph stole a lutecase; bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three halfpence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn brothers in filching. They would have me as familiar with men's pockets, as their gloves or their handkerchers: I must leave them and seek some better service their villainy goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up. [Exit.

Chorus Appears.

Now all the youth of England are on fire,
And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies;
Now thrive the armourers, and honour's thought
Reigns solely in the breast of every man :
They sell the pasture now, to buy the horse;
Following the mirror of all Christian kings,
With winged heels, as English Mercuries.