Poins. Good morrow, fweet Hal. What fays Monfieur Remorse? what fays Sir John fack and sugar? Jack! how agree the devil and thou about thy foul, that thou foldeft him on Good Friday laft, for a cup of Madera, and a cold capon's leg?

P. Henry. Sir John ftands to his word; the devil shall have his bargain, for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs; He will give the devil his due.

Poins. Then thou art damn'd for keeping thy word with the devil.

P. Henry. Elfe he had been damn'd for cozening the devil.

Poins. But, my lads, my lads, to morrow morning, by four o'clock, early at Gads-hill; there are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with fat purfes. I have vizors for you all; you have horses for your felves: Gads-hill lies to night in Rochester, I have bespoke fupper to morrow night in Eaft-cheap; we may do it, as fecure as fleep: if you will go, I will stuff your purfes full of crowns; if you will not, tarry at home and be hang'd.

Fal. Hear ye, Tedward; if I tarry at home, and go not, I'll hang you for going.

Poins. You will, chops?

Fal. Hal, wilt thou make one?

P. Henry. Who, I rob? I a thief? not I, by my faith.

Fal. There's neither honefty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee, nor thou cam'ft not of the blood royal, if thou dar'ft not cry, ftand, for ten fhillings.

P. Henry. Well then, once in my days I'll be a madcap.

Fal. Why, that's well faid.

P. Henry. Well, come what will, I'll tarry at home. Fal. By the lord, I'll be a traitor then, when thou art King.

P. Henry. I care not.

Poins. Sir John, I pr'ythee, leave the Prince and me alone; I will lay him down fuch reasons for this adventure, that he shall go.

Fal. Well, may'ft thou have the spirit of perfuafion, and he the ears of profiting, that what thou fpeak'st may move, and what he hears may be believ'd; that the true Prince may (for recreation-fake,) prove a false thief; for the poor abuses of the time want countenance. Farewel, you fhall find me in Eaft-cheap.

P. Henry. Farewel, thou latter spring! Farewel, allhallown fummer!

[Exit Fal. Poins. Now, my good sweet hony lord, ride with us to morrow. I have a jeft to execute, that I cannot manage alone. (8) Falstaff, Bardolfe, Peto, and Gads-bill, fhall rob thofe men that we have already way-laid; your felf and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head off from my fhoulders.

You

(8) Falstaff, HARVEY, ROSSIL, and Gads-hill fhall rob thofe Men that We have already way-laid.] Thus the whole Stream of Editions, from the First downwards. But thus We have two Perfons named, as Characters in this Play, that never were once inferted among the Dramatis Perfone in any of the Impreffions whatsoever. But let us fee who they were, that committed this Robbery; and then, perhaps, we may be able to account for this Pair of additional Thieves, as They at prefent feem. In the fecond Act, We come to a Scene of the High-way. Falstaff, wanting his Horse, which had been hid on purpose to plague him, calls out on Hal, Poins, Bardolfe, and Peto; and fays, He has a great Mind to leave thefe Rogues. Prefently, Gads-hill joins 'em, with Intelligence of Travellers being at hand; upon which the Prince fays, Four fall front 'em in the narrow Lane, Ned Poins and I will walk lower. So that the Four to be concern'd are Falftaff, Bardolfe, Peto, and Gads-bill. Accordingly, the Robbery is committed: and the Prince and Poins afterwards rob them Four. When the Matter comes to an Examination in the Boar's-Head Tavern, the Prince rallies Peto and Bardolfe for their running away; who confefs the Charge. Upon the Evidence now is it not plain, that Bardolfe and Peto were two of the four Robbers? And who then can doubt, but Harvey and Roffil were the Names of the Actors that perform'd those two Parts; and by Mistake, in the old Play-houfe Books, put inftead of the Names of the Characters to be reprefented by them? So, throughout a whole Scene, in Much Ado about Nothing, the Names of Kemp and Cowley are printed in the old Books, instead of the Town-Clerk and Dogberry: as, in another Scene of the fame Play, Jack Wilson we find mark'd to Enter inftead of Balthazar. The like Inaccuracies are frequent thro' Beaumont and Fletcher. It were to be wish'd, indeed, Mistakes of this Sort had happen'd throughout our Authors Works: for fo We might have known what particular Parts were perform'd by Shakespeare himself, and the other eminent Actors concern'd in the Company with him.' VOL. III. A a P. Henry.

P. Henry. But how fhall we part with them in setting forth?

Poins. Why, we will fet forth before or after them; and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail, and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves, which they fhall have no fooner atchiev'd, but we'll fet upon them.

P. Henry. Ay; but, 'tis like, they will know us by our horfes, by our habits, and by every other appointment, to be our felves.

Poins. Tut, our horfes they fhall not fee, I'll tye them in the wood; our vizors we will change after we leave them; and firrah, I have cafes of buckram for the nonce, to immask our noted outward garments.

P. Henry. 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 turn'd Back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he fees reafon, I'll forfwear arms. The virtue of this jeft will be, the incomprehenfible lies that this fame fat rogue will tell us when we meet at fupper; how thirty at least he fought with, what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and, in the reproof of this, lies the jeft.

P. Henry. Well, I'll go with thee; provide us all things neceffary, and meet me to morrow night in Eaftcheap, there I'll fup. Farewel.

Poins. Farewel, my lord.

[Exit Poins. P. Henry. I know you all, and will a while uphold The unyok'd humour of your idleness;

Yet herein will I imitate the Sun,

Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To fmother up his beauty from the world;
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondred at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mifts
Of vapours, that did feem to ftrangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,
To fport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they feldom come, they wifht-for come,
And nothing pleaseth but rare Accidents.

So

So when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised;
By how much better than my word I am,
By fo much fhall I falfifie men's hopes;
And, like bright metal on a fullen ground,
My Reformation, glittering o'er my fault,
Shall fhew more goodly, and attract more eyes,
Than That which hath no foil to fet it off.
I'll fo offend, to make offence a skill;

Redeeming time, when men think leaft I will. [Exit.

SCENE changes to an Apartment in the Palace.

Enter King Henry, Northumberland, Worcester, Hotfpur, Sir Walter Blunt, and others.

K. Henry. MY blood hath been too cold and tem

perate,

Unapt to ftir at these indignities;

And you have found me; for accordingly
You tread upon my patience: but be sure,
I will from henceforth rather be my felf,
Mighty, and to be fear'd, than my condition,
Which hath been fmooth as oyl, foft as young down,
And therefore loft that title of Respect,

Which the proud foul ne'er pays, but to the proud.
Wor. Our Houfe, my foveraign Liege, little deferves
The fcourge of Greatnefs to be used on it;

And that fame Greatnefs too, which our own hands
Have help'd to make fo portly.

North. My good lord,

K. Henry. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do fee
Danger and difobedience in thine eye.

O Sir, your prefence is too bold and peremptory
And Majefty might never yet endure
The moody frontier of a fervant brow.
You have good leave to leave us.

When we need

Your ufe and counfel, we fhall fend for you.

[Exit Worcester.

A a 2

You

You were about to speak.

North. Yes, my good lord.

[To Northumberland.

Those prifoners, in your Highness' name demanded,
Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took,
Were, as he fays, not with fuch strength deny'd
As was deliver'd to your Majefty.

Or Envy therefore, or Mifprifion,
Is guilty of this fault, and not my fon.
Hot. My Liege, I did deny no prisoners.
But I remember, when the fight was done,
When I was dry with rage, and extream toil,
Breathlefs, and faint, leaning upon my fword;
Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drefs'd;
Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin, new-reap'd,
Shew'd like a ftubble land at harvest home.
He was perfumed like a milliner;

And 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held
A pouncet-box, which ever and anon

He gave his nofe: and took't away again;
Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,
Took it in fnuff. And ftill he fmil'd, and talk'd;
And as the foldiers bare dead bodies by,
He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly,
To bring a flovenly, unhandfome coarse
Betwixt the wind, and his Nobility.

With many holiday and lady terms

He question'd me: amongst the rest, demanded
My prifoners, in your Majefty's behalf.

I, then all-fmarting with my wounds being cold,
(To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay,)

Out of my Grief, and my impatience,
Anfwer'd, neglectingly, I know not what;

He should, or should not; for he made me mad,
To see him fhine fo brisk, and smell fo fweet,
And talk fo like a waiting-gentlewoman,

Of guns, and drums, and wounds; (God fave the mark!)

And telling me, the foveraign'ft thing on earth

Was Parmacity, for an inward bruise;

And that it was great pity, fo it was,