Lord Chief-Justice Pray thee, peace. Pay her the debt you owe her, and unpay the villany you have done her: the one you may do with sterling money, and the other with current repentance. FALSTAFF My lord, I will not undergo this sneap without reply. You call honourable boldness impudent sauciness: if a man will make courtesy and say nothing, he is virtuous: no, my lord, my humble duty remembered, I will not be your suitor. Isay to you, I do desire deliverance from these officers, being upon hasty employment in the king's affairs.
Lord Chief-Justice You speak as having power to do wrong: but answer in the effect of your reputation, and satisfy this poor woman. FALSTAFF Come hither, hostess.
Enter GOWER
Lord Chief-Justice Now, Master Gower, what news? GOWER The king, my lord, and Harry Prince of Wales Are near at hand: the rest the paper tells. FALSTAFF As I am a gentleman. MISTRESS QUICKLY Faith, you said so before. FALSTAFF As I am a gentleman. Come, no more words of it. MISTRESS QUICKLY By this heavenly ground I tread on, Imust be fain to pawn both my plate and the tapestry of my dining-chambers. FALSTAFF Glasses, glasses is the only drinking:
and for thy walls, a pretty slight drollery, or the story of the Prodigal, or the German hunting in water-work, is worth a thousand of these bed-hangings and these fly-bitten tapestries. Let it be ten pound, if thou canst. Come, an 'twere not for thy humours, there's not a better wench in England. Go, wash thy face, and draw the action. Come, thou must not be in this humour with me; dost not know me? come, come, Iknow thou wast set on to this. MISTRESS QUICKLY Pray thee, Sir John, let it be but twenty nobles: i'
faith, I am loath to pawn my plate, so God save me, la! FALSTAFF Let it alone; I'll make other shift:
you'll be a fool still. MISTRESS QUICKLY Well, you shall have it, though I pawn my gown. Ihope you'll come to supper. You'll pay me all together? FALSTAFF Will I live?
To BARDOLPH
Go, with her, with her; hook on, hook on. MISTRESS QUICKLY Will you have Doll Tearsheet meet you at supper? FALSTAFF No more words; let's have her.
Exeunt MISTRESS QUICKLY, BARDOLPH, Officers and Boy Lord Chief-Justice I have heard better news. FALSTAFF What's the news, my lord?
Lord Chief-Justice Where lay the king last night? GOWER At Basingstoke, my lord. FALSTAFF I hope, my lord, all's well: what is the news, my lord?
Lord Chief-Justice Come all his forces back? GOWER No; fifteen hundred foot, five hundred horse, Are marched up to my lord of Lancaster, Against Northumberland and the Archbishop. FALSTAFF Comes the king back from Wales, my noble lord?
Lord Chief-Justice You shall have letters of me presently:
Come, go along with me, good Master Gower. FALSTAFF My lord!
Lord Chief-Justice What's the matter? FALSTAFF Master Gower, shall I entreat you with me to dinner? GOWER I must wait upon my good lord here; Ithank you, good Sir John.
Lord Chief-Justice Sir John, you loiter here too long, being you are to take soldiers up in counties as you go. FALSTAFF Will you sup with me, Master Gower?
Lord Chief-Justice What foolish master taught you these manners, Sir John? FALSTAFF Master Gower, if they become me not, he was a fool that taught them me. This is the right fencing grace, my lord; tap for tap, and so part fair.
Lord Chief-Justice Now the Lord lighten thee!
thou art a great fool.
Exeunt SCENE II. London. Another street. Enter PRINCE HENRY and POINS PRINCE HENRY Before God, I am exceeding weary. POINS Is't come to that? I had thought weariness durst not have attached one of so high blood. PRINCE HENRY Faith, it does me; though it discolours the complexion of my greatness to acknowledge it. Doth it not show vilely in me to desire small beer? POINS Why, a prince should not be so loosely studied as to remember so weak a composition. PRINCE HENRY Belike then my appetite was not princely got; for, by my troth, I do now remember the poor creature, small beer. But, indeed, these humble considerations make me out of love with my greatness. What a disgrace is it to me to remember thy name! or to know thy face to-morrow! or to take note how many pair of silk stockings thou hast, viz. these, and those that were thy peach-coloured ones! or to bear the inventory of thy shirts, as, one for superfluity, and another for use! But that the tennis-court-keeper knows better than I; for it is a low ebb of linen with thee when thou keepest not racket there; as thou hast not done a great while, because the rest of thy low countries have made a shift to eat up thy holland:
