L. Bard. My lord, I over-rode him on the way; And he is furnish'd with no certainties 30 North. Now, Travers, what good tidings comes with you? Tra. My lord, Sir John Umfrevile turn'd me back With joyful tidings; and, being better hors'd, He ask'd the way to Chester; and of him North. L. Bard. 45 50 My lord, I'll tell you what : If my young lord your son have not the day, Upon mine honour, for a silken point I'll give my barony. Never talk of it. North. Why should that gentleman that rode by Travers Give then such instances of loss? 55 He was some hilding fellow that had stolen 70 Is apter than thy tongue to tell thy errand. But Priam found the fire ere he his tongue, Your brother thus; so fought the noble Douglas; 99 80 Stopping my greedy ear with their bold deeds; But, for my lord your son, North. Why, he is dead. See what a ready tongue suspicion hath ! He that but fears the thing he would not know 85 100 To speak a truth. If he be slain, [say so ;] Mor. I am sorry I should force you to believe 105 In poison there is physic; and these news, Having been well, that would have made me sick, Being sick, have in some measure made me well. And as the wretch, whose fever-weak'ned joints, Like strengthless hinges, buckle under life, 140 Out of his keeper's arms, even so my limbs, Weak'ned with grief, being now enrag'd with grief, Are thrice themselves. Hence, therefore, thou nice crutch! 145 A scaly gauntlet now with joints of steel quoif! Thou art a guard too wanton for the head Which princes, flesh'd with conquest, aim to hit. Now bind my brows with iron; and approach The ragged'st hour that time and spite dare bring 151 To frown upon the enrag'd Northumberland! Let heaven kiss earth! Now let not Nature's hand 155 Keep the wild flood confin'd! Let order die ! 166 L. Bard. Sweet Earl, divorce not wisdom from your honour. Mor. The lives of all your loving complices Lean on your health; the which, if you give o'er 165 To stormy passion, must perforce decay. [You cast the event of war, my noble lord, And summ'd the account of chance, before you said, "Let us make head." It was your presurmise, That, in the dole of blows, your son might drop. loss Knew that we ventur'd on such dangerous seas That if we wrought out life 't was ten to one; And yet we ventur'd, for the gain propos'd Chok'd the respect of likely peril fear'd; And since we are o'erset, venture again, Come, we will all put forth, body and goods. Mor. 'Tis more than time; and, my most noble lord, 185 190 I hear for certain, and do speak the truth, This word, rebellion, it had froze them up, Suppos'd sincere and holy in his thoughts, stones; 205 Derives from heaven his quarrel and his cause; Tells them he doth bestride a bleeding land, Gasping for life under great Bolingbroke; And more and less do flock to follow him.] North. I knew of this before; but, to speak truth, 210 This present grief had wip'd it from my mind. Never so few, and never yet more need. 215 Fal. Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me. The brain of this foolish-compounded clay, man, is not able to invent anything that intends to laughter, more than I invent or is invented on me. I am not only witty in myself, but [16 the cause that wit is in other men. I do here walk before thee like a sow that hath overwhelm'd all her litter but one. If the Prince put thee into my service for any other reason than to set me off, why then I have no judge- [15 ment. Thou whoreson mandrake, thou art fitter to be worn in my cap than to wait at my heels. I was never mann'd with an agate till now; but I will inset you neither in gold nor silver, but in vile apparel, and send you back [20 again to your master, for a jewel, the juvenal, the Prince your master, whose chin is not yet fledg'd. I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one off his cheek; and yet he will not stick to say his [25 face is a face royal. God may finish it when he will, 't is not a hair amiss yet. He may keep it still at a face royal, for a barber shall never earn sixpence out of it; and yet he 'll be crowing as if he had writ man ever since his [30 father was a bachelor. He may keep his own grace, but he's almost out of mine, I can assure him. What said Master Dommelton about the satin for my short cloak and my slops? 34 Page. He said, sir, you should procure him better assurance than Bardolph. He would not take his band and yours. He lik'd not the security. 28 Fal. Let him be damn'd like the glutton! Pray God his tongue be hotter! A whoreson Achitophel! a rascally yea-for-sooth knave! to bear a gentleman in hand, and then stand upon security! The whoreson smooth-pates do now wear nothing but high shoes, and bunches of keys at their girdles; and if a man is through with them in honest taking up, then [45 they must stand upon security. I had as lief they would put ratsbane in my mouth as offer to stop it with security. I look'd 'a should have sent me two and twenty yards of satin, as I am a true knight, and he sends me security. Well, [50 he may sleep in security; for he hath the horn of abundance, and yet the lightness of his wife shines through it; and yet cannot he see, though he have his own lanthorn to light him. Where's Bardolph ? 66 Page. He's gone into Smithfield to buy your worship a horse. Fal. I bought him in Paul's, and he'll buy me a horse in Smithfield. An I could get me but a wife in the stews, I were mann'd, hors'd, and wiv'd. 61 Serv. Sir, my lord would speak with you. Ch. Just. Sir John Falstaff, a word with you. Fal. My good lord! God give your lordship good time of day. I am glad to see your lordship abroad. I heard say your lordship was sick; I hope your lordship goes abroad by [108 advice. Your lordship, though not clean past your youth, hath yet some smack of age in you, some relish of the saltness of time in you; and I most humbly beseech your lordship to have a reverent care of your health. 114 Ch. Just. Sir John, I sent for you before your expedition to Shrewsbury. Fal. An't please your lordship, I hear his Majesty is return'd with some discomfort from Wales. 119 Ch. Just. There is not a white hair in your face but should have his effect of gravity. Fal. His effect of gravy, gravy, gravy. Ch. Just. You follow the young prince up and down, like his ill angel. 186 Fal. Not so, my lord. Your ill angel is light; but I hope he that looks upon me will take me without weighing; and yet, in some respects, I grant, I cannot go. I cannot tell. Virtue is of so little regard in these costermongers' [19 times that true Valour is turned bear-herd; Pregnancy is made a tapster, and his quick wit wasted in giving reckonings; all the other gifts appertinent to man, as the malice of this age shapes them, are not worth a gooseberry. [19 You that are old consider not the capacities of us that are young; you do measure the heat of our livers with the bitterness of your galls; and |