Shal. Shall I prick him, sir John? Fal. It were superfluous; for his apparel is built upon his back, and the whole frame stands upon pins: prick him no more. Fal. You may: but if he had been a man's tailor, he would have pricked you. Wilt thou make as many holes in an enemy's battle, as thou hast done in a woman's petticoat? Fee. I will do my good will, sir; you can have no more. Fal. Well said, good woman's tailor! well said, courageous Feeble! Thou wilt be as valiant as the wrathful dove, or most magnanimous mouse. →→→ Prick the woman's tailor well, master Shallow; deep, master Shallow. Fee. I would, Wart might have gone, sir. Fal. I would, thou wert a man's tailor; that thou might'st mend him, and make him fit to go. I cannot put him to a private soldier, that is the leader of so many thousands: Let that suffice, most forcible Feeble. Fee. It shall suffice, sir. Fal. I am bound to thee, reverend Feeble. . Who is next? Shal. Peter Bull-calf of the green! Fal. Yea, marry, let us see Bull-calf. Bull. Here, sir. Fal. 'Fore God, a likely fellow! Come, prick me Bull-calf till he roar again. Bull. O lord! good my lord captain, Fal. What, dost thou roar before thou art pricked? Bull. O lord, sir! I am a diseased man. Fal. What disease hast thou? Bull. A whoreson cold, sir; a cough, sir; which I caught with ringing in the king's affairs, upon his coronation-day, sir. Fal. Come, thou shalt go to the wars in a gown; we will have away thy cold; and I will take such order, that thy friends shall ring for thee. Is here all ? -- Shall. Here is two more called you must have but four here, sir; go in with me to dinner. than 9 Fal. Come, I will go drink with you, but I cannot tarry dinner. I am glad to see you, in good troth, master Shallow. Shall. O, sir John, do you remember since we lay all night in the windmill in Saint George's fields? Fal. No more of that, good master Shallow, no more of that. Shall. Ha, it was a merry night. And is Jane Nightwork alive? Fal. She lives, master Shallow. Shall. She never could away with me. Fal. Never, never: she would always say, she could not abide master Shallow. Shall. By the mass, I could anger her to the heart. She was then a bona-roba. Doth she hold her own well? Fal. Old, old, master Shallow. Shall. Nay, she must be old; she cannot choose but be old; certain, she's old; and had Robin Night-work by old Night-work, before I came to Clement's inn. Sil. That's fifty-five year ago. 9 Here is two more called than your number ;] Five only have been called, and the number required is four. Some name seems to have been omitted by the transcriber. The restoration of this sixth man would solve the difficulty that occurs below; for when Mouldy and Bull-calf are set aside, Falstaff, as Dr. Farmer has observed, gets but three recruits. Perhaps our author himself is answerable for this slight inaccuracy. MALONE. Shall. Ha, cousin Silence, that thou hadst seen that that this knight and I have seen! Ha, sir John, said I well? Fal. We have heard the chimes at midnight, master Shallow. Shall. That we have, that we have, that we have ; in faith, sir John, we have; our watch-word was, Hem, boys!-Come, let's to dinner; come, let's to dinner; O, the days that we have seen! Come, come." m [Exeunt FALSTAFF, Shallow, and SILENCE. Bull. Good master corporate Bardolph, stand my friend; and here is four Harry ten shillings in French crowns for you. In very truth, sir, I had as lief be hanged, sir, as go: and yet, for mine own part, sir, I do not care: but, rather, because I am unwilling, and, for mine own part, have a desire to stay with my friends; else, sir, I did not care, for mine own part, so much. Bard. Go to; stand aside. ! ... Mould. And good master corporal captain, for my old dame's sake, stand my friend: she has nobody to do any thing about her, when I am gone; and she is old, and cannot help herself: you shall have forty, sir. Bard. Go to; stand aside. Fee. By my troth I care not; a man can die but once; We owe God a death; - I'll ne'er bear a base mind: an't be my destiny, so; an't be not, so; No. man's too good to serve his prince; and, let it go which way it will, he that dies this year, is quit for the next. Bard. Well said; thou'rt a good fellow. Fee. 'Faith, I'll bear no base mind. Re-enter FALSTAFF, and Justices. Fal. Come, sir, which men shall I have? Shal. Four, of which you please. Bard. Sir, a word with you:-I have three pound to free Mouldy and Bull-calf. FallGo to: well... 1 Shall Come, sir John, which four will you have? 1 Shal. Marry then,-Mouldy, Bull-calf, Feeble, and Shadow. Fal..Mouldy, and Bull-calf: For you, Mouldy, stay at home still; you are past servicet: and, for your part, Bull-calf, grow till you come unto it; I will none of your pho Shal Sir John, sir John, do not yourself wrong; they are your likeliest men, and I would have you with the best. rag you served Fal. Will you tell me, màster Shallow, how to choose a man? Care I for the limb, the thewes, the stature, bulk, and big assemblance of a man! Give me the spirit, master Shallow. Here's Wart; -you see what a ged appearance it is: he shall charge you, and discharge you, with the motion of a pewterer's hammer; come off, and on, swifter than he that gibbets-on the brewer's bucket. And this same half-faced fellow, Shadow, give me this man; he presents no mark to the enemy; the foeman may with as great aim level at the edge of a penknife: And, for a retreat, how swiftly will this Feeble, the woman's tailor, run off? O, give me the spare men, and spare me the great ones. Put me a caliver into Wart's hand, Bardolph. 2. Bard. Hold, Wart, traverse; thus, thus, thus. Fal. Come, manage me your caliver. So very well:-go to:-very good:-exceeding good.-0, give me always a little, lean, old, chapped, bald shot. 66 11 strength + stay at home till you are past service:"- MALONE. the thewes,) i. e. the museuervice. or appearance of manhood. In ancient writers this term usually implies manners, or behaviour only. 9vel 1 Com 2-foeman -] An obsolete term for an enemy in war. caliver A caliver was less and lighter than a musquet, as is evident from its being fired without a rest. traverse ;] An ancient term in military exercise. Well said, i'faith, Wart; thou'rt a good scab : hold, there's a tester for thee. Shal. He is not his craft's-master, he doth not do it right. I remember at Mile-end green, (when I lay at Clement's inn,-I was then Sir Dagonet in Arthur's show",) there was a little quiver fellow, and 'a would manage you his piece thus: and 'a would about, and about, and come you in, and come you in: rah, tah, tah, would 'a say; bounce, would 'a say; and away again would 'a go, and again would 'a come: - I shall never see such a fellow. Fal. These fellows will do well, master Shallow.God keep you, master Silence: I will not use many words with you:-Fare you well, gentlemen both: I thank you: I must a dozen mile to-night.-Bardolph, give the soldiers coats. Shal. Sir John, heaven bless you, and prosper your affairs, and send us peace! As you return, visit my house; let our old acquaintance be renewed: peradventure, I will with you to the court. Fal. I would you would, master Shallow. well. Shal. Go to; I have spoke, at a word. Fare you [Exeunt SHALLOW and SILENCE. Fal. Fare you well, gentle gentlemen. On Bardolph; lead the men away. [Exeunt BARDOLPH, Recruits, &c.] As I return, I will fetch off these justices: I do see the bottom of justice Shallow. Lord, lord, how subject we old men are to this vice of lying! This same starved justice hath done nothing but prate to me of the wildness of his 5 I was then sir Dagonet in Arthur's show,] Arthur's show, here supposed to have been presented at Clement's inn, was probably an interlude, or masque, which actually existed, and was very popular in Shakspeare's age: and seems to have been compiled from Mallery's Morte Arthur, or the History of King Arthur, then recently published, and the favourite and most fashionable romance. But some think Arthur's show was an exhibition of archery on Mile-end green: a little quiver fellow,] Quiver is nimble, active, &c. |