P. Henry. Did I ever call thee to pay thy part? Fal. No, I'll give thee thy due, thou haft paid all

there.

P. Henry. Yea, and elsewhere, fo far as my coin would ftretch; and where it would not, I have us'd my.credit.

Fal. Yea, and fo us'd it, that were it not here apparent, that thou art heir apparent-But, I prythee, fweet wag, fhall there be Gallows ftanding in England, when thou art King? and resolution thus fobb'd as it is, with the rufty curb of old father antic, the law? Do not thou, when thou art a King, hang a thief.

P. Henry. No thou fhalt.

Fal. Shall 1? O rare! By the Lord, I'll be a brave judge.

P. Henry. Thou judgeft falfe already: I mean, thou fhalt have the hanging of the thieves, and fo become a rare hangman.

Fal. Well, Hal, well; and in fome fort it jumps - with my humour, as well as waiting in the Court, I can tell

you.

P. Henry. For obtaining of fuits?

Fal. Yea, for obtaining of fuits; whereof the hangman hath no lean wardrobe. 'Sblood, I am as melancholy as a gib cat, or a lugg'd bear.

P. Henry. Or an old Lion, or a lover's lute.. Fal. Yea, or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe. P. Henry. What say'st thou to a Hare, or the melancholy of Moor-ditch?

Fal. Thou haft the moft unfavoury fimilies; and art, indeed, the most incomparative, rafcallieft, sweet young Prince-But, Hal, I pr'ythee, trouble me no more with vanity; I would to God, thou and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be bought: an old lord of the Council rated me the other day in the freet about you, Sir; but I mark'd him not, and yet he talk'd very wifely, and in the ftreet too.

P. Henry.

P. Henry. Thou didft well; for wisdom cries out in the ftreets, and no man regards it.

Fal. O, thou haft damnable attraction, and art, indeed, able to corrupt a faint. Thou haft done much harm unto me, Hal, God forgive thee for it! Before I knew thee, Hal, I knew nothing; and now am I, if a man fhould speak truly, little better than one of the wicked. I must give over this life, and I will give it over; by the lord, an I do not, I am a villain. I'll be damn'd for never a King's fon in christendom.

P. Henry. Where shall we take a purse to-morrow, Jack?

Fal. Where thou wilt, lad, I'll make one; an I do not, call me villain, and baffle me.

P. Henry. I fee a good amendment of life in thee, from praying to purse-taking.

Fal. Why, Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal. 'Tis no fin for a Man to labour in his vocation. Poins!-Now fhall we know, if Gads-hill have set a match. O, if men were to be faved by merit, what hole in hell were hot enough for him!

This is the moft omnipotent Villain, that ever cry'd, Stand, to a true Man.

P. Henry. Good-morrow, Ned.

Poins. Good-morrow, fweet Hal. What fays Monfieur Remorfe? what fays Sir John Sack and Sugar? Jack! how agree the devil and thou about thy soul, that thou foldeft him on Good-Friday laft, for a cup Madeira, and a cold capon's leg?

P. Henry. Sir John ftands to his word; the devil fhall 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 vifors for you all; you have horfes for yourfelves: Gads-hill lies to-night in Rochester, I have bespoke supper tomorrow night in Eaft-cheap; we may do it, as fecure as fleep if you will go, I will ftuff your purfes full of crowns; if you will not, tarry at home and be hang'd. Fal. Hear ye, Yedward; 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 is neither honefly, 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 mad-cap.

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 reafons for this adventure, that he fhall go.

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

P. Henry. Farewel, thou latter fpring! Farewel, allhallown fummer! Exit Fal. Poins. Now, my good fweet honey lord, ride with

us

us to-morrow. I have a jeft to execute that I cannot manage alone. Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gads-hill, fhall rob those men that we have already way-laid; yourself and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head from my fhoulders.

P. Henry. But how shall 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 ourselves.

Poins. Tut, our horfes they fhall not fee, I'll tie 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 sees reason, 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 leaft 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 Eaft cheap, there I'll fup. Farewel. [Exit Poins.

Poins. Farewel, my lord.

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 bafe contagious clouds

Το

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 mists
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 pleafeth but rare Accidents.
So, when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised;
By how much better than
word I am,
By so much shall I falfify men's fears;

my

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 least I will. [Exit.

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 thefe indignities;

f And you have found me; for accordingly

You tread upon my patience: but be fure,
I will from henceforth rather be myself,
Mighty, and to be fear'd, than my Condition;
Which hath been fmooth as oil, foft, as young down,
And therefore loft that title of Respect,

Which the proud foul ne'er pays, but to the proud.
Wor. Our House, my fovereign Liege, little deferves

The scourge of greatness to be used on it;

And